The Craft Of Crafting

Not until you become an adult do you realize how much your childhood shaped your life. I have always been drawn to art, in my younger years it was something magical about coloring, glue, glitter and scissors! As a mother I see the same light in my daughter’s eyes when a project calls for scissors. Think about the fun as a child; to cut out different construction piece shapes, to form a new unique piece or, strips to add legs/ arms to an animal but in my case a heart person for Valentine’s Day. In middle school I remember getting in trouble for constantly sketching/ doodling in class. I remember the times I did not want to draw much attention by going to the pencil sharpener. Unfortunately, I did not have a sharpener but a pair of scissors to quickly touch up my pencil. As an adult scissors are a constant part of my life, whether an assignment/ project for my child, opening boxes/packages, sharpening chalk or perfecting bows or cellophane with gift baskets, handcrafted mugs and candy bouquets.

In the day of instant, whether it is an instant text message/ email, food heated in minutes, social media outlets and now electronic gift cards we are slowly losing that intimate connection. Gifts have lost their magic and appreciation for thought put in, is now becoming a relic of the past. Cash app, PayPal, Venmo and Electric Gift Cards/ Gift Cards are now the popular go-to to send a gift. I however refuse to cave into this new wave. I believe in craftmanship, time and in making an impression. Gift baskets are my specialty that as well as, Handcrafted Mugs and Candy Bouquets. I know when people hear gift baskets they think “what’s so special about a gift basket?” There is so much more than just stuffing a basket/ box with an arrangement of goodies. I differ, one because I do not care as much about the profit but more about the impression made on the recipient. Two, I want it to fit your budget that is why I allow the customer to set the price. My goal is to make the end result look double even triple the value you invested, so you can beam proudly as you give it to that special person. Each Gift Basket, Hand Crafted Mug and Candy Bouquet is a piece of art. I can ensure you no two items look the same, there is some change tailor- made for that special person.

Tissue Paper, Cellophane, Ribbons and hot glue oh my! It is something thrilling about a new order. After discussing the details and creating the budget, that is when the fun really begins. I juggle between online and instore, so as items are delivered, I use scissors to open the boxes, with instore items if they have unsightly prices and or retail hang holes, I use scissors to remove them. Now I try to involve my various artistic backgrounds in my products. For instance, my sketching, I hand paint my mugs and sometimes sign décor; so, I use paint markers and chalk markers and sometimes standard chalk. I always use scissors to shape up my chalk, doing so allows me to perfect lines and control my chalk more. Sometimes construction paper is used, I had one client who wanted a mini cookie display for a male travel agent. I thought, how about mini suitcases stuffed with mini chocolate chip cookies. I got small gift boxes, cut out construction sheets of paper to size, shaped it around the boxes, then I cut out leather ribbon for accents and for the handles, I added different travel stickers and finish with cutting and wrapping cellophane and adding a leather bow. The client and recipient loved it! I honestly think my favorite part of each product is the wrapping and the bow. Cutting the cellophane and or trimming the top, then cutting and forming the bow is like an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence. You look at your piece of art with admiration and pride and think “It’s complete!”

Winning this prize is so detrimental to me. Interwoven Favors is a vision that I hope upon reading this entry you will see I am extremely passionate about. Gift Baskets started as a way of extra income during Christmas 2019, but I got so many great reviews and loved it so much I wanted to make it a business. However, Covid-19 hit and brought things to a screeching halt. I created my website, printed brochures, business cards and I was eager to get out there starting with vending events, but they were canceled, the world paused, and my state of Maryland shut down. I still try to keep faith. When my state started lifting restrictions and vending events became available, I tried but they were not successful. We vendors were ready for the world to open up, but the world was not ready for us. I tried Etsy but got lost in the competition. I even tried the app “NextDoor” in hopes for some local support but that flopped. I will admit at times I get frustrated, but I understand in a time where death is at the foreground, lines go for miles at food banks and people fear of being evicted. A gift basket is not even an option. Yet, I hold on to my dream of opening a store at “The National Harbor.” I look at my business being successful as inspiration to my beautiful daughter who looks up to me, who is proud of me and who even emulates me. Yes, she is obsessed with D.I.Y. videos on YouTube and every time I’m crafting she’s sneaking supplies and trying her own spin, it makes me smile. That is how I create my own happiness. Thank so much!