Failure to launch

I want you to know that this is probably one of the most embarrassing things I've ever made public. I have no doubt that by the time you are done reading this--that is, if you get through it--you will think I am either completely insane, or suffering from full blown late-life onset of attention deficit disorder. It is . . . a list of unfinished projects at my house.

This is what I've got going on right now:

more china and glass waiting to be upcycled

1. 7 pieces of furniture in my basement waiting to be painted, distressed, refurbished, etc.
2. 45 new ceramic pendants at the ceramic workshop in various stages of completion
3. 30 completed ceramic pendants waiting to be strung
4. 50--give or take--pieces of vintage and antique china and glass waiting to be made into something else
5. 1 very large full sun perennial bed overrun with weeds that needs to be completely pulled up, re-edged, and re-designed
6. 4 pieces of tin ceiling panels to be painted, distressed, and installed as the back splash in my kitchen . . .

Whew. Okay. That's just the beginning . . .

This is what else really needs to get done but for some reason doesn't even make it into the list of things that are on the front burners (that's plural "burners", as in a giant commercial stove with lots of burners):

small table waiting patiently to be refurbished

1. Finish organizing craft room (I painted it and arranged it last year, but never really completed the organizational phase).
2. Finish trim work in remodeled kitchen.
3. Create new facade and mantel for chimney in living room.
4. Clean out garage (a task that gets done a little at a time when I get completely frustrated with it or when I have a garage sale like I did last week).
5. Run electricity to the garage (the garage was built several years ago and, for one reason or another, I never got around to running electricity out to it).
6. Unpack the rest of my dishes (which hasn't been done since remodeling the kitchen last fall).
7. Unpack my teapot collection (also has been in boxes since last fall).
8. Completely remove and replace decking and railing on front porch.
9. Remodel bathroom (there's only 1 bathroom so remodeling it will be very tricky and have to happen very quickly once underway).
10. Clean out my clothes closet and take lots of clothes to Goodwill.
11. Clean out attic for garage sale and Goodwill trip.
12. Plan and prepare for fall garage sale, including going through Christmas decorations to purge some things (if you're like me, you have way too many Christmas decorations for your own good).
13. Lay 200 brick pavers as a new path leading from backyard path to driveway.

Okay, I think I'll stop now. There are more, but my head hurts. If your head isn't spinning around like a satan-possessed 12-year-old yet, then it's probably because you have started formulating your own list in your own head and it's starting to dawn on you that we all have huge lists like this. Maybe huger! Maybe you have the hugest list of all!!

So in the next week and a half, I am preparing to go east to sell some jewelry, visit some friends and look for additional work out on the east coast. And guess what I'm going to get done from my lists between now and the time I leave for Rhode Island?

handmade necklace made with vintage crystal from a chandelier

Items 2, 3, and maybe a little bit of 4 on the first list. Three things. That's it. Three things. Can I be happy with that? With only getting three things done on this seemingly endless list of really big projects?

Absolutely! Because it's great to have goals and aspirations, but it's even better if you can live with the fact that we're human beings and we do what we can. As long as I am working hard, feeling some joy in what I'm doing and feeling tired at the end of the day, I can be grateful for what I have and proud of what I've accomplished. Even if it looks like my work will never be done.

So we can go ahead and make our big, I-can-do-it-all-if-I-just-work-harder list of things we want to accomplish. But we must also be good enough to ourselves to know when to walk away from the list and live life!

I'm livin' large at the following fabulous parties:

Boogieboard Cottage Masterpiece Monday

C.R.A.F.T. Making Monday Marvelous

Singing Three Little Birds Inspire Me Monday

Creating My Way to Success A Round Tuit

Our Delightful Home Show Me What You Got
Beez Rental Designs Frugal Treasures Tuesday
Saavy Southern Style Wow us Wednesday
From My Front Porch to Yours Treasure Hunt Thursday
The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday
Made in a Day Made You Look Linky
The Shabby Nest Frugal Friday
The Thrifty Groove Thrifty Things Friday

What this is about . . .

This is about how you might make something from nothing. How can I take an old sweater and make it into something instead of throwing it away? How can I buy a $2 item at a thrift store and turn it into something that is the centerpiece in my mother's living room? How can I take a $15 ceramic class at the local city rec center and turn it into a money-making venture when I'm out of work?

Let me start by saying that I am not an artist. I am not calling myself a “crafter” only after years of art history and drawing lessons and failed attempts at being the next great American painter.

I am also not rich. It's just little 'ole me in this house and nobody else is funding a high-end craft habit for me. (On the other hand, if you'd like to make an offer, I would not be opposed to having a high-end craft habit funded by some kind and generous stranger . . . make that a kind, generous, and sexy stranger).

So now you know the down and dirty truth. I am a working class “jo” who has played around at making crafts most of my life just to keep myself busy. Many times the crafting springs out of necessity: I need a nice gift but can't afford to buy one; I need to wrap a gift but can't afford to buy wrapping paper; I need new window treatments but can't afford . . . you get the idea.

So, “Crazy” because it's always good to act a little crazy; it keeps friends and family guessing. “Thrifty” because I've never had a ton of money and had to learn to be a bargain hunter. “Crafts” because, after all, a girl needs a hobby. 

And don't worry, I'll tell you when I try something that turns out stupid or ugly or something that fails entirely.

Oh yeah, how do you like my new glasses?