I'm posting late this morning, because I slept in. Give me a little leeway here, it IS spring break....
This weekend I got to spend the evening with Smarty Pants doing the one thing we enjoy that the other playfriends don't do: scrapbooking. We start talking about paper, ribbons, and layouts and everyone else's eyes start to glaze over.
I've always been a crafty sort of person. I started out early in my teen years doing cross-stitch, sewing, and quilting. I love to make homemade gifts that try out various techniques and I've even started making a few bracelets and beaded gifties (though I'm not nearly as talented with the beads as Playground Monitor). But if I had to choose one craft I love, the one I invest the time and money into, it would be scrapbooking.
I've always taken lots of pictures, so scrapping them just became a natural extension of my photo bug. I'm not as original or talented as some—my creativity works with words, not pictures—so I tend to "scraplift" from magazines and books. But the satisfaction of seeing the finished page or looking through my albums makes me do a little happy dance.
I've found one other benefit to scrapbooking, besides pretty pages and down time, and that's the boost to my creativity. When I indulge my scrapbooking urge it tends to open the flow of my writing endeavors. I'll come up with ideas for scenes, be able to picture characters and their traits, and find myself generally more receptive to creative ideas. You'd think I'd do it more often, huh?
Do you have a favorite craft or hobby that you enjoy? Do you find it enhances your creativity in other areas? If you aren't "crafty", have you ever wished you enjoyed a certain craft?
Angel
DON'T FORGET: Tomorrow we welcome our fabu Maven Linda Winstead Jones to play with us on the blog! Come join the fun.
6 comments:
Years ago I used to sew but I've given that up. I was never good enough to make really nice outfits and simple things are so inexpensive now that it's not worth the effort. And have you checked out the price of a pattern lately???
I've also done counted cross stitch. I did a small piece a few Christmases ago and let's just say my eyes can't stand that strain anymore.
I took up knitting again year before last but all I've knitted are scarves. They're pretty simple and I've given away a bunch as Christmas gifts.
And there's the book thongs. I stumbled onto that quite by accident when a friend gave me one and I thought "I can make that." I've dabbled in some other beaded work -- wine glass markers, bracelets, earrings (not successful) and leather necklaces with the double sliding knots to adjust the size for my husband (again, one of those times when he saw one in a craft shop and I said "I can do that.").
I've never tried scrapbooking and love the way nice scrapbooks look. I'm not sure I have the stick-to-it-iveness to carry it out. The psychic said I'd do one for my granddaughter. She must have had me confused with someone else. ;-)
I love to craft just about anything. The only thing I won't do is crochet simply because I can never get my tension right. I love to sew, quilt, knit, cross-stitch and latch-hook. I've done wheat weaving, made rugs, dried flower arrangements.... the list goes on. The things I really love to do are knit, quilt, sew and garden, but I haven't done much of that lately either because my hands are trying to get over my recent cheerleading craft fix.
I'm really glad you got to spend time doing something you love with a great friend, Angel.
Kathy
I love crafts; do scrapbooking, knitting, Christmas ornaments, plastic canvas etc.
I think book thongs are the neatest new invention but don't think I would be good at that so haven't tried.
Crafts?
Oh crap, was that another Mom thing I was supposed to be doing?
Scrapbooking is my primary craft. I started it about 2 years ago. Before that, I would draw, paint...in college I even did a little embroidery and cross stitch, but that was to pass the time when I was working nights at my dorm's front desk. I love scrapbooking because it feeds my artistic needs AND my needs to organize and declutter. Now I only collect souveniers that are flat and I throw out anything that doesn't make it into the book.
No am not crafty and only wish I was so I could do the scrapbooking things for memory sake - marking highlights of life.
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