Size Matters

Or maybe I should say length matters.

I am a new teacher on SkillShare.com, and my first course,  Beginner Glass Mosaics is live on the SkillShare website. Since I'm new at this teaching business, I had no idea what I was doing. Don't get me wrong, I know how to mosaic, but filming, voiceover, editing, and posting it all online in a captivating course is a totally different thing.

As it turns out, no one wants to watch someone grout for 20 minutes. My course was long and boring. Fortunately, SkillShare will let you edit a course after it's published. I was able to ask for some tough love feedback from friends and other teachers, and I took my class from 44 minutes down to 24 minutes!

My videos are much shorter and concise. They have less pauses and repetitive information, and the course is overall a faster pace. Yay for me! Thanks to some great feedback and honesty. Sometimes you have to take the bitter pill.

Yes, size does matter. In this case, shorter is better!

Learn Something New!

I recently discovered a website called SkillShare.com where you can learn all kinds of things in encapsulated online courses taught by people like you and me. People who are literally sharing their skills. How cool is that? And that's not all! Anyone can be a teacher and earn royalties when people take their classes. I said, "sign me up!"

If you know me at all, you know I do all kinds of things. I draw, sew, mosaic, make jewelry, and there's more, but I'm not going to list it all here. What should I teach? I decided to search through the SkillShare courses to see what was out there. I didn't find anyone teaching mosaics. BINGO!

I joined SkillShare with a free 2 month premium membership. I then joined one of their new teacher challenges, which was fantastic! They offer tons of support and resources. They give you deadlines to keep you on track, and award prizes for various things. I won a $20 Amazon gift card for leaving helpful comments for other teachers. You can also win a lot of other cool prizes, like microphones.

I filmed my course using my iPad. I did voice overs on my videos using my Apple headphones and edited using iMovie. I uploaded all of my videos, seven in all, and was finished! They give you templates to created a project and a lesson plan to help you plan your course, and give you tips for marketing your course.

My course is called "Beginner Glass Mosaics: Create a Picture Frame"

Not only was it fun and easy to do, but I'm excited to make more courses. My next course will be about glass cutting tools. Then I plan to do an intermediate course, and an advanced course.

Check out my course, and try out a free trial of SkillShare.com like I did. You might find so many courses you love, you'll want to sign up, and maybe even teach some courses yourself!


One other thing - because I published my course within the teacher challenge one month deadline, I won a free one year Premium SkillShare membership valued at $99. Pretty sweet!

If People Were Like Cats

Everyone in my family has cats. We all love dogs too, but we have cats. Cats are easier. Recently, my oldest daughter and I were having a conversation about cats, as we often do. If you are a pet person, you know that your pets are often the topic of conversation. Our pets are considered family members, just like kids. They are cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters. You might think
this is odd, but it's who we are and how we were raised.

I was telling my daughter a story about my three cats and how one of them is always spooking the others. I have one, Rocky, who is a "Rag Doll" which means she has long hair and looks a lot like a raccoon. She tends to be a bit flighty and is always looking for trouble. One day she caused a crash in my bedroom while I was in the bathroom getting ready for work. The other two cats were in the hallway looking in my bedroom door with alarm. They had that "you're in big trouble" look on their faces. When I went in my room, I couldn't find anything amiss. I have no idea what the crash was.


I had taken a shower, so I had gotten dressed in the bathroom and brought my nightgown back in the bedroom with me. When I tossed my nightgown on my bed, this spooked Rocky who took off like a shot out of my room, which spooked the other two, and all three scrambled down the stairs like a herd of horses running from a wolf. This kind of thing happens at my house several times a day.

My daughter said, "Wouldn't it be funny if people were like cats and got spooked at every little thing?" The thought of this started us giggling.

I work at a university, so I immediately started to imagine students quietly studying in classrooms until someone dropped a book, and then all kinds of chaos would ensue. Desks toppling, papers flying, students scattering, which would then startle other students and professors in the hallway, who would then scatter and run. If people were like cats, this would only be a momentary outburst, because everyone would quickly realize they were not in danger and stand, panting, looking around at each other accusingly before going back to business as usual.  Imagine this kind of thing happening everywhere! Grocery stores, office buildings, banks, I don't even want to think about driving along the freeway!

By the time my daughter and I were finished imagining various scenarios, we were laughing so hard we were crying. Now, every time my cats spook one another, I giggle a little to myself as I imagine them as people on the job somewhere, getting absolutely nothing done, because if people were like cats, let's face it. We would get a lot more sleep, have a lot more fun, but would accomplish absolutely nothing.

My City

It's been a long time since I've posted anything on my blog. I decided maybe I should start blogging again; my three loyal followers deserve it.

Just over a year ago, I bought a house. It's an old house. In fact, it will be 100 years old in 2016. Not only is my house old, but it's in Flint, Michigan. Recently, I went to a conference and was asked, "where are you from?" When my response was Flint, I was met with, "I'm sorry" and a mournful expression as if I'd just told him my puppy died. My response to this was, "I'm not. I love Flint." and I do.

