I've been bitten by the craft bug!!!

I have always admired people who work with a needle. There are so many lovely things to make.... but who's got the time to do it...? Isn't it something grandma does because she has nothing else to do!  It's also much easier, quicker and usually cheaper to pop out to the shops and just buy it. Time to weigh it all Up! It's just like growing your own veges really, handmade  is so much better for you. It makes you happy and it makes you appreciate life more.Who doesn't appreciate the time and effort a loved one has put into creating something uniquely just for you. Crafting is a way to portray and communicate feelings and emotions.  I find it challenging, therapeutic and very fulfilling.... all this said, apart from dabbling as a child, my first experience and an ongoing project so far is sewing 125 felt pockets for my children's new Christmas advent calenders.

THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU, THANK-YOU to my beloved cousin ,  you are such an inspiration and I thank you immensely for my new found appreciation for "Craft".  My cousin (I will call her Mrs Moo) has inspired me throughout my life with her creativity, open-mindedness, persistence, direction and her deep generosity.  She is a better than brilliant cook, a talented designer, and an extraordinary mum.  PLUS she writes a really Great Blog!!! Thank you for always being there.....

When Mrs Moo turned up with this rabbit/dolly for my Annabel for her 4th birthday I was so touched.  I couldn't believe that she was sewing in her spare time, as I entered her world and explored her passions I suddenly realised how achievable and gratifying it was to DO IT  YOURSELF!!!  I started asking myself, why don't I just make that? What a door that opened...lists and lists of things I can make in my sparetime!!??!!??!!??!!??.....................!!??


I attended a craft night last week with her local craft group, WOW, something different...it wasn't a bunch of granny's sitting down knitting and drinking tea but in fact a group of rather trendy and clever  mums and like minded friends, knitting, sewing dollies, cutting out  patterns, more knitting, making paper flowers, and me stitching my felt pockets...and of course, there was drinking tea. One of the other crafters asked us if our whole family was crafty?   Ooohh...I'm not crafty, I thought to myself, but as we reflected back on our childhood and our mothers and our grandmother, yeah.....it's in our blood.

So off I went to Playgroup this week, with my craft basket in hand and taught all the mums to make a very simple stuffed felt Christmas bauble.They thought I'd gone nuts (we usually do kids collage, finger painting and playdough). But soon they were into it... while the children were happily decorating and eating freshly made gingerbread -thanks to one of the other talented mums, they were off stitching and stuffing and glueing and dabbing, smiling away and how proud they all were of their designs and stitches.... and I bet they hang them on the Christmas tree every year and think back to the day that they were made..........with love.

Looks like there is going to be lots of fun Crafting done in our house from now on...