Friday, March 30, 2012

the makings of a flower headband

I love arts and crafts.

I’m lucky and blessed to work in a company that showcases talented artists in the crafting community (http://www.stampington.com/). From cards to handbags to even themed parties, I’m constantly in awe of how the artists create these ideas. As I peruse through each magazine I always tell myself, “I want to make that when I go home.” It’s been a year and a half since I started working there. And I have yet to create something artsy other than crocheting, my go-to craft. In my art bins, I have paint, yarn, tulle, Mod Podge, canvas boards, Walnut Ink, adhesives—just sitting there.

But today’s conversation would change all that. I was talking with one of the other editor’s this morning. We were talking about how creative and innovative artists can be in this industry. I knew she had created previous works, so we talked about her artful journey. But then she asked me if I had created anything since being here. Shaking my head, she asked me, “Why?” As much as I tried to answer the question with “Well I’m not that talented,” “I can’t compete with these artists,” and even “I’m afraid to mess up,” I knew that deep down I had no real answer. She gave me the best advice anyone can give: Just do it. I know it’s a bit chessy, but it’s the truth. Why not just do it instead of making up reasons not to? It was the push I needed to start crafting.

Of course, I went on Pinterest to find some inspiration. I clicked on my “Crafties” board to see what project I would focus on tonight. At first, I wanted to paint something onto my canvas boards that I just bought. I looked through all the canvases and collages I had pinned, and nothing really stood out. Disappointed, I looked at other crafts hoping that something else would pop out. My eyes drew on a picture of hair pins made out of felt material. When I clicked on the image, it opened into a blog dated a couple of years ago. There, I found a step-by-step of how to create this adorable flower head pin. I love hair accessories, so it was an obvious choice to pick this project.

When looked at my finished piece, I was quite happy with the results, and I couldn’t wait to show it to someone (95% of the time it’s my husband). Even though it was simple and had been done before, I did it. I created something. And I even added my own personality to it by creating it into a headband instead of a hair pin.



Special thanks to the artist for posting this blog. To learn more projects from her, visit http://www.befickle.blogspot.com/.
And a special thanks to Jenn inspiring me to start on my artful journey.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

here i go...

It's been over a year in the making.

I created this blog in hopes of writing my thoughts, feelings, insights, or just my simple ramblings of life. After being out of school for almost a year at that time, I had missed writing…which is saying something since I did take that lovely senior class. Oh Crit. Nonetheless, I missed writing. It was also weird how much I would miss it seeing that after 2 ½ years of newspaper and some yearbook on the side, I left it because I was over wanting to be a journalist. I wanted to be involved in missions…

Back to the subject. So I had created this little world over a year ago. Profile picture? Check. Personal information? Check. Background theme? Check. Writing? Blank space. I couldn't gather myself to write at least one blog entry. Why? Didn't know how to simply start it.

That’s the story of my life. There's so many things that I want to do, want to try, want to create; however, I have a horrible time knowing where to begin. I have all the materials I need to start a project, but it simply sits in the corner collecting dust. It's an awful habit I know.

I realized the root of all this unnecessary madness: Fear. It's because of this fear, I'm scared to step out of my comfort zone. To make a fool of myself. To try out new things. It's easy to fall in routine…repetition of the same things over and over and over again. No surprises, and you always know what's going to happen next. I can deal with that; at least I have control of all the variables before me. But the mere thought of stepping out of my routine, of what I'm comfortable with, gets me anxious. Am I even ready? I allow this fear to take control of my thoughts, and I end up withdrawing from my tasks.

But what's the point of this nonsense? If we don't challenge ourselves, our lives are meaningless. It's nice to have a routine; it's not completely wrong. But there's a line between being a robot and being a human being. God didn't create us to be this way. We were meant for something more than the routines we've constructed for ourselves. We have a purpose, we have gifts. Live a little…it can change the way you view things. And who you are as an individual.

So here I am. Taking my big step.

Welcome to my blog.