Inertia: I want to make a stained glass panel for my soon-to-be-born grandbaby. But:

• I haven’t done stained glass work in a long time and I’m pretty rusty;
• I’m downsizing so I don’t want to go out and buy a lot of new materials;
• I don’t want to end up making something that looks horrible.

Inquisitiveness: What could I make that would be fairly simple, using materials I already have on hand, while challenging my perfectionism?

Idea: I have a sample box of multi-colored rectangles of glass. I have lead came. Straight lines are simple.

Inspiration: When I lay out the sample pieces, they remind me of a patchwork quilt. I could make my new grandbaby a “quilt.” That’s a grandmotherly gift, right?

Imagination: What if I added a symbol of some sort? Something meaningful to me that would make the “quilt” more personal… like… a nautilus! [You’ll have to wait for the “N” day to find out what makes the nautilus meaningful to me.]

Implementation: Get the lead out (literally), and go for it!

Insight:

• I’d forgotten how much fun it is to do stained glass and I want to take it up again;
• simple designs can be just as effective as elaborate ones. I don’t have to plan big projects that require a lot of materials;
• when my grandbaby is old enough to appreciate this gift, her thoughts will likely not be about how “horrible” it is. Her thoughts might even have to do with recognizing the love that went into the making of this gift.

Incredible!!!!  ⇒ The way that I feel for having overcome the inertia, impediments and insecurity I felt before taking on this project!

Isla: The name of my first grandbaby.

  I is for Incredible.