that "paper boats" song

true facts:  i am the non-crafter in a family of crafters.  pat, too, but he doesn't really have any DIY-envy.  but me, i've always wanted to have the patience or the ambition to get up and make something, and to make it well.  i take pictures and sketch and plant things and like to make a mean pot of anything, but i wouldn't say that any of those actions are habit, save maybe the cooking.  ironically enough, i taught an arts and crafts camp last summer and really loved it, but crafting is not my go-to hobby.

my mother, on the other hand, has dabbled in so many mediums over the years that it's difficult to call her by a single crafting title.  she grows any number of plants and almost none of them die!  she's a great cook and makes a mean cheesecake and lasagna and hungarian kifli - my introduction to baking on my own.  in the past, she's made christmas tree ornaments (fabric and beaded and wire-worked and wooden) for a retired family ornament exchange.  


when we were kids, she did some wood-work for signs and decorations, even had some of her work sold in menlo mall when craft stores could still be commercially successful in central jersey; consequently, we have a whole shop's worth of drilling, cutting, and sanding equipment in our basement. 

her bread and butter is sewing. she makes quilts and placemats and blankets and pillows and clothing and handbags. val and i will often throw a piece of ill-fitting clothing her way and she'll have it fit and hemmed within a few weeks. (mom is super busy with her retail schedule and running her errands).  she also used to work in a sign shop and knows her way around vinyl and plastics and fabric paints.  she now regularly makes jewelry, too.  
all in all, she's a wealth of knowledge and talent.
and all of her stuff is fantastic.

my father is much more specific in his artistic visions.  as a teen, he drew comic book-style everything, especially his science-fiction sketches laden with dry humor. india and watercolor ink were his favorites. for the last thirty years or so, he spends weeks, if not months, wrapping threads on his fishing rods in intricate tartan or plaid or checked patterns, creating customized artwork to match your taste.  he also had a bout of jewelry and ornament-making fifteen years ago and made dozens of pairs of earrings from leftover dowels; there are still a few pairs around the house.  


dad's "life" hand-me-downs are almost all fish and outdoors-related: how to re-spool a reel of line, how to cut bait and hook it, how to row a boat and motor it, how to set up a camp on the beach and how to stay warm at night, how to lug a backpack out a mile to the sand and how to survive a five-mile trip to sunfish pond (usually not in the sweltering heat).  dad imparted a wealth of ecological knowledge via the many trips we took to beaches and state parks and the hours of reading and programming we took in.  it's why i know which whale is a right whale and love spending time in tidal pools, examining the little fish and sediments and cephalopods instead of swimming.

we all inherited some of dad's skill with the pen but my sister is the truly artsy child.  she has associate's degrees in photography and graphic design - i've "employed" her to do invitations and engagement photos whenever juan and i settle on a timeline.  she has the artist's eye and the just-do-it attitude that i'm lacking. if she wants to make macaroons, she'll just get up and get what she needs and make them.  she, too, makes her own jewelry when the spirit takes her and cuts her own hair and does her own makeup without much hesitation.  i've learned a lot from her.

so as for me, i get inspired to craft when i'm with other crafty people. (i'm looking at you, christa.)  she gathered a couple of friends at her apartment last saturday to carry out some wedding brainstorming.  over the couple of hours that everyone was together, we were able to help put a dent in the assembly of her paper-flower bouquets through a series of folds.  after the first five petals or so are completed, you start to develop a rhythm. christa's bouquet of fallish pastely kusudama flowers will be gorgeous and mine didn't turn out that bad, either. 

need some wire stems or whatnot, but i can finish that another day.

 so i've been feverishly working to finish all of my irl job projects for tomorrow. tomorrow is the do-or-die day for the last six months' worth of my work life.  everything culminates in those eight hours.  hell week hasn't afforded me a lot of time for the deep thinking, but i'm thankfully over the hump when it comes to crises of the personal nature.  happy four years to juan and me!

as for next week's project, i'm going to let tomorrow pass - hopefully without event - and get a better grasp on what i need for life post-acred.