I told myself that I was going to try new things in 2010....
...after all this is the year that will bring big changes in my life...
...in just a few months I will be leaving Corporate America for...
...home.
The time that I have been craving for so long will be mine.
Time to "do art"...to create...to organize... to clean out... to decorate...to try new things...
Time to travel...
Time to sort through my piles of great stuff...
...maybe sell some of my collections...perhaps open a shop?
Time to figure out what I will do with the rest of my life.
To start, I signed up for a workshop called Sweater Craft offered by Charlotte Lyons.
It really sounded like fun. It still sounds like fun. I just don't know if I will be any good at it.
It is coming up soon...Saturday, January 23rd.
Today, I received a very nice email from Charlotte, listing some supplies that we should bring and sharing a little bit about what we would be making...
Confession:
I'm just a tad nervous. I have not met these talented and creative women that have signed up and know each other and I am feeling as if I will surely be the dunce of the class. I am shy...not painfully shy like when I was young...but... a little shy. I don't really sew....at least not in a very long time. I'm not so good at following patterns, spacial relations or mechanical things. Last year I took a class with several girls from the office on how to make a charm bracelet. I was not so good with those pesky jump rings and needed a lot of help from the teacher. I decided I am not a jewelry maker...although I thought I might be good at it and have tons of stuff that I have accumulated to create and embellish with. I wasn't good at it...not at all.
Well, Charlotte did say the class would include some easy projects too and even some no sew projects for beginners....so maybe it will be OK.
...maybe I will just try something new...
How about you? Have you tried anything new lately?
Laura,
ReplyDeleteAt least your out there trying new things! I am also very shy and in a bit of a rut. I need to be like you and go out there and find something fun and creative to do. Good luck with your big change coming soon (leaving corporate America), what a fun and exciting and maybe a little scary time in your life. Go for it all and enjoy every moment!!
Sincerely,
Melinda
laura, just jump with your heart and you will be just fine. be brave, it's a new adventure. Bestest,Denise
ReplyDeleteI think it's wonderful that you're trying something new! I'm very shy as well, I would be in near agony. I would still go though. Wouldn't it be great to learn and hone a new skill?
ReplyDeleteGo, enjoy, learn something new, ....don't worry about being as good as anybody else (why are we so hard on ourselves). Every person will have their own touch in their work. The finished projects will be as individual as their creators.
ReplyDelete-Danielle
Time is a wonderful gift and a great reason to start something new...best of luck and I can't wait to see what happens!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it!!! I'm excited for you. Leaving corporate America. I did last year and even if it was my choice, I find I'm pretty happy staying home and this year I will find my new path.
ReplyDeleteYou will look back at 2010 and it will be full of "firsts" for you that can't even imagine right now...and you'll be so glad you did them all, even being shy! That's cute that your so honest about this!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your on your new endevors for 2010. I hope your week has been great so far.
ReplyDeleteSheila
Sometimes taking that first new step is the hardest and we always seem to have reservations. I am like you, not as shy as I used to be, certainly more outspoken than I was years ago, but new enterprises tend to make me a little nervous. I am sure you will be just fine; otherwise, you wouldn't have signed up in the first place. My cousin tried to teach me knitting; I prefer crocheting even though I am not a whiz at that. I don't like complicated patterns or reading instructions. Jewelry making is beyond me although I certainly enjoy receiving handmade jewelry from those talented people who can string wonderful beads together to create something unique. You are special and unique and will succeed at whatever you set your mind to. All the best, :) Tammy
ReplyDeleteTalking about putting words into action...you just said a mouthful. Let me see if I got this right....you're quitting your day job to try a different venue...you've signed up for a class to learn a new technique...with strangers and you're shy...and you're wondering if it will be OK? Please...you sound like the bravest soul I've encountered in ages. Go for it with all the bravado you can muster and dazzle 'em the way you dazzle us! What a great way to start the new year.
ReplyDeleteDebbie
You can do it!!!
ReplyDeleteHave fun, you'll know when it's right! You obviously have many gifts and it's a process to find the one that gives you the most joy :)
Good Luck, I'm happy for you.
xo
Terri
You will have fun and you will learn what you learn... Once I took a painting class and I thought I might be good, but the teacher kept saying I was hold the paintbrush upside down, I didn't even know that was possible, so that's what I learned. I love all the stuff you do, so Good Luck, Lezlee
ReplyDeleteThe class sounds like fun! I am tryng new tutorials and opened a little french shop today.And having a giveaway if you'd like to enter!
ReplyDeleteYou might be surprised how helpful your instructor and classmates will be. And you must go into the class with the attitude that you will be good at it. Because being the best you can be is all it takes. Being the dunce isn't really such a bad thing either. Someone will always know more, someone will always no less. You will most likely give more help than you actually take from others. It is in taking classes that we learn what our passion is, so you've got to give a whirl and test drive different things to develop or nurture your true passion(s). Best wishes to you, and be prepared to laugh and learn! ~ Angela
ReplyDeleteWell, right now I am attempting to make a big felted bag! I've wanted to try this for quite some time {years}, so why I decided now was the right time, I don't know....
