It all started one day when I saw someone wearing some cute earrings. I don't usually pay attention to such things, but that day I did. I looked at those earrings and I said these very familiar words.
"I can do that."
It was all downhill from there.
I am not a very crafty sort of person. In the first place, I have fine motor coordination issues. Threading a needle is akin to performing brain surgery with a spoon for me. And when I try to concentrate on being coordinated, my hands start shaking. The next strike against me is my general lack of patience. It makes it very difficult to learn a craft when you keep throwing it down in disgust because you messed up. Third, I have a three year old who wants to do EVERYTHING his father and I do. (He did actually sit still for a good 15 minutes one day and strung beads, but now it's more fun to throw them on the floor for the cat to smack around.) Finally, I don't have that much 'me' time--I can either blog, or I can craft. Since writing comes much easier to me, that's usually what I choose.
All that said, I was determined to give it a try. I went out and bought a little kit to make earrings. And a little pair of crimping pliers.
They turned out okay, I thought, and did not result in any injury. I gave some earrings to one of my coworkers, Kimberly Kelly. I figured that she could wear them when she performs and if she lost one or it broke, it would be okay.
Next I decided to try a necklace using glass beads and plain wire.
So far so good! Like crochet(which I just can't do right now while it's 4000 degrees), if you don't like the way things turn out, you can start over. It's nice sometimes to have a do-over.
And this was pretty easy, too. So now I am hooked on this stuff. I'm even feeling comfortable enough to start working with the 'real' stuff like silver.
I don't think that they have a support group, like AA, for this sort of thing, do they?
Hi, My name's Lizbeth and I'm a closet crafter too.
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing my butt off right now...I secretly craft with my daughter and we make bracelets and necklaces. I'll totally have to post pics when we get back!! I get the stuff when Michael's has a 50% off coupon.
I love your work!!
I can't craft so I envy those who do. :)
ReplyDeleteUh-oh! Just seeing this makes me think I could probably go beyond the book beads that I had restricted by jewel tools to! Very addicting...bright shiny colors...too much to resist! Maybe if I sold off the 15 years worth of rubber stamps that I don't use much, I could get jeweling. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteConsidering the constraints of my schedule and personal strengths, I find that focusing on writing aligns well with my current priorities. Crafting requires fine motor skills and patience that I struggle with due to coordination issues and limited 'me' time, especially with a young child at home. Therefore, I prioritize blogging, which allows me to engage creatively and effectively manage my time between parenting and pursuing my online MBA class.
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