lisasgiftwrappers.com Blog

Have you stopped laughing yet?

Those that know me would not recommend me as the guru of advice on this subject. Far from it.

I have at least 30 things popping about in my head at any one time.

I have been out of the store for about 10 days, traveling with my husband, son and his friend on our annual Spring break adventure.

So, I have had a lot to catch up on. With each of my staff people, who are responsible for different aspects of our services for our customers, and especially my washing machine since everything came back from vacation, wet, dusty or smashed in the suitcase and has to be washed now. I’ve been hoping the washing machine might break down- Rats! No such luck yet.

So in between washer to dryer trips I have been compiling a list of all of my to-do’s.

Let me tell you writing them down on pretty paper or using colored markers or even practicing my calligraphy (which seems to have gone to pot )-has not helped.

And my ever-so-smug attitude of doing all my planning in January so I could just breeze through the rest of the year- well all is “kaput”-( a nice family saying from my father’s German side meaning broken)- because things change and you can always count on that.

I tell Annie, or Mary or Ruth or Meghan or Amanda- if I have already told you this stop me now- because some days I don’t know what I have said to whom.

We learned that April showers bring May flowers. So I am hoping that by getting organized, consolidating bins of ribbon, setting up new teams and methods of communication here at LGW HQ- that all this effort will result in “May flowers”- something neat and orderly and colorful.

You can notice one of my main stays of organization when you enter the store. It is a compulsion of mine to put things in clear, stacking bins so that all you have to do is look in and see what you’ve got. It helps me know whether I have enough green ribbon, say for a wrapping project.

So tell me- What is your most brilliant method of using the prospect of Spring cleaning to make a dent in some form of organization you need in your life to at least stem the tide of disorder?

I know I could sure use it. And maybe someone else might benefit from it as well.

I have for the past several years pushed myself to take an art class between January and March- the grey months.

Typically, I am burnt out from the Holiday hype and feel that my creative reservoir is almost on empty.

So I sign up for a class that’s way out there- something that will test me as an artist- make me think in a different way- possibly show me an art technique that might come to play in something creative I might do in the future.

This year I picked watercolor painting. It’s been on my to-do list for a while. And two years ago I bought one of those travel size sets and painted in the shade during my vacation on the days I was too sun burned to venture out.

The results were not successful- except maybe for my skin- so I said that I had to take a class and see how it’s done.

I am definitely a visual learner- you show me, and then I can do it kind of person.

And water color painting is the exact opposite of all the training I took in High School and College when I was painting with acrylics on canvases.

Acrylics are great- you paint an area and goof up; you just wait 15 minutes to let it dry and then paint over it. Geez- some great artists have made their names by slathers of paint on their canvases.

Watercolor painting is all about planning ahead and thinking where you are going to put paint. ‘Cuz once it’s there- it’s there.

W-a-y different from my experience. So much so that I am now taking the second session on watercolor painting because I am still trying to get the hang of things.

I guess that I just am a bit bull headed (my father came from a German family and he was an engineer) and I also believe that I should be able to do any artistic medium, (assuming that my mother’s genes as an artist, costume designer, teacher and calligrapher will somehow pull me together).

I do admit that I always learn something. And I am hard on myself. Eventually I know that I will tell myself that I am not suited to a particular medium of art and will just have to buy good art from those that have mastered that medium.

Witness, my out-of-control collection of pottery- mostly pitchers as they are functional at least- in my kitchen.

So, this Spring I challenge you to re-activate the creative gene that has been dormant due to work, children, husbands; you name it (lack of chocolate?)- and take a class- with me.

I have added lots of classes of surprising topics to our schedule. No homework unless you want to. All tools and supplies are included. And the worst thing that could happen is you figure out that someone else might do it better than you.

I will ensure that you will meet VIPs (Very Interesting People), laugh a lot and possibly find a new burst of energy.

So here’s looking for you in a class coming up in May (see our website for dates, class descriptions and costs).

