The other day I was half listening to Radio National and someone was talking about mindfulness and meditation.  And commenting that actually happy people are people who aren’t thinking.

And then they went on to suggest, I think – and please correct me if you were listening too, and I got the wrong end of the stick, or perhaps in this case, pencil – that activities such as ‘colouring in’ were equal to meditation as a mechanism to achieve a ‘non-thinking’ state.

You know, you do some mindless colouring in and switch off.  And you are happy.

I have been feeling a bit down in the dumps lately.  I think I have said it before, but sometimes it is a bit* boring doing chores.  I don’t get one bit of a thrill out of turning dirty clothes into clean clothes.  I hate making a bed (let alone 4).  I detest vacuuming and mopping.  Even if I made a list of 10 activities like this and ticked them all off I would still feel like I had achieved nothing (well nothing for myself) at the end of the day.

A list of 10 finished crafty projects, on the other hand, would MAKE my day. Creating stuff gives me a sense of achievement.  But I also get caught up in crafty stuff.  And I just think about what I am doing.  And forget everything else. And I am happy … I think it might be my ‘colouring in’.

So, yesterday I woke up thinking about making a better doggy bed for Charley. Mindless thinking – a happy start to the day!

On the weekend I bought her a basket (at Savers Ringwood for $5.99).  It is nice and big and I can put all her toys in it, and she can still fit in too.  But it’s not very US, you know.  It’s just a boring old basket.

BUT NOT ANY MORE!  I have now added a bit of love with a new tea towel cushion, and an op shop crocheted blanket (craft rescue).

 The tea towel cushion is actually a table cloth cushion.  I whipped it up in about 15 minutes.  I used a large lamp shade to get a big circle shape.  I didn’t spend too much time on it as I have recently been observing a lot of naughty dogs (belonging to Facebook friends) ripping up their beds.  And if Charley rips my crafty work I don’t want to get too cross about it.  Anyway, the new doggy cushion features sites from Canberra (note Canberra friends).  And it matches in with the tea towel cushions on the couch in our lounge room.  And the tea towel covered footstool …

And the crocheted blanket has been hanging around in my studio for a while.  It’s not precious, I was planning to pull it apart to reupholster something.  But I think Charley will love it.  And the colours are super. And if she wrecks it, it won’t be the end of the world as it has a couple of loose threads in it already.

PERFECT.  What next?

* ummm, a lot.