Our lives here are not defined by the auto industry anymore. Yes, it left us in a devastated, shocked, and unprepared state of confusion. There was a time when graduating from high school and getting a job at General Motors or Buick meant a person was "set for life." Life was good, and the money flowed. There was no need for a college degree, or any life skills beyond what it took to work on the line or run a machine. Career goals meant following in the footsteps of fathers and grandfathers who were shop rats. It was a false sense of security that ended, and took with it the livelihood of the city - but not anymore.

Flint is becoming a college town.

You may scoff at the idea, but look around. New businesses are popping up all along Saginaw St. There are new housing opportunities from studio apartments to luxury lofts. Business is spreading outward from downtown as well, and students are still flowing into the still reasonably new student housing options at the University of Michigan-Flint. UM-Flint was once a commuter university, but has turned into a multifaceted residence oriented university with more and more international students, bringing business into Downtown Flint.

Flint is home to the University of Michigan-Flint, Mott Community College, Kettering University, Baker College, and now Michigan State University, as well as satellite locations for other colleges and universities. At any given time, faculty, staff, and students can be seen downtown at restaurants, coffee shops, eateries, bars, and the famous Flint Farmer's Market. The streets that were once a ghost town when devastation and disbelief hit, are now becoming, have become, lively, colorful, and a destination once again.

Yes, I live in Flint. We still have our problems; water is the latest issue, but we will overcome it. Yes, we have crime, but so does every city. I live in Flint, and I love my old house with it's original hardwood floors, French doors, and grand woodwork. I have wonderful neighbors too. In fact, I am now the Vice President of my neighborhood council.

When I sit in my favorite spot, my screened front porch, and look down my street at all the other old houses, the mature trees, and all the activity in my neighborhood, I know I'm truly home. This home in Flint is the first home in my adult life that has truly been right.

Buckle Up!

My mom was rummaging around one day and came up with some old, or shall I say "vintage" belt buckles. She didn't think much of them at first, but then thought about me. She brought them over and said, "can you do something with these?" Of course I said, "YES! These are GREAT!" I had no idea yet what I would do with them, but I kept picking them up and looking at them. It wasn't long before I starting thinking about bracelets. I came up with some ribbon and beads and well... there you go. Vintage Belt Buckle Bracelets. A little weird, kind of fun, definitely "Accidental Tourist." Keep that stuff comin' mom!

After the Spring Market

Okay, so I have my first real live craft show under my belt. I debated on whether or not I should discuss my lack of success here. However, I decided since this blog is all about my journey I need to disclose all. I sold absolutely nothing in the six hour-long show. Zip, zilch, zero.

I spent hours making jewelry and beading three wooden boxes for this show. I paid $10 for a half table space, I photographed everything, I put all of my items up on my Web site, I redesigned and printed my business cards, purchased shopping bags and stamped them with "Thank You". I cut squares of multicolored tissue paper to wrap shoppers' purchases. I designed a display that was unique and creative and truly unlike others at the show.

I worked hard.

Shoppers came to my table. Shoppers oooohed and they aaaahed. Shoppers picked up items and exclaimed about their loveliness and creativity to their companions. Shoppers asked questions about my items and they told me how fun they are, how pretty, how creative, how innovative, how....
Shoppers put my items back on my table with loving care and they walked away.

Want to know the best part of the whole day? This is the real kicker! There was a small step in the building. It was a step that was long and low and nondescript. It went around the entire lobby area and shoppers were tripping on it all day despite the valiant attempt of the organizers to mark it and constantly warn people. My 80 year old mom fell down the step and landed on her knees. She didn't break anything, but she did get scraped up pretty bad, and as he day wore on her ankle became quite sore. We kept it elevated and iced, and she thought she was fine. However, when it was time to leave, it was extremely difficult for her to walk on it. The last four hours of our day were spent in the ER.

My mom's blood pressure had sky rocketed, she has a deep tissue bruise on her right ankle, she won't be able to drive for at least a few days, and will need to get around her house with a walker. A good time was had by all.

Spring Craft Market

(First posted on 1000Markets blog on April 20, 2010)

I am pretty excited! I’ve been making things, art, stuff, my whole life. I’ve sold a few things here and there, but for the most part it’s all been for my own pleasure or I’ve given it away as gifts.

Last year I opened an Etsy shop and then moved my shop here, to 1000Markets. Now, for the first time EVER I’m going to have a table at a craft market! Well, half a table. I couldn’t bring myself to take the plunge and get a whole table. I didn’t have anything to sell until about a week ago.

You see, I’ve been busy with grad school. I also got a bit discourage with this Web site selling business. I’ve sold a few things, but not many. My career highlight was when I sold my mosaic jewelry box!! That was a big sale. Anyway, I started giving my stuff away as gifts – my old fall back. When I saw this spring market opportunity and the fact that I could get a HALF table! Well, I did a crazy thing and filled out the application, a month late even, and here I am frantically making jewelry!

1000Markets had revoked my selling privileges because I had been so lax in my duties as a vendor. I had to not only get busy making stuff to sell, but I felt I needed to get it all up on my Web site too! How can I be a credible vendor at a craft market with no Web site?? I have to have a business card with a URL!

With just under a month’s notice, here I am, back on the Web, back in business, and in my first spring craft market. If you're in the area, stop by:

Hosted by Flint Handmade ~ Downtown Flint, Michigan ~ May 1, 2010 ~ 10:00-3:00 ~ It's gonna be pretty darn cool! It always is!