creative spirit | Bead Happily Ever After

Fiesta Forever

Posted on December 1, 2009 by crystal

The wonderful thing about doing these weekly challenges at the Play Date Cafe is that it pushes me to work with colors that I might not otherwise have chosen.

This week is a perfect example. I probably never would have blended these particular shades together – but I just LOVE the look! To me it seems very Mardi Gras or Tropical Island. In fact, all that keeps running through my head is the voice of Lionel Richie singing “We’re going to party…. fiesta, forever” 😀

Here’s my entry for Challenge #6. It’s brighter and has more sparkle than either photo shows, but here it is in two different lighting situations:

Thanks again, Play Date Cafe, for helping me push the envelope in color selection.

It appears that an old dog can learn new tricks! 😉

January Cleaning and Crafts

Posted on January 13, 2009 by crystal

I always have the urge to get organized in January. I think it’s the combination of the cold weather and the fact that I’m already on a roll as I put away the Christmas decorations, and try to find a new home for any gifts we’ve received.

Yesterday, as I was looking for a spot to store a new game, I came across an old photo album with pictures from my early years as a crafter. It made me smile as I calculated that the photos are (gulp!) 26 years old!

Craft fairs were in their infancy then, and this is a picture of my very first one.

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The photo is fading a bit, but if you click on it to make it larger, you can get an idea of the display. My daughters are “helping”, Dear Husband is the photographer, and I seem to be working on something even as the event begins. The fair was held on a sunny autumn day on the grounds of a school in New Hampshire. The raffia dolls that you see were very “in” at the time – hard to believe now! It was a particularly exciting day not only because it was my first fair, but also because I was approached by a lady who wanted to display my items in her gift shop! I was so delighted – I couldn’t believe it.

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It turned out that the shop was a restored “caboose” which was just adorable. We took a drive to see it after hearing that my crafts were on display. The kids look thrilled, don’t they? 😉 Well, it was a long drive.

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Since that time, I’ve learned many new crafts and had lots more adventures at craft fairs and gift shops, but it was during those earliest years (see Take this job), that I discovered something pretty valuable.

I learned that “making something” is like giving your spirit a vitamin! 🙂

You are special. (Mr. Rogers was right!)

Posted on August 4, 2008 by crystal

If you make jewelry for gifts or to sell, be sure to keep one of the best pieces for yourself now and then! Too often we sell or give away the items that we consider to be our best work. If we keep anything at all, it’s usually not a favorite creation. I call this the “burnt cookie syndrome”. Do you ever stand at the stove and eat the rejects, so the family can have the “good” cookies?!? I see you nodding out there. 😉

Most women seem to have an innate desire to give the best to others. We’ll eat the burnt cookie, or make sure to take the chipped dinner plate, or select the bent fork. It isn’t necessarily that we don’t value ourselves, or that we are afraid for others to see our imperfections. I like to think it’s more that we actually enjoy making things special for others.

Of course we realize that isn’t always possible, so we allow ourselves a little “breathing room” by personally settling for a lower standard. It’s a compromise that’s not too difficult to accept. After all, we know that if we really want to, we can choose to be fussy for ourselves – anytime!

So tie a string around your finger or stick a post-it note on the fridge, but please remember that any day might just be the day, to make something special for YOU!