Grow Your Blog (Scroll Down for Newer Posts)

I decided to participate in the Grow Your Blog party sponsored by Vicki from 2 Bags Full and this post will (hopefully) remain at the top for the next two weeks to give visitors a chance to drop in.

Click HERE to check out the Party

It sounded like it would be fun to learn about how other bloggers got their start and to find some new internet friends and maybe followers.  So let me start by telling a little of my story and how I started blogging............

Funny how our lives can parallel the changing of the seasons. 

SPRING signifies birth.  Our formative years.  This is where I found my love of making things.  Put a crayon or paintbrush in my hand and I was happy.  As I grew, so did my interest in creating things. I learned things like crocheting, needlework, and sewing from my mother and grandmother.  I doodled in notebooks and branched out into macrame and jewelry making.  Woman's magazines were a source of great crafting ideas back then and if we had the supplies for something, or they were easily and cheaply obtainable, I was game to try.  

SUMMER - roots are firmly put down and opportunities arise.  This is when I learned that you can use your creative talents to make some money.  I took classes in calligraphy and stained glass and began to sell some of my designs to friends and family.  I also joined with some other crafty friends to expand our market.  We started doing "craft shows" and flea markets selling our handcrafts and crocheted items and managed to make a bit of a profit. I wish I had had a blog back then to document the crafts of the time.  Funny how I see some of these things becoming popular again on Pinterest boards and in blogs.  

FALL - Middle-age.  Still expanding my love of learning new crafts, I tried basketweaving, took decorative painting classes, and started dabbling in papercrafts.  I found another friend to partner up with and we sold our handcrafted and handpainted Christmas and decorative items at craft shows and consignment sales.  But as the family grew up, crafting slowed down, yet I never stopped.  The kids grew up and I found a new love - rubber stamping and whatever papercraft I could get my hands on. I was lucky enough to be able to create my son and daughter-in-law's wedding invitations and all my cards (Christmas, birthday, thank you, sympathy, shower, baby, etc.) are handmade.  I started carrying my camera with me wherever we went and about 6 years ago decided to start blogging and sharing my crafts and photos.  Blogging also helps me document what I'm doing or what I've done. And what a resource the internet has become.   Not only can you get ideas for new and exciting projects, you can also take courses and participate in swaps and exchanges with friends from all over the world.

WINTER - This is the stage I'm entering now (and I hope it turns out to be a long winter), but I'm not slowing down creatively.  I'm still learning new things.  A couple of years ago I took a class in Zentangles and have been greatly enjoying the relaxing and meditative state that it puts me in.  I've recently tried a few art challenges getting back to my "roots" in drawing and painting, collaging and experimenting with all kinds of art supplies.  This is in addition to my addiction to rubber stamps and pretty paper and the things that I can do with all that.  My goal is to do something creative each day, no matter how small to keep my creative juices flowing and as a therapy of sorts, to keep me centered and counteract the craziness and hectic pace of my workday in the school office.  

I like to post several times a week and one of those posts is usually a Christmas card for the Jingle Belle challenges because I've found that by doing a card a week for 11 months greatly cuts down on the holiday crunch.  

The cards that went along with my "story" were created with a new Stampin Up stamp set called Sheltering Tree.

I will be giving away this set of cards on February 15 and all you have to do is leave a comment with a way for me to contact you to be eligible.  I'll print out the comments and have HWNSNBP (He Whose Name Shall Not Be Published aka my husband) cut them up and randomly pick a winner.

So I hope you enjoyed my little story and that maybe you'll come back now and then to see what I'm up to or check out some of my older posts and see what I've done!  

Thanks Vicki, for hostessing this blogging get together!