Arts & Crafts

Creativity ran in my family so projects were a fact of life.

Though my Mom nudged me to be a nurse as far back as I can remember, she also encouraged my interest in art. I did have talent and was a creative child. And being around Mom made me more so. She was incredible and it always seemed to me that there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Besides DIYing, long before the term was ever invented, she did a lot of beautiful needlework including crewel, needlepoint, silk embroidery, trapunto, quilting, tailoring, and sewing. And in addition to knowing her way around with a needle of some kind, she wielded a mean paintbrush after taking oil painting classes at night at the local university.

I wish I had her completed oil paintings but don’t know where those wound up, but I do have her artist’s paint box that is at least 60 years old. The paint box still contains her little tubes of paint, a palette knife, broken pieces of charcoal and other “tools of the trade”. And even now, after all these years, when you open the box the faint smell of paint is still present as are her brush marks on the thin wood palette board.

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Now when I open this precious treasure chest, I feel so inspired and blessed because it speaks to a side of Mom that I was lucky to see. And more than anything it is encouraging me to pick up a paintbrush again and just start painting. I have painted on a few occasions over the years, just not in earnest. Hopefully that is about to change.

I also have tons of faux flowers, foam cones, yarns, canvases, colored pencils, fabrics, threads and lots of this and that. Basically, I don’t lack for inspiration or materials, it’s making the time and seeing it through that’s the challenge quite often.

And as I’ve said elsewhere on this site, this #70plusyearolddiyer is not getting any younger and the body is starting to rebel against some of the heavy work. So rather than give up the tools, I plan to spread out my DIY projects into shorter stints over more days. In between the heavy-duty DIY days, my aching body will get a chance to rest while I do some tabletop arts & crafts projects or maybe some painting. It’s a more sensible and sustainable approach to doing all the things I love. And hopefully it will allow me to keep my DIY projects going for many more years.

So be on the lookout for a variety of projects that will include sewing, needlework, tablescapes, and holiday crafts to name a few. Of course, there’ll be drawing and painting too. And once again, you can be sure that I will share every attempt, every success, and every fail along the way. And if you’re interested, I’ll share the “how-tos” as well!

My sincerest hope is that there’ll be a project that will inspire you to jump in, learn a little and try one too.  So please join me and let’s start “arting & crafting” soon!

Thanks for being here!

xo

Carol