I have heard countless people tell themselves and others that they can't make anything because they aren't creative or crafty. I simply refuse to believe that. I think we all have the ability to be creative because we were made in the image of a Creative God. It's in our DNA to be creative. You just need to discover what it is that you are creative with. Each of us has a gifting that no one else has. We are all truly unique.
Crafting is in my blood. I grew up watching my mother make whatever she could with her own hands. Raising 3 kids on her own, it was a necessity in order to save money, but her creativity was rooted in generations of hand crafting and our Pioneer heritage. She and my Grandmother taught me the importance of handmade items from the time I was able to hold a crayon. Aside from being more cost-effective, they are often one of a kind items made with love and are the best expression of your thoughtfulness when given as a gift (and quite often much more durable than store bought versions).
Everyone in our family enjoys hand-making items. I remember receiving handmade dolls from my Grandmother, handsewing all sorts of projects with my mom and whittling sticks with my uncles and brother. This love of creativity is something I work at sharing with my own four children now. My grandmother taught me how sew when I was old enough to hold a needle without doing too much damage to myself. She and my mother taught me to crochet when I was 10 and I remember being amazed as I would watch them create wonderful things all with their hands and brilliant imaginations.
I was taught to use my muscles as well as my brain to create whatever I needed. There is always a way to make it yourself. I watched my mother use her resourcefulness to find and refinish a rusty old swingset she had picked up for pennies to look exactly like the ones my siblings and I wished for at the store. Thanks to her, my family enjoys a plethera of home-cooked meals (most of them made up on the spot from whatever I can find). She taught me how to be smart and to think outside of the box and to this day I am certain this is the most important thing in my crafty toolbelt.
My love for making jewelry started in high school when I got a job as a jeweler's apprentice. That is where I was fascinated by the effects of electricity on niobium metal and learned how to polish sterling silver pieces without skinning my fingers.....well, not too much anyway. The craftsmanship and careful attention to detail I admired in my instructor's pieces is something I strive to replicate in my own jewelry designs.
I was introduced to the world of stamping and scrapbooking back in 1999 at a home demonstration for Close to My Heart stamps (then known as D.O.T.S.) . I never imagined that I would find myself one day making a living at carving stamps by hand. Completely addicted to rubber stamping, I began collecting as many as I could get my hands on. Then, like so many things that shift to the back burner when you find yourself mothering 3 small children, the hobby began to wane. It wasn't until about 2004 (another child later) that I discovered the wonderful hobby of letterboxing and was fascinated by the beautiful stamps each person carved. Inspired, I set out to acquire this skill for myself. It is an art form I never really considered even trying before, but now I simply cannot stop carving stamps. It takes patience and attention to detail, but it's a wonderful way to express your imagination and I quite enjoy the challenge of an intricate carve. While others drift off to sleep with dreamy thoughts in their brains, my imagination takes over and my head is filled with wonderful ideas of things to carve.
I have been encouraged for years by friends and family (and even a few strangers) to put my talents to use in my own business. I suppose it was inevitable. I founded lemonade sun productions with my own little shop on Etsy in November 2008. It has been a learning experience for sure, but I find it a thrilling way to do what I love and to love what I do all from the comfort of my own home so that I can be ever-present in the lives of my four kids and incredible husband. It is indeed a homemade business for handmade things. I strive for excellence in all areas from the design of a particular piece right down to my customer service. I welcome the opportunity to hear my customers' opinions so please feel free to contact me whenever you like. I hope you find something you simply cannot live without................like a burning desire to run out and create something......anything.
