I have some important projects that I need to do. It might just be me, but when I have something important to do, I make it harder for myself by over-thinking and getting myself overwhelmed for no reason. I end up letting the project intimidate me because I want it to be just perfect. I’ve learned recently that I need to stop this absurd way of thinking, and start viewing these projects as awesome ways to express myself. I need to remind myself to view anything I do as a gift to myself and not a chore. I GET to paint today and create art things for people. That is a gift. I GET to exercise and cook new meals.

So. I decided I need to do a fun little project for no reason other than for fun to get me started. I really enjoyed making this collar “necklace.” I’m curious, what do you think? Do you think people would be interested in these? My mom went to a thrift store and found some more collars for me to work with. I’ll post those when I’ve finished with the collection! This one was hand painted and colored with colored pencils. Then I hand stitched a bead in the center of the white flower, and the butterfly sequins with sections from a broken bracelet. I used a layer of Mod Podge on the painted/drawn areas to help seal it. I hope it works haha

You can see my pincushion in a few pictures. It was handmade by a sweet sweet coworker, when I worked in retail years ago. She worked in the alterations department, and made this pumpkin cushion from scraps and broken pieces from a prom dress. As a visual merchandiser at the time, I used this cushion daily while dressing mannequins and creating window displays. I’ll always cherish this one of a kind pin cushion made with so much kindness. It’s also a reminder to me that there is always kindness, even when everything seems a bit dark and hopeless (I went through a rough time while working at that store, mostly caused by working there). I was able to use it years later at my dream job as an art conservation technician for an art museum working in the textiles lab. Now I use it for my own creations 🙂

Even got to wear it last weekend 🙂