Quilled Lamp, Painted Bowl & a dotty story…

I tried quilling a little lamp the other day. It is difficult!! Mine turned out a little wonky and I will have to try and try again. This project caused a few swear words to run though my head…if you coil too tightly you won’t be able to pull the coils into the shapes…yet if you coil too loosely you run the risk of having everything fall apart…I wouldn’t exactly call this a relaxing craft!

 

(Picture of bowl taken in a box awaiting spray sealer, I spray then hurry up and close the box, less noxious fumes this way) I was so inspired by the bowls being sold at The Bocket Store on Etsy that I had to give this a try. I loooove the bowls they are offering and knew I had a couple wooden bowls in my hoard stash. I would love to purchase one of their bowls but I’m too thrifty cheap…

Which leads us to the dotty story…I’ve been crafting for years and years. About eight years ago I tried decorative painting. What I painted was a little wooden tray and I covered it with dots. I proudly showed it to a friend of mine who was a pretty neat painter and here is what she said “Cute, I started out with dots too.” Now this was said in a condescending voice. To my shame I let her influence me! Shame on me!!! I thought the tray was cute (sadly no pictures were taken, this was waaaay back before digital cameras and blogs were in my life) but forever after when I would look at that tray I would be a bit embarrassed because it was such a “beginner” project. Well friend look at what they are doing with dots now! And since I’m a bit on the defensive I have a little something to say to those of you who might look at this bowl and think “She has way too much time on her hands…” This project has been taking up a little corner of my kitchen table for the past few days. I’ve worked on it here and there. When I’ve worked on it the most is while I’ve been cooking dinner, last night I made a double batch of homemade bagel brats…there are three minute intervals while they are boiling. And I work on crafts like this when my house has been invaded by teenagers. (EIGHT in my living room yesterday afternoon.) Crafting at the kitchen table is the perfect thing to do when you want to keep an eye on things but “look” busy. I’ve also found that when I have a craft such as this going on, at the kitchen table, my kids are more apt to sit with me and chat. I love that. (Just DON’T wiggle the table!) So no, I don’t spend my days on my hiney making crafts. I’ll usually have something like this craft always on the back burner to do in bits here and there and then I join my hubbie in the living room in the evenings and do a handcraft. (Like needle felting, or embroidery, or even quilling…but that does take up more space than just my lap…) Moral of the story, don’t let others influence you in a negative way. If you like it great! If you love it keep going with it and see what can develop! I sure wish that I had done that…

Happy Crafting!!!