When Carrie was a little girl I made sure to keep photos of my family around where she could see them on a regular basis. The majority of my family lived in another state, and I wanted her to be able to recognize Grandma Marti and Aunt Valerie when we'd have the chance to visit them once or twice a year. One of her favorite things to do as a very little girl was to look through photo albums. She would point to the photos, smile and say, "Uncle Ron!" or "Britny!" and it would make me so happy that she knew they were our people - people who loved her and who she loved back.
♥
My friend Judy wanted to make a small scrapbook for her sweet little granddaughter, Harper. She wasn't sure where to start, so we got together last month and I offered a helping hand. Judy brought paper, and photos of Harper's cousins and aunts and uncles, and we sat in my craft space for a Saturday evening and played with paper. Bliss! And red wine.
It had been a long time since I helped someone put a scrapbook together, and it was such a sweet surprise to be in that space again. It was so fun to see Judy enjoy the process so much, to teach her how to use a paper punch turned upside down to get the most out of a piece of paper, and to show her how to use a tape runner. Yes, it works "just like white out." :o)
But the super cool part of helping Judy was hearing later how much Harper loved her scrapbook - how she stopped and looked at each picture and then looked up and smiled. Her grandma had given her a very special little book with photos of her people. People who love her and who she loves back.
Part two of this post is that Judy came over on a recent weekend and taught me how to knit. We've been talking about this for a while now, because I have become attached to washing dishes with a knitted dish cloth. All of the dish cloths in our stash have been knitted by Judy and while they have all worn very well, it's time for a new round. So we sat out at our patio table, and Judy taught me how to knit and I loved every stitch of it!
While I was in the middle of dish-cloth-number-two later that afternoon, I received a text and photo from Judy. She was making another book, this time with the help of her daughter and daughter-in-law, and it made me feel so happy knowing that they were enjoying that craft together, making another book for a grandson this time.
I'm so happy that Judy and I were able to trade crafting lessons.
And gosh, I am so glad that Judy is one of my people.
And gosh, I am so glad that Judy is one of my people.
♥
15 comments:
First of all, well done on the knitting! such a gorgeous bright colour to help you along. And now if you can knit I have absolutely no excuse for not giving crochet another try :)
That lovely album reminded me that when TTO was a little boy his favourite toy for a while was a photo album of his Uncle Dave who was living in L.A. at the time
I remember knitting dish cloths for my nan when I was little but I've never knitted any for myself. You've both done a great job with your new crafts and this post certainly shows that although crafters seem to have the least time they are the most generous when it comes to sharing their crafts with others x
Such a lovely fun way for you both to learn a new craft.
Cuuuute. I love Judy. And you.
Hoping I get one or two knitted dishcloths in my stocking this year! ;)
It is nice to live close to another crafter to help each other learn something new. Beats having to pay for a class.
This is what I love about our Coffee and Crafts group, one or two teaching us or occasionally we all muddle through together. Your knitting looks great, it is a lost cause for me
Don't you love it when a plan comes together? The album looks amazing, as does your knitting (something that has defeated me many times ...)
How cool! I use crocheted dishcloths! Love them!
Isn't it fabulous to pass on something that you love and gives you immense pleasure on to someone else. The gift of knowledge is such a precious thing.
I still want to learn how to knit, but I think it might not be in my skill set. Last yer, I helped my friend Molly put together an album with the Christmas cards photos she and her family have sent out for the last 20 years (for her husband). They both loved it.
Rinda
How nice....I've been wanting to knit for years now but I don't really have anyone to teach me. I'm always keeping my eye out for a place to take knitting lessons. Ha! LOVE the scrapbooking. We made a similar photo album for Sophie when she was much smaller.....and she still looks at it from time to time!
Well done on the knitting! I've never thought of knitted washclothes. I must make a few with some of those odd balls in my stash.
What fun! Keeping photos of Skylar and Caleb front and center has seemed to help both of them stay tuned in. They were together this weekend for the first time in four months, and immediately connected. So cool to watch two year olds exclaim the other's name!
How wonderful! You not only taught each other something new, but it has spread the love to others too and also given Judy the chance to share a new skill with her own family.
Crafting really can bring the world together!
What wonderful gifts to give each other!
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