Bits & Pieces | Making Room for Joy

As many of you are wrapping up the school year and heading into summer adventures, I hope you’re finding a little time to relax, create, and enjoy the longer days ahead.

First, I want to send a huge thank you to everyone who participated in our National Scrapbooking Day celebrations. From the games and challenges to all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making events like that happen, I loved seeing the community come together. One of my favorite things about The Lilypad has always been the people, and NSD was a wonderful reminder of just how special this community is.

Outside of NSD, things have actually been relatively calm around here. From a management perspective, that’s not a bad thing! We did have PayPal decide to keep us on our toes for a little while, but thankfully our resident developer swooped in and got everything sorted out. It does seem like these things have an uncanny habit of happening whenever he tries to take a holiday. I suggested the simplest solution would be to stop taking holidays altogether. He did not agree with my recommendation.

On a personal note, I’ve been focusing on making more room for the things that bring me joy. If you’ve spent any time around me, you already know I rarely meet a creative hobby I don’t want to try. The challenge has never been finding creative things to do—it’s been slowing down long enough to actually enjoy them.

Lately, I’ve been trying to be more intentional about setting aside time for creativity. Some of it is returning to things I’ve enjoyed before, and some of it is simply following my curiosity.

Bible journaling is one of those things. It’s not something I’ve ever really done before, and one day I found myself thinking, “Huh, let’s see what that looks like.” That little bit of curiosity has led me down several creative rabbit trails, which, if we’re being honest, is pretty on brand for me.

Between that, junk journaling, hybrid projects, hand lettering, and the countless ideas constantly bouncing around in my head, I’ve had plenty to keep me busy. I’m also working on creating spaces that make it easier to enjoy those things instead of constantly feeling like I need to squeeze them in between everything else.

I’ve also been making an effort to get out of the house a little more and spend time with friends. Between work, responsibilities, and the never-ending to-do lists, it’s easy to let those things slide. It has been nice to step away from the computer, share a few laughs, and simply enjoy the company of good people.

I’m learning that not every creative project needs to become something useful, productive, or shareable. Sometimes it’s enough to simply enjoy the process. That’s a lesson I’m still practicing, but one that’s been good for me.

As for hand lettering, I’m officially taking recommendations! I love the look of traditional calligraphy, but I’m beginning to suspect I may not have the patience required to become a true calligrapher. The above is way easier to do and doesn’t try my patience so. I’m working completely analog, so if you have favorite books, practice resources, pen recommendations, or lettering styles that are fun to learn, I’d love to hear about them.

For now, I’m going to continue trying to slow down the whirlwind of ideas bouncing around in my brain long enough to turn a few of them into actual projects.

Until next time, may your summer be filled with creativity, inspiration, and plenty of moments that bring you joy.

x-Esther