Hmm… well if this was a game of word association my guess is that most of you would have added the word ‘Grey’ to that post title. . . and that is not surprising given the current world wide phenomenon. Even if you haven’t read the trilogy that has set the record as the fastest-selling paperback of all time, you would have heard about it . . . seen it advertised, caught the catch phrases doing the rounds on social networking. . . umm, I even heard people taking about it while waiting in the queue at the supermarket.
But what if my post title was really ‘Fifty shades of ‘Handmade’
Seriously.
Handmade is just as amazing.
Being a child of the 60’s I remember when handmade was associated with ‘hippies’ who dyed their own fabric, grew veggies, made macramé and the odd bit of pottery.
If your mother made your clothing you weren’t considered ‘indie’ . . . people just assumed you couldn’t afford ‘real’ clothes.
Back in the days before the World Wide Web, creativity was often pigeonholed. You were described by your craft. . . she’s a knitter, she sews/paints/bakes etc. . . . and your creativity was limited by what supplies you could get your hands on.
Then an amazing thing happened. . . the internet opened all the doors. Online you could source crafty bits and bobs from all over the world. There were tutorials on how to make new things, beautiful blogs filled with inspiration . . . and online Marketplaces selling all kinds of handmade.
Social networking spreads the word and Google and Pinterest share the photos.
It’s now okay to call yourself a crafter/DIYer . . . and now we do everything!!
We CREATE
So if I suddenly think I need an aqua vase to set off my pink roses, I just whip out my Mod Podge and food dye and whack some colour on a couple of old soda stream bottles.
In a couple of days time when the roses are tossed out, I’ll wash the bottles in hot soapy water to dissolve the painted on colour and store my bottles for the next creative endeavour. . . because that’s what we do.
Then we share are photos on our blogs and Facebook . . . and others come along and pin the photos to their boards. . . so that when someone else decides they need a pop of aqua in their day they will remember the Mod Podge painted vases.
That’s it from me today. I’m off now to visit my blog friends from all around the world and party at these link parties.
Hugs ~ Kerry
