10 on the 10th: January 2024-10 Things to Feed My Head

January 11, 2024 / 20 Comments

I am a day late but it did not make me a dollar short. This wicked wind storm that just blew over half of the nation took our power with it and we were without electricity or internet from Tuesday night through Wednesday evening. I had planned to write this post in the dark early morning hours of Wednesday, but alas, it was too dark without any power and I had no internet. So instead, I sat with my coffee in the delicate glow of candles and battery operated twinkle fairy lights, doing crossword puzzles by the glow of a headlamp. By the time power was restored on Wednesday evening, I had already been awake and doing things the old school way for about 12 hours so I was just too darn tired for writing about things to feed my head.

Every month, Marsha in the Middle hosts her 10 on the 10th series, where she usually shares 10 questions about a singular topic and invites us to share our answers in blog post form. Her questions are such a wonderful way to share more information about ourselves and to learn interesting new things about others. Anyone is invited to join and answer the questions. It is a great way to start new conversations, make meaningful connections with new people, and have a good hearty chuckle every now and then.

To start the new year, Marsha has abandoned the 10 question format and has invited us to share 10 things that we are hoping to accomplish, learn, master, or create…otherwise known as Things to Feed Your Head.

So let’s get right to it. Here are 10 things that I would like to accomplish, learn, master, or create in an effort to feed my head (and my soul).

1. I want to create more rag curtains, lots more rag curtains.

My raggery projects have taken over my creative energies. It has been like a tidal wave of inspiration just pouring in as my list of rag curtain ideas continues to grow. As of this Monday, two of my rag curtains, Saved from the Landfill and In the Garden, are for sale now at the State Street Market which is an awesome flea market in town with a little bit of something for everyone. By Tuesday, I had my first custom order for a rag curtain! I also made two smaller rag projects for the flea market, a valance called Fire on the Mountain ($35) and a small tie dye wall hanging ($18).

2. I want to make more sock snowmen, sock pumpkins, and sock mushrooms.

My first batch of sock crafts turned out super cute but my novice crafting skills were very apparent to me. So I want to keep making these cute plush decorations with unwanted socks until I get them perfect enough to offer for sale.

3. I want to make more Frankendresses.

I have been upcycling my unwanted tee shirts and unworn skirts into unique combinations of what my son calls Frankenstein dresses (which Anne adequately shortened to Frankendresses). So far I have made six of these dresses and have shared four, the Vintage Soul Holly Hobbie Frankendress, My Coffee Needs Coffee Frankendress, the Thankful & Blessed Frankendress, and the Grateful-Thankful-Blessed Frankdress. I still have to photograph and share with you my Coffee and Chaos Frankendress and my Mom on Wheels Frankendress. I have the pieces to make three more Frankendresses as well and perhaps keep making them until I completely exhaust my collection of unworn graphic tees.

4. I want to learn how to read Tarot cards.

Archie and I are planning on taking a Tarot reading class this year with Psychic Seth at The Magic Apothecary. We gifted each other Tarot decks for Christmas and now we are just waiting for the class schedule to be announced. I am really excited that my kid wants to learn this with me. I think it will be a really fun mother-son bonding experience as well.

We will be using the original Rider-Waite Tarot deck.
5. I want to learn how to make over all the wooden furniture in my house.

Except for my bedroom dressers and end tables and the kids’ bunk beds, every single piece of furniture in my house is secondhand. Like a true hippie, I really struggle with buying brand new items when you can rescue old items and make them new again without contributing to the massive amounts of waste that our over-indulgent, throw-away culture dumps into landfills.

But my secondhand furniture is starting to look more like tenth hand furniture and it all needs a makeover. The only furniture makeover project I have completed is my mom’s sewing table which I sanded down and decoupaged with fabric scraps. I was planning to decoupage a larger piece of furniture but wanted to try it on something smaller first. I am still undecided about doing a larger piece in this fashion. Before I begin any furniture makeovers, however, I am planning to take a furniture reclamation/painting class in the spring with Gail of The Hive. Gail beautifully reclaims antique and heirloom furniture and offers many of her pieces for sale at the State Street Market.

