Zen And The Art Of Upholstery

I'm taking a really fun upholstery class at a local community college.  I've been doing really bad upholstery on my own for years.  The furniture looked okay.  I have a chair that has been in Broadside's family for years.  We call the chair of the ancient cats, because every cat we've known for the last 40 years has slept on it.  The chair is super sturdy and if the springs were tied and the bad slipcover I did was replaced, it would be a wonderful chair to have in our house.  So, instead of just having someone do the work, I decided I wanted to learn how to do upholstery the correct way.

I had no idea that this class was being taught by the Zen Master.  He's really an unlikely Zen Master.  A hard working, rough around the edges, wise cracking, New Yorker.  Yet every week, I not only learn how to cover furniture in an expert manner, but little wisdom on life.
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This week as he was showing us placement of fabric on a fellow student's chair, announced to the class of timid women..."Never be afraid to pull out the staples.  You always have to be willing to pull out the staples.  You don't like how it looks, you have to pull the staples.  If it's not going the way you want it...pull out the damn staples and start over.  Never be afraid to pull out the staples.  It's like life.  If you stand there being afraid, you'll never get anywhere.  So, shoot the staples and if they land where you want the first time great.  If not.  Pull the staples.  Just like life.  No one ever gets anywhere being afraid.  You gotta act.  You gotta take a chance."

He's so on the mark.  Often times folks don't act, because they are afraid.  Afraid of making a mistake that can't be fixed.  So, they don't act.  They don't move forward.  We have to be willing to make a mistake, when a mistake happens or something doesn't go the way we planned, we have to willing to pull the staples or fix the mistake and keep moving forward. 

Great reminder.
Are you willing to pull the staples, as needed?

Until next week...create to feel great!

42 projects complete! 10 more to go!

This week's project is an sweet little bow tie for my kitty boy Sam.  Gus has a bowtie he likes to wear at Christmas time, and now his little brother has one as well.