A Decoupage Meditation

"Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mama, Mom, Mommy, Mooooooooom"... aaah the sweet sounds of my day. Those sounds are usually accompanied by the messes that grow around my children; messes consisting of game pieces and Pokemon cards, among other happy little things just strewn about. I love my family. I love my work in the beauty industry. But, I also love my time alone to be creative and to make my own messes. If I have to clean it up, I want to have at least enjoyed the ride.

When you make time for yourself, it can do wonders for the mind and body, read: sanity in my modern world. But how often does that time actually come to fruition? Less than I'd like these days. And if we're being honest, the idea of starting a project but not finishing it, it sort of stresses me out... but I guess there's one type of project that I allow to be slow and steady and it's also one that also brings me calm, creativity and what I consider to be a crafty meditation... the art of decopauge.

I have been decopauge-ing since I was a kid. I never really learned how to do it, I just kind of did it. I can remember cutting colorful flowers and plants out of my mom's gardening catalogs and then creating paper beads (a project my mom saw in a 1980's family magazine no doubt), bookcovers and postcards for my family. You name it and my little child brain was trying to cut and glue something pretty to it. I have loved that all decopauge takes is a pair of scissors, a paint brush big enough to cast some broader strokes, some glue/sealent type of product and whatever it is that you want to cut out. I can be inspired by literally anything in print, my own art, other people's art, catalogs, vintage books that are falling apart, old magazines... the list really could go on.

Up until recently, I wouldn't have added "decopauge" under my list of main crafting skills but upon reflection, it really has been a source of creative joy for me for the majority of my life. Wow, it took writing a Vocal piece to realize this. *mind blown emoji*. I just remembered while writing down ideas to share that I used old book pages and the art of decopauge for the table numbers and reception table stuff at our wedding. The memories of this craft came flowing back apparently!

The art that once adorned school book covers then went on to transform furniture and even create new art on canvas' through combined mediums. I asked myself the question, "why do I like to decopauge so much?" and when I searched for the answer, I realized that it was something that has been a meditation of sorts, something that I gravitate to when I need a creative outlet away from the "world" but don't have a specific project to work on. I can create while watching my favorite show. I can create while listening to music that isn't KidzBop. I can create in absolute silence. It's my one-size-fits-all-go-to craft of choice. I like to sew. I like to paint. I like to knit (sometimes). But when it comes to projects completed in conjunction with joy received, decopauge has been it for me, baby! Speaking of babies...

When I decopauge, I can get lost for HOURS. Cutting, ripping, glue, smooth it out. Cutting, ripping, glue, smooth it out. Cutting, ripping, glue, smooth it out. It's creative repetition towards a larger goal. I am not only meditating on my art but I am allowed the time to think and let my brain wander in and out of thoughts around that art, what makes me happy, my family, my errands that need to be run, Jim and Pam's wedding and all the way back to the art at hand. The things that were stressors seem to be less so after I have spent the time in my decopauge mindset. It is a sure way for me to get rooted back in happiness and in my inherent creativity.

I am currently in the midst of an art project using the gelli printing kit that I borrowed from the library and combining that art with decopauge. It's definitely been a work in progress. And it may not turn out exactly how I envisioned but the process of this piece is what is important to me. Or at least that's what I tell myself. The beauty of decopauge is that I almost always end up with a great endpiece, which I suppose is why I keep coming back to this art again and again. It makes me happy and that's important.

*If you're looking to start the art of decopauge yourself, you'll need only those few things: a perfect pair of all purpose scissors (whatever you do, don't use your mom's fabric scissors!), that wonderous glue combo, a paint brush, pretty paper and a little bit of time to meditate on your art. I hope that once in awhile that you choose happiness + creativity for yourself!