What a fun week I’ve had here at CampClem! I was completely energized because I got to spend my week thoroughly exhausting myself doing some things I love. Energized by exhaustion? Sounds contradictory, right? Go fig! But if you’ve ever had the blessing of living a moment or a day or a week right there in your sweet spot, you totally know what I mean!

Here’s how I was blessed to spend a lot of time this week doing what I love…

Collaborating and Creating: I was so excited to be tapped to spearhead the third grade set up for the school art show this week. So after getting direction from the art teacher, it was literally exhilarating for crafty me to join with another school mama Monday to brainstorm ideas and solutions for how the display should flesh out. Is that nerdy or what? But for me there is a synergy in creative collaboration, one that I would love to experience more! And there is something to embracing opportunities to work in your sweet spot.

Setting up for a grade school art show might not do much for others, but for me, it felt like a blessing to get to express my desire to help and serve my school while also getting to hang with girlfriends and use some creativity in the aesthetics and the execution of our grade’s displays. [And getting “a private showing” of all the kids’ art, grades K-5, was amazing. I love to see so many interpretations of the assignment given by our amazing art teacher!]

Teaching and Crafting: Tuesday, I had the opportunity to lead a craft session for a group of amazing ladies at a conference. And as I LOVE teaching and I LOVE crafting, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE being in a room filled with incredible and godly women, my passions united to form a perfect storm sort of a day.

We did the felt flower craft that I shared a few weeks ago. I always love to see how different people end up with such lovely and varied results, color combos I had not considered, funky shapes turned beautiful flowers, and added little touches. I think the flower above is my favorite. Its crafter chose to add a stitched detail around the edge. Genius! I love it!

Helping and Contributing: Wednesday, I got to tweak our school logo design for the spelling bee team, and yesterday I cut out and applied the iron-ons to t-shirts. [Gah! Iron-ons are fantastique!] I love to feel like I’m actually helping and contributing to something, so seeing these shirts come together was personally rewarding.

Plus, how cute is it for the team to have the unity of these shirts with the school logo on the front and the team member’s name on the back? Way to represent! I hope y’all bring home the g-o-l-d  GOLD! [What, staying up until midnight cutting and ironing spelling bee team shirts isn’t your idea of a good time? I told you I’m nerdy!!]

Exploring: Well, not just any exploring floats my boat, but I got a chance this week to explore an old run down church with wooden floors rotting out and branches growing in through the windows and doors. I am always captivated by a building like that. I was inspired by the roof caving in and the dust-caked pews and the front doors left swung open. All I see is beauty in the possibilities, go fig.

Building and Painting: Thursday I went to photograph a girlfriend’s funky folk art for “My Brilliant Friends” week coming up. But–GAH!–it was sensory overload in the most delightful way. Every direction I turned, there were adventurous paint colors, fabulous hand built furniture pieces, antiques seamlessly mixed with modern items, and SO much more. There is FAR too much there to jam into one post, I’m guessing. It was really inspiring to see what she has done with her home! Can’t wait to share all that with you!

Running: I spent so much time admiring my girlfriend’s home, that by the time I was done with that and running my other errands, I had run out of time to go for an actual run, so with thirty minutes remaining before preschool pick-up time, I parked at the preschool in pick-up line and did a few walk/jog laps around the parking lot. [Yes, it was a little embarrassing to walk past the cars each lap as more and more vehicles started to queue up, but it was worth it!]

Of course, before you pity my poor pathetic and no-doubt uninspired parking lot scenery, remember that where I live it’s pretty much gaw-geous everywhere. So this was the view from the parking lot, ha! Poor me. 😉

Sewing and Mommying: And today was pirate day at Li’l Bro’s preschool, and I’m not even gonna preTEND that I was put out when he suggested yesterday that I make him a pirate costume. We stopped off at the fabric store after school so I could grab a few bits of fabric, and we were off to the races! …Or, I dunno, what, we were ready to set sail?

I just used my easy ruffle pants tutorial, using a pair of Li’l Bro’s shorts for a “pattern”… but I left off the ruffles and simply shredded the bottoms. The vest literally takes five minutes. [It is mind-numbingly simple–I’ll share a tute sometime.] And avast, me hearties, a simple felt vest and a pair of pants later, we had ourselves a pirate, ARRRRRGH!

I am so thankful that I was wired to be able to “whip up” these sorts of things! It’s by no talent of my own! It’s a gift (an equipping if you will) from God.

You have a unique equipping too, did you know? Sometimes your gifts might be hard for you to identify because exercising them seems so natural and easy to you.

And maybe if you’ve lived in the sweet spot of utilizing your talents or getting to do what you love this week, you might ask the same thing I’m asking myself: Why is God so generous with me, and how does He want me to use these gifts He’s entrusted to me to point people to Him?!

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