Step Two: Create

Although I woke up this morning, okay, this afternoon, lacking the motivation to wander out in the frigid weather and drag my groggy self to the gym, I did wake up with a goal for the day: purchase the necessary tools and supplies to create something.  The first thing that popped into my mind was jewelry supplies.  I've been eying so many necklaces on etsy.com, eyes wide in amazement, coveting the beautiful things these sellers create.  Which got me to thinking, "why can't I do something similar?"  As only positive thoughts began to swarm my mind, I realized this is a craft I can work towards, something I can spend my time doing, and something I can be proud of.  So there it was, a simple solution to my creative need.  A chilly five minute drive later leaves me standing in front of the doors to a local craft store.  Not completely sure what I was searching for, I slipped my gloves into my purse and quickly entered the store.  After a short bout of trial and error and consecutively selecting the wrong aisle, I finally located the proper section.  Overwhelmed with the array of greens, pinks, golds, and blues, small beads, long beads, wire spools, individual chains, and an unnecessary amount of wire cutting tools (after much examination, I have determined they are nearly all the same) I selected the few basics I knew I would need: a few long chains which can be cut to the proper lengths, a wire cutter/bender, and two small packets of beads-one blue pack, one pink.  I then began to take a slower look and realized I was in a beginner jeweler's heaven.  There were elephant charms (my favorite! and I was so tempted to snag these, but how many elephant necklaces does one need?), leaves (another personal favorite, I snagged a few packs of these for earrings), medallions (too plain), and small trinkets (snagged a pack with an Eiffel tower [yes!] among other things and a pack with miniature keys).  Although nearly everything was 40% off, I spent far more than I had intended and had to talk myself out of the typical buyer's remorse I feel.  I knew I would end up spending an equal amount of money on jewelery in the next few months had I not bought things to make my own, but the best part? They are my own. Nobody else's.  These will be my creations, though inspired by others, pure originals.  Bag in hand I trek back out to my car with smile on my face, ready to snip open these packets, and ready to tackle a simple, yet effective, aspect to my resolution: create.

I can't wait to share what I come up with, but until then, perhaps my dreams will inspire further creativity..the possibilities are seemingly endless. Au Revoir (sigh, I wish I was a Parisian)!

-Lauren