And the back of my embroidery and needlepoint never looked exactly as the front looked (though I will admit they got much better over time and were crafts I ended up finding very enjoyable to do. :-) )
Bookbinding sounded exotic to me. I took some classes, made some nice blank journals but then got frustrated because it took me so long to see progress and get to a finished project plus, my fingers kept getting sticky from the glue I had to use on the cover papers! But actually, I did alright with my attempts at this art. I just didn't stick with it.
There have been many other crafts I've tried over the years. As a child I tried my hand at woodburning, copper enameling and pottery (all attempted and enjoyed at summer camp). Again if I had stuck with the feeling of enjoyment and allowed for patience and the inevitable learning curve, I might have become an artist or craft teacher instead of an instrumental music director and later a long-time psychotherapist.
Sometime this year I discovered rubber stamping and cardmaking. I contacted a local Stampin' Up demonstrator to find out more about this craft. She and I met at our local Barnes and Noble bookstore where she gave me a 30 minute crash course in cardmaking. I was hooked and as mentioned above, I set out to stock up on all the supplies I imagined I needed in order to make beautiful and interesting cards. Fortunately for me, Jeff was also intrigued by cardmaking and started making cards himself. he's actually much more patient at making cards and makes more interesting cards than me. He has tons of patience, likes complex structures, and can cut and fold straighter than I can (it's that patience thing again for me ....:-)
I found my way to experimenting with watercolor and rubber stamping when attending a local scrapbooking/cardmaking/papercraft expo earlier this year. A vendor booth was giving demonstrations that transfixed me. I think I spent an hour at the booth watching the demonstrator make samples. I was truly hooked, bought a ton of supplise but again impatience and the need for instant perfection kept me from practicing the craft enough to make anything or enough of anything of substance. Intstead I was overwhelmed with fearful frustration. This coming year however, is going to be different.
I love watercolors, in greeting cards and paintings, large and small. I love other types of painting too but I like watercolors because it's something I believe I can do. 2015 is going to be my year to set my intention to become a student of the art and craft of watercolor, rubber stamped watercolor to be exact. If possible, I hope to learn to do freeform watercolor as well, with the intention of making greeting cards and frameable art. I guess my 2015 intentions need to also include practicing the art of being a beginner and the patience of practice, practice, practice. My other intention is to stick with it and not give in to old patterns of behavior.
Jeff and I continue to be committed to creating a wide array of greeting cards. Coming soon will also be frameable art using the concepts of greeting card art. We'll be showing our work at various craft shows, especially the "Indie" shows at which we've done so well and, we'll continue to have our Etsy shop and perhaps an Artfire shop as well. Our blog will educate as well as showcase our creations. We have alot of varied interests and would like to showcase interesting websites and artists we discover throughout the year. It's going to be a fully creative year that we're looking forward to. We hope you'll follow our blog, visit our store (www.paperowlartists.etsy.com) and support us in our creative endeavors.
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