A....

Crafting and creativity has always been a passion in me, but it wasn't an easy road. Growing up, I remember constantly wanting to be involved with craft projects, but while other people made gorgeous pieces of art, my craft often ended in tears because it never came out just the way it was suppose to. The puff paint on my iron-on embellished t-shirts were never quite the right puffiness and the stings from the hot glue gun always seemed to make more of a statement then the actual craft itself. Sewing. Ugh. Sewing. My grandmother had given me and my sister some fabric to play around with on the old sewing machine. I remember trying to make a square pillow with some green fabric. A square. Just a square. Needless to say, more tears followed that pillow. Every time I touched a craft, it managed to get uglier. Lines more crooked. Glue less sticky. I never quite understood why, but I pressed on.

They say that practice makes perfect. I believe that crafting has been one of the few things in my life that I have continued through the tears to find a place on the other side. The other side doesn't quite mean perfection and I'm not sure that I want perfection.

See, through all my diligence in seeking the inward creativity in myself, I did get better. My lines got straighter. I learned to use better glue. I learned the tricks of how to keep the hot glue strings at bay without burning my fingers. Even along the way, I've ventured away from puff paint and learned so many different types of crafting from sewing, jewelry making, woodworking, crocheting, painting.

But more importantly, I've learned to live and deal with the small imperfections. The imperfections in my crafts, but also the imperfections in me.

A slight crookedness in a line says that item is unique. A one of a kind. Just as each of us are.

An accidental slip of the glue is a reminder that we fall from time to time. It doesn't mean we are broken. It doesn't mean we are damaged. It just means that we need some more glue. HINT: Go for the Good stuff!

A big mess up of the original plan is a lesson and gives us an opportunity to take what we have and recreate a plan. You never know when it will be your next masterpiece. Or His.

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I am looking forward to being here with my girls. They have been an amazing inspiration to me. There are times where I feel like I'm all crafted out and then one of them sends me a link to something fabulous and it gets those wheels a-turnin'. They have also been the ones to inspire me to use my talents more to help our dreams of adoption come true. Thank you J and G!

I'm also glad to be sharing this journey with you. Many of my family and friends have encouraged me during my long bouts of trying to find perfection in everything I do. Know that I will never find my own work as such, but there has been at least 3 people that have given their stamp of approval before it makes it to you. Because that is just the way I roll.

Finally, I look forward to the lessons to come in the quietness of my craft space and sharing them with you here.