Jack of all trades, Master of None. That's me in a nutshell. I find it amazing how so many of us go to school and major in one thing and really never end up using it. Me? I chose a degree in Science. Used it for a short period of time, and decided I liked the classes in school, but not the application in the real world.
You hear all sorts of gurus out there now talking about how you should do what you love. Where were you all when I was in High School??? Did nobody tell me I was going to be working for 40 plus years and I better pick something I'd want to do that long? DO WHAT I LOVE? That sounds great, except for one thing. I really LOVE lots of things. I think my hobbies and personal interests have changed a gazillion times!!! So I'm doing the only think I can think of with all of it.... I'm going to blog about it.
Here's a bit about what I'm up to right now...
About 2 years ago I got it in my head that I wanted to start a bridal gown boutique. I bought a bunch of discontinued gowns from a shop that was discounting their floor samples and excess stock. Of course they were mostly white and creams. At the time there were very few collections in colors other than the standard whites. I thought variety was much better for second time brides especially. After all... I wanted a blue dress for my wedding.
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| Ellis Bridals WD4142 |
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I couldn't find one, except online, but I was worried about spending the money and not being sure if it would fit. (Ellis Bridals WD4142)
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| Wtoo style2761 |
This one (Wtoo style 2761) I found locally, but its really a bridesmaids gown with a sweep train. It worked and pretty much cemented my grand idea. Plus my ten years of retail and management experience is something. Regardless, I have to read everything about the bridal gown industry I can get my hands on. Still, I'm definitely not the next contestant on Project Runway. At any rate, I decided to take some sewing classes at a local adult fashion school. Sew far,(get it?) I've learned the Felled Stitch, French Stitch, and how to make gathers for a skirt. This is going slow, so not much progress yet.
Another avenue I've decided to pursue is painting. Decorative Painting to be exact. I loved watercolor class in High School, and I just know art is in my blood. My Grandma was a freelance Calligrapher in her day. She designed Christmas Cards for Retail Stores, Charities, and belonged to her local Calligrapher's guild. Getting a letter from her was like getting a beautiful piece of artwork. I've never seen better calligraphy than hers. Not that I'm biased, but it is a dying art-form.
My Mother was a fantastic sketcher, although for her it was only ever a hobby, (her dream was to be a writer) I was always impressed as a girl and wanted to be able to draw as well as she did. Her desk calenders were always full of sketches. Reality, I convinced myself, was that drawing the things I wanted to draw, was not going to pay the bills.
My Aunt- I never would have figured to be the super artsy type. It always seemed her head was for business, but now she has more time to pursue her crafty side. She definitely got her talent from my Grandmother. Beautiful Paintings. My Aunt is the one who's got me hooked on painting. She belongs to the Society for Decorative Painters, and now so do I. The women in my local chapter are amazing. They have so much talent it makes it hard for me to breath sometimes. I think I could spend the next 20 years learning everything I could from these women and still have so much to learn.
The first meeting I attended we made Paper Mache Santa decorations to be painted at a later date. Here's mine...
The second meeting I painted this..... for a clock mechanism to be inserted later.
Until the next entry...
