Crafting

Yesterday I was asked a question by Deb, a pen friend in Vermont.
'When did I start to 'Craft', how old was I and what did I make etc.?'

I think I started at 6 or 7 years old. My  junior school then had a Subject called Handcrafts and we made a book about Safety First on the roads, you know, Look Right, Look Left, look Right again...... I still have that book, illustrated with Pin men and hand coloured drawings, in a very tattered condition.


Then we made a beautiful bound book to use as we wish. I used mine for pressed wild flowers and I still have that too,  in quite good condition. Some of the flowers are still there, very brown and fragile! Blue spine, yellow covers, hand painted flowers on the cover and hand painted end papers.

Years later at school I made a simple book called Art and the Artist, full of cut out pics and jottings. I guess that was really my first altered book. In recent years I have made 40 real Altered Books.

Since then I have always had a 'need' to make/do something with my hands and mind! I cannot just 'sit' and do nothing!

I am also the ultimate hoarder. I like to keep things with a sentimental value to me, like those books.

A few weeks ago I found a couple of exercise books in a drawer containing stories I had written for my daughter in the 60's. As I had been having some Photo Books printed (by ArtsCow) I thought it would give me something to do to make a Photo Book of these stories and make illustrations to go with them.
I enjoyed this immensely and the  'book' turned into two books. I was very well pleased with the finished result. ArtsCow in my opinion do a wonderful job.