How to Know When to Buy and When to Make
Welcome to my site and my first post ever! Im hoping to have this place be a peek into the behind the scenes of Arc Design. It’s my hope that coming here will provide some inspiration and beauty to your day. Some posts will be “how to’s” and some posts will feature my projects. Most of my work is available for purchase and I love to collaborate on events, so never hesitate to reach out! I’d love to hear from you!
This may be a huge faux pax, but this first piece is going to be purely an opinion piece. I had recently come upon an instruction on how to make your own silk flowers. Most of my experience is in silk florals, so you can imagine I was pretty excited at the prospect of being able to make my own! I scanned the tutorial and my first thought was, “Wow! Only three steps and the result is gorgeous!” It couldn’t have been a clearer piece; templates and links to products used were provided, close up photos were abundant, and there was even narrated video accompanying everything! Filled with anticipatory excitement of learning a new skill and adding to my list of providable services, I set out to make my first silk floral stems.
Step 1: Print out and cut patterns for flower petals. Easy, I got this no problem!
Step 2: Singe edge of petals to prevent fraying and create curl. Huh, little more skill here learning where to place the fabric in relationship to the flame without melting my manicure, but I’ll learn!
Step 3: Roll petals and tack together with thread. Splat. Halt. Full Stop “Nailed It!”.
At step three, the final piece to my couture silk flower puzzle, all of the joy and excitement left. I tried flower after flower to make “cabbage roses” and “peonies” and was personally very disappointed in the result. Somewhere along flower three of a dozen I had the thought, “And this is why they cost so much!” This thought was very quickly followed by, “Alison, you started this business because it brings you joy and peace. Why are you persisting in a project that is bringing you disappointment and frustration?!” I placed the unfinished project on the table and walked away for some reflection.
Here are my resulting thoughts on this project: We all have a talent and gift. Use yours and employ others to use theirs. I finished the flowers because I had already purchased the materials but mostly to walk a mile in the shoes of the person whose
talent it is to make silk flowers and gather a whole new appreciation of what my $9.99 purchased for me. More than just a beautifully variegated shade of purple recreation of God’s beauty, $9.99 purchased for me the ability to focus on the part of design I really love. The part where I take the already engineered talent of someone else and manipulate and pair it together with other things to make a whole other piece of beauty.
Thats my insight now going forward as I start this new adventure as a business owner, and honestly I feel sense of peace knowing that its okay to not do it all on your own!
-Alison