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. Just Do It. Three little words. Sounds simple- right?

What is the way to avoid being a procrastinator? Is it not only quit talking, but quit making a trip to the kitchen to yet again look in the fridge for something made from chocolate?

Distractions, distractions, distractions- they are everywhere!

I have these great ambitions on Sunday morning when the day ahead is mine and I can do with it what I want.

First, I get to read the newspaper when it is brand new and no one else has touched it. I love this. I get to read the sections in the order I want to and don’t have to wait to read any part of it. It does mean that I have to get up early to beat everyone else. But, I figure that might give me an excuse to take a nap later or catch up on my rental movies or even read a book.

Then I think of all the various craft projects I could finish. I have many of them in limbo- not quite far along enough to almost be done on a Sunday.

And, for the last 8 weeks, I have been taking a watercolor painting class. Here’s where I should be spending my time, I say to myself. I paint on Mondays from 9-12noon- and then have these fabulous plans to continue when I get home. And somehow the week stretches along and I don’t touch anything again until Monday. So Sunday would seem like a logical day to just jump in there and get going.

Decisions, decisions, decisions- so many, so little time.

I think it was way easier to get motivated when I held a job that had nothing to do with being creative. I would come home and immediately change out of a suit and jump into comfy clothes and head for the basement and creative projects.

Now, I get to be creative all day long. I’m surrounded by color and paper and ribbon and creative people and very interesting people- well, it’s just such a sensory experience. I wonder if maybe I’m just “sated” when I reach home.

How did you put every distraction aside and Just Do It? Does any one have a clue? Do you get up an extra two hours earlier just so you can paint or weave or finish printing something?

Or do you deprive yourself of a good sleep and stay up late and then become a slow motion person in the morning?

And, does anyone know how to balance this all with a good diet (Ho-Ho’s don’t count), exercise and a family life?

So spill the beans- tell me how to “Just Do It”.

Now I guess I have some taste. I love Project Runway. It’s not because I’m a fashionista. Far from it. But I am so intrigued with where the designers get their ideas and inspirations. And I always have a ton of questions-like how do they know that that fabric will drape in a certain way.

In the 7 th grade, I learned how to weave. I loved it. It was so precise in terms of the mechanical part of it. Yet, it left you completely free to use colors and textures and ways that you could manipulate yarn or other fibers that you might be using. I’ve made pillows and a rug that was 20 feet long for a hallway. I have made mohair throws- so warm and soft. I have even woven copper strips along with aluminum strips to create a contemporary wall hanging. I still have my loom, which weaves five feet wide. It’s in my basement, slightly dusty, but will come to life when my teenager goes off to college.

So I have a huge admiration for what they can do after making fabric. I know how much work it is to make. And I have a tough time cutting into it after all that work. (I think that all those threads are screaming when you cut into them. Too weird??)

It is just so amazing to me how a length of fabric turns into garment. I know they have gone to school, and have been sewing every day for most of their lives. I know they can make a pattern for their garment out of their head; again because they have been doing it for so long.

And then there’s Top Chef. Here we go again- where do they come up with these menus and how do they get there? Have they eaten all this stuff and know what will happen to it when they cook it? I’d like to say I’m a decent cook and given lots of time, I guess I could get better.

But when I go into a restaurant and look at the menu, I imagine the chefs and their conversations about food. And they look at eating like I probably look at art or say shoe shopping.

So I look at these creators and imagine what goes on in their heads. Do they dream what they do? And where do they get their ideas?

I know where I look for inspiration. I look at purses and shoes because last year’s black dress will look fresh and modern. Plus the easiest thing to do is change the shoes and the purse.

Or look at pillows and rugs. They can be colorful and full of pattern against a plain couch. But look at the cost of replacing a couch – easier to change the pillows or the rug?

And then colors are easy to add or subtract. A pattern or something with a texture can add interest to the couch.

So imagination is key in all of this. Walt Disney said it best…”all your dreams will come true if you have the courage to pursue them.”