Saturday, October 10, 2009

Garage sale shopping!

My friend Mandi introduced me to the world of garage sales! I love this mirror I got while doing just that one Saturday morning. I forgot to take a before picture, but this is the after picture. It was a not so lovely gold. I used some spray paint that I had leftover from last year, and distressed it with some brown paint I took from Mandi's supply. I love the look! It hangs proudly in our bedroom! And the best part is that it cost $2! Amazing!


I have been taking to heart the counsel that President Uchtdorf gave us in the Relief Society broadcast last October. He states,

The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children. You might say, “I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.” If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination. But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy.4 Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things...What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside. If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.

I love this talk and it really hit home to me when I reread the talk this summer. I would always sale myself short. I would not try something for fear of failing. I thought I out grew that trait I started in high school, but often I would find myself falling into the same circumstances. So with a nonexistent budget, I am finding things around my house to use or from garages sales for extremely cheap! It is amazing the things you can do with a little bit of creativity and a lot of inspiration from friends and blogs! I am happy trying and doing new things. It makes me smile and feel proud, and I think we all need to feel that way over something that WE have done! So go out and create! No matter what it is! JUST TRY IT!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

AMAZING Jess!! You're so talented and I love the color! Well done!

Clarissa Wilstead said...

That is my absolute FAVORITE talk of all time