The Happiness Project

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The Happiness Project.jpg

For several years now Gerwerken Crafts has been about making things.  I have knitted and sewed and made my house a home.  I enjoy making things.  I like the feeling I get at the end of a project - the sense of accomplishment is a powerful motivator.  However, for more than two years, I have not made much that you can easily see or hold.

A craft is the application of skill or expertise in the creation of something that one desires. I have realized that the things that I truly desire are not objects that I can create. What I truly desire is daily happiness and a life I can look back on with contentment.

Over the past two and a half years, I have researched and experimented with methods for obtaining happiness. I have simplified and culled that which no longer served my purpose, and I have added things that contribute toward my peace. I have been learning a new craft and I have made a tremendous amount of progress toward becoming the happiest and best version of myself that I can possibly be. I still have a lot of work to do.  I will always have work to do because happiness is something that you have to work toward every day, and becoming better has only shown me how much further I have to go.

I plan to spend the rest of my life perusing happiness and becoming a better version of myself.  One of the ways I plan to do that is by sharing what I have learned with all of you because I believe that happiness breeds happiness and that part of becoming better is helping others to the best of our abilities.

To that end Gerwerken Crafts and the Hang Your Hat podcast will be changing focus a bit in the next year.  I will still be sharing the tangible things I create, but I will also be sharing the things that I do, and the things that I have learned that have made my life and myself better.  The focus of the blog will change from crafting things to learning to craft the best possible version of our lives.  I am calling this conversion the Happiness Project, and I am hoping that all of you will join me in it, and share what makes you happy so that we can all learn from each other and support each other’s journey.

Consumable Christmas Gifts

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On Episode 2 of Hang your Hat, Firebeard and I did a segment on consumable christmas gift ideas.  These are gifts that are meant to be used up, so they don't hang around cluttering up the house.  Since then I was asked if I might be able to do a visual version of the list perhaps with  links to some of the products we mentioned, and I am happy to oblige.  

Note:  This list contains gifts big and small.  While some would be appropiate for the year's "big" gift, there are also several that would make great stocking stuffers. 

Consumable Gift Ideas

Bath/Body/Grooming (many of these are easy to DIY):

Food (Most of these are easy to DIY):

  • Candy, Cookies, or Carmel
  • Hot Cocoa Mix (Single servings are good presents for office mates).  Add some homemade marshmallows to make it really special.
  • Flavored Sugars or Salts
  • Infused Liquors or Vinegars
  • DIY Vanilla
  • Flavored Simple Syrups (great for drinks)
  • Good Quality Olive Oil
  • Bottle of Wine
  • Meal Kit 
  • Fancy Coffee
  • Local Honey
  • Drinks Kits (ex. Cocktail kit)
  • Special Snacks (that are not normally on the menu)

Services: (Think Gift Certificates)

  • Massage
  • Facials
  •  Mani/Pedis
  • High End Barber Shops / Hair Dressers
  • Oil Change or Car servicing (especially if the person you are giving the gift to normally does these things themselves)
  • Baby Sitting
  • House Cleaning
  • Photographer

Subscriptions:

Gift Cards:

  • Any Favorite Retail Store the recipient is likely to shop at (maybe somewhere that is normally too pricy for the recipient – just make sure that the gift card could cover the cost of an item at the store)
  • Itunes
  • Grocery or Gas Cards (good for college students or recent grads)
  • Coffee Shop
  • Book Store

Entertainment/Events:

  • Burlesque Shows or Vaudeville Performances
  • Sporting Event.  Of course Football and  basketball games come to mind first- but why not a fencing or ballroom dance competition
  • Tickets to the Movies 
  • Tickets to an Amusement Park, Museum, or zoo
  • Fancy Tea Party
  • Concerts or Plays

 

Active Pursuits:

  • Pay for a Goruck Challenge
  • Gym Membership (Think outside the box and go for something like a rock climbing or cross fit gym rather than the standard gym)
  • Sporty Classes (like belly dancing class)
  • Goods that are consumed while participating in a sport (ex. Bike tubes for a cyclist, chalk for a rock climber or gymnast, and dehydrated food for campers)

Miscellaneous:  

  • Hobby or Craft Supplies (ex. Scrapbooking paper or stickers, yarn, paint)
  • Kids Craft Supplies (ex. tape, stickers, erasers, glue, pipe cleaners, pompoms, googly eyes)
  • Fireplace Supplies (ex. Wood, fire starters, matches, bundles of dried herbs, pinecones dipped in wax)
  • Personalized Photo Calendar
  • Starting a 529 College Savings Plan

What is living simply/voluntary simplicity?

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That is actually a difficult question. Living simply means different things to different people. As I have tried to practice it over the years my concept has evolved, and will probably continue to evolve as my priorities change. At the moment I believe that living simply means getting rid of the excess in our lives in favor of the basics, and getting rid of those things that do not positively contribute to our lives in favor of those things that fulfill us. Things can mean objects, projects, jobs, or even people.

One of the ways I have simplified is by becoming a SAHM. I decided that my kid's care was more important to me than my job or the income that it brought in. Now that my kids are getting older, and will be able to start preschool soon I may decide to go back to work or work more extensively from home.

Another way in which I have simplified is by getting rid of nearly everything in my home that had no greater purpose than collecting dust. Now my house is rather more empty than it was, but those things that remain have value for me and my family. In getting rid of those things I have saved my self time and money on the upkeep of those objects that I can instead spend on something that really matters.

Does living simply mean getting back to basics or living like the Amish? It can, but I think that "basic" living simply highlights those aspects of our lives that matter. It highlights family, people, self reliance, and social connections; however, a technologically advanced lifestyle can highlight those values as well.