Bringing Crafty Back. {ramblings}

***If you don't have the time to read this whole rambling, here is the gist: I am a nerd because I craft. But I am proud of the crafts I make. But please, I hope you will read.

A few years ago, before I built my crafty Mecca haven in my old office space, I would sit around watching countless hours of mindless, brain cell-killing television. Shows like Sweet Sixteen on MTV, The Bachelor and Real Housewives would occupy my precious time after work and weekends and I would become enthralled with who Melissa was going to dump this week. So sad, Michael didn't get the rose...anyway. I digress.

My after work routine would go something like this:

1. Drive home from a killer day of running around at work, trying to force creativity non-stop.

2. Walk in door, throw bag down.

3. Immediately change into the jams. (Sexy, I know.)

4. Replace my eyeballs aka contacts with nerd glasses. (Hey, not all of us can have 20/20 vision.)

5. Whip up a gourmet meal of Kraft Mac & Cheese Spirals. (Cause we all know the spirals taste better.)

6. Open Dr. Pepper. Pour over ice.

7. Hit the couch with the remote. 

8. Kill brain cells.

9. Hit the bed.

10. Repeat the next day.

Then one day, it hit me. I decided I really needed to do something. Like really put my whole heart, soul and creativity into something. I have always been a creative type and knew these mindless tv-watching, couch-sitting activities were hurting me more than helping me. If I spent my whole life watching someone else's life on tv, what was that going to do for me? What purpose was I going to have? 

Be productive and challenging and brain-stimulating. 

So, I signed up for a cake decorating class at my local Joann's. I thought it would be cool to do my kids' birthday cakes someday like my mom used to do. I used to LOVE playing with her Wilton box full of tips, bags and colors. I grew my little side hobby into a business, with my last real job being a wedding cake for some personal friends. After I constructed it 3 hours before the reception started, it collapsed on me. Needless to say, I moved onto a new craft venture. 

Enter paper crafting. Begin purchase of copious amounts of card stock. Die cutting machines. Stamps. Punches. Paper. etc.

Now. Most of my "non-crafty friends" as I would term them (as well as 99.8% of my family) don't get my whole crafting obsession. Typical statements / questions I hear are these:

1. You made that?

2. What's Etsy?

3. What's a Cricut?

4. Are you going to have your own craft show?

5. Are your crafty friends all old ladies who wear knitted sweaters?

6. Are you the only person under 80 years of age at Michael's?

7. You scrapbook? Why don't you just make photo books? They are easier / faster.

8. Are you like Martha Stewart or something?

9. Why don't you just buy cards at the store?

10. You have a website you post craft projects to? (blank stare) 

11. What do you do with all that paper? and 

12. I don't get it.

(Yes, I realize so far this post is saturated with numbered lists. I like them, I'm a visual person, what can I say?)

So why do I do it? The answer is simple: I should've been born in the 50s. 

Whatever happened to the good old days? Women actually put handcrafted love and time and devotion into their projects, gifts, families and home. Their children would sleep under warm, delicious handcrafted quilts. Each family member would have custom name embroidered needlepoint stockings on the fireplace at Christmas time. Neighbors would share baked goods in cute little packages wrapped in twine. Cards would be hand written. Photographs would be printed, documented and cataloged. 

But slowly but surely, crafting started becoming uncool. Mass market stores starting CRUSHING homemade products. Who had time to create this stuff anyway? Convenience is king. Why do all this work when you can just go to Target and buy a Hallmark card? You can buy photo books. And duvet covers. And brownies in a box. And headbands mass produced in China. ::snoozefest::

But. How sad / pathetic / lame is that? 

So yeah. The moral of the story is this:

I craft in 2011.

I put my heart and soul into handcrafted STUFF. 

I MAKE THINGS. And I'm proud of my creations.

While I may be a needle in a haystack, I am here to bring crafty back. Crafting can be and IS cool again. Call me a nerd, call me a time waster, call my hobby a money pit. But nothing can take away the self-fullfillment and pride I have in the things that I make. With my own two hands. With my creativity and my passion.

And more importantly, 50 years down the road, I'll have all these beautiful things that I have accomplished and can pass down to my own children. Instead of being able to report daily on what happened on The Biggest Loser. 

So go, get your craft on. Join me in Nerdville.