Everything has to start somewhere

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. (Unknown)

Welcome to my new blog! What’s it all about?...Well I am still figuring out the finer details which has in its own way prompted my first entry. This page will most likely change in appearance occasionally as I tweak settings, mess things up and generally blunder my way to getting this page just how I want it…but this is a start, here goes….

My brain has once again an insatiable need to unload its contents. As usual it is early morning, 4 30 am to be precise, although by the time I post this I will have re written it several times and I am sure it will be mid morning. As I summon my powers and focus my thoughts in an attempt to write what my plan is for this blog , a vague yet familiar feeling has returned to the pit of my stomach. My memory has jolted me back to childhood…. It’s the first day at a new school, mild anxiety over finding my way around, what’s for lunch and will it be edible, but above all else, I hope that someone will want to be my friend. Uppermost in my mind as I walk through the school doors into the echoing unfamiliar space are my mother’s parting words “you’ll be fine, just be yourself.”  

That’s what this is about… being myself. My previous blog was about myself too. I am beginning to wonder if I am a narcissist, although having spent the best part of a year fighting off breast cancer I think I can be permitted to indulge myself in a little reflective narcissism.  I am moving away from my safe and familiar Caringbridge blog where everyone was my friend and stepping in to unfamiliar territory to continue my journey. It’s about moving on, my explorations, experiences, observations and the overdue re awakening of my long time neglected creative aspirations. Call it a journey of self discovery, a step on the road to exploring the things that interest me. I just hope there are no “mean girls” waiting in the bathroom to trip me up!

 Facing a crisis like cancer has a strange way of changing ones perspective on life and the things that are important. For me it also brought about the unrelenting need to journal my experience during which I discovered a taste for writing. Here I will continue to practice the craft of turning my mental jumble into coherent and hopefully polished pieces. In an abstract way writing could be considered upcycling; “Turning potential waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value”. I don’t know if writing has high “environmental” value as it requires material resources to achieve a final product. In my mind, the higher value comes in the form of a tangible medium for expressing and sharing a thought or idea which would otherwise be wasted.

Upcycling is a word I learned recently as I began my travel down the aforementioned unfamiliar corridors in the school of “promote your craft online.” I got the notion to make some greeting cards to send as thank-you’s to a few folks who have been so kind during my treatment. After shopping at Trader Joe’s and unpacking my goodies from their rather fancy paper bags (I left my reusable ones in the car), I felt a little shame at the thought of the artwork on those bags being carelessly discarded. It seemed a waste as obviously they have been designed and produced at some level of expense to the company and ultimately the environment.  I rushed to my Cricut machine and started cutting out delicate shapes from the printed parts of the paper bags and realized that what I had made was rather nice. Armed with a glue pen and some “sparkly things” I found in my craft supply, I lost myself for a couple of hours emerging with a sense of accomplishment and a handful of cards. My imagination then took over as I thought of all the other things I could make from paper bags and rushed to the internet….

Alas I was not the first to come up with this idea … not even close. As I discovered it’s a popular pastime that falls under the umbrella of upcycling and you would be surprised what people can do with paper bags. I was. Undaunted I continued my creations purely for the pleasure of it and, to coin a phrase, “I have created a monster”

I showed them to a couple of friends who were very complimentary and encouraged me to try and sell them which I am doing. I will use this blog to post about the things I have made and whatever the outcome, you can be sure I will write about it. I have no expectations and am just enjoying exploring the possibilities. I am learning new things, and I am peeking through the window into an online world of arty, crafty talented people, all making a go of it…why shouldn’t I?

In closing I must mention my “Upcycled” friend Rachael who was so enthusiastic about my cards and was instrumental in their appearance at The Libertine www.libertinedeli.com. Rachael is a talented writer and has a wonderful blog herself www.someonesalwayswatchingyou.blogspot.com. We both seem to feed off each other’s energy which is so refreshing. I thank her for her own lovely piece about me in the context of upcycling. I was touched and look forward to our next chat!

On that note, I see my blog as being a place to share my appreciation for the things other folks are doing.  Technology not being one of my major strengths, I hope to have links to other inspiring people and places that I mention along the way; I know I can do it, I just have to figure out how.