Hi friends! This is going to be a very long post! So I hope you have some time to sit down and visit with me. I have so much to show and tell you! I have a big announcement to talk about and I also have a wonderful project to share. I took an amazing creative workshop yesterday, and I took lots of pictures! You'll see why, later in my post. I am so super grateful to have this blogging forum and to have all of you as my friends and colleagues to share my life with.
I quit my job on Friday....I have to say it again because it doesn't seem real....I quit my job on Friday. I am super proud of myself for choosing happiness and peace over negativity and chaos on a daily basis. Like, wow, I did what??? Most of you might not even know that I had a full time job, because I have always kept that separate from blogging. I worked in the Insurance industry for 28 years...until Friday. It was a hard decision, months in the making. Planning, praying, brainstorming and generally freaking out. Trying to get up the courage to take that big leap of faith. I have had a job since I was 15 years old. 35 years of working with never more than two weeks off (our honeymoon). It is going to be very strange to not have to get up in the morning, and go to a workplace. I think I will get used to it though!
My Insurance career gave me so many wonderful opportunities. I got to travel a lot, I learned so much, and I met so many great people who have been my life long friends. I will always be grateful for the jobs I had and the people who helped me, and that I was able to help, along the way. It seems like the industry has changed...or maybe work in general is different now....or maybe I'm different. It is definitely the right time to make a change and follow a dream I've had for as long as I can remember. A creative life.
I have been a photographer since I was a freshman in high school - when I learned how to shoot on my Nikon FE using a light meter, how to develop film and how to develop photographs. My first job was at a camera store. It's in my blood to be creative! I am truly happiest when I am making something (anything!).
I am not a big risk taker by nature so the fact that I left the security of the 'known' shows just how much I've grown and changed over the past couple of years. SOOOO many lessons and trials. I am not afraid anymore. I feel so at peace with this decision.
I am the luckiest girl in the world. I have a husband who supports me, friends who believe in me (often more than I believe in myself), and a God who blesses me. Every single day.
I've pretty much been crying for a week - tears of gratitude. The tears keep sneaking up on me. When I see something beautiful. When I think about the fact that I no longer have to wake up at 5am and be completely exhausted on a daily basis. When I grasp for a fleeting moment that I am in charge of my life again and I can make it what I want. When my friends make me laugh so hard I snort. All of it.
So stay tuned for what's to come! I am going to be a creative professional living a creative life, and I will have much more to share with you. I will be so happy if you will support me in my new adventure! First, I am going to take some much needed time to rest, relax and regroup mentally. Then I am going to start my own business. I'll be off and running soon. I have at least ten notebooks full of ideas and projects and business stuff. Now I will sort it all out and make something happen. Some amazing things are already happening! Yay! Go me! I literally cannot even believe I'm typing this right now.
So, now I'm dying to share this project with you! Saturday I was so happy to be able to go to Cathe Holden's Inspired Barn Workshop Space and take an amazing class with two of my most favorite crafty friends (Brenda and May). I have been wanting to take one of Cathe's classes for so long, and have also wanted to see her beautiful space in person. The stars aligned and we were all free to go this weekend and take the Mason Jar Luminary Cloche Class! (There are still openings for her other dates for this class).
Well.... Cathe is just as fabulous and sweet as I thought she would be! And, her space is crafty girl heaven. Like, we literally died and went to heaven. OMG. For my first day of 'freedom' from work, it was the perfect thing to do! Brenda, May and I sat at a table together and laughed and laughed. My stomach actually hurt when I got home. Boy, is laughter good for the soul!! Laughter and Creativity filled my soul on Saturday. Thank you to these lovely and amazing women!
I'll show you my photos of her Inspired Barn workshop space first and then share my project photos after that. Hope you're still with me!
Here is a long shot of Cathe's workshop and there is sweet May smiling in the corner!
This is our most lovely hostess Cathe Holden. She made us feel so at home and so welcome. Her designer eye is AMAZING. Anyone who can envision space in this way is a complete genius in my book. Wow. Thank you Cathe, for such a fun day and a great project! XO
A sweet photo of Cathe and Brenda - looking so lovely!
Cathe's husband came in and took this photo of all of us with our projects! What a nice bunch of women! I say that you never meet a stranger when you go to a craft class! #craftygirlsrock
Here is my finished Mason Jar Luminary. I posed it next to some of Cathe's vintage beauties!
Don't we look so happy? Brenda, me and May at our crafting table!
The rest of these photos I took at home to give you some more details. The little house is mounted onto a cardboard ring and then it fits inside the mason jar. The top of the house is not sealed so you can turn on the tiny battery operated tea light inside. GENIUS. CLICK HERE TO BUY THE TEMPLATE FOR THE HOUSE from Cathe's Etsy Shop!
The whole house/base is glued to the lid of the mason jar and then the entire thing fits inside and you screw the ring on.
I couldn't resist adding vintage silver glitter to my house. The base is a kraft color, and I added white wash with a little acrylic paint. Here is the back of the house.
As part of the class, Cathe taught us how to make these teeny tiny bird nests out of wire and beads. OMG are you kidding me?? EEEEP.
There is even a tiny chimney that glues on top of the roof!
Whew! Okay, so that's enough blogging for one day! Thank you for hanging in there until the end and for coming by A Blog Called Wanda. I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you this week! I could use your encouragement and love and happy thoughts as I start this new path. Have a wonderful week! XO