Sewing

I may have bit off more than I can chew with this one, but I really want to make clothes for the kids and I just happened upon kids clothes week challenge at http://elsiemarley.com/, which I found through http://hazelnutgirl.blogspot.com/.  I wasn't searching for this challenge and since I said I wanted to listen to signs, I am taking this as a sign that I should take time to sew clothes for the kids.

On my way to work today, I was thinking about how much I like sewing and how I really need to do more of it.  I started thinking maybe I should take more classes about sewing and even fashion.  I was really thinking if I should start to think about purging a lot of my other crafting supplies (not totally, just a majority of them) and really focus on specific things, like sewing.

I really enjoy pretty much any and all crafts and want to maintain the ability to make things in different crafting areas, but I really need to settle in on something that I really enjoy and really focus on doing that well.  I am thinking that since I really enjoy sewing, and it is actually a very useful craft to have, that it would be a great thing to focus on.  I still want to make jewelry, scrapbook, make cards, and do all the other things that I have supplies for, just on a smaller level.  It's going to be really important for me to seriously think about purging my craft supplies, because I just don't have the time or the space to keep it all.  I have spent way too much money in the past and I kick myself when I think about how much money I could have in the bank if I had just had some control over my craft spending.  I think I am at the point now where, even though I still get that desire to buy and learn all sorts of new crafts, I can pull myself back and just buy what I need for a current project, not things for projects that I hope to do in the future.  I hate the thought of getting rid of my supplies, but I really need to think about my time and how I want to spend it. 

Right now I want to spend my time sewing and I can really justify spending that time sewing necessary items for the house (along with sewing, knitting and crocheting).  I am seriously thinking about training in this area.  I have thought about it in the past, but have just been a little scared at the thought of doing it.  I am always fearful that I am not creative enough, that I will not do well enough,  That overall I am not good enough.  I really need to get over this in so many areas of my life, so that I am no longer held back.  It will be interesting to see if I move forward with learnign more about sewing or if I just let it sit.  It will also be interesting to see if I end up purging some of my suppplies!

Amy

The Joy Diet: Risk

So I have been commenting on the Joy Diet chapters on this blog for a couple of weeks.  Risk is not something that I am good at doing.  I am not a risk taker!  I fear failure!  Unfortunately I am a perfectionist and if I don't think that I can do something, I very rarely try it.  That is one of my biggest faults.  I may have a true desire, but I don't attempt it due to fearing failure.  For me, it's amazing how the 3 topics have melded so well.  The first thing that I wrote about was desire.  One thing that I think I desire is using my love of creativity and my professional career choice of social work to provide for my family.  That also contains some of what I wrote about with regards to creativity.  I am so afraid that I will make a fool of myself by failing that I don't  want to take the risk.  One thing that I have been thinking about doing is combining journal making with journaling (as a job) so that I can be creative and also utilize my degree which I worked so hard for and actually do enjoy.  I am taking a professional workshop in journal in December and hope that it will help me be able to take a risk and move forward with this dream.  Even if I don't truly act as a social worker, but can just show people the benefits of journaling, I think that I will be happy, especially if I am also helping them to create the journal that they are documenting in.  Along with this I think that I would love to do more with soul collages.  I experienced this during a social work class and never really did anything with it.  Lastly, I am interested in aromatherapy and am slowly learning on my own.  I would love to take the risk and do more with it.

So I definitely have risk that I want to take, and maybe I am slowly moving forward to actually taking them.  I am at least trying to learn more so that if and when I do take the risk, I will have more knowledge, which will hopefully make me more comfortable!

The Joy Diet:Desire

I found this blog that talked about The Joy Diet, a book from Martha Beck and decided to join in.  The current topic is desire.  I think when we first think about the word desire we think more about sexual desire, but for me right now desire is what do I most want out of life.  I desire to have fun with my 3 kids, I desire to have a happy, healthy life and home, I desire to be more creative, and I desire to ensure that my husband and I have time to share with each other!  I pretty much am able to ensure that all of this happens, but I am no where near as creative as I would like to be.  With 3 kids 19 months and 8 1/2 months, it is difficult to find time to meet all of one's desires.

I think that there is one desire that I am no where near fulfilling.  I want to find what I want to do with my life.  What is my passion?  What can I do for work that will allow me to provide for my family while stimulating my desires and passions and make me happy?  I know that being creative in my life's work is very important, I just haven't found how to do that!  One day I will find my true passion and a way to make it work to help provide for my family.

With the next chapter being creativity, I plan to start a new creative endeavor this week!  I still need scarecrow decorations for the yard.  I was going to buy them, but they just looked so cheezy and cheap.  I have all the supplies to make them, but I haven't yet.  I plan to create them on my own, not following a pattern.  I then need to sew halloween costume, make a guest book for my sister's wedding, and finish writing out thank you cards for the kids' Christening (I already have made the cards).  Lots to do to keep up my creativity.  I just need to make sure that I maintain my enjoyment of creating and not let it get to be more of a chore than a pleasure.

Next time, Creativity!

Amy