A Great Friend



What grade did Grandma get I wonder?

         I received an email from the husband of a very dear friend yesterday. He wrote saying that his wife Joyce was crafting once again. She was helping her grandson Jaden make a feather for him to hang in their classroom window. He teased and said "I was wondering if you could sell these,and should she too start her own blog" I thought to myself,she is crafting again?
Now Joyce and her husband Lee have been friends of mine for nearly 38 years! That certainly doesn't seem possible since we are only 40, and during those years I don't remember her ever being a big crafter. Not knowing what to expect I smiled when I saw her very colorful, and with just the right amount of "bling" feather for Jaden.

Now I suspect Jaden loved it very much, and once in the window it dazzled over the other feathers. But ask a child what they liked best, between the finished project or the time spent with Grandma. I believe they will always say the time spent with Grandma was the best.

The price for this feather $1gazillion dollars

So I replied to his email " Why yes, I could certainly sell these.  she should start her own blog

(doesn't everyone have a story to tell) and lets call it Joyce's Jeweled Kabob's...my life in the kiddie craft lane. He reported back to me, that when he spoke to her at her office she got a huge belly laugh about it all. I told him I planned to write about this, I hoped she wouldn't mind. He felt certain she wouldn't.

Crafting with your kids or grand kids is so special. Teaching kids to be creative is so very important I believe. Just the simple act of making something, anything can make the creative side of your brain spark like small bolts of lightning.

I remember when my boys were little and I needed something to fill an evening and focus some of their energy on. They were bored, and I needed something new to grab their attention. So I dumped a small pot of wet pasta on the table and we began to make designs. It was a messy moment but a great one too.

There are always moments for me where I don't feel I have flicker of creativeness. Once I pick up a piece of felt, a hand full of clay or dip my paintbrush into the water, it can begin. It's very much like being so hungry, and watching the table next to you at a restaurant being served first. You know that feeling, where your mouth starts watering as soon as you see their food. That's what happens to me when I get a new idea!
So get crafty with your little ones. Make a big artsy mess of paint, paper,glue and glitter, or whatever you're hungry for. 
What's the worse that can happen? Just fun and a big belly laugh I suspect, that's all!