The Squirrel Queen

I’m soooo not a crafty person.

My grandmother tried to set me on that path. She taught me how to cross stitch. Sure I could make the little X with the needle and thread, but it just didn’t entertain me.

I did a few paint by numbers in the winter months of my youth. Yeah, fill in the funky shapes mapped out on the “canvas”. I sketched my version of Tippy the Turtle from the ad in the TV Guide, but I was the only one who ever recognized the source of my pencil and paper inspirations. No applications were mailed to the Art Instruction School.

I’m definitely not an artist.

But I love it when folks combine two of the things I fail at - art and craft - into amazing designs with a twist.

Aunt B does that with her hook work whether it’s anatomically correct body parts or Kool-Aid dyed afghans. I’ll let those of you not offended by the human body click on the body part link above to see her handiwork.

Dedicated women with flying fingers at the Institute for Figuring crocheted a coral reef.

Canadian Blythe Church creates incredible three-dimensional items like cameras and blenders and video games and monsters and sewing machines from felt.

I’m so jealous of their talents and vision.

Maybe I’ll go pick up some macaroni and make a necklace to give to a loved one.

Will that feed and nurture the creative seed within me and let it blossom into something lovely or at least odd?