Creation....

I've come to the conclusion that I am a "collector"...those of you who know me probably already know that, and yes, I have already blogged about the "collections" I now own but as I sit here in my little scrappy place, listening to my playlist on I-tunes, looking for a goodie to put on a card set I am making, I find stuff that I bought ages ago that I just never got rid of! Its a good thing really, (yes, I am justifying here) because I have often fallen upon those little goodies that I bought on the cheap to dress something up.  Let me give you a little history here okay?

Years ago, when I was really young, I watched my mom knit, crochet, sew, cook and basically do all kinds of creative things.  My mom and I have a unique, or maybe not so unique I spose, but we have not always had an easy comraderie that one would hope to have with each other but I have often hearkened back to those days of watching my mom do her stuff.  She too is a collector, I cannot call her a hoarder or I would be calling myself and two of my other sisters the same thing, but she would find a little goody and hang on to it. I think it is because of growing up in the days of the Great Depression where nothing could be wasted but I gotta tell you, its been a good thing many times in my life.  I think though, that I purge a lot more often that she does! haha!  I have sat here in my scrapping area many times and thought of her or my other sisters and the gratitude that I have to them for teaching me, for fostering in me the desire to create, well, its a priceless gift.  I LOVE to make things.  Many times over the years of being a single income family I have had to try to find ways to make gifts for people and therefore learned to sew. My mom and sister Connie were my teachers, explaining to me how you must follow the pattern directions and NO, you don't know better than the people who made the pattern.  My sister Penny has taught me some awesome little tricks for quilting that has transferred over to scrapping too!  The other day I was showing Kaylee a well used, well loved craft book of mine.  Truth be told, I stole it from my mom a bunch of years ago, something I am notorious for doing to her, but this book provided our kids with homemade Teddy Bears, a little bear purse, wall quilt, snowmen for my niece, ornaments for family members and friends that they still place on their trees and my most favorite gift of all, a homemade nativity set for Connie that I still add to on an occasional basis (I think she now has 4 wise men!). I put the date in that book that I started the nativity scene for her, October 18, 1980 something (I gave the book to Kales to use and can't remember), and I remember sitting for hours with felt, thread, stuffing and fabric on my lap after the kids went to bed and hand sewing each piece. I loved making that thing although I have never made another. I put a lot of time into it and it was extremely inexpensive and yet precious as her children ended up growing up with that nativity set coming out each year.  As I think about the things I have tried over the years, from sewing to beading to shrinky dinks to making presents with Aaron from sculpey clay, I can only hope that one day, our kids enjoy the legacy that I enjoyed, the freedom to create, to open their hearts each and every day to a new experience.  It is such a joy and blessing.  I remember so many times expressing an interest in something and my mom going right out and buying the supplies for me to try it out. Once, when John and I were first married and had no money, I told her I would like to try counted cross stitching, she took me to the craft store and bought me 45.00 worth of floss, a huge amount of money in those days of the 80's recession, and such a gift to me. I still have much of that thread, in spite of many many many projects (a leaping elk pic for Gary, a pillow for my grandmother which I got back after she passed away, a wedding sampler for my good friend Julie and Kaylee making bracelets with it by somehow weaving it together.  In my entry way is a gorgeous gorgeous and priceless cross stitch of the 23rd Psalms, it is something that, were we to have a fire, I would grab it means that much to me.  In 8th grade my neice Jodie, who still cross stitches, took many months to stitch this beautiful piece of work for me.  I have pictures of me unwrapping it for my birthday (Jim and Connie paid to have it matted and framed) and crying, outright bawling my little eyes out.  What a gift of the heart.  I look at that picture and even now, feel the love of a young girl for her aunt and I am blessed all over again! 

So as I look around at my messy "desk" and try to create another card or try to encourage Kaylee in her giftings much like I was encouraged over the years, I feel the abundant love of so many. From my mother who taught me to not be afraid to try my hand at anything, even if it doesn't turn out (my bridesmaid for my wedding didnt' try on her homemade dress until the night before the wedding, turns out it was about 3 inches to narrow, my mom somehow miraculously fixed the blunder with some leftover fabric and a sewing machine although I think she might have said a few cuss words too) to my sisters, who, at this moment are so dear to my heart as I long for them, to my friends Nancy, who, in my opinion, holds more design talent in her pinky than many of us combined, Julie, who looked at me one day and said, LUCY TRY SCRAPBOOKING, got me on my way with RAK's and won't let me look back (she's my biggest enabler of "collecting" and I wouldn't have it any other way, to my sister Connie who patiently sat with me while I made a blouse in high school and then got me going on two more of the same model and then...made a dress...and, who made my prom dress my senior year...How do you say thank you for a lifetime of joy and pleasure, of fulfillment, of pure fun and bliss?  I don't know, my heart is full though and I am deeply deeply grateful!

Disclaimer:  The other night, John brought me stuff that in any other household would have been pitched in the trash or in his earlier days I'd have had to beg him for...he was the one who suggested I keep them! Yep! He did!  He has learned so much! hahahahaha!

Here's to not only a season of creating but a lifetime of trying!!