Getting Crafty

I don't necessarily consider myself crafty, so it's ironic I've been doing a craft a day with Audrey lately. It's also ironic I was beyond excited receiving my sister-in-law's old sewing machine she had planned to replace with an upgrade!! It's also ironic I now consider JoAnns Fabric/Craft store one of my new places to meander the aisles of...

Slowly but surely, I'm apparently turning crafty. It's true that every time I have created something related to art I have thoroughly enjoyed it. My family always thought it was funny (or weird?) that during certain times of stress during my growing up years even into middle school/high school, I would pull out a coloring book & crayons and go to town. Not creating anything other than a simple coloring page where I'd try my hardest to stay in the lines. It was a bit of a stress reliever, as was my pottery ceramics class. Hands down (no pun intended) my favorite class of high school. On days when I would skip all other classes all day, I would make it a point to attend that class. Something about working with my hands like that was, again, a stress reliever. I never made anything beautiful, but to me the time of creating something is valuable. There was the painting I made at a significant point in my walk of faith that is a treasured favorite. On the few woman's retreats I have attended there is always a optional craft time, and I am there in a heartbeat, usually from start to finish of the designated "come and go" duration of crafting. I have dabbled in scrap booking.....although it's a sore subject how many supplies I have accumulated and how many books I have actually completed (1.5)...


Fast forward to now and I can whole heartily admit that I am envious when I see other more crafty Mom's doing fun projects with their children. It's a funny thing to be envious of but for some reason I want my children to have those same creative experiences and I feel as though my "artistic inability" as well as a lack of organization prevents me from beginning even a simple project. So we have stuck with coloring pages, paint, and play-doh.....until now.

I finally realized that it's less about creating something beautiful and useful and more about spending the time together goofing around trying to make something. I also realized that the reason I may have a hard time wanting to do a craft is because I have preconceived ideas on what a "Crafty Momma" may look like:

1. Always organized, every step is thought out and planned ahead, cut ahead, structured.

2. You must finish something in one sitting.

3. You must be so creative that you design the craft, no help from the Internet/books.

4. People who look at your handmade creation must say "oh where did you get that?" In which you proudly, yet humbly, reply... "oh this? Oh I made that."

I hate to break it to you who have preconceived ideas about me...but I am the opposite of the above mentioned.

1. I have never had good organization and with my crafting lately I am figuring it out as we go.

2. I have almost never finished something in one sitting.

3. I am an avid supporter of many favorite craft sites as I cannot for the life of me create something new.

4. And if you come within 100ft of my house I will shout out to you "COME LOOK AT THIS!!! I MADE THIS!!!", because I am ever so proud if I actually have finished a crafty project. Yay! :)

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of spending the weekend with 8 other lovely ladies away at the beach. We were all asked to bring one or two of our "favorite things" to be added to every girls' waiting gift bag. (What a cool idea!! Turned out so fun to receive 8 other gifts each with a story or reason why they like their gift--great way to get to know others too!)

In addition to the little pink wine bottle stoppers that I brought for each girl, I also decided to sew something. Yes, that's right. My sis-in-law had given me her sewing machine earlier that week and I thought, why the heck not, let's make your first sewing project for 8 other woman--some of which I didn't know to begin with! During the entire process I couldn't decide if I was brave or just plain crazy to make it for others, but you know what else is ironic? My project turned out pretty darn good. :) I, of course, found the directions online on how to make a microwaveable heat pad. A favorite thing of this crampy girl. I sewed my little heart out, cutting, sewing, cursing at my sewing machine as the bobbin got stuck 800 times, but in the end (and I mean the veryyyyy end--3am the night before we left sort of end.), I actually finished.

They were filled with rice, chamomile tea, peppermint tea, and a tiny bit of lavender oil. A very soothing combination.

So with no further ado, I present to you, the finished product of my first-ever-sewing-craftiness-project:

Can you even tell what it is? So to the left are the inside pockets that I sewed & I stuffed with rice and the scents. Then sewed them up. And the brown/teal outsde pocket is just a cover that is machine washable. The one in the forefront is stuffed and completed.

A definite learning project, but really fun.

Ta-da!