Inspire Me Monday

I wrote this last Monday but forgot to publish it...enjoy!

Hello there, friends!

I've got a bad case of the Mondays.  This is not a complaint.  I am just sharing information.  I am a teacher, and it is the Monday after Spring Break.  Enough said.

My break was fantastic and restful and packed with fun!  My husband and I went to California to see his family and it was very refreshing.  We had a blast.  We started the week with a baseball game that went 13 innnings.  My almost 1 year old stayed up for the WHOLE GAME!!!  About 4 hours past his bedtime.  An avid sports fan like his daddy.

So on to Inspire Me Monday...
I am inspired by Cathe Holden.  She has created her dream arts and crafts studio and is bringing in the public   to create things together.  This is very close to what I am envisioning for Scrap Stash Studio.  The vibe in her studio is along the lines of what I am going for.  It is jam packed with all things crafty and it is bright and cheerful.  I picture my studio being a little bit more of a color explosion than her very color coordinated pretty green room, but I do love it.  I am inspired that she didn't just dream it, she made it happen.  And that is what I am planning to do as well.  Here is what she's got going on.  I am a bit jealous, but I guess I am on my way, too.

http://justsomethingimade.com/2014/03/cathe-holden-inspired-barn-workshop-studio-tour/

Here is her before and after.

And look what happened.  She created this place.  Then people came to create with her.

That is my plan.  And I am in the process of making that happen.  I am still not announcing the location yet, but it looks like everything is finally on track.  Before and after pictures and location announcement coming soon.  Get excited!

In the meantime, all of you Chattanoogans can come visit my booth at the downtown YMCA on Saturday.  I will be there all day selling my fun crocheted goodies.  I would love to see all of your smiley faces.

Sunday Stringy Specs

The blanket is finally finished! Hooray! I am in love. It is so fun to watch a blanket come together. Fun, fun, fun.

I found the pattern on the Red Heart yarn website here. Http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/love-color-throw

They call it the In Love With Color Throw.

That is so me. They had suggested colors but I chose to make it my own.

It all started with an octagon.

That turned into a stack of 14 octagons. 

Then came 20 triangles.

...4 corner motifs

...6 squares

Then came the task of sewing them together.

...Then the 9 rows of edging....

All leading up to this...

Stringy Specs:

-11 colors of yarn-purple, navy, light blue, turquoise, green, bright green, yellow, light pink, orange, white, and black

-4004 yards of yarn...about 2.75 miles worth

-6 squares times 30 minutes, 14 octagons times 30 minutes, 4 corners times 20 minutes, 10 triangles times 20 minutes, an hour of sewing, and 2 hours of border...about 18 total hours of hooking

-45"x54" throw blanket

If you are as in love with it as I am it can be yours for $160. Or you can order one you to meet your unique preferences. What do you say friends? Let me know what you think.

Happy Sunday all! Signing off!

WIP Wednesday...work in progress...my dream and my afghan

So...I am glad I didn't announce my potential studio location because things have fallen through. God has a different plan. So it's back to the drawing board. I'll just be praying and waiting and waiting some more until God makes things official.

In the meantime I will be working on my afghan and playing ball with my son and enjoying his first snow day and working on my crocheted afghan during his naps. 

Until next time, my friends, stay warm!

To Do List Tuesday

Hello friends,

So my to do list includes getting things ready for the studio. I have been going crazy with the studio Pinterest page....go to http://www.pinterest.com/Scrappystudio/ and see for yourself. 

I am seeing all kinds of nifty stuff. I can't wait to get my hands on some of the furniture that has been donated to the studio and DIY it up. I want to paint, Modge podge, spray paint, sand, and go to town on some fixer uppers. I want to decorate the place with randomness. I will probably get started on that kind of stuff as soon as the keys to the joint are mine. If you would like to play a part in jazzing the place up before the grand opening, please let me know. I would love the company. And if you want to contribute old furniture or art supplies, by all means, be my guest. 

So there is my studio to do list.

My personal to do list includes...

Playing ball with my hubby and my little one

Sleeping in since tomorrow is a snow day

Playing outside with the two guys in my life when the sun comes out enough that the temperature isn't unbearable

Finishing the random stripe afghan I am working on so I can get started on the next one. I am super excited about it.

Inspire Me Monday: What I Be Project

The following came from a website I stumbled on while scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook (go like the studio page...click here). This is called the "What I Be Project." But really it's more of a what I'm not project. It requires you to lay your insecurities, your fears, and your mistakes right there on the table. You literally write them all over your face. Then you are photographed in your most vulnerable state. It forces you to put yourself out there and hope people love you anyways. And guess what, they do. There was not one photo that left me hating a person or thinking they were weird or judging them. It showed me that honesty is more attractive than the masks we often put on before society. I hope that by seeing these you are inspired, as I was, to be content in the skin you are in...inspired to be yourself...inspired to see your weaknesses only make you human...inspire you to see others for who they are...inspired to love them anyways.  Here are a few of my favorites. But don't just check out these. Go to his website and see others. This project amazes me. Www.whatibeproject.com 

She is not her body image.

