craftlandia

Feast your eyes upon the balance board that I made for my family for Christmas. Yes, I made it! And yes, those zig zags are nothing more than duct tape painstakingly applied over a much longer time than one would think necessary, something I could never have seen through til the late-night end without the support of friends who came over to drink wine and make balance boards with me.

It's weird that it took me this long to organize some adult crafting. I love making stuff with my kids, but that requires valuing process over product, flexibility, tolerating messes, and navigating the limits of their patience. Making things with an adult crowd is so different. I can indulge my perfectionist tendencies! And laugh at them with friends--while still refusing to slow down the perfectionist train!

I was probably inspired in some way by Crafternoon, a book and terrific concept (which is, as far as I understand it, getting together to make stuff with your friends) promoted by the best pal of one of our best pals. Of course, with little ones around, crafternoons are not always possible. But post-bedtime crafting? Some encrafted evening? A craftastic night? Lordy, somebody stop me. But you get my meaning: it was super fun. I'll do it again.



I say this even though we recently watched the first season of Portlandia (now streamable on Netflix). I laughed so hard I cried, especially during certain sketches that hit way close to home. I don't live in Portland. I don't freak out over whether my fresh pasta is locally and organically made. But during one episode a dumpster diving couple cries when no one will come to their dinner party (again!), at which they're serving lentil cabbage stew with cumin. This after a (cross-dressed, absurd) woman can't get in the mood because she's confronted with a large cardboard box on the floor beside the bed. All that packaging! What a waste! So she leaps up to make a hat and halter top from the bubble wrap. The self-recognition made it all doubly hilarious. Painfully so. Let's face it, the sad truth is I can't stand to let a cardboard box head out in the recycling without making something out of it.

But really, look at that kid playing with the balance board. Yesterday she told a long, serpentine tale to herself using the board as a prop and general story-stoker. It was all about an orphan girl and boy who are very very poor and have to fend for themselves in the big scary world. There were rags involved. Also going barefoot and living off of bananas and crumbs. But then the two find a cow, learn to milk it, start making yogurt, and everything gets better from there.

She's doubtlessly inspired by classic themes of parent-less children and triumphant self-reliance from children's literature, and maybe also by my latent urban homesteading fantasies. Or love of cardboard boxes - though I don't think the children made themselves a house out of cardboard. At least not in this story.

This was when the girl and boy have to swim across a cold, treacherous lake.

The end was happy, despite what this pensive gesture suggests.

I was watching Frances, lost in her story and surfing that simple board, surrounded by so many pointless toys, and it hit me: less is more. 

Friends, I propose less stuff and more stories in 2012. And more lentil stews and more recycled craft projects too! Just let me know when you're ready to come over.

p.s. Have you liked Homemade Time on Facebook yet? Please do!