6. I want to publish more articles on Medium.

Medium is an online social publishing platform that anyone can join to either read or write or both. I began publishing articles on that platform years ago but it has fallen way down my list of priorities. I really just want to republish my blog posts that have some human interest substance on another site to reach a larger audience.

There is a $5 monthly membership fee for unlimited access to articles. Medium pools together all of those membership fees so they can pay their editors and top writers. Ever since I began writing on this platform, including the months that I have not published anything, I have generated a passive income. A very small income, but still money coming to me for doing absolutely nothing, which is why I really want to get back to publishing on Medium. If I can generate a few dollars each month without doing a thing, I wonder what I could generate if I actually did some work!

Shelbee on the Edge on Medium
7. I want to practice and hone my Reiki skills.

I was certified as a Level II Reiki practitioner in September 2022 and have experienced some really fascinating results with my family members and my pets. But I have not ventured outside of my home to offer services beyond my most intimate connections and I think it may be time to expand in this area.

Image Source
8. I want to connect and interact with more spiritual and creative communities.

Social interaction is one of my least favorite things. I definitely prefer solitary activities over anything that requires me to be around a lot of people. Since all humans need other humans for survival and even the least social of us still require some interaction with others, I do occasionally engage in small social activities. Mostly, I get my fill during festival season and my annual road trips to North Carolina. But now that the kids are getting to ages where they are less and less reliant on me for things, I do sometimes find myself craving social interaction during my social off-seasons. So I am trying to push myself outside of my comfort zone and find some like minded communities of creatives and spiritual folks to engage with more regularly.

Image Source: Art Therapy: Can Art Help Us Heal?
9. I want to collect more blue and green glass, teal pottery and ceramics, and buttons.

Ever since painting my living room Gypsy Teal, I have wanted my mantle area to be covered in blue glass and teal pottery or ceramics. Similarly, since painting my dining room in shades of green, I have been collecting green glass and ceramics. I have found some really fun pieces so far at local thrift stores and flea markets. The button collecting is a brand new obsession. I recently had a crafty idea that will require lots and lots of buttons to make it come to life.

10. I want to listen to more books on Audible.

I have quite a few books in my Audible library that I have not yet started including The Woman in Me by Britney Spears, Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story by Jewel, Vivienne Westwood by Vivienne Westwood, and Caffeine: How Caffeine Created The Modern World by Michael Pollan. My head definitely is starving for this kind of fuel. And since I plan on doing lots of solitary projects in the coming months and years, it is the perfect time to catch up on some Audible.

How do you plan on feeding your head? If you enjoyed reading my answers, be sure to check out Marsha’s post and her link party for more fun and interesting responses. And feel free to share your own answers in the comments. I would love to read them!

Keeping it on the edge, 

Shelbee

Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.

Cover Image Source

I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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20 Comments

  • Anne M Bray

    January 11, 2024 at 10:15 am Reply

    Love your list!

    I too am interested in learning more about Tarot. I went on a Kickstarter tear during Covid Isolation and funded a bunch of different decks and… they sit in a drawer. Cool that Archie will be studying with you. You can practice on each other!

    I found a fun (and informative) Witchy group here: https://www.thewildones.community/

    I’m still old school with the books, using the library. I like to read before falling asleep, but lately I’ve been falling asleep WHILE reading and I wake up with the light blazing and the book next to my head (with my place lost) (I think I’ve read the same paragraph maybe 5 times. Maybe that’s an insomnia cure paragraph! Haha).

    Stay warm!
    xxox

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      January 12, 2024 at 5:44 am Reply

      Thanks, Anne! I am so excited to learn Tarot with Archie! I think it is going to be a really great bonding experience, too. I do not force my spiritual beliefs onto my children. In fact, I am always reminding them that spirituality and religion are highly personal and they need to find what works best for them. So I try to expose them to all sorts of different things so that they can decide for themselves. So I really appreciate that my kids are into some of the same stuff that I am! Ralph is a big fan of smudging and now Archie is getting into Tarot!

