Tattered

I did it! I opened an etsy store. It's called a.little.bit Tattered. Very plain and simple. I'm just at the beginning of getting it going. Who knows, I could bail on the whole thing tomorrow. I really don't have time, but I really don't have time for most of my life, so why let that stop me? Other than buying the supplies to make the pretties, it's free to make a store and pretty cheap to sell stuff. 

If there were a story, it would go like this: On my girls weekend away a couple months ago, I came across a book on metal stamped jewelry. I loved it. Came home, bought the book, and showed my dad. He was a metal worker by trade and he was totally into having me come up to his shop and help me get started and show me how to do it. He had stamping letters and numbers that he gave me. I put in a couple orders on websites for other supplies. I was so excited to have a project to work on with him. I pictured hanging out in his cozy, warm shop in the garage...it was going to be the best!

Before my metal stamping stuff was shipped to me, my quiet, kind, devoted dad passed away. I miss him  terribly. I think about him everyday. My mom, brother, and I found a handful of tools in his shop that might work for what I was hoping to do. And a week ago I started figuring out how to do it. I have a steep learning curve without my dad to show me. But I've been having fun trying.

I have a dozen different projects in mind, but decided just to start slow. My dad had some copper sheets in his shop, so I started practicing with those. I've always loved the contrast of something earthy and rugged combined with something glitzy and fancy. Like brown paper bags and organdy ribbon. Or dirt and diamonds. I purposely and accidentally don't line the letters all exactly straight or try to keep them centered. And when they don't press into the metal exactly evenly, it's all the better. And I get to hammer the metal to make it look beaten. And when I cut out the pieces it doesn't matter if I cut in a straight line. It's all refreshingly inexact! At the same time, you can shiny it up and put a pretty stone with it. It totally fits my world right now.

I'm ending up with charms that tell my story. Both the dirt and diamonds of my world. Life is hard. You get knocked around, beat up a bit, broken hearted, tattered...both from others and yourself. And just life. Life is hard. Then add death and things get even harder. But enter Jesus! Sent to save us. Rescued. From ourselves, our mistakes and our self righteousness. From the bad guys in your life that hurt you. From just the messed up fallenness of our whole stinking planet. He picks you up, dusts you off, sets you back on your feet, makes you his own. His. Puts a little sign around your neck that says you belong to him. Taken. Tells you that no matter what anybody else says or thinks, you are everything to him. Treasured. And he will walk this icky world with you. He's done it before and he'll do it with you. Loved.

My friend, Marie, is having a blog contest. I'll copy her. Nothing is better than something free. I'll get back to you on it. Alissa told me I need to get to bed. Yes, mommy. Guten Nacht.