The Big Picture - Hobby Lobby, Smolensk

I have a dream . . . 

        well, actually, I have several dreams . . . 

I’m one of those “Big Picture/Idea” people.  

I can dream and come up with super ideas . . . and I really believe in these ideas, I just know that they will work . . . 

The problem, for me, comes because I’m not always as sure about how to make these dreams a reality.

I often run to my husband, so excited to tell him about one of my new ideas and he, being the detail person that he is, always tells me to 

write it down, 

work out those details 

and get started.

So, I have decided to “blog-down” my ideas and share them with the world  

        (ok, ok, maybe just the handful of readers I may have!).

Most Recent Great Idea

        (if I do say so myself)

Creative Craft Center - Smolensk

                   

Now, tell me, doesn’t just the idea get you excited?

It does me  - let me tell you why:

1. Now that I have started to sew and get into crafting here in Russia, I have learned that most of my friends here also enjoy crafting.  Sewing, needlework, painting, woodworking, scrap booking . . . all of these are of interest to many women and possibly men, in Smolensk.
2. There is a not one good craft store in Smolensk - city of more than 300,000 and the capital of the Oblast (state.)  There is not one good fabric store in this city.  Everyone dreams of going to Moscow (4 hrs by car, 6 hrs by train) to go shopping.

        What do I mean by “not good?”  - quality is terrible, prices are high,

            selection is very limited, customer service is horrible.

What would the Creative Craft Center look like?

Something like a small, “mom and pop’s” Holly Lobby in the States.   

• large store area 
• different sections for different crafts/supplies (flowers, needlework, art, fabric, etc)
• large, good quality selection
• room for craft classes (I have hundreds of ideas for classes.  All taught as an outreach of Love to the people of this city.)

• great customer service

• quarterly craft “fair” for our customers to share ideas and sell their work to the community.

• great music playing in the store to inspire creativity

What would be our goals?

1. Provide good quality supplies for our customer’s creative projects.
2. Provide craft training/classes.
3. Have the best customer service in Smolensk and provide our clients with a fun shopping experience!
4. Create fun and creative atmosphere/ culture where Love is shared.

I admit, I have absolutely no idea how to start a craft store.  Don’t know where to find the right suppliers . . . but I do believe in the idea!

How wonderful,and I believe, ultimately profitable, it would be to have a Creative Craft Center in Smolensk!  With a good location, good size, good selection, and good quality customer service, we could be a profitable and helpful business.

SO, there it is . . . run with it . . . 

She’s READING!

The weekend before she turned 4, Sophi came to me with a box of books.

Here is the conversation:

“Mom, let’s read these books.  We haven’t read these in a loooong time.”

“Soph, we’ve never read these books.  They are your ‘learning to read’ books and we’re going to start them right after your birthday! Go get one of your other books and we’ll read.”

“Mom, please!  I really want to read these.”

“Sophi, these aren’t for me to read - these are for YOU to read.  I can’t read them, you have to.”

“Ok, Mom, I’ll read them!  Please!”

“Ok, Soph, but you are the only one who is going to be reading. . . “

And, we started . . . sounding out every letter, putting them together into words, words formed sentences . . . 

She did it!  Read the first 2 books in the series that first time out!

We just finished the last book - number 12 - about The Vet and The Cat!

“Mom, we’re all finished!  What are we going to read next?”

An Artist At Work

First, she drew the outline on her paper.  She chose to paint a garden on this day - grass; flower; tree with apples, a bird nest, and a squirrel hole.

She explains the process to those of us unfamiliar with the medium.

Time to add color. 

 (Notice the “artist” hair - she can’t be bothered with petty activities, like personal hygiene, while she’s working!)

On to the more delicate work.  

“It’s all in the details, people.”

A work in progress - “Happy Garden!”

The artist - also, “happy!”

The finished work.

It can be seen Mon - Fri in  “The Yastrebov Gallery.”

All are welcome!

The First Four

Sophia turned four this past week.  Our little girl is a “preschooler” now.

I remember  . . . 

 Her “Birth Day.”  

She slept, ate, slept some more, ate some more.. .

Outside the sun was shining, bright against the snow. . . the beginning of Spring!

Her 1st Birthday

We were still living in our one room apt in Moscow - but we had 6 for dinner!

Sophi danced on her new table, got her first flowers from her cousin Senya . . . 

And, made her famous “piggy” face!

Her 2nd Birthday

We had moved to Smolensk.  She had her own room now!

She wasn’t too sure what a birthday was . . . and didn’t quite know what to do with all the presents . . . 

We had cupcakes with candles and she wore her “birthday bib!”

