Do you remember when you...

...became a Crafter???

Realising how long I had managed to maintain this blog made me stop to think about my crafting. To be honest, I don't really remember a time when I didn't craft in some shape or form and the more I thought about it the further back I could remember bits and pieces...one of my earliest memories was creating what I suppose we would call a minibook now (yep Annette, I think you rekindled a spark that had first put in an appearance when I was about 4 or 5 LOL).

Growing up, my Dad's job took him away from home a lot so I can remember Mum helping me to make cards for him to take with him or to welcome him home with...I seem to recall lots of bright & shiny 'lick & stick' shapes stuck onto folded bits of paper. However the thing that came to mind was a little book that I made all by myself as a surprise. I know I could read and write before I started school but I'm sure my writing skills would have been very basic. I remember using quite a few sheets of Mum's writing paper (I'm sure that didn't go down well **chuckle**) and folding pages to go together to make the book. There were pictures that I drew - not sure what but probably flowers, houses, cars, people - and page after page of writing...well, what I thought of as writing. In reality, I created page after page of 'scribble' thinking that it was "grown-up writing" - the joined-up stuff LOL I remember feeling so proud of my efforts but I don't think Mum was so enthusiastic about my wasting all those sheets of paper.

Over the years I've tried many different crafts - knitting started at Infant school age when I got one of those little moulded paper baskets with a set of plastic needles and some small balls of yarn...I thought I had the best dressed Penny Bright doll ever (amazing what you can make out of garter stitch squares) - crochet started at Junior school age along with embroidery...anyone remember 'iron-on' transfers for embroidery? Alongside this was my drawing, I loved to draw but was never keen on painting (too messy LOL)

Senior school saw me dressmaking and making soft furnishings - my bedroom had a lovely collection of "Donny Osmond purple" cushions.

In fact over the years I've dipped in and out of most of these crafts when the fancy took me and card making has popped up on and off along with some very basic scrapbooking type efforts (although I didn't know that was what it was called). Embroidery gave way to Cross-stitch and then in 1998 I discovered ceramic art...

I loved this. The fun of bringing a piece of fired bisque to life with a selection of colours was amazing and I couldn't wait to go to class each week to carry on with my chosen piece. Unfortunately, costs started to get out of hand and things started to go wrong with the class organisation so that came to an end. But they say when one door closes another opens...one lady from cermaics had a daughter living out in the USA for a while and during her visits she had found 'Scrapbooking' - she invited me along to a crop that she had found locally and as they say - that was it. I was hooked. Scrapping has brought with it a love of making minibooks/albums and encouraged a revival of my card making.

About 18months ago I discovered Promarker & Copic pens and this has brought back my love of colouring in.

I'm going through a knitting phase at the moment - I've always loved to 'play' rather than follow a pattern blindly.

So back to my original question (yes, I know it was ages ago LOL) do you remember when you became a crafter - did you start young or have you come to it only as an adult? I'd love to hear about what got you started and what you've had a go at................................................