*I am not my body image either. As a former collegiate runner, I never had to worry about my body image before. I was always confident in the body I trained hard to have. Now, however, my confidence in it has faded. Carrying my now 9 month old baby had its affect on my body...stretch marks, extra pounds, and a bit rounder around the middle. But I need to see it as a body I worked hard to receive too. Because nine months with a person growing inside of you is hard work enough. I AM NOT MY STRETCH MARKS.

She is not her meds.

*I am not my meds either. I will need to stay medicated the rest of my life. I have a seizure disorder. The meds control it for the most part. I don't have the grand mal seizures anymore, or shaking seizures as some people call them. The rare times I have a seizure I just kind of space out. I am there but not there. I can hear and understand. I just can't move or respond. My brain is working but my body isn't listening. It normally doesn't last long. And I almost always know when it's coming. So it doesn't have a huge impact on my everyday life. But every now and then I have misfires in my brain that make me confused or forget names or say counter when I mean chair or forget why I went to the kitchen or the last thing someone asked me to do. It's not a big deal but it is something I am sometimes ashamed of and frustrated by. But I am not my epilepsy.

What are your strengths and weaknesses and fears and insecurities that keep you from being you? Just be you.

On a lighter note...everything is really coming together now. Like really. It looks like I may have a studio starting in February and will be able to start getting ready for all of YOU! Not going to announce the location until papers are signed and keys are in hand but that may be happening very soon. God is good.

The end.

Wait Training

To those of you who have been there from the start of this incredible journey, I owe you an apology. You may not know it, but it was brought to my attention today at my church, Calvary Chapel.  The message was about patience. Let me sum up this little journey of mine and tell you what revelation God laid on my heart.

1. I have always dreamed of opening a community art center just for fun. It was one of those things you put on your bucket list thinking there is no way that would ever happen but it's good to dream. 

2. God began little by little to show me how much families in my area need a safe place to interact with others and build relationships in a positive environment. As a high school teacher, I have seen that no matter how much we build up the students inside the walls of the classroom, it can all be for nothing if there is nothing uplifting lies outside of them.

3. On August 25th of 2013, Pastor Frank, my pastor at Calvary Chapel preached a message on David and Goliath. David was a huge underdog. No one but God thought he had a chance. He was too small to take on something so massive. He had no resources or training to take on such a feat. But God told him he could do it. And against all odds, David killed the giant, Goliath, with just one stone and a slingshot.

As I sat in the service I heard the voice of God clearer than I ever have before. He was calling me to be the underdog. Some people think I am crazy. Yes, I am a teacher. Yes, I have a young baby. No, I don't have a lot of money. But I do have a calling. I have been called to start a community art studio to reach out to a generation that is being reached out to in all the wrong ways. I am called to help build positive relationships in the community and draw families closer together. I am called to give people a place to put their God-given gifts on display to share with others. I am called to help people find the individuality in themselves and find what it is they were put here to do. I have been called to create a place where all of this can happen. And I don't have much more than a slingshot and pebble.

4. Then I started to rush things. I had good intentions in doing so. I knew God had called me. He gave me a vision. Then I tried to make it happen. I found a realtor and set out to find a location. I spoke with someone who worked for a community art co-op and was advised to seek nonprofit status. Then there was the government shutdown. I took that as a sign to go a different direction. 

5. I found a location. It cost too much so I went out to gather resources. I should have taken it as a sign to slow down. 

6. Someone went online to see if there was an art studio in the area kind of like the one I am looking to create and stumbled on this website...just a blog with my idea and not much else. She was interested in making use of the studio. She contacted me and we had a conversation about how the timing could be a God thing. Instead of thanking God for this connection and seeking his will in the situation I took this as yet another reason to push faster and chase harder. I unintentionally became pushy, thinking my plan was God's plan instead of waiting for God's plan to play out. 

7. I found another location, perfect and in my price range. I jumped on it. Then I was told someone else was interested and willing to pay more. I was heartbroken. Then 10 days ago I was told they changed their mind and may be willing to take my offer. The landlord was out of town pheasant hunting (only in Soddy...haha) and would be in touch in a week. It's been more than a week so I was planning on calling the realtor on Monday to see if she had heard anything. But this time I am going to wait and let God do his thing....or wait for God to wait to do his thing later. 

