Welcome to Slow Sunday Stitching!This week I was reading about the benefits of slowing down and living in the moment, and I came across a blog post over at Focus Manifesto. It was interesting content to read, but what struck me was the really unique design of the blog post. Hop over here and just notice what it's like to look at something with no distractions? What does it feel like to not have to deal with popups, and advertisements, and notices that block the content we want to read?
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| Distractions |
This realization made me think about all the visual clutter we have to deal with. According to the Webster dictionary, clutter means "to fill or cover with scattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness".
There is so much clutter now on some websites and blogs I used to read, that I sometimes can't visit them any more. It's just too much visual stimulation to deal with. Not to mention all the clutter I see regularly in my sewing room, in my home and in my office. It's all connected and I intend to reflect on that today while I take some slow uncluttered stitches. I might make a few goals to work on to declutter the spaces in which I live and work.
Or I might just relax and think about nothing except the Life is Beautiful block I am stitching today!This is my progress so far this week. The iron-on transfer had faded too much to be able to stitch so I had to retrace the pattern, which I did with a frixion marker. Now I am ready to finish up this block.
What are you slow stitching today? Link up your blog post below, but remember that we only want to read about your hand stitching projects.
An InLinkz Link-up
21 comments:
Oh, yes, I've stopped visiting several blogs that are just so 'busy', they take forever to load and the pop ups are crazy! I prefer the "Keep it Simple" approach to life! I have always admired the Life is Beautiful stitcheries! XO
Interesting to see a blog with no pictures just words! But you know what they say a picture tells the story of a thousand words (I'm not sure ive got that quote right LOL!) But I can see the benefits of sometimes taking away that visual stimulation that over powers the brain sometimes. And on another note I'm off to tidy my sewing room - that can definitely do with calming down!! Have a nice day.
Lots of white space over there! After I toast my English Muffin I'll go back and read the article, since I noticed the first quote was from Gandhi and I am in the middle of reading a biography about him! AND just a few minutes in the shower as the list started I was reminding myself....STOP ! Be MINDFUL of what you are doing now. This mindfulness stuff is good for me but oh boy how it makes you realize how the mind runs on and on, back and forth....
I have been reading Joshua Becker's new book and taking his e-course and a lot of it is about removing distractions to free up both mental and physical space for the things that actually matter to us. Electronic clutter is one thing he talks about and, having lessened this in my life, I discovered that it was stressing me out more than I realized (your blog survived my pruning)! You might want to hop over to his blog to check him out - becoming minimalist. I do not think of myself as a minimalist (do not even think about taking away my collection of flosses!) but his approach really works for me.
We have been working on reducing our"stuff lately...we are in the midst of a renovation and we had to clean out three closets in the process ...lots of "stuff" was donated to various charities. Still more to do.
I hate the visual clutter of our world...advertising everywhere we look. Slow Sunday stitching is a wonderful way to clear the mind and relax!
Great linky to "Slowing Down"...thanks for sharing. I am trying to go with the flow today: unexpected overnight company last night, and family going to beach today arrival at 10 a.m. surprise! Instead of panicking, I am trying to just see what happens...hugs, Julierose
busy today hand stitching binding down
Unfortunately most people don't read past a couple of sentences anymore so the written word seems to be going by the wayside in favor of pics. (Not for me). I quit going to websites that have lots of ads a long time ago...I had an old computer that took waaaay tooooo loooooooong to load a page with so many ads and sometimes my computer would crash. Have new computer now but have not changed my ways to revisit those sites.
Learning to accept my station in life (now retired since 2009) and learning to find meaning in each day without a job or kids has been challenging... I am happy I found slow stitching when I did after retirement.. it has saved my sanity and helped me be a better person I think all together as I ponder things when I quilt that I can't ponder or don't ponder when sewing other ways.. I love hand stitches!!! lol Kathi
Well, I know all the rules for dealing with clutter, but that doesn't make it any easier. I've noticed a number of bloggers have switched to a cleaner look using Wordpress. I quit going to the Quiltmaker blog because the ads that bounced all over the page made it impossible to read. All this frenetic activity has given us the attention span of a gnat.
Not really slow stitching today as I have to catch up on my Christmas in July QAL.
I too find that sites with too many ads put me off - all the visual clutter just messes with my mind. I always try to have one room in the house that I keep clutter-free (for years that was my bedroom, as too many teenagers are like a messy force of nature). It really helps me to go and sit somewhere and not be surrounded by stuff that needs to be moved/put away/chucked out.
I so agree, those blogs that are so heavily stacked with ads and popups got dropped from my reading list. Sad, because a few have some great ideas, but the clutter is just too much. I can see a few ads to help pay the costs of the blog, but running down both sidebars with moving video and popups just make me crazy. I'll be linking up next week with my slow stitching post for Christmas in July.
Simple is always my moto...especially in the fast paced, internet connected world. I especially like to watch people's mouth hang open when I respond with "Oh I left my phone at home, I'll check later!"
Great link! Thanks
There is a lot of white space over there! I am reducing the amount of stuff in my house, and besides being easier to clean, it really is calming to not be bombarded with so many things vying for my attention. Even though I thought a lot of it was just sitting there out of mind, it really was work to block it out.
Hi,
Great article on slowing down. Thanks for sharing. Your Life is Beautiful block. Have a great day!
great article, thanks for the link.
I have had to stop following a couple of my favorite blogs because their new advertisements cause my laptop to either crash, shutdown or run incredibly slow. I have contacted the writers, but nothing has changed so I have stopped reading those blogs. It is sad, but true. Enjoy stitching that cute block.
Clutter can really weigh heavily on our life. I love your little stitchery.
Great post as always Kathy! I too have stopped following several blogs that are jumpy with ads - drives me crazy!!!
I too notice how ad-heavy some blogs are. I always choose the "reader view available " option at the website. The ads disappear, but sometimes also the photos
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