"The most important, and perhaps most obvious, factor in nurturing your children's creative lives is to model a creative life yourself."
- Amanda Blake Soule in her book The Creative Family
Chronic Craft Experiments
Dear Reader,
I consider myself to be a fairly organized person. I like to plan for things. I like to arrive early. I like to schedule our meals for the coming week. I like creating files (using my trusty label maker.) I like keeping my spices in alphabetic order for easy access. In most areas of my life, I like order.
Besides the obvious need to be "go with the flow" with my two year old, there is another aspect of my life that shows no order or natural progression. I really enjoy trying crafts. (Please note the word "trying" in that sentence.) Here are just a few of the crafts that I've attempted:
- scrapbooking (one book, maybe two)
- knitting (a few scarfs)
- basket weaving (one completed, another started)
- stamping (cards, place cards, invites)
- baby block making (occasionally revisited for select new babies)
- sock puppet sewing (as a special favor to my then one year old)
- decoupage collage making(one set of three prints)
- upholstering (one ottoman)
And now, drum roll please, I'm onto card making. We'll see how long this lasts! I think I enjoying trying the craft more than sticking with it, but I always justify the start of a new one by thinking that this craft will: 1. be the one for me and 2. save so much money rather than buying [fill in the blank]. With this evolution of craft experiences over the years though, I'm coming to terms with the fun being as much in the creating as in the end product.
Sincerely,
Abi
Originally posted by Sincerely Abi on September 8, 2009
I consider myself to be a fairly organized person. I like to plan for things. I like to arrive early. I like to schedule our meals for the coming week. I like creating files (using my trusty label maker.) I like keeping my spices in alphabetic order for easy access. In most areas of my life, I like order.
Besides the obvious need to be "go with the flow" with my two year old, there is another aspect of my life that shows no order or natural progression. I really enjoy trying crafts. (Please note the word "trying" in that sentence.) Here are just a few of the crafts that I've attempted:
- scrapbooking (one book, maybe two)
- knitting (a few scarfs)
- basket weaving (one completed, another started)
- stamping (cards, place cards, invites)
- baby block making (occasionally revisited for select new babies)
- sock puppet sewing (as a special favor to my then one year old)
- decoupage collage making(one set of three prints)
- upholstering (one ottoman)
And now, drum roll please, I'm onto card making. We'll see how long this lasts! I think I enjoying trying the craft more than sticking with it, but I always justify the start of a new one by thinking that this craft will: 1. be the one for me and 2. save so much money rather than buying [fill in the blank]. With this evolution of craft experiences over the years though, I'm coming to terms with the fun being as much in the creating as in the end product.
Sincerely,
Abi
Originally posted by Sincerely Abi on September 8, 2009
Reason to Celebrate
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| Yum! |
Dear Reader,
August 25 is a day I look forward to each year. Today is my mom's birthday. I could name so many reasons why I appreciate her presence in my life. I think birthdays provide the perfect opportunity to celebrate the people we love.
This year we happen to be together as my son and I are spending the week out of town at my parents' home. While the birthday girl headed out for lunch with one of her friends, I quickly searched through her pantry to see if I could mix up a batch of cupcakes for tonight.
I pulled out my mother's copy of Better Homes and Gardens' red plaid cookbook (with well-worn pages and fabulous fonts of past years) and found a recipe on page 74 for "Everyday Cupcakes." I've come to love simple white cake and vanilla buttercream frosting for birthdays. There is something so classic and so timeless about it.
The cupcakes turned out nicely, and mostly I enjoyed seeing the pleasantly surprised look on my mom's face in returning to a home smelling of cupcakes.
Sincerely,
Abi
Inspiring Words...
"Get up. Create like you're training for a marathon, methodically, day by day...You are an artist, a guide, a prophet. You are a storyteller, a visionary, the Pied Piper himself. Do the work, learn the skills, and make art, because of what the act of creation will create in you."
- Shauna Niequist in her book Bittersweet
A word about the picture...
Dear Reader,
In establishing this blog, I tried to select a photo for the header that complimented the concept of inspiration. My husband took this photo in 2005 on a Labor Day weekend trip to Chicago. (By the way, the original Ferris wheel was constructed in 1893 for exhibition in Chicago. And, Dad, did you love that I just inserted that fact?!) Anyway, I love Ferris wheels, and here's why:
Ferris wheels remind me of amusement parks where there seem to be endless rides and games which make the whole experience so full and exciting. Similarly, when I think about creativity and inspiration, the opportunities abound. There is always a way to add, subtract or tweak the decor of a room. In the rare moments where I think I've established a method to a craft, I'm always looking for a new take on it! The world of possibility seems endless.
