An itch that I cannot scratch....Crafter’s syndrome

Getting ready to fly back to US after my marriage when I popped my bag of paints into my already overflowing luggage, little did I know that I was embarking on a rather perilous road.My dad says that I have always been one for puttering around and doing something creative or the other. From pop-up cards for my brother’s birthday to miniature new year cards for all my favourite colleagues,I have used every birthday as an excuse to think up ideas for a handmade cards for my folks.I still remember a terrible card I made when I was in 3rd standard with white chart paper , a strange velvety flower ,some fresh leaves from our garden alongwith the odd bead or two…and my mom displayed that card for years in her living room even after the flowers and the leaves were long dead and black.Blame it all on her for she was the one who had me painting from the time I can remember,wud churn out roses made from any oddly shaped cloth,baked and iced the most marvelous cakes I ever remember having seen,taught me how to make flower prints with a lady;s finger,dabbled in every craft imaginable and whatever she left untouched ,am currently dabbling in.(also blame her for having induced the reading habit in me ) and blame it on my dad who never thought of discouraging her or me.

But never in my life have I had that continuous itch to do some kinda crafting on a daily basis except in the last few months.And I blame it all on my DH(darling hubby).For some reason ,he decided that am happiest when am doing something creative….and for that reason he wud nag me(yes,nag!!!) me to paint every weekend.I don’t claim to be marvelous at painting but I can draw a tree and not have people ask me if that is a man.And one day while I was deep in thought and planning on dabbling in a craft sometime far in the future,DH asked me what I was thinking abt.I made the mistake of telling him abt that craft and how I wanted to do it sometime in my life….Two days later I found myself whisked off to a craft store and presented with supplies for the craft by a very determined man who refused to listen to any of my protests or doubts abt my abilities.

Am no shopaholic but there is something abt a craft supplies store that makes me go loopy…and so loopy that the thought of the craft store is enuf to make me bounce on my office chair with excitement.I positively love that shop…. Oooooh..I love it so much.I invariably have this urge to take a cart and run down the aisles pulling things into the cart with both hands….Wow!!!The ultimate dream…My normally sophisticated self begins to say things like "Gaa-gaa,goo-goo,peep-peep” and makes me smile at my husband the way my Manager’s 2 year old smiles at me when I make funny faces at her..I can walk into the loveliest clothing store,shoe shop ,even the book shop and walk out without spending anything more than a couple of wistful sighs. But in a craft store, I lose it all. I whiz around ,determined to make the most of my time there.All my five senses work together.In case u are wondering what my sense of taste has to do with some yarn and beads,well, u shud see me drool when I walk into that shop.

I drool the way I did when I first walked into the LA public library and found out that the membership was free,reading books was free,and there was no limit to the number of books u cud check out.The fact that the library is located right behind my office was just the cherry on top. J Sigh!! To quote the bag lady in Chicken soup,God spoils me.

I have heard crafters talk abt their “stash” of supplies and how they are guilty of buying beautiful supplies knowing that they cud make something out of it…and I used to think wistfully abt how I don’t have a stash and dreamt of a white room with lots of drawers and shelves all painted white,with my “stash” all neatly organized and a lovely large table at the right height with lots of proper lighting….and then I chanced upon my next hobby and the dreadful man who indulges me in a way no crafter shud be indulged promptly presented me with supplies for it….and then I was determined not to let him spoil me anymore and decided to finish off my supplies before I bot anymore…I told myself firmly I will not even think of the craft store until I use up my supplies and for some time I was pretty successful….
Unfortunately I have a habit of showing him an idea before I work on it…and that goes for all my hobbies (except cooking cos the man simply cannot read a recipe and figure out if it will be delicious or not)….And so when some of his favorites which he wanted me to work on were put on hold cos I did not have the right colors ,he promptly dragged me to the craft store to get them…
Now to all those women out there who are sighing in envy, let me tell u the man knows what is good for him and what is not…while he willingly takes me to the craft store he also keeps a sharp eye on me to make sure I don’t disappear inside a basket of wool or decide to take home one each of every single item the shop has on sale …Like my dear friend across the seas once put it “ Anup keeps a check on you cos he knows that if he doesn’t some day u are gonna tell him “Sir,wud u please move out of this apartment?The space you are occupying can be used to store 3 boxes of beads,4 ball of wool and 5 bottles of paint””.Chuckle!!!!She has never met me but she knows me so well….

And then one day as I was tidying the house I realized that I have a stash !!!and I have developed the crafter’s syndrome …the tendency to pick every single little thing that u see and instead of deciding if u need it or not,u wonder if u can make something out of it…I find myself having to resist picking up a piece of sparkly paper fluttering on the road. I also learnt that no matter what u do,craft supplies never stay tidy…they are invariably messed up………Most crafters I know have a very messy working area which try as they may invariably ends up in a disorder….Including my mom..when she started a project,every flat surface in the vicinity wud be covered with her supplies and more than once I have had dinner admiring bottles of paint and stuff….
I keep telling myself that someday when I have my white room,my supplies shall be kept in order and all marked and I wont have to pull out one thing just to get to another…and mama and I shall work together in our craft room …wow!!!amazing dream and someday I shall do it….But for now I have managed to tidy up my stash and am determined to use it up and not buy another thing …well…except that bottle of glue and varnish I shall buy today that I really need to put something together with the supplies I bought yday…Dont laugh!!!...Honestly,I need those or the supplies from yday cant be used….!!!