For the Love of Making

Howdy party people!

It is often said to me, especially while in my booth at a show, that I have crafting ADD. Applying to be juried for a show is difficult for me and them. What category is erra? Jewelry- the most flooded section of any show…Bath and Body- yes, that too…men’s products and accessories, candles, home goods, and eco-goodness, that I have come to realize that erra creations is just the beginnings of a modern general store. And this excites me SO VERY MUCH =) It’s going to be a very fun and enlightening journey for all of us!

Yes. 100% truth. I enjoy the organic creative process so much~ so much so that I could open my own supply store (growing up in an art and supply shop may very well be the cause of this). Anywho, I thought it may be more enjoyable and actually useful to share the things I am making outside of erra creations for our everyday life, versus the standard shop blog of “look what’s new for you to buy”!!! If what I make can enrich your life in anyway, that’s for you to decide, not me :)

A little about me if you’re new to erra: I grew up in the affluent burbs outside of Pittsburgh in a hard working small business family. I earned my BM in Flute Performance from Slippery Rock University and my MBA in Project Management in 2016 from Carlow University. I adore spreadsheets, planning any and everything, making any and everything (you already knew that though…) …When I moved to Slippery Rock, PA in the fall of 2005, I experienced a HUGE amount of culture shock. I remember my first few half an hour one way trips “to town” to buy groceries at Aldi and Walmart- muttering under my breath “oh my gawd I live in the country..oh my gawd I live in the country….” at nausea . I quickly realized that everything and everyone moved at a more relaxed pace there. No one stopped at the grocery for a daily top off shop. Going to the mall wasn’t a form of entertainment. I learned the beauty of entertainment that consisted of cooking together, sitting by the fire playing music and laughing, foraging in the woods (foraging?!?! You mean eating weeds, correct? haha), going to the local lakes and parks, etc. I was even blessed enough that I learned I could hop on my bike and go down the road to pick up eggs from a mini family farm (and I had ZERO idea the difference between $1/dozen store bought eggs and what a real eggs looked and tasted like!)

Move forward ten years after I left Slippery Rock- kicking and screaming (those ten years are part of the story, just not today) and after a course of events, I met the man of my dreams.!!! I don’t say this lightly or figuratively- And he lives just a few miles away from all the goodness I learned about a decade ago! Actually- one of the most influential people I met back in the day is still a friend today…and actually lives on the same road as the farm! Oh yes, that man of my dreams is in fact a dairy farmer <3 Part of these past ten years, I have dove head first in to cooking, growing, preserving, learning, you name it. I honestly had myself convinced at one point during an employment sabbatical that I was not going to find another J.O.B. and I was going to have no other option than to be an almost self sustained homestead in Dormont(!) Right. ** laughs **

I will come clean right off the bat- I have always bit off a bit more than I can chew, remember my brain never stops. I, just yesterday actually, allowed myself to come to the realization that I ME MYSELF just simply cannot do everything. This I don’t and won’t have the skill sets to be able to do everything, though I’ll still try. This almost means that I do not have the time or energy to even do everything my brain is set to do. And you know what, this is ok actually. I was listening to a podcast a few months back (forgive me, I forget which- but quite possibly one by The Minimalists. (If I ever re-discover the episode - I’ll link it)). and they said the word ‘priority’ was only singular and did not possess a plural form until the 1890s? Boy did that get me thinking. So this newly discovered ‘ah-ha’ moment of priority (not priorities) clarity- mixed with my art and music- cooking- gardening-and 60/40 farm/suburbia life- and love of projects and planning is going to come through in the forthcoming writings I will share with you.

I do hope that your weekend is filled with joy and laughter, delicious food, and abundant hugs.

I’ll be work-shopping getting ready for erra’s holiday season, as well as prepping lots of food for the show times, harvesting horseradish, garlic, and crabapples, and seeing what mischief I can get in to with the pressure canner this weekend :)

Love + Light

Nic