The Early Bird Gets the Worm and Scrapbooks!


How early is too early for you when it comes to being creative? 7:30 a.m.? 8:30 a.m.?

For me sleeping in is sadly anything past 6:30 a.m. I wasn't always this way. (Ask my Mom. She'll tell you what I was like as a teenager dragging my sorry butt out of bed each morning for school.)

But somewhere along the line, my internal clock kicked it into high gear and now I can't seem to sleep past 6:30 a.m. My friends laugh at me. My sisters just roll their eyes when they want to go out late at night and I'm "too tired." It's a sickness. I agree. But it's a good sickness. I get a lot done in the wee hours of the morning. No one else seems to be up at 3 a.m., or 4 a.m., or even 5:30 a.m. which is my usual wake-up call. It works for me. Obviously it might not work for everyone.

Here are just a few of my "early scrapbooking bird" confessionals:

* I'm often in my pj's until it's time to take the kids to school or around 10:30 a.m. I didn't used to work in my pj's, though. I wonder when that started happening? (But in my behalf I have never driven my kids to school in pj's. At least not yet.)

* I often secretly hope that by closing the kids' bedroom doors, and my office door that they can't hear my Silhouette machine buzzing as it cuts. I doubt that's true, though. Poor kids.

* I own two Ott-lites so I can film in the wee hours of the morning. It's high-tech around these parts. (Actually we try to work with what we've got so Ott-lites for "photography/filming" lights it is.)

* You might get an email from me anywhere from 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. in the morning. Do NOT take your phone to bed with you if you are my friend (no one likes to be woken up to one of my early-morning emails).

* I have to wait until the sun is up to photograph my projects. (Again, Ott-lites for photography, people. Ott-lites.)

* I get more done in the first three hours of my day than I do all the rest of the day's hours combined. I'm not sure if this is more a commentary on how productive I am in the morning, or one on how tired I am in the afternoon. We'll go with the former explanation.

* Our washing machine (which is in the next room to my office) is often going by 6 a.m. Any earlier and I might accidentally wake a kid and no one wants that. Trust me!

* I often chat with my international friends on Facebook as they are going to bed. It comes in handy. I'm also practically on East Coast time if I need to be. But don't even think about asking me to hang out past 9:30 p.m. It won't be pretty. I promise.

* I was really happy when eyelets went out of style because everyone knows a silent eyelet setter isn't really all that silent and loud hammering noises make husbands grumpy in the morning. (Honestly though, I still own gobs of eyelets. Because you just never know.)

* My breakfast often consists of candy. I have a candy drawer right next to my computer, and I'm typically too tired to go downstairs for breakfast. I'm thinking one of my 2014 goals should be to change that to a vegetable drawer. I wonder how well celery will keep for a week in an unrefrigerated drawer?

So what about you? Are you a night owl scrapping into the wee hours of the morning? Or do you prefer the warm afternoon sun to get creative? Or are you like me and like to get your craft on before the sun even rises? What are some of your "scrapbook confessionals" and is your current creative time working for you?

17 comments

  1. Scrapbook confession-- I have scrappy stuff all over the kitchen island, and yes I have scrapbook room, in the basement. It is COLD here in WI. Enough said there. I am up by 6:30am on my own, no alarm clocks. My creative time is during the day, in between work and when the kids are at school. I love scrapping at the kitchen island or table when the sun is out (which isn't happening today, so gloomy). It is warmer up here, especially when the sun is out. I am not a night owl anymore. Many years ago I was. Now, no.

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  2. That so me, Michelle. I haven't seen past midnight much these days. ;)

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  3. Early to bed, early to rise for me, too. I love the quiet, dark mornings of Alaska's winter, and I get a lot done during that time. Summer's different. It's light all the time, so I'm more likely to stay up later.

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  4. I can't wake up till it's 10 am now, because it's too dark outside. And no lamp can not convince my body that is already light. And even if I have whole day to myself I don't start scrapbooking (or doing my homework ...) till it's evening. I'm an evening person when it comes to crafting and deadlines:)

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  5. I am a night owl and often craft along with a chick flick or a few episodes of a box set. Confessions? I am super messy and now my baby stole my scrap room I use the dining room table so we have to have lap suppers as I'm to lazy to pack it all away when I'm on a roll!

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  6. My scrap room is dim but gets wonderful natural light in the afternoon, so that is my preferred scrap time. Looking forward to summer so my afternoon hours are longer & I can craft after work during the week. In a pinch I do have my Ott light (LOVE that thing, totally worth the expense).

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  7. I am a night owl so your post made me laugh out loud. Why is it that the Silhouette or Cricut sounds ten times louder at 1 a.m.? If there is a scientific explanation, please let me know!

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  8. Oh how funny! :D I'm a total night owl. I once wrote a masters thesis from 7p to 7a. I came into our bedroom and told my hubby I was done. He said, good, now come to bed; to which I responded, It's 7a you have to get up or you'll be late for work! :D I can work through the night, but if I go to sleep at any point, it's over. I can't get back up and work until 9a and that's only after 2 or 3 cups of coffee.
    BTW, celery doesn't keep that well…trust me… might be time for the desk fridge… ;-)

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  9. Night owls unite! (but married to an early morning bird--YIKES)! I do not like the butt crack of dawn--I have older kids so that's what we call it. I have night owls and 2 early birds like dad. Isn't wonderful that it takes all kinds to make the world a fabulous place to be.

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  10. Definitely a nite owl...and in a family of nite owls. Those creative juices start to really flow at around 10.30pm and I could scrap all nite. I usually have to make myself go to bed but then can lie awake planning what to do next. But once I am awake I have to get up so I average 5 hours sleep a nite...sad but it seems to work.

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  11. I'm the opposite of an early bird going to bed around 2 or 3 am every night, but we have working in our PJ's in common. ;) I loved Christmas break because we could sleep until 10 am every day! :)

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  12. Are you my twin??? 'Cause I had to laugh---this is soooo me!!! I am usually in bed (and sleeping!!) by 9:30, the latest. Everyday, I am up before 6:30...later is sleeping in for me, and kinda throws me off for the day. I had to laugh about the eyelets and setter..been there, done that....still have loads! Never know!

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  13. I'm using a baby changing table to store my scrapbooking supplies in my bed room & like Jenn, I secretly eat candy for breakfast from time to time.

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  14. im a total night owl! i hate mornings. i don't mind creating in the afternoons either. But i normally get most of my scrapping done at retreats.

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  15. I am all over the place ... I can scrap all night and go to bed when you are getting up Jen. Then there are some nights I get an early bedtime and wake up extra early and that mind just won't let me sleep. Have so many eyelets it makes me wonder what I was thinking!

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  16. I'm often on the computer by 6.30am too, and I have been known to get up and scrapbook for an hour if I wake in the small hours. I don't function werll on it though

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  17. Chocolate for breakfast sounds soo familiar :))) I love to scrapbook in the morning but after my husband leaves for work and kids start school.

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