Outside My Comfort Zone

I had lunch with a former high school teacher of mine... I was in his choirs over 20 years ago.

I was a girl then. My world was out of focus and I was unsure of where I fit and what I was doing.



I talked with Mr. Fett for two hours that day. I showed him some of my recycling projects. And he talked to me about the fact that I was trying to do everything myself. There is a demand for my products, so much so, I am not keeping up with my Etsy shop and I am just selling orders.

Mr. Fett's point to me was that maybe I didn't need to do this all by myself. I could hire people that needed work. I could recycle more items that then wouldn't end up in landfills. My takeaway was that I could be more if I wanted to. It was my choice.

The conversation threw me. I had to look deep inside somewhere that was uncomfortable.



But I did.

I thought about Mr. Fett's points. They are good ones. I want to contribute to this world. I want to make it a better place for people other than myself. What I feel inside is larger than me.

Fear was holding me back.



But I thought about exactly what is holding me back. What is truly scaring me. I like to plan and make certain everything is in order and it is going to work out and really how that is just an excuse not to move forward. I am afraid to move forward without knowing where I am stepping.

In spite of this fear and nonsense, I managed to push on my glass walls.



I am moving forward with expanding my business to include others that can use work. I have already started to design several lines that are my creation but can be replicated by others. I am trying to go forth organically and let this happen as it occurs. If it is meant to happen the way my mind works, it will happen the way my mind works.

If you think it, it will be. (If you build it, they will come.)

And I now understand why all those artists I watch on PBS have small armies of other artists helping carry out visions.



Getting out of my comfort zone is good. I am finding more creativity and more ideas just by letting go of what I THINK I SHOULD be doing.

Tell me what you do when you hit the walls of your comfort zone. Help me continue to push mine out further and further.

Thank you readers. And thanks for letting me know you are still out there!

The Truth Comes Out

Did I lose my head?



No.

Was I talking to the animals?



No.

I've just had a lot on my mind.



Here's what has happened since September:

1. I moved to Ohio.
2. My husband stayed in California and will be there until the end of next month.
3. My husband and I found a business to buy.
4. We bought the business.
5. I have been working on that, some art, and a few other things.

It seems like I don't have time to reflect on what is going on... but I am going to try to get started back here again.

I want to get my shop filled back up as well. Slowly but surely, this will all happen. If you are still out there, I look forward to hearing from you.

Photo Cubes!

Ah! It has been so long since I have blogged! So much going on... vacations, job searches, house guests!

But here they are... I took some boring, clear photo cubes (saved by a dear friend from the dumpster) and sanded off the logos. I then dyed a nice rainbow of colors using Rit dye and volia!


Look! They hold artwork! (Or photos or business cards or your finger or notes or whatever makes you happy...)



So pretty...



Thanks Nanner!

We have a new baby!

Alright, so it's a cat baby -- not a real baby... but all the same! So cute!



We got her at the shelter and promptly named her Buttercup. She is small and shy and yellow. Although from this angle she is looking a bit bigger.



She has short little legs and a short tail -- and she's overweight from being at the shelter as Snoopy was... but with three flights of stairs in our home and Skippy, who's favorite hobby is cat-chasing, I'm sure she'll thin out in no time flat!

The picture below was the normal view of her. Buttercup came with a free tent. And it was a good thing because when we first got her home, she spent 24 hours a day in it.



But now, I haven't seen her in it for over a week! She is shy, but she is getting used to all of us. We all are hissing and talking and petting her and eating her food and chasing her out of her hiding places... but she seems to like it as she is starting to appear at the most unlikely moments. This morning I made my breakfast and turned around and there she was...

She looks a little grumpy in the photo above... I'm sure she'll be wearing a big grin in the pics from the next photo shoot...

Happy day to all!

My Baby Brother Got Married!

I've gotten a few e-mails asking me where I have been... here is a quick pictorial shot by my hubby to highlight the wonderful event last Thursday!

Here is my brother dressed as a penquin... I think it is fitting he chose to get married dressed as a flightless bird as the wedding was at Walt Disney World. He fit right in with the other cast members.

And he's actually not that tall, he's standing on my suitcase.



Here is the Wedding Pavilion at Disney.

I officiated. Here I am walking to the altar.

Here is my brother giving the vows he wrote. He is crying and he is making me cry. It's the whole sibling thing -- he cries, I cry. He laughs, I laugh! I'm sure you understand.

Here are the two princesses of the day! Both are so beautiful! (But only one has glass slippers...)

And speaking of Cinerella -- check out this dessert!!! A white chocolate mousse filled shoe! (Much better than glass, if you ask me.) And that castle pattern on the plate? Some sort of wicked awesome chocolate stamp!

Dessert AND CAKE! My kind of wedding!!!

And the day after... I am morphing into Minnie. No big surprise there...

Happy Holidays to all of you!

The Secret Life of this Book...

So my friend Buzz had a birthday. And this is what I made...

She gave me this book to use in a project a couple of months ago.

And then recently I was hanging out in her office for a bit and she showed me one of her favorite paintings by Carl Larsson. Buzz told me that this painting looked like a good life to her - reading, cool air, a cat and a dog...

So as much as it killed me to change the life of the book, I created a book box and then recreated the painting inside of it.

This is one of my favorite projects yet!

Happy birthday, Buzz! And thanks to Susan for giving me the idea in a roundabout way!

Milk Made

Look at my new light sculpture!


What have I recycled now?







Did you get a clue from my post title?




That's right! It is made of the plastic from gallon milk containers!

It is 30 individual pieces that I hand cut from 10 milk jugs. The pattern was in ReadyMade magazine last fall. This one is pretty little... about eight inches across.




Watch out! I'm going to be milking this project for all that it is worth!