Practice. Practice. Practice.

You've seen it. That Pinterest fail compilation that makes its way through social media every few months. It shows in picture perfect detail just how much someone did not nail their version of that three tier birthday cake, holiday wreath or furniture make over.

And let's face it, if you've tried your hand at making some project that's popped up on your feed, chances are really good that your finished project did not look as perfect as the example. Not the first time, and probably not the second or third time either if you were brave enough to try it again.

And that's okay. I repeat: that is okay.

Everything. Takes. Practice.

While that awesome thing, its "six easy steps" and maybe a time-lapse video showing the creator nail it make you say, "I can do that!", chances are really good that you won't nail it the first time. And that's okay.

We don't know how many times the maker crafted their (now) awesome thing before putting it out into the world. We don't know how many hours or years of experience they have in their craft. And we don't see how many times they did not nail it before they got to the awesome thing stage. If they told you any of that, you might never be brave enough to start in the first place.

That ever important practice stage of any project isn't sexy or pin worthy. It also looks different for every person as we each bring our own unique set of skills (gained through hours--or years--of practice) with us as we get started making the awesome thing. And that's okay.

The most important part of any project may just be our ability to start it over and over and over again until it becomes the awesome thing. When we're ready, those "six easy steps" really are easy. And our own time-lapse video looks amazing.

Start.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice.

Make the awesome thing. And pin the shit out of it when you're done.

Pretty + Practical

The history of embroidery, and evidence of basic stitches that are still favorites today, dates back centuries. And while it's not known whether those first stitches were meant to be purely practical or primarily decorative, those pretty and practical qualities have moved embroidery up a few notches on my favorite craft techniques list.

This spring I free-handed a simple back stitch and a few lazy daisies to cover some tiny stains on an otherwise awesome $5 jacket from the thrift store. Few have even spotted the stitches and the ones who have have loved the idea of "rescuing" something with a few pretty stitches. And just recently a favorite dress of mine has developed a tiny hole in the skirt and you can bet that embroidering over that spot is next on my practical crafting list.

Thankfully, embroidery isn't only for mending. I have two weddings coming up and am debating whether some monogrammed napkins for the bride and groom or a custom embroidered hoop for their wall might be good keepsakes.

I have some time yet before those gifts are needed, so I'll continue to play with different stitches and color combinations on some practice hoops (that just happen to look great on my wall) in the meantime.

And if you're itching to give pretty and practical embroidery a try, we have both an evening and a weekend class offering on the schedule. Join us!

Crafting a Message

Thank you to everyone who came out for our inaugural Community Craft Party! We loved seeing you craft it up in our new space!

We asked everyone to make tiny affirmations as seen in the "You Are So Very Beautiful" Craftivism project. Paper was the hands down favorite medium. Below is a peek at a few of the messages our crafters sent out into the community.

And good news my crafty friends--that was so much fun we're going to do it again. We've already got our next Craft Party on the calendar for Saturday, September 24. Save the date!