a crafter /the re birth of a crafter.

When I was little, I enjoyed crafting. I remember one day cutting little circles out of white paper, folding them up, cutting them into snowflakes, tying them to string then tying each of them to a hanger. I remember the smell, the feel, the look of my basement playroom, I remember the colour of the dimly lit space and I remember the final product was hung where I could admire it.

This comes to me as a melancholy thought however; It brings up my only-child childhood, my single mother, and the sadness that I had when I was just so small. I can't say that I had a horrible childhood because it would be disrespectful to my mother who did her best, my step dad who still loves me today and my father who I didn't really spend time with until I lived with him later on. I will say that I was lonely and sad or that I remember I was and that I don't have all too many happy memories but I say this with a GIANT BUT...
My Christmas memories are all among my happiest. Almost to the point of bringing tears in my eyes because the joy that was brought to me at that time overshadowed the rest. My mom had SO much fun with it and always told me that she loved making it all about me and making me feel special. I loved the crafts that we did in school and when I was sick one year on the last day before the break, they did a craft that I still regret having missed. I still remember doing most activities, the tissue paper pattern on the cut out stocking, the stocking you "sew" up with yarn and construction paper, the smell of the blue ink copy machine word searches and crosswords, a paper plate with a thing cut out and pasted into the center with pasta shapes all around and spray painted gold and paper chains. I love Christmas crafts and have done them on and off for all my life. I think while I was a teenager I probably stopped crafting although Tanya made it fun because we'd by the cheapest, ugliest and tackiest cards and filled and handed them out. When I had Hope it was like the craft bug was rekindled and I began crafting again as an adult but I stopped somewhere and this blog is going to help me figure out where and when I stopped. But my memories of crafting make the memories stick!

I am referencing Christmas in all these notes:

1996 - Hope is 7 months old. For Kevin I made A HUGE polar fleece blanket from a "seconds" piece (I paid 10 bucks which was a steal back then) I made matching Stockings from offset green and red flannel and edging stuff the name of which escapes me,I bought enough material to make more in the event that we had more kids.....

1997 - Hope is 19 months and Austin is almost born. Made a few extra stockings. That year as I impatiently waited for Austin's birthday, I sat in Mom and Dad's basement (Laura and Phil) and painted ceramic and wooden ornaments for gifts, a shell mobile (for MIL) that was SUCH a cool colour, a matching tealight holder, pineapple marmalade for FIL and remember that I wasn't allowed to be around when the varnish was sprayed.

1998 - I made these super cool glass balls. Okay I "crafted" them by adding snow to the tops. Kevin adores them and we only have 2 left :(

1999 - Kevin and I broke up a week before Austin was to turn 2...no crafts

2000 - I only crafted because I had a friend who had older kids who crafted and just joined in...it was bead crafts.
2001 - uh, no crafts and uh no crafts

2002 YAY we had just gotten back together in September and announced the pending arrival of Samuel on Christmas eve. For crafts it was low key but, the kids and I had fun gluing big confetti to differnt shaped things but not more than that crafting happened.

2003 Daycare year... did lots of crafts with the kids to keep them busy PLUS a TON of wooden ornaments, with Mom, (Laura) and we even got to sell some of these at craft fairs. Painting was FUN that year because I was able to loosen up and not make it so "perfect"

but 2004-present seems like a blur.... the twins (in 2005) bless them, made it difficult to craft.

2008 - It all started with me getting yet again, fed up. I have told a few of you what happened but I am SO embarrassed about it that I won't blog it, but needless to say all I thought of was how on God's green earth was my tree going to stay safe for the 4 younger ones if it has ornaments on it. In a fit of venting I had one friend say just get the kids to decorate, another say, oh they will learn and when I finally had said NOPE, only lights, one said just make em and decorate as you go. ... ... ... WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA and that re birthed my crafty side.

So here I am realizing that all at once I am cutting away my melancholy as I foster creativity in my kids while we glue the smells, sounds and feelings to our times together, sew memories on our hearts and hang them on our minds to admire and look back upon.

Tomorrow is tree putting up day and I have something planned for everyday of Decemeber. I hope the kids remember these times for ever :)