Project Runway Finale

My DH is NOT a happy man.  For weeks we have been watching "Project Runway" every week.  The show is a reality TV show of fashion designers.  The final three were Andy from Hawaii, Gretchen from Portland, Oregon, and Mondo from my old home of Denver, Colorado.  Both my DH and I really wanted Mondo to win - he has a fantastic sense of style and put together a very strong collection.  Andy was a bit unicolor, although the textures of his fabrics were wonderful, and Gretchen was the one person that my DH has disliked since Week 2 and really didn't want to win.  But she put together a really nice collection (if you ignore all of the high-cut shorts - WAY too many of those).  I knew that she was putting a strong collection out there for the final because I looked at her collection on-line last week.  I was really pulling for Mondo - I love the playfulness in his styling.  But Gretchen won the show this season. 

This flowing dress with a leather overvest was
adorable.  I would buy something like this. 
Congratulations to Gretchen. 

My DH ranted and raved and bitched and moaned.  It will take him weeks to get over this (he tends to hold onto things like grudges, etc for a very long time).  I'm over it already because I know that Mondo will still do wonderful things in fashion, whether or not he actually won the full competition.  I think DH is only upset because he disliked Gretchen so very much, but I think she deserves my congratulations.  Why not?  Although there were plenty of things she designed that I didn't like, she managed to pull it off.  But it was a bitterly contested win with a 2-2 split jury who argued for a long time before finally managing to choose her, so it was a VERY tight fight, and I also would have preferred Mondo. 

Studio Day

I probably shouldn't be driving all around the cities today - I'm too tired from staying up watching the Men's Short Program ice skating at the Olympics last night. Although it took a few days, we have found our channels to watch what we want. My husband is glued to the curling during his days at the computer, and I tend to watch the prime time shows most frequently because I work during the day. But today I may be able to watch some of the alternative channels like USA and MSNBC.

The joy last night was watching Evgeni Plushenko come back from "retirement" and place at the top with a fabulous score. The surprise was how very close this competition is, with three men - Evgeni Plushenko, Evan Lysacek and Daisuka Takahashi placed in a position where any of them could easily take the gold. The performance by Takahashi was superb - he took over the ice and made it his personal stage. And the spins by Lysacek were phenomenal - so good that they pulled him out from a bad jump. I'm looking forward to Thursday and the finals.

And congratulations to Sadie, the Scottish Terrier for winning the Westminster Dog Show. Scotties are such a fun dog and she looked like a real charmer. She was pitted against a Brittany, a Whippet, a Toy Poodle, a Doberman Pinscher, a French Bulldog and a Puli. Terriers don't give up though, and she didn't. Way to go Sadie! Now....you go out there and be a winner today. Try for your own personal best and go to sleep tonight satisfied with what you accomplished.

Balancing Act

Every woman knows the difficulty in balancing the many tasks and roles she must perform on a daily basis. Men know this also, but they don't multi-task as much as simply shift from one lane to another on the freeway of daily life. But women DO multitask. So, between being a good wife, an amazing Mom, the reliable worker and the chief cook and bottlewasher, you also need to exercise your creative muse. When are you supposed to be able to do that!?

There is a reason why I get up at 3:30 am. The primary reason is because I can get work done and some creative activities done before I need to leave the house at either 6am or 7am (depending on my schedule for the day). That creativity can continue when I get to the shop for another hour, sometimes two. So I can at least get some concept drawings done, work at the bench, or simply redecorate my habitat for my pet on Facebook. Even something that silly is still creative and still has my own stamp on it - a vision that is not shared by others but is mine, uniquely.

And after all, isn't that what we are all striving for? Unique creativity? The media in which you work is your own choice. Over my life I have worked in beads, embroidery, fabric, beads, leather, fabric, beads, metal, beads, more metal and now, enamel and more fabric. Throughout all of these varied media, my vision - my voice has become stronger. And now that I've lived a creative live for more than 50 years, I feel confident enough in my own vision that I do what I want artistically with a sidelong glance towards possibly selling some items in the future. My goal, however, is to satisfy my design muse and scratch my creative itch, and I am sure many others share that goal. So continue to multitask to pay the bills, but allow your own creativity to shine forth and proclaim your vision to the world. It will enrich the world's music with your own harmony woven within.

A Mark of Self-Worth

I spoke last week about a book I had purchased called "I Will Not Die an Unlived Life" by Dawna Markova. I'm about a quarter of the way through the book now, and I've been shedding a lot of tears over this one. Obviously there are parts that are striking chords within me. One of those chords I'd like to share today.

One quote says something that I've been telling people for many years. She says: "...the art of success is using what you're good at to overcome the challenges that life brings you. Everyone's good at something." These are words that I firmly believe in and that I see in personal interactions in every day. Every day I get people through my store door who are accompanying their friend, daughter, sister...the "crafty" or "talented" one. These companions always denegrate their own talents claiming that they have no talent. I don't buy that. I think they do have talent. Probably several talents. I've been complimented as being "talented" many times over the years. But I am a hopeless housekeeper, can't cook a meal more complicated than sauteed chicken with microwaved veggies, and am only a tolerable computer user. I wish I could throw together a myriad of ingredients and make a masterpiece of cullinary delight. That's a talent. I wish I could tell my computer to get rid of extraneous programs without destroying it. That's a talent. I wish I could put things into their appropriate placed and keep a clean and vibrant house. That's a talent.

Do you have a talent other than "artistic"? Can you step in when someone is ill or injured and calm the victim, thus aiding in healing? That's a talent I don't have. Can you listen with love and patience when an elder or child tries to express themselves or tell a tale? That's a talent that I don't have enough of. So the next time you look at someone's artwork, craftwork, etc and think that you could never do that...that they are so talented, turn that mirror onto yourself. Look at yourself. You have talents of your own that also enrich our world. If you concentrate on your talents and do only kind deeds, the world can't help but become a better place to live.