Window Charm and Charming Kids!

  It has been over four years since I have seen my grandkids so you can imagine just how elated I was when they arrived for the Thanksgiving holidays.  My oldest son, daughter-in-law and their kids came to spend five days with us which did, indeed, bring about the true meaning of the holiday spirit.  I only wish they could return for Christmas but I suppose that is too much to ask so I shall be happy about this visit!

  My handsome grandson is the typical little boy who would much rather be playing baseball, going fishing or playing some sort of video game than be bound by planned activities.  His MawMaw is only good at that fishing thing so most of his time was spent with PawPaw or his uncles.  They were more than happy to oblige his whims.  Most of my time with him was spent with early morning "snuggles" and his stories before the others got out of bed. That was a highlight since I got to know him as a seven year old and not a toddler.  He is full of ideas both serious and whimsical.  I am truly impressed with him and loved my "special" time.  My lovely granddaughter and I spent most of our time either cooking or crafting!  She has a love of creating which is right up my alley!  I turned her loose in the craftroom and told her that she could use any or all of the craft items found therein.  We spent hours happily among the beads, charms, canvases, paints and other supplies.

  I was truly amazed at some of her creations.  MawMaw kept her input to a minimum simply to watch her talents grow.  My assistance only came in the form of using the glue gun or other "not-kid-friendly" glues.  She did the rest.  After doing a painting, creating paper angel ornaments and a wearable headband, her thoughts went to the "jewels" she found in one box.  The box held everything from large rhinestones to light prisms.  Another box held broken jewelry that people donate to me.  She scavenged through the boxes and started putting pieces together until she created the loveliest "window charm".  Once she was finished, she presented the ornament to me as a gift.  My heart did a Grinch thing and grew three times its normal size!  

  This MawMaw cannot wait until the next visit.  I am sure the Grand Princess and I shall delve into more crafty things and even the Grand Prince asked to be taught a few things.  How cool is that?  Until then, I will hang onto memories and plan for the future.  Good times at the Little Bayou House...at least, for me.

Well! Its about time!

  I have always said that Mark is my biggest support when it comes to my crafting.  A lot of husbands would look at what I do as a waste of time but he has always been more than eager to help me in any way.  Now that our daughter has become a crafter as well, that eagerness has at least doubled.  Whenever we start some endeavor, he immediately asks if there is anything we need.  Darling Daughter and I are more of the "recycler" type crafters and will scrounge around to find what is needed.  He is not that way.  He has no problem buying our supplies.  (I guess Elizabeth and I are just too tight with our money to buy anything!  Mark, on the other hand, says for a project to turn out well, you have to start with good material.)  Anyway, this whole support thing was, once again, evident this past week.  

  Elizabeth and I started creating "bugs" from old clock parts, watch parts and any hardware items we could find. This is sort of our take on the "Steampunk" style of art. Wire, springs, bolts, clamps, gears and washers were appealing to our crafty eyes!  Nothing was safe!  After she created the fantastic scorpion that I wrote about in a previous post, Mark decided that we needed a better supply of parts.  He ordered several small baggies of gears and then settled on seventeen pounds of used clock parts! Oh, my goodness!  The man is a wonder!  

  Today, that seventeen pound order came to the doorstep.  She and I were nigh on in Heaven!  Can you only imagine our delight to see antique clock faces in the stash!  Plus, there were gears galore!  All of those gears started the wheels turning in our heads! (Pun intended!)  Oh, the mystical, magical things we could create with these parts!  Yep, I know..these were broken clocks but, hey, they were OUR broken clocks better known as OUR art medium! With these, a whole plethora of Clockwork bugs will soon inhabit the Little Bayou House! 

Going Buggy!

  Darling Daughter, Elizabeth, is on a roll!  With her visiting the Little Bayou House, time has been filled with all sorts of fun activities but mostly crafting.  She and I could totally forget to eat as long as we are crafting.  It matters not if we are painting, crocheting or beading.  As long as we are creating, we are happy!  The current craft is a new one for her. She is still creating "bugs" from discarded items. (Well, what most folks discard.  Me?  I save just about everything!)  This all stems from the seahorse and dragonfly creations that I did last year.  My weedeater had a major accident so it was dismantled and parts were used in crafts!  She has taken it a step further and has started incorporating any "cool-looking" part or tidbit that can be scrounged from my stash.  (And oh, what a stash that is!)

  I had to laugh today as my once impeccably clean table had become overloaded with treasures...otherwise known as junk!  A wide assortment of wires, gears, bolts, springs, beads, buttons, watches and even dismantled clocks filled every inch of the table!  To any outsider, this must look like one huge mess but to us this is sheer bliss!  A table full of junk is a mind filled with creativity by our thinking!

   Her latest bug is a praying mantis.  He (or she) sits proudly beside the scorpion of yesterday.  I can hardly wait to see what her imagination spews forth tomorrow!  Gee! I am one proud mama!  My daughter has followed in my crafting footsteps only has taken it a few steps forward.  She sees not the mess...only the next project!  

Button, Button..Who's Got The Button?

Today was a lazy day! It was overcast and threatening rain all day so instead of planting peas like I intended, I played! Sometimes during the night, I have dreams of creative projects..I guess they are more like visions because they are just fleeting thoughts, not really dreams. Anyway, most of my creative endeavors involve these ideas that pop in the head in the middle of the night and today, I decided to act on one.

Years ago, almost every woman could sew well and it was the habit of most to save buttons. It was a matter of necessity as buttons were expensive, hard to come by, and much needed. In earlier days, women sewed the family's clothes and zippers, velcro, and other fasteners were not yet invented. Buttons were always carefully snipped off of worn-out clothing and saved to be used again. Almost every woman kept a fine button box! I am not a seamstress. I can sew enough to get by but I will never profess to "knowing how to sew". My daughter and daughter-in-law both are excellent seamstresses so it stands to reason that they both have taken over these responsibilities when necessary! BUT..I have button boxes! Notice that is plural! I have button boxes and jars and bowls. I have wooden, ceramic, nacre, plastic and metal buttons. I have buttons of every color of the rainbow. I have buttons! The ones pictured above are just a few of the ones in this house! I fell heir to not only my grandmother's, mother's, great aunts' and several aunts' button boxes. I have acquired a friend's mother's box and even (for some unknown reason) found one in hurricane debris! So, yes! I have button boxes which brings me back to the idea formed in the middle of the night!

The brilliant idea was a piece of jewelry created from pieces found in some of these boxes! This would not only open up a new line of crafts, it would also make use of some of my so-called "junk"! In the visionary piece, buttons were combined with glass beads to create the pendant for a necklace. This is not a new craft, it has been around for years and years. It is just new to me! Today, being dreary, was the perfect day to play in the "junk"boxes. I pulled out masses (way too much) stuff and set to work! After a bit, I held up what I think is a satisfactory piece! I am quite happy with the outcome of my labor..the necklace could hold its own against some of the pieces I have seen in shops. This made me smile..now my button boxes were no longer junk! They are needed craft supplies! And the "family heirloom" buttons can be passed on and enjoyed instead of being crammed in boxes, jars, bowls, bags, sacks, drawers.......hehe..they are now treasures!