ReplyDeleteBut I have started.
I really don't have too much idea of what I am doing, so I don't have too high of expectations. Hopefully things won't go too wrong......
I will be anxious to see what you make in your workshop! It does sound like fun!
Also anxious to hear more about all the ideas you mentioned that are going through your head....
Dear Laura
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll be great... I wouldn't worry about the jewellery class, I find sometimes a class environment doesn't bring out the best in me if the teacher is not the right one... we all have different learning styles...mine is to just clunk away at it till i finally like what i have achieved haha As you know my new thing this year might be to try painting and also to learn photography so it's not so hit and miss
You have such great style and creativeness I'm sure you'll be swell [as they say]... have fun finding new horizons... xx Julie
Oh, dear Laura,
ReplyDeleteYou will be fine and, you will never know unless you try. You might be so good at it that they will all be amazed.... or, you might not, but it doesn't matter.Just do it at your own pace. I did stained glass and made a couple of things but, like you with the jewellery, I wasn't that brilliant at it. I didn't like the process at all.... and yet, my friend loved it.
I think that you are in a wonderful place in your life, where many opportunities can open up for you, some will be good and some maybe not as good but, who cares. Enjoy the ride, Laura. I know you will put your heart and soul into everything you do. XXXX
Isn't it amazing how a flip of a calander page can cause us such pause and set us in new directions in life. I too am staring many new ventures in my life, and they are scarey at times, but I am trying to embrace them with positive energy and perservere, knowing that I will learn many a new thing. Laura, I feel from you that you are such a wonderfully strong and confident woman, that you are going to find that these new doors that are opening are going to be some of the best times ever! Go, enjoy and be happy!
ReplyDeleteGale
I just tried felting for the very first time. Needle felting and wet felting are FANTASTIC and it feels like I should have always done this. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteYou go for it!
Hugs,
Rhonda
Laura, I am sure you will not only do great but you will have a great time...That is my promise to myself for the new year too, I don't know what it will bring but I am making myself go out of my comfort zone and try new things...I am looking into a sodering class (did I even spell that right?) at the Gilded Lily...and I am VERY shy and afraid I will just sit there and break down in tears while everyone else creates some beauties :) and I signed up for the Artists Class thru Dawn at The Feathered Nest...and I am going to stop making excuses and make time to create and just enjoy myself without the fear that my art will look like crap...I mean...who do I think I AM...an Artist...p-shaw as my daughter likes to say to me all the time,,I think it is like duh lol... So Have fun Laura, share what you created and let us all be your cheerleaders :) Besos, Rose
ReplyDeleteBonjour Laura,
ReplyDeleteOh you will have awonderful time learning something new and you will be just fine. I'm so excited for you. I've always been a bit shy as well, my young years were a nightmare. Main thing is try your best and you will be sure to find your perfect niche.
I'm forever trying new things - yes there are alot of ummm, bombs - but that's okay, we'll just keep trying.
Bonne chance my friend.
You're a brave girl Laura and it's all inside you waiting to be expressed! You'll fly through, have such a lovely time and learn so much that you won't even remember your misgivings about it. Looking forward to hearing what you make and who you met.
ReplyDeleteBisous
You will be just fine in the class! Don't you be scared! Congrats on your upcoming retirement from the corporate world. I have been retired almost 8 years and GIRL... it is wonderful! Have a blessed day!
ReplyDeleteAw, Laura, I feel so much the same when I try something new! So nice to know it's not just me.
ReplyDeleteBeing a teacher, I have to tell you that I like students like you more than the ones who can do it all right from the moment they enter the room. It's so much more interesting to help someone along and see them blossom! Have a great time.
Sounds like you're in a super exciting part of your life, Laura. I'm thrilled for you. As for Charlotte's upcoming class, I myself wish I could attend one of them - she is so wonderful. I am sure you will be just fine. Look at it as just starting to get into it and go easy on yourself. And regarding the jewelry making, I've tried it by myself and am not very good at it either, but I don't think you should give up on it completely :)
ReplyDeleteWonderful post - I love your cloches in your banner photo and the little "paon" (peacock) on your sidebar. I have one like it but his poor little head cracked off and I have to glue it back on. I am crazy for peacocks.
ReplyDeleteooh congrats! i'd love to hear more about your decision to leave corporate america!
ReplyDeleteHave fun with your upcoming class and congratulations on leaving corporate America.
ReplyDeleteSandy
Laura, I think it's wonderful that you jumped right into something new, so just go with the flow and have some fun. You will also find yourself a lot busier once you are home. I always tell my hubby that I am too busy for a part time job..hahaha.
ReplyDeleteMy something new..is soldering. I am trying to make some of those memory glass pendants that everyone is doing but if you go to my blog you will see how bad I am at soldering..hahaha. I guess it's true what they say about practice makes perfect.
Happy sewing...and HAVE FUN...
How wonderful for you to be able to spend all that precious time at home, doing what you want to do.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I can really see you with a fabulous shop. You have such a talent for finding the most gorgeous things and displaying them in the best possible way. Your shop would be soooooooo popular, and I think you would have a blast restocking on a regular basis. I mean, what better excuse for buying, buying, buying more treasures?
