How I discovered cardmaking: Part 1

When my grandmother split from my grandfather I was 9 years old; she raised me while my mother worked. Up until that point my grandmother was primarily a house wife: cooking all morning, cleaning and son on. I cannot remember what she did in the afternoons after lunch was ready. But after her split she got a new life... a crafty life. She enrolled in dancing classes, gym classes, baking classes, felt ornaments, polymer clay, fabric flowers among others. She was busy every other day of the week. In the afternoons after the dining table was cleaned from lunch she would set up her "craft station" and do her "homework", sometimes my mother would join and they seemed to have a blast.

Not once in almost 20 years I would join them, I don't know why exactly. I was a book worm and rather go to the shared bedroom we had and read a book, and when I went to college I was very busy with Engineering School. I didn't see the point of crafting back then, I also thought it was something only old ladies did, and mostly I didn't think I was born "crafty". Now that my grandmother is no longer here I regret that I never bonded with her in that area.

The times I made something crafty in my life were very few and remember them clearly. The first time was in kindergarten: I made a chest of drawers with matchboxes and a small mirror, when I was 6 years old I made a doll with toilette paper and a black marker while watching my mother sewed, about that time I also made a house shaped card and used a scalloped napkin for the roof.

When I was about 8 years old I made a paper angel with a template that came in a magazine in the Sunday newspaper. I tried to recreate here:

When I was 10 or 11 years old I made a tall Christmas card with a circle cut out and wrapping paper behind it, and in the front a snow made with a laundry detergent paste!

And then.... NOTHING else for many years.

At the beginning of 2011 I got engaged and had about 9 months to prepare my wedding. I had BIG plans, but when I got quotes from the vendors everything was way more expensive than I anticipated so I had to make cuts and then something I never would have imagined.... DIY. In retrospective if I had the money to pay for everything ready made I would have, but instead I was forced to try it myself and to my surprise I enjoyed it!

To be continued...

XOXO,

María J. Guevara