When past-times become past times

I’m starting to feel like a party planning pro with three bridal showers and two weddings behind me and one wedding ahead on the calendar.

In the last year or so, I’ve reached down into a creative core I didn’t realize I had, dug very deeply, and have produced some fairly nice results.

Who knew I could get so crafty again?  Years ago when the kids in Mama’s Empty Nest were still filling up the house with dirty laundry and mud-caked soccer and running cleats, Mama used to do crafts to help maintain a little sanity.

Being crafty for me resembled the scenes in old movies where people who were imprisoned in mental institutions passed away their time basket weaving, supposedly to regain their lost minds.

The laundry room cabinets above my washer and dryer tell the tale.  Various sundry crafty items…beads, glitter, ribbon, sewing kit, embroidery floss, stamps and stamp pads, calligraphy pens, counted cross stitch patterns… sit neglected on the shelves there.

They all relate tales of past-times from past times.   Some items convey stories of being “room mother” for umpteen years when devising and designing crafts for elementary school classroom holiday parties was a high priority on Mama’s to do list.

Other items express that stage in life when home beautification or creating decorating projects was paramount.  When Mama was younger, had more energy, and needed something in her hands to help relax in the evenings after all the munchkins were tucked in their beds, that’s what floated my boat.  In recent years though, I’ve been lucky if I have enough energy to stay awake through an entire television episode of “Castle” in the evening with just the remote in my hands.

In days past, trick or treat costumes needed to be sewn, flouncy hair ribbon bows  created to adorn my girls’ hair, and greeting cards designed with stamp art.  Even Christmas ornaments and décor were crafted at the kitchen table.

Some craft items remain from a time when a group of friends and fellow moms met for crafting sessions once a week.  We would gather at one of our homes, have coffee and tea, complete crafts together, chatting and laughing, sharing life stories, then top it all off with a delicious lunch.

Back then, it seemed I never had enough time to accomplish all the projects that I had in mind.  I used to think, “Someday when the kids are grown and flown, I’ll have lots of time for crafting.”  Ha!

That was before I began working outside of home and becoming involved with other things that require my attention (ie. blogging).  For some reason, I even have a difficult time getting the laundry and house cleaning accomplished let alone engage in crafting.

I have to admit that dusting off the old hot glue gun and digging in the crafts box for all of this wedding/shower hoopla has been fun.  A creative outlet that had been shoved back so far on the burner that it had almost been forgotten has been resurrected a bit.

And I’ve surprised myself with creative juices that I thought only bubbled to the surface when I sat down at my computer to compose blog posts.

Who would have thought I’d become little ol’ crafty me again? I just can’t promise this craftiness is going to stick around for long…unless I get sucked into the plethora of crafty ideas on Pinterest.

After all, I will have all this time on my hands, right?  Nah.

“Crafts make us feel rooted, give us a sense of belonging and connect us with our history. Our ancestors used to create these crafts out of necessity, and now we do them for fun, to make money and to express ourselves.” ~ Phyllis George

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