Craftastic

I love making things (pillows, cookies, dinner, blankets, shelves). I've been creating things using various methods for years (drawing, sewing, baking, building). I love taking something old and making something new out of it (skirt from thrift store mumu, old flower pots to needle holders, leftover pork into egg rolls). It is something that invariably runs down both sides of my family and I have graciously accepted the challenge to keep it alive.
Naturally, I also love finding new things to do and ideas to "borrow" from fellow crafters. I adore sites like Etsy, blogs like The Long Thread, and magazines like Real Simple. I am a huge fan of Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart. I am notorious for clipping ideas out of magazines, jotting notes during TV shows, and dissecting food at restaurants (this one occasionally drives Todd nuts when I am trying to pin point spices in a pasta or contents of a burrito while he just wants to eat dinner). I can be equally annoying at craft shows because I can do everything myself, not to mention I have a tendency to be a bit of a collector when I am gearing up for an anticipated project. Some of you may understand the rush I feel when I find something cool I can recreate, the thrill of a competed project, the joy in the success of a job well done or a meal worth eating. You may also understand the frustration in a failure, the overwhelming sense of anger in a waste of time, effort and money when things go less than well.
However it turns out, the fun for me is the creativity. I enjoy making things, be it a crafty gift, goofy book for the kids, costume for Halloween, blanket for a baby. I enjoy getting my hands dirty, burying myself in a pile of fabric, and spending hours pouring over recipes. I love teaching my kids to be proud of everything they apply time, energy, and passion into creating and I am proud that they are comfortable in the kitchen, with a crayon and blank piece of paper, snapping pictures with a camera. There are so many people struggling to find something they can do that brings them joy, thankfully I don't have that problem.