Inspired

When I was young- like 8, 9, 10 I was always creating something. I remember going with my mother to places like Hancock Fabrics & looking at page after page of patterns for dresses. (That she'd make me, of course...)

We melted crayola crayons in the oven, made magnets out of beads, friendship bracelets out of bright thread. Once, I was really into making frames- hot gluing trinkets and ribbon and jewels to basic plastic photo frames. Then, it was bears. I'd make clothing for stuffed bears and dress them in "costumes:" Ballerina, Princess, Nurse. Always feminine roles these creations of mine, always girlie and pink.

I remember using puff paint on t-shirts, spatter paint on pajamas, and sewing by number.

Even now, when I see these numerically coordinated threads I just want to buy buy buy- and I have never even sewn. I mean I can sew on a button, but that is about it.

This weekend Chris and I did some back to school shopping in New Jersey at the Van Huesen outlet. While driving about and wandering through the suburbs we happened upon a place called AC Moore. Sort of like Michael's or Hobby Lobby (in the South) or Lee's Art World and Sam Flax (in NYC.) So, in addition to spending money on dress slacks and khakis and polo shirts and ties, we also purchased some canvases and charcoal pencils and glue and paint brushes and carving knives.

Then, The Chambers' were so excited and so ready to create and make that we were up until the wee hours of the morning Sunday morning rearranging our apartment and creating an "art space" in the far corner of our living room. It's a good space and we've already put it to use- rubber cement, wood shavings, and yarn abound. Why didn't we think of this earlier?

There is just something about having a space to create in, a space that I don't mind leaving in disarray- because it is a work space, afterall. If it happens to contain large windows that overlook the East River and out down First Avenue to the United Nations Building and the Chrysler Building & hundreds of tiny windows across the Upper East Side- it's quite a blessing; quite an inspiration.