My Grandma

My beautiful, sweet Grandma went to be with my Grandpa and to meet Jesus yesterday. I feel very lucky to have known my Grandma for 28 years. We were very close and she is definitely a woman who inspires me.

(My Grandma pictured with her daughters: my Mom and Aunt)

You may remember me mentioning that my grandma was an artist. I certainly got the majority of my art appreciation from her. What I find marvelous about this woman was her ability to look at absolutely anything and find the beauty in it. Often when I was younger, the fabric of my dresses would catch Grandma's eye, and she would point it out to me saying, "look here how these beautiful colors swirl together." No matter how many times she saw the same dress, she would act like it was the prettiest thing she had ever seen.

(Me and Grandma)

She had such an appreciation for flowers and would stop to look at the bright colors, or to smell them. She would even stