Friday, August 19, 2011

I Can't Commit to One Craft

I love crafting, but I am not in a committed relationship with one particular craft.  There are certain crafts I go back to again and again – especially knitting and cross-stitch – but I cheat on them regularly.  Can you blame me?  There are so many wonderful craft projects that must be tried!  Paper mache!  Beading!  Sewing! 

Sometimes, this makes me feel like a bit of a fraud.  If you saw my craft closet, you would assume that I operate a day care facility from my home or that I am the mother of five children under the age of ten; but I am just an attorney that loves crafting.

In the beginning of the summer, I knit two scarves for my brother and sister-in-law, who are volunteering with the Peace Corps in South Africa, where it is currently winter and their house (hut?) is always a balmy 40 degrees.  But after I knit those scarves, I turned to warmer weather crafts.  Who wants a big pile of yarn in their lap during a heat wave? 

These are the crafts that I tried this summer:

Although I loved crafting as a child, I never knew how to make a friendship bracelet.   I remember feeling inadequate as a third grader because I could not whip up bracelets for my friends.  Thanks to this tutorial, I have finally conquered this craft (and I’m only about 25 years late to the party).

I made this wreath for the front door.  That counts as a craft, right?  I did spend an unconscionable amount of time at Michaels, agonizing over what flowers would look best on the front door.  Then, I had to weave them into the grapevine wreath.  Damnit, it counts.

Paper mache: Every few years, I try to make something out of paper mache.  And every few years, it’s a disaster.  I am happy to report that my latest effort was … another disaster.  (Unless you think a collapsed pile of smelly newspaper that refuses to dry is a success.  In which case, yes, it was a success). 

Custom Shutterfly photo albums: Okay, I  realize I am stretching the definition of “craft” here.  But making a Shutterly photo album is related to scrapbooking (they are at least second cousins), even if it doesn’t involve scissors and glue.  As Executive Director of the Cranky Pumpkin, I declare that this counts as a craft.

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