Her 3rd Birthday

She helped to make her own cake - it was a castle, for a princess!

Her papa made a castle and all her royal friends dressed in their finest!

Her 4th Birthday

She wore her Princess dress all day . . .

and played with her new doll house . . .

She was a rabbit for a while and hopped and hopped . . . 

She went on a “Dora the Explorer” treasure hunt with her friends, and pinned a tail on a donkey . . . 

She knew the warmth of young love with a friend.

Our little girl is fun, smart, full of interest and LIFE  . . . 

and we can’t wait to watch how God grows her over the next year . . . 

It’s a SKIRT!

OH MY GOODNESS!  I sewed a SKIRT!

And, it’s wearable . . . and presentable . . .  and so PRETTY!

This weekend, Anton went to Moscow on a business trip.

“This is it, this is my chance.”  I said to myself.  “I’ll sew a skirt for Sophia!”

Friday, I found this wonderful website:  Sew Mama Sew

This place is amazing!  Lots of wonderful projects!  And, what is extra helpful to me as a beginner, tons of “Step by step” tutorials - with pictures!  

Gotta love it!  

On Sew Mama Sew, I found this tutorial for a cute twirl skirt - Sophi’s favorite!

“That’s it, that’s my skirt.”  I said to myself.  “I’ll sew that skirt for Sophi!”

Sat I went looking/shopping for sewing tools and material.  

  

My mother-in-law gave me a great pair of scissors. I wish I had had these at the beginning of the cutting process!  Such smooth cutters!

Looked everywhere for a seam allowance measurer thingy.  (Yeah, I know, it would help if I knew the correct term for all these sewing thingies.)
Hit JACK-POT with this set from China!  Because it had...

LOOK!  It has INCHES and centimeters!  

I almost fell over when I saw it!  It was the only one they had in the store.  The set was all covered in dust - probably been there a while . . . I called the saleslady over, 

“I want this one, this one, this one.”  I said, tapping nervously on the display case glass.

She started to tell me about each object in the set.  I probably should have listened.  

But I stopped her and said, “I really just need this one thingy from the set.”  

I did ask her what it is called in Russian, but she didn’t know!

Went to several stores before I found this meter stick.  I want to permanent marker inches on the other side.

Found some great material (at a not-so-great price) and headed home!

Saturday, I spent the morning cutting out the material pieces.  

This is where I must have gone wrong.  

“Good night!” I said to myself.  “This skirt is for a giant!”

Re-read the instructions, couldn’t see that I had done anything wrong.

“Well, I’ll just keep going.”

Later that afternoon I started to sew!  and iron!  and sew!  

I worked like a crazed woman . . . I couldn’t stop . . . 

Anton came home unexpectedly at 10pm.  He wanted it to be a surprise!  

The house was covered in threads, ironing board up, hot iron on, Sophi still up, dishes piled in the sink, wife with glazed-over eyes and lunatic hair hunched over a sewing machine...

“Hey!  Can’t stop now . . . not . . . at . . .  a good stopping place . . . “

I did come to a stop and fed my hungry and tired husband.  I did put my child to bed.  And, I actually went to bed.  

But I had a hard time sleeping.  I was thinking about finishing that skirt.  I just had ONE more seam to sew . . . ARGH!  It was killing me!  I even thought about taking everything to the kitchen to finish . . . but my poor hubby was so tired, I just didn’t have the heart to wake him.

Sunday, after church and after Sophi went down for her nap... 

“Now’s the time!”  I said to myself.  “I’m gonna finish that skirt!”

And I did!

It’s way too big for Sophia.  But, it’s perfect for me!  I wore it all Sunday evening in the house . . . was sad when I had to take it off to go to bed!  It has a cute little tie waist!

And there are places where it is painfully obvious that I’m a beginner . . . 

But I LOVE IT!  

Really, I had so much fun!  It was like flying . . . like singing...

It was from the spirit . . . unbelievable!

I knew I would enjoy sewing . . . but I didn’t expect to LOVE it!  

Love at first . . . seam!

That night I even made my own pin cushion for all the pins I had laying around my sewing table.

It is a flower from the skirt fabric - with a covered button in the middle.

So pretty!

I found it somewhere on line - but lost the link.  Sorry.

I still have some pretty fabric to make Sophi an almost “matching” skirt.

I think I can figure out how to make the skirt smaller for her!  

And I may have enough left over fabric to make a head kerchief for her and a head-band for me!

LOVE this whole process!  I may never put this machine away . . . 

Now, to figure out a way to get good fabric to Russia . . . hmmm . . .