So hip it hurts

There are so many thoughts and project ideas whirring around my head these days, and absolutely no time to do anything about it. Work has me so busy that I'm finding the time I do get to spend with the girls is best spent doing simple things. Today that meant a taking a walk, cutting lettuce from the garden and making a salad out of it (which Bo then refused to eat) and painting polka-dotted toenails.

A wonderful old friend of mine is coming to town with her daughter tomorrow and as I tidied up the basement, i.e., the craft disaster room, I just kept thinking of things I would have liked to do to the house before she arrived. We yanked out the shrubbery in the front yard several weeks ago with the intent of planting something nicer, but that hasn't happened. There are walls in the living room desperately in need of artwork. And I haven't picked up the dog's poop from the yard all week. (I'll definitely take care of the latter before you arrive, Nis.)

She and I talked on the phone today and she confirmed what I already knew: good friends don't care. In fact, she said it would be flattering to her to arrive to a little madness because it would mean we were so close I didn't feel the need to impress her.

So for now, I'm going to dream a little bit about what my craft room could look like--maybe--one day--with the photos below of craft rooms owned by people who've got their lives in order way better than me these days.

I've also been meaning to share some thoughts from a fellow Spokanite I interviewed recently for a craft-related article I'm writing. Cherie Killilea, of StudioCherie on Etsy, has taken the whole craft movement further than most of us, having some of her ideas manufactured in China (she was never happy with the quality, though) and having met with executives at Disney who loved some of her creations (but then wanted millions of dollars from her so she could use the Disney license). She has found a home on Etsy because of the immediacy of it. Instead of designing something and then waiting two years to see it on store shelves, she designs, sells right away and moves on to the next idea before she can become bored by the old one. Cherie also talked about how only two or three years ago, everyone wanted a Louis Vuitton bag. Today people want something truly unique and fresh instead, so they turn to Etsy and buy things that might have been sewn within days or hours of being posted. It makes me wonder how conventional designers and fashion magazines are keeping up these days.

It was a great conversation and I wished I'd recorded it ala CraftSanity. It helped confirm what I've mostly unsuccessfully been trying to convince loved ones of: if nothing else, this whole handmade thing is hip, dammit.

In 2000, I wrote an article about the Voluntary Simplicity Movement. Back then the people who were advocating living with less and--heaven forbid--giving handmade Christmas gifts, were not part of the mainstream.

It's amazing how quickly things change. Not that crafters and advocates for simplicity have taken over. Yet. I see plenty of evidence of the opposite every day and I don't think my schedule these days has been the model of simple living.

But it's a trend I love. Now if I could just find some time to join the fun.

(The craft rooms below were found here, here and here.)

Comments

[Klay]

That's very true, what Cherie said about Etsy being a place of constant renewal and change. And that's what makes it really great especially if you're a designer who wants to do many different things or just try something new and see how it goes. I'm looking forward to reading more of her interview.

[Megan]

Etsy is downright amazing. My heart pounded the first time I visited it.
I could spend hours cruising around everyone's stores, including yours Klay http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5057520

[anymommy]

Oh to have any room in my house look so organized!