Opening my Mind

We made wall clocks at our Super Saturday.

When we were signing up for our projects ahead of time, there was a wall clock on display made by our own "decorating Guru" in our ward. So, of course, it looked fantastic!

It lured me in - and I registered for the class.

We were to provide our own paint color of choice, but I just found out the EXACT color & brand that the "example" had been made with. (Since I figured if it was going to look good, it had to look like that one.)

Much to my dismay, when I went to Robert's Craft Store, that color was no where to be found! So, I got another paint that was as close to a medium beige-ish that I could find (that's how her paint color was described.)

And then I fretted about it, since it wouldn't look just like the "model."

I came to Super Saturday and would not get started right away because I still wasn't sure about the color.

This is so stupid, huh?!?

Well, another lady at my table had brought some pink & green paint with her to try out along with her color in the medium beige-ish family.

And then it hit me...Could I do another color besides medium beige? Could I do COLOR - period? It had never occurred to me before since I was "STUCK" on following the "example."

I LIKE RED. I really am quite fond of it. My mind started turning. Why didn't I ever consider doing any other color? I knew I had some "Barn Red" paint at home, so I went home to fetch it.

It was a pretty bold decision to make a 24" Wall clock in a COLOR other than "medium beige" but I was going for it. And it was kind of exciting!

There was only 1/2 a bottle left, so we barely made it. And this is how it turned out:

{Either my camera - or the photographer - needs help, but I could not get a photo without a glare on the clock!}

At first, mine was the only COLORED clock amongst a sea of beiges & browns. As I was painting it, I was questioning whether or not I should've done it! But, everyone really liked it. Others even said they wished they would've done it. Another gal even decided to do RED because she saw mine! I actually wasn't sure I liked it for a while, but now that it's been in my home for a week - I DO!

It really got me thinking...I was so closed-minded about how to do the project that I didn't even consider any other color besides the one on display until the very last minute. In this case, my "thinking outside the box" turned out to be delightful! How many other times & situations have I not been able to "open my mind" and see multiple possibilities and solutions? What amazing things have I missed out on because I put my creativity to a standstill? Have I been hindered by my "medium beige thinking" that everything has to be done a certain way - that there is no other way?

That reminds me, I had a mission companion from the South and she had all kinds of great sayings (which, of course, I'd never heard of before, and required translation) but one she'd frequently say is.... with her accent,

"Sis-tah, There's more than one way to skin a cat!"

And I found one - and I hope I do it more often.