She's Crafty!

In my freshman year at the University of Texas I was matched with a ridiculously sweet girl named Jamie from Waco. And no--before you have the chance to think it--Jamie was not a Branch Davidian. But I do believe she may have been some kind of cult-like disciple of Martha Stewart. At 18, when the other kids on our hall considered bongs their most decorative home item, Jamie could be found trimming the wreath on our door with colorful ribbons and seasonal figurines from the dollar bin at Michael's. When I was chosen for a spirit group on campus, Jamie sewed me a pillow in the shape of a Texas longhorn wearing a hand-embroidered bandanna. If given the opportunity, she would have been fully capable of transforming a pack of doilies into a ready-to-wear formal gown to don at sorority functions.   


But the truth is,  she wasn't the only one hiding ribbon spools in her closet. I've been getting drunk off the Martha Kool-Aid for years too.

Now, if I still lived in Texas, I'd like to think I'd have the means to secure myself a craft room in my comfortable split-level (another friend's mother has an entire closet exclusively for wrapping paper--imagine?) Seeing as how I live in a 2-room basement apartment in Queens, however, my hobby must fit within the confines of a small kitchen cabinet. No matter, I still make a point to get my craft on when I get a creative itch that needs to be scratched.

Back in the day I'd decorate anything that stood still--furniture, candlesticks, picture frames, jewelry boxes. In high school my mother actually let me paint polka dots onto the legs of the dining table she received as a wedding present. C'mon, it was the '90s. Nobody had good taste.

My latest projects usually involve paper. Scrapbooks, homemade wrapping paper, and primarily greeting cards. Between text messages, instant messages, emails, and facebook pokes, I find that most of my recipients are downright tickled to receive a card in the mail, and over-the-moon when they realize that I crafted the paper product myself. 

Three dear co-workers had a lovely bouquet of flowers delivered to my desk last week for my birthday (how sweet are they?) and definitely had some hand-crafted thank you cards a-comin'.

I was going for a masculine flair since the recipient was not a woman named Gilbert.

Flower stencil with rhinestone center

A bird stamp makes for a chirpy little background.

My efforts were rewarded with warm hugs and compliments. 

Everyone's a winner.