Ferris wheels also seem to be a bit nostalgic, a ride enjoyed for generations. When I reflect on the current craft movement, I think about how many of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents took great pride in the handmade items they created. While the reason for producing handmade may have been more of a necessity in their generations, I think it's significant that these crafts and artistic endeavors have been (and may continue to be) carried on.
And, finally, Ferris wheels are fun. I find that seeking after new concepts - others and my own - is FUN! How enjoyable to see one's own project come together or see another person's take on how to make that (whatever that is.)
This is my rationale for the photo in the header. And, no, I do not sell or promote amusement park supplies.
Sincerely,
Abi
In establishing this blog, I tried to select a photo for the header that complimented the concept of inspiration. My husband took this photo in 2005 on a Labor Day weekend trip to Chicago. (By the way, the original Ferris wheel was constructed in 1893 for exhibition in Chicago. And, Dad, did you love that I just inserted that fact?!) Anyway, I love Ferris wheels, and here's why:
Ferris wheels remind me of amusement parks where there seem to be endless rides and games which make the whole experience so full and exciting. Similarly, when I think about creativity and inspiration, the opportunities abound. There is always a way to add, subtract or tweak the decor of a room. In the rare moments where I think I've established a method to a craft, I'm always looking for a new take on it! The world of possibility seems endless.
Ferris wheels also seem to be a bit nostalgic, a ride enjoyed for generations. When I reflect on the current craft movement, I think about how many of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents took great pride in the handmade items they created. While the reason for producing handmade may have been more of a necessity in their generations, I think it's significant that these crafts and artistic endeavors have been (and may continue to be) carried on.
And, finally, Ferris wheels are fun. I find that seeking after new concepts - others and my own - is FUN! How enjoyable to see one's own project come together or see another person's take on how to make that (whatever that is.)
This is my rationale for the photo in the header. And, no, I do not sell or promote amusement park supplies.
Sincerely,
Abi
Workspace: Before and After
Dear Reader,
My husband, son, and I moved into our current home a little more than a year ago. We transitioned from a home built in 1945 which we spent five years entirely redoing to a house built five years ago which needed very little tweaking. I have discovered though that I need to live in a home for some time before completely decorating the space.
Our office has been an area that was functional but dull. The room had good "bones" : neutral walls, a lovely white desk and bookshelf (a la Pottery Barn), and banana leaf baskets for storage and some texture. I didn't want to spent a lot of money on a redo, so I simply bought a lamp and two art prints. Here are the results.
BEFORE
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| Just. Plain. Boring. |
AFTER
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| Better? |
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| Lovely blue lamp from Marshalls - $35 |
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| Artwork found at a sidewalk sale in a nearby town - $150 |
This room seems so much more inviting with just a few additions to the space. Now, onto finding new bedding for our master bedroom (easier said than done, but that's another post.)
Sincerely,
Abi
Inspiring Words...
"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Dear Reader,
I intend to provide a quote each week which provides some inspiration to me and hopefully to you as well. I'm starting this week with a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt. My mother supplied me with one of her books in early high school (You Learn by Living), and I recall at the time thinking her wise words were quite compelling and profound. Enjoy!
Sincerely,
Abi
Jumping In Again
Dear Reader,
About a year and a half ago, I started a blog. I had been an at home mom for over a year and read other peoples' blogs so regularly, but struggled to determine how I wanted to share my story. I wanted to preserve memories of my thoughts at the time and, even more, the small stories of everyday life with my husband and son. I love writing notes to people via e-mail but also in handwritten form on pretty stationary. Enter: Sincerely Abi - a blog that is a play on words with Dear Abby with posts written as letters. I found that writing these notes to my readers (which, to be honest, began as my husband and maybe my mom) was the perfect way to capture the story of the moment with enough details but not too many.
At the beginning of summer I started an Etsy shop. I love to try crafts and found this community to be the perfect way to join in a wonderful movement of handmade. Now I think it's the right time to start a blog more dedicated to my crafts and what inspires me in giving gifts to others, organizing and decorating a home, and just featuring other lovely works of art that are ready to be noted somewhere.
I invite you to join me as I jump in, and try this new experiment in finding inspiration and appreciating life every day.
Sincerely,
Abi
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