THE ALPHABET CLUB: more info & introducing the Handy Dandy Inspirational Sheet

I know many of you have been waiting patiently for this post, so I’m putting it first on the list of the catching-up episodes.

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fist of all, many of the info regarding THE ALPHABET CLUB (TAC, isn’t it a handy acronym? 😀 ) are already available in this post. if you haven’t read it yet, do it before moving on with this one. 🙂

now, I read in the comments here and in Jo’s post that some people were worried about not having time, or suitable projects, or wondering in what TAC differed from alphabet challenges, etc. so let me break it down in a list, you know how much I love lists. 🙂

• what if I don’t have time to participate every month? NO PROBLEMO whatsoever! 🙂 you can join at any time and only in the months you can, no need to fuss over TAC! 🙂
• what is the minimum requirement for a TAC post? as little as a word starting with the letter of that month. if your alphabet is not latin-based, you can post whichever word you feel like, absolute freedom! 🙂
• didn’t you say we were to link a word & something stitched to the letter of the month? yep, that would be ideal, but I perfectly understand life and all the ways it can interfere; one word a month is pretty manageable, but if you can do more ALL THE BETTER! 😀 in fact, I prepared an inspirational sheet for this purpose, but more on this later.
• do I have to start a project like an alphabet sampler specifically for this project? NO! 🙂 your snaps can be as old as Methuselah, finished or unfinished, cross stitch/needlework/.. all sorts of crafting is allowed! (I posted pictures of me making pizza for #30for30crafting for goodness’ sake!! 😀 ).

of course if you want to start a project (or more) especially for TAC, that’s wonderful! I feel honoured and excited at the same time! ❤️ but in case you don’t feel like committing to a new start, no problemo! I myself am debating on the prospect of a new start or not, we’ll see.

• in what way is TAC any different from other alphabet challenges? well, I’m not familiar with these, but all I can say is that from my point of view, TAC is not meant to be lived as a challenge at all. I like no-pressure, stress-free stitching and would never want anyone to feel that something I started has put any kind of pressure or stress on them.

remember that heavy shoehorning activities are allowed, let this thought be your guide. 😀

• when does TAC start? YOU DECIDE! the pool is still open and will be for another week or so, don’t forget to express your vote here.
• what is the Handy Dandy Inspirational Sheet (HDIS)? it’s something I came up with while pondering what to feature in my first post for the letter A. instead of writing down whatever came to my mind starting with A, I listed categories first, and the A-example next to them. in an hour or so I ended up with a full page of options I put into a PDF that you can now download and scribble on, digitally via iPad or the old-fashioned way previous print job (let me know if it prints well, if it doesn’t I’ll write one from my laptop rather than using a scan of my notebook 🙂 )

the idea behind it is that if you were to sit and try to focus on this like a task, you wouldn’t find it that much amusing and easy to do, whereas if you could carry something like the HDIS with you in your planner, bag, during commute hours, holidays, weekend trips, etc. you could always write down whatever comes to mind throughout the month and slowly but surely end up with a freaking long list of words without even noticing. that’s what happens to me anyways 😀

of course nobody is meant to do ALL the categories I put in the HDIS, and by all means you can always add fuel to the fire and expand/develop it by adding more categories, ideas, etc.

the HDIS is a mere example of what you can do for THE ALPHABET CLUB, remember there are no musts or obligations; take it for what it is: a handy dandy inspirational sheet 😀

–> download the HDIS here <– 

it prints as an A4 sheet that can be closed in half; there is enough room after each bullet point for you to scribble on, and on the top right I put a blank space for the month’s letter and deadline. you can fill them in every time and recycle this file every month (on not! 😀 you can always make yours! you people are so inventive, feel free to adapt this to suit your needs).

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I hope this post solves any additional doubt on TAC, of course if anything leaves you wondering just add a comment here, I’ll reply publicly so that everyone can benefit from your input. 🙂

remember I always reply to comments directly here, so if you’re asking something or want to stay updated on the topic discussed, check the “Notify me of new comments via email” box. if you’re a WordPress blogger you don’t need to do this, WP will automatically notify you of a new reply. 🙂

now you see why I couldn’t possibly write this post or make anything like this PDF without my best pal here, thank goodness it came home safe and sound! 😅

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see you soon for more catching-up posts!

happy xxx!

chiara