Here is why:  (notes from today's sermon)

-Prayer is a pause that seeks direction from God.

-Don't push or self-promote. 

-If God has called you, God will get you there.

-God is not in a hurry.

-Self-interest stinks. It blinds us to the obvious.

-Zeal without knowledge is no good. (And I am definitely not lacking in zeal. I need to seek God for more knowledge.)

-While you wait, seek, serve, and set self aside.

So there it is. I will be waiting and seeking and if you need me I will serve you because I am setting myself aside. God will bring all things together in his perfect time and I am resting in his holiness.

See you when I see you, friends. God bless you in all you peruse. 

Inspire Me Monday

As I begin the adventure of starting this community art studio, I have made plans on how I can stay connected to all of my little Scrappers (see FAQ if you tilted your head to the side and made a funny face). I have created a tentative schedule to keep all of you posted on this little blog that I home to spruce up in the near future. Sorry it's not too easy on the eyes yet. The new schedule is as follows:

Sunday Showcase-introduce artists selling their work in the studio and make you wanna buy their stuff

Monday-see above

To-Do List Tuesday-the project I've pined to my Pinterest Page that I can't wait to do in the studio

WIPs on Wednesday-for all of us crafters this is works in progress

Thanks for the Scraps Thursday-a shoutout to devoted Stashers who donate to the studio and help this vision 

Finished Product Friday-art and handmade goods created in the studio whether for sale or for keeps

Meet a Scrapper Saturday-an artist who uses the studio, who they are, what they're about, and some of their art

This Monday Jordana Jaffe at www.embarkability.com inspired me...

I stumbled upon her blog when I found this image on Pinterest

This quote is very encouraging to me. It is exactly what I am planning to do.

What inspired me most was her honesty. She reflected over her year and laid it all out there...the good, the bad, and the ugly and shared what she wished next year to look like. So I will lead by example to show you just who you will be making friends with should you chose to make use of the studio. So here are the milestones that happened in my life between last December 30th and today...

1. January 5th-began volunteering at McKamey Animal Center where I helped shelter dogs find their forever homes like my terrier Roscoe and my pit bull CindyLu did. It has been a pleasure of mine and I made many friends in the process. With the new business and the new baby my volunteer days have been few and far between but that shelter, those dogs, and those people have a special place in my heart.

2. January 29th-painted my first pair of converse shoes and began to see the diversity I could use in my art. 

3. March 17th-finished preparing the nursery for my baby boy.

4. April 4th-I was a bridesmaid at my best friend's wedding

5. April 15th- went into preterm labor at 34 weeks but was able to stop it with bedrest

6. May 4th-decided if our little boy was born on the day of Kentucky Derby we would make his middle name the name of the winning horse...but only if Frackdaddy or Itsyourluckyday won...I was pulling for Shea Frackdaddy Strauss...Shea didn't come that day.

7. May 6th- Shea Elijah Strauss was born at 5:12pm three weeks early but healthy as could be

8. May 30th- got semipermanent blue ombré highlights in my hair...not a big deal...but seemed significant to me

9. June 27th- took a 14 hour drive to Texas to see my family...with an 8 week old...it was easy...he slept almost the whole way

10. End of July- beach trip with the fam

11. August 8th- my first day back at work and Shea's first day of daycare

12. End of October-flew to see my husband's family in California

13. December 6th-Shea's first visit with Santa

14. Shea's first Christmas!!!

Looking back it all seems like flowers and rainbows and for the most part it was. I have been so blessed this past year by the joys of motherhood and falling even more in love with my husband. But there were many tears too. Most of them were shed over the realization that I only have so much impact on my high school students as their teacher. I can teach them and love them and discipline them and encourage them all day long at school. But when they go home they go to an environment that is opposite of the one I try to instill at school. This led me to the vision of the community art studio. I want to create a positive environment for students and families to create things that build their confidence and develop their sense of creativity. I feel I can touch people so much more out of the confines of public education. I see it's value and have no complaints about the way things are done I just want to change the culture the students have after they leave the school.

I have also struggled with doubts about the studio and whether I can make it happen and still be a good mother and wife. But this is a calling from God. Of that I have no doubt. And over and over again God has reminded me that what he has started within me he will see through to completion. For every door that has been closed that brought with it doubt, he has opened one I wasn't even searching for. I have to continue to pray for confidence in my dream and the ability to be the wife and mother I was called to be first. Not to be cliche but I know that with God all things are possible, and I know he will provide.

New Years Resolutions-

1. God first, family second, studio third

2. Be more productive with my time.

3. Touch at least one life in a major way.

4. Broaden my creativity.

5. Help others find value in their individuality.

Happy Almost New Years, friends! 

What are your resolutions for 2014?