      I also am fairly old school with reading books. I will always prefer to hold the book in my hand, read the words on an actual page, and smell the paper and ink! But lately, I never have the time to just sit down and read so audio books are a great solution for me! I have been known to drop a book on my face falling asleep while reading as well! That’s when reading becomes truly painful. Ha.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Jessica A Jannenga

    January 11, 2024 at 10:39 am Reply

    I really loved reading this Shelbee! That Decoupage table you redid looks beautiful! You are soooo crafty! I am musical and creative, but not crafty! The sock pumpkins and snow man are so cute too and congrats on selling those curtains. You are a very creative soul too, and I wrote one article on medium too, and should consider writing more myself. I think it is wonderful you want to enrich your mind and life in this way. I think keeping your mind active is so important! I am going to orientation Sat at the Humane Society to be happy with animals!
    Hope you are well!
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      January 12, 2024 at 5:38 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Jess! Oh my goodness, that is so exciting about working with the Humane Society! I can’t wait to hear all about that experience! My creativity has been in overdrive lately. I only wish it included something musical! But the only music that makes its way into my creating is the names of my creations. They all seem to have a musical reference…like Bohemian Ragsody, In the Garden, and Carolina on My Mind. I hope you have a most wonderful weekend, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Jacqui Berry

    January 11, 2024 at 12:53 pm Reply

    That’s a good list of things to do. My friends makes rag rugs which I assume is similar to the curtains. Tarot readying sounds very interesting. Be good to hear more and it always reminds me of Live and Let Die! My first film I saw at the cinema, well apart from The Aristocats! Have a fun weekend. Jacqui xx

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      January 12, 2024 at 5:34 am Reply

      Thanks, Jacqui! I love rag rugs, too, but I don’t know how to make them! I have 4 of them (store bought) scattered throughout my living room. I had contemplated learning how to make rag rugs, but I am enjoy the curtain making so much that I don’t want to take time away from that. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friend.

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Kym

    January 11, 2024 at 9:50 pm Reply

    I love your frankendresses and the other crafty things you’ve shared here! Creative and fun! Hope you are able to learn and grow and achieve your goals in 2024!

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      January 12, 2024 at 5:30 am Reply

      Thanks so much, Kym! Now if I could just get these kids back to school so I can work on my stuff! Between illnesses and snow days, my kids have been home more days than they have been to school! I hope you have a lovely weekend!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Marsha Banks

    January 11, 2024 at 10:49 pm Reply

    Oh, I love that…feed your head! Congrats on the commissions for the raggery creations. That’s amazing! I think you are going to be so busy creating these beauties! I honestly did not realize you weren’t a social butterfly. You give me that sense of loving to be with people yet observing more than interacting. Maybe, that’s what you’re saying.

    I look at my wooden furniture and think about painting it all the time. But, almost all of it is high quality wood, and I know it’s difficult to remove paint from wood. So, I’ll just keep looking at it and thinking.

    Love your collections of glass. For me, it’s clear glass. I love an old milk jug, pickle jar. If it’s got a weird shape, I’m even more in love with it!

    Thanks, Shelbee, for playing along. And, I’m glad your power came back on!

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

    • shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com

      January 12, 2024 at 5:29 am Reply

      Aw, thanks so much, Marsha! I am very social and friendly on the rare occasions that I leave my house but those occasions seem to become more and more rare the older I get. I really do prefer a lot of solitude! Looking back over the last 49 years of my life, I realize I have always been a very solitary person, socializing only periodically and with small groups. Large crowds of people have always made me uncomfortable. As for the furniture painting, apparently if you use chalk paint you don’t have sand anything down. But these are things I plan on learning when I take that class with Gail! I also love clear glass in weird shapes and have been collecting random jars and bottles from our recycling, like syrup bottles and olive jars, to make some sort of glass project with. I am not sure what at this point, but something is making me collect the glass recyclables for a future creation. The weirder, the better, right?!

      xoxo
      Shelbee

  • Gail

    January 12, 2024 at 3:12 am Reply

    Fantastically creative goals Shelbee. I’m thinking I need to find some more projects, after reading this post and Suzy Turner’s!
    I used to read tarot cards a few years ago and had the same deck.

  • Sue from Women Living Well After Fifty

    January 12, 2024 at 4:00 pm Reply

    What an interesting 10 things you would like to do in 2024. Your choices will certainly feed your mind and your soul. Thanks for sharing at Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot and have a beautiful week.

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Shelbee on the Edge