Community Chat

[Oznell]

@Enufstuff ,  your wonderful seasonal poems have brought such joy here,  keep them coming--  hope you have some for the upcoming summer to share too!

[Enufstuff]

@SportyShorty07   Thank you very much. You are so sweet. What you just told me is very encouraging, to know that someone as artistic and creative as you are, was not feeling very creative for a time, and at a young age.

 I was thinking that I'm just losing creativity as I age. Just getting old and boring.

 Since I was a little girl, I had this drive to make things. I would tell my mother I want to make something. I would have loved doing some crafty things, but there were no resources.

We didn't have lot of money and there were no craft stores, back in the 50s, like today. I did have coloring books and crayons and Mr. Potato Head. When I was junior high age, I had oil paint by number sets. I loved art in school.

She was also busy with my baby brother. My mother knitted and I wonder why she never taught me. I wanted to cook, but she didn't want anyone messing up her kitchen.

I loved when I came home from school and smelled those just out of the oven chocolate chip cookies. But, I probably would have loved them more if she let me help her make them.

When I was in high school, she let me prepare vegetables for salads. I begged her to let me make something and once she did. From my junior high cooking class recipe notebook, I made Spanish Rice. It was so good and my children loved it when I made it for them.

In junior high, I learned the basics of cooking and sewing and I loved it. At Girl Scout Camp I loved making crafts.

It was high school age, being in Art Club and writing poetry

when I was getting more opportunities for creativity. I started making a few tops and dresses, just simple straight lines, I didn't have patterns. I did learn to knit and my grandmother taught me basic crochet. She also taught me all the different embroidery stitches and I loved doing that.

In the 70's I did a lot of crewel embroidery and made some latch hooked rugs. In the 80's I got each of my girls a latch hook rug kit.

When my girls were little, I made most of their dresses, some coats and jackets and capes for Easter, and of course clothes for myself. When my son was 2 years old, I made a little one piece sailor suit for him. It had the big sailor collar, red tie and it had short pants. He wore white knee socks and white baby shoes, so cute.

Making his little sailor suit was how I knew to make a doll size sailor collar on the dress for Toni.

I have a picture of him with his three sisters in their store bought sailor dresses. I often dressed the girls alike they are so

close in age.

When I had my children, I let them help in the kitchen, if they wanted to. I taught my oldest daughter to knit when she was five years old. They had all kinds of materials for arts crafts.

When they were old enough, I encouraged them and helped them to make gifts for each other for Christmas, instead of just going out to buy things. I remember my preschool son making marshmallow snowmen and strung Froot Loop necklaces for his sisters. When my oldest daughter was seven, she made little aprons for her sisters, from towels . Of course I guided her and helped her with the sewing machine.

When my girls wanted to join Campfire, I became a Bluebird leader.

Hiking and nature things were fun and I had holiday parties for the girls. But the best part was teaching them arts and crafts.

We had a little project every week.

I taught the girls how to do embroidery, like my grandmother taught me. I had them make gifts for their parents.

I saved all kinds of household trash for craft projects.

There was a stash of Leggs plastic eggs, salad dressing bottles,

cardboard tubes from paper towels and bathroom tissue, jars,

popsicle sticks, yarn, fabric and just about anything else that could be repurposed.

I guess the highlight of my crafting journey was when I had my own shop and made everything from dollhouse miniatures,

macrame jewelry and wall hangings, shell and driftwood art,

little denim bags, children's aprons from towels, with pockets full of crafting items, dry floral arrangements and creations with pompoms and hand painted paperweights and more.

It was like an obsession to make all those things, I loved it.

My youngest son was little and he liked making things and helping me.

All my children are creative and artistic, each in different ways. Mother and her seven siblings were all gifted artists and musicians.

I will let you know when I post the next Toni dress.

There is still a little lonesome dove each day and I'm thinking that may be my inspiration to write something.

Last night I was thinking of a humorous parody of the Rick James song "Super Freak". I might work on that too.

My son and I were singing that silly song to and about our cat and I went to bed thinking about it. We'll see.

[Enufstuff]

@Oznell   Thank you for your encouragement. I'm glad that you enjoy reading the poems.

   It is funny, summer is the one season that I never really wrote about.

  There is one about a romantic night in Bermuda. That is in my collection of love poems. I might share that one (there is nothing se*ual in it, just romantic)  Maybe.

 Perhaps I'll try to create a summer poem. We live near the ocean, not as pretty as a beach in Bermuda. If I just go there and sit a while, when it gets warmer, maybe there will be something to inspire me.

[Enufstuff]

@ROMARY  Thank you very much.

    That is so lovely that the scent of anise reminds you of your mother.

[Oznell]

Good, and even if you don't 'feel the Muse' by the ocean, @Enufstuff ,  you will have spent glorious time at the edge of the sea, always of benefit... I envy you your nearness to that.

[nwbabs]

You made my heart sing @Enufstuff. Thank you for sharing your beautiful poems. Reminds me of the great Mary Oliver's poetry. Have a great week! 

[Enufstuff]

@nwbabs   Thank you very much. I'm glad that you enjoyed reading them.

[SportyShorty07]

@Enufstuff  Thank you for your kind words! Absolutely, I've had months or 2 year periods where I've taken a break from creating art because I didn't feel inspired and then I go right back to it and create amazing things.  Art is a skill that will always be there for you no matter how much time passes . Rest assured that you're not losing creativity, you're not old and you're definitely not boring! I'm rooting for you, you can do it! 

    I bet with the limited access to crafts as a child, you still made beautiful pieces of art, since you have a very inventive mind and a unique vision of the world around you.  It's tough that your mom didn't let you cook in the kitchen- could she have had a bit of perfectionism? I'm sure she loved you so very much and maybe she was just particular about her kitchen staying in order or recipes being made in a specific way.  I'm so glad that you ultimately were able to make salads for your parents and siblings and even made Spanish rice from your high school class recipe notebook for your mom- tha'ts really sweet that you kept the recipe and cooked it for your children .  High school was a formative time for you- you joined Art club and did poetry and learned how to crochet from your grandmother and even started sewing and latchhooking rugs!  

   That's so sweet and cool that you made your own clothes and clothing for your children- the sailor outfit for your son sounds adorable and I bet your daughters looked so darling in their sailor outfits! I really admire the fact that you made a conscious decision to learn from your childhood by immersing your children into crafts and cooking at a very young age- I bet the memories they shared with you growing up and all of the arts and crafts and homemade gifts were so rewarding to work on together.  I like the fact that you were/are eco friendly and took discarded objects and recyclable items and repurposed them into craft items for your kids- very inventive.  You have a whole family line of creativity in your family and extended family- that is wonderful. You should be so proud of yourself that you had your own shop that sold your art- that is so wonderful and impressive! 

    Definitely write the poem about the lonesome dove- and the Rick James "Super Freak" sounds like a lot of fun.  I laughed and smiled envisioning you and your son singing and improvizing a funny song  about your cat- so cute and playful .