I'm trying new things too. Some I do pretty well, and others it turns out are not as simple as they look. But at least we try, right? Right now I'm making little stiletto shoes out of coffee filters - yep, coffee filters -- and they are turning out pretty well. For some reason, the tedious smaller creations are where I do my best work. I admire you for leaving the corporate world behind and following your dreams... By the way, where did you get those gorgeous birds above? A love them!
ReplyDeleteHi Laura
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for popping over and enter my giveaway.
Sounds so great with your new adventures
Happy New Year
~ Tina
Oh, I envy you this time at home as i sit here behind a desk at work. Make the absolute most of it! Do only what you love.
ReplyDeleteDiane
Laura I can't wait to see what adventures are in store! Thank you for sharing your journey! Leslie
ReplyDeleteGetting out of corporate life was the most freeing thing that I have ever done! I'm shy too but I just put myself out there and found new friends and new adventures. Try new things for the fun of stretching your comfort zone...people are mostly supportive and helpful. Spread your wings and you may land at the top of the tree...Annette
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of you! Bravo for trying something new and don't be intimidated by Charlotte...she sounds like a dream! I just made a baby hat for the twins and now working on the other. It's not perfect but I did it without a pattern! Now George wants one next:)) haha
You know you can go to your local yarn shop and they will help you with any problems you have...just have to buy their yarn!
good luck!
Carole
Embarrassingly enough I just took home a few lovely makeup books from the library. I can be so blah in that little effort requirement so I may step it up! I am always willing to try new crafts if time and money allow!
ReplyDeleteBest wished for you on your new journey!
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge
Hi, I just wanted to tell you Congratulations on following your dream! That is wonderful! I love your blog and adore all of your little decorating touches. You have inspired me many times to create some things in my home. I added you to my sidebar to share your wonderful blog with my friends. Thank you for your inspiration and best wishes in your new endeavors!
ReplyDeleteAndrea
Hi there Laura!
ReplyDeleteSounds great to try something new.
I think you will be great!
If you call making a lampshade out of cheesecloth something new, or embellished tee shirts, then I have tried something new for me.
Have a wonderful time at the class!!
Rosemary
Be fearless! You have such wonderful taste and a great sense of color and styles. I think whatever you decide to pick up, you'll be wildly successful. I would definitely love to see you open up a shop!
ReplyDelete2010 seems like such a sparkling new year. I'm trying my hand at cooking, crafting, writing...and just getting back to myself. :)
It's wonderful Laura you have so many interesting projects! Don't be shy...you're very talented and you'll be surprised of how many faboulous things you can make!!! And surely you'll have a lot of fun!!!
ReplyDeleteBig hugs!
Vale
What a great post! I am so happy for you! It sounds like this is going to be a great year for you!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Adrienne
You will never know unless you try.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same when I started crocheting and cursed it. Now I run a very successful crocheting business. You just never know.
Good Luck and go in with an open mind.
Amy
http://mittensathome.blogspot.com/
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI have an award for you on my blog! Happy New Year!
Really enjoyed this post! I took a class with Charlotte at Silver Bella in '08 and she is so delightful...patient, kind & creative. I'm like you, a little shy (especially when crafting with others!) and it was a great experience. Hope you have a ball! Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHi sweet Laura!!! Congratulations on the wonderful article and feature, I'm so excited for you!! And I'm also so excited that you are taking an art class....don't be worried one little bit, so many women are incredibly talented and don't even know it!!! Even if this type of creating is not "you", keep trying Laura, you will find your niche!!! hugs and love, Dawn
ReplyDeleteyour going to do great! you will find that ladies who are seasoned in certain crafty areas are always willing to help those who are willing to learn. you have signed up for the class and that shows you are ready to be taught and ready to learn :) it may not be for you, but have fun trying new things :) you are a great example to us all by not letting fear win and by moving forward and taking the class :) good girl!
ReplyDeleteblessings,
aimee
Dearest Laura,
ReplyDeleteI have the utmost confidence that you will knock this out of the park just like you do everything else!
You are being given such a grand opportunity this coming year, go run with it! You're going to do spectacular things!
Big Texas hugs,
Anne
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! and I admire your spunk. I hope your enjoy your class and don't feel inadequate! We are all so different, we only need to own who we are and be proud of our life experiences! I've recently learned blogging & facebook, took some basket weaving classes, and started selling my collage crafts at fairs. What a great feeling to get others' feedback and encouragement! Have a great time. Sherry
You have a year full of possibility in front of you! Be willing and ready to enjoy it. You will love the workshop, I am sure. I attanded by first art camp back in September and I can't wait to do it again. Such an experience at an emotional, social, and creative level.
ReplyDeleteYou will see... :) :) :)
xox
Isabel
Charlotte weighing in to say you will have a wonderful time, will find the group to be the friendliest, the projects to be so do-able for any skill set and the day to be relaxed, easy-going fun- with presents! plus we have another surprise! we're going to Suzanne's house for that fabulous lunch .... o, man, that's MY favorite treat! you're going to have a truly lovely day! can't wait to meet you!
ReplyDelete