29 July 2011

A crafty life. Transition from enthusiastic toddler painter to scrapbooker.

Hi

Over  at High in the Sky, Sian has been doing a lovely series on her crafty life, detailing turning points in her crafty adventures. It has been a pleasure to read so I, inspired as I was, set out to create something similar.

Now, I only have eighteen years to look back on, most of which I can't remember so this may be considered a concise version of my crafty life. Or to put it a different way, there is photographic evidence to suggest that giving a paintbrush to a baby will mean they will be a crafter in later life...maybe.

 So, to begin. I have always liked paper. A good start I think.

I liked paper so much that I insisted on playing with those gold paper stars. I think this may have been my way of saying "mummy, please can I have a die-cutting machine?"


 My creative talents though stretched further than paper. Paint. I liked the colour blue. What? You can't tell what it is? Neither can I but I'm sure my three year old self could.


I loved drawing. I clearly remember having a draw in my bedroom just full of plain white paper which I would draw and colour on endlessly. I still find drawing very relaxing.

See that amazing blue line of sky at the top of the page? I have a very vivid memory of my Dad showing me at about this age a painting in the lounge. He pointed to the sky and showed me how it reached right down to the ground. From that time on I never drew the sky just along the top of the page.

 I have never had a problem with getting messy.

 This was a favourite christmas present. A box of pens, pencils and coloured paper. I spent christmas day sitting in my room drawing.

A year later and I got my first craft book. A wealth of new craft ideas was born, demonstrated in my multi coloured version of a pencil tree!

Another christmas and another craft book. This time art attack and the joys of papier mache. I was a papier mache addict for several years much to my mothers constination.

 The pinnicle moment. Christmas age thirteen. I opened my present and it contained a digital camera and a scrapbook set. A hobby was born. For the first time my creative streak was chanelled into something. Over the next five years I had made five albums and countless pages.


I still indulged in my other crafts though...say nothing.



Craft slowly moved from being paint and pencils to wool, sewing and more layouts. I got published in scrapbook magazines and started to discover more scrapbooking on the internet. I completed my art GCSE and took up photography A level. I also got my first DSLR camera.



My eighteenth birthday. Most people ask for a car, jewellery etc. I asked for a sewing machine and if I am honest I have used it, loved it, shouted at it, cursed it, listened to it and enjoyed it far more than anything I could have asked for. I have discovered quilting, I have made my own clothes again and sewn on scrapbook pages.


My craft has moved around a different corner in the form of blogging. I am able to share creations, write tutorials, pick up advice and find new projects. Blogging has opened up a new world of people who share my love of all things paper and glue who have steadily become not only fellow enthusiasts but also friends. 

I am so blessed that my parents encouraged me in my craft. It means that I will always have the tools I need to make a house a home, to record memories and express myself. It also means that for the forseeable future my room will always be littered with pieces of cotton and torn off scraps of paper.

Where has your craft taken you?

Thanks for stopping by and a big thank you to Sian for the inspiration.

Loves xxxx

10 comments:

Maria Ontiveros said...

Abi,
What a wonderful post! It's as if it tells the whole of your life through one aspect of it.
One year - not that long ago - my daughter asked for a "refrigerator box" for her birthday. She loved taking a huge box and transforming it into all kinds of things.
My son is a bit more of a photographer, and I hope to get a new DSLR for xmas this year, so I can pass on my current model to him.
Rinda

Sian said...

Abi, this is just wonderful! I love that "pinnacle" moment - though I suspect you still have further to fly with your crafty talents x

Rachel said...

what a sweet posts, my crafty life has taken me to have a BA (Hons) that i cant really use but it has allowed me to knit my own clothes and knit for my friends babies and maybe one day my own x

Sarah said...

Love this post, so interesting to see how your crafting has evolved. Wonder where you'll be another 18 years craft wise?? x

JO SOWERBY said...

i am so loving these photos and wish i had pics of my work or examples still to share, sadly at my age, they have gone.
my crafting has certainly led me to blogging and making new friends like yourself, and sharing my hobby with so many people. It helped me find a church and other new friends, I have learnt loads of new skills.
Jo xxxx

Deb @ PaperTurtle said...

What a great post, Abi. I love all the photos of you showing your crafting since you were so little. You have been blessed with a wonderful talent and there's no telling where your crafting life will lead you in the future. Awesome!!!

Beverly said...

Abi, seems you have a great deal to show for your short life, Photo one totally was an awwww moment, so cute1 Loved the post ;)

debs14 said...

What a lovely post Abi. How great to be able to document your journey through photos. You clearly had an artistic streak from a very early age and your parents have encouraged and nurtured it which has allowed you to grow into the talented young woman you are today. Fantastic!

Jennifer Grace said...

Wonderful post, and great photos. I shall have to remember to take pics of my kids crafting as they grow up in case they turn out to be crafters too! I especially love the picture of you painting an unidentifiable blue 'thing'. It looks dreamy! x

Lynn said...

Really enjoyed reading this post - and who knows where your crafty future will take you!