The Doily

I forgot some stuff about myself! Isn't that weird how sometimes things are so deeply part of what makes you 'yourself' that you don't notice them anymore!?
I had a really nice evening. A few crafty folk met up at lovely Suzie and Marcia's place in Ballarat last night, ate cakes, drank punch and talked crafty goodness. Some of us do it, some of us would like to do it, some of us do it for a living, some of us would like to do it for a living, but all of us like it!

Listening to every ones stories of who they are, why they love craft and where their crafty inspiration first came from was really inspiring. As for my own story, I think I told the wrong one. I spoke of where I work and worked and how come I live here now, but I missed out the bits that I think make me who I am in a crafty sense.

I always wanted to be an artist, either that or a ballerina. Clearly the ballerina part didn't work out so ever since primary school my life's ambition was to go to art school and my families assumption was the same... of course I would!

I always loved making things, mum being a crazy-mad-hoarder helped that out, with bags of wool, boxes of fabric, wire, wood, toilet tubes and free rein on the sewing machine I was in heaven! being one of 5 kids (and therefore 1 very busy mum!) I was pretty much left to amuse myself and would make costumes, hats, and dolls clothes.

Mum also let me do what I wanted in my bedroom and encouraged me to decorate in new colours, paint murals on my walls and tent ceilings with sari fabrics.


I think being poor also, weirdly helped, I grew up on a rough council estate (government housing) living the life of the long-term unemployed. I never had the 'cool stuff' that other kids had but instead, out of nessecity, mum would take us on op-shop adventures where we would spend our pocket money in some sort of 2nd hand challenge! It was so much fun!
My teenage years were spent during the recession of the 90's, then I would rummage through op-shops and my old dressing up box, cutting, sewing and creating new styles from old and along with it a sense of style of my own.

Something else I forgot about myself is that I paint and draw as well as 'make stuff', last year I was crazy about painting buttons, (and doilies of course!) One of my favourite paintings is this semblance of a 'self portrait', it doesn't look heaps like me but instead I was practicing the 'art' of 70's style portrait painting, I think this has a touch of 'swap card' about it don't you?


So I didn't grow up to be an artist, instead I grew up to be a 'crafter'. Something much more fun, flexible and entertaining. So aren't I the lucky one!