All three of our children played multiple sports. All three played at least one travel sport. If you’re a parent of a child or children who play sports—especially travel sports—you understand the time commitment involved.
I’m not complaining—I loved traveling with my kids. We had some of our best conversations on those road trips, and the friendships made with other parents are irreplaceable.
My point is that now that our youngest child has graduated and will be flying out of the nest this August, I’ve suddenly found myself with lots of time on my hands. Time for things—and people—I didn’t have time for before.
It’s weird.
My Summer Bucket List
In a previous post, I talked about my summer bucket list. Here’s a reminder of what’s on it:
✅ Do one Spanish lesson every day
(I’m planning to visit Child #2 in Spain for Christmas!)
📚 Read something every day
🚶 Exercise or walk five days per week
✍️ Write a minimum of one blog post every week
🌸 Create a backyard flower garden
🏖️ Go to the beach at least once per week
🧳 Travel somewhere every week
Most of what I wrote on this list are things I never had time for before. Keeping it real… I never had the energy when I did have the time. Now I have both time and energy, so I’ve been working on my list—and adding a few things that interest me along the way.
Collage Night @ The Library
One of the things that interested me most recently was Collage Night @ The Library. This event at our local library ran for two hours in the evening and was open to participants aged 18 and older.
The event facilitator provided all the materials we needed to create. We were given our choice of canvas (bookmarks, 5×8 cardboard, 8×10 cardboard, etc.). Books, magazines, stickers, clippings, markers, glue—you name it—were available to inspire us.
For the next two hours, we listened to fun music and created our collages. It was such a fun and relaxing evening!
I took my daughter, Macey, with me. We both made travel collages and had a great time reminiscing about the places we’ve been while we worked.
Here Are Our Creations
The Power of Collage
Austin Kleon, an artist and author from Austin, Texas, regularly blogs about the benefits of collage. He says that making collages is:
- Meditative
- Great for fine motor skills
- A calming activity
In his book Steal Like an Artist, he highlights the value of collage as a creative outlet. I often use his creativity tools and techniques in my marketing classroom, and this year, collage will definitely be joining our curriculum!
Just Look at How Relaxed I Look!
Host Your Own Collage Night
If your library isn’t as cool as the Wexford County Public Library, don’t worry—you can host your own Collage Night!
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Old books, maps, and magazines
- Stickers and paper clippings
- Glue sticks or craft glue
- Cardstock or cardboard in various sizes
- Music
- (Optional) Adult beverages for added fun
Get creative and enjoy!
Learn More from Austin Kleon
Want to explore more of Austin Kleon’s work? Start here:
📬 Sign up for his weekly newsletter, “10 Things I Thought Were Worth Sharing This Week”:
👉 https://austinkleon.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
📚 Buy Steal Like an Artist here – it’s a great deal right now ($8.60 plus a $2.14 coupon!):
👉 https://a.co/d/6y91zRU
📝 The Steal Like an Artist Journal is also available on Amazon. If you’re a teacher, it’s packed with brain break ideas:
👉 https://a.co/d/anpGqLl
Hive & Seek 
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