I have these silly dreams. Dreams of creating items for Leila that she will grow up with and give to her child one day. Dreams of making beautiful dolls that she will love and cuddle and hold all day long. So to full fill those dreams I started making the ball roll. I made my first doll from scratch. Did it turn out perfectly? Nope but I am pretty happy with it in the end. It was a good dry run. A lesson learned if you will. I will embroider the face first and add the hair. I will attach the arms and head to the body first before stuffing the body.
I know this doll is the first of many more dolls. And once dolls are created clothing is next, oh and doll quilts, lots of doll quilts. Who knew that one doll could lead to so many projects and dreams.
I wasn’t raised to be crafty. I was raised to be who I wanted to be, who knew that would be crafty? My mom and I recently had a conversation we are both amazed that my mom and dad raised two artful daughters. My baby sister is an amazing artist. She paints and draws. She has been drawing her whole life. Since mom gave her a crayon. Art work was everywhere and her talents grew as she did. I was different I was the studious type, and very musical but I cant draw a decent stick person to save my life.
I found out after knitting (started well after graduating high school) for about a year my one grandmother used to knit and sew all of her kids clothing. She hasn’t for years though and really doesn’t have the urge to do that any longer. My other grandmother created beautiful quilts but hasn’t for years due to arthritis. So where did the artistic drive come from? My dad has a mathematical mind. He is an artist in his own right (though he would never admit that) he can look at something determine a way to make it work better, take it apart tweak it and put it back together. He has built homes with his own hands and man power. He is a true mister fix it. My mother is an author, she hasn’t been able to pick up a pen lately but she has dreams of being an author. An artist in her own right. So after adding it all up I was created by creativity just not the medium I have chosen to express myself with.
I hope to expose Leila to my love of crafting. But I won’t push it on her. I want her to express herself in whatever way she chooses to do so. That is the only thing as a mother you can do. You give tools and you watch your children grow and create themselves from those tools. So for right now I will cross my fingers that the next time I give Leila a doll she doesn’t throw it down and crawl to cuddle with the dog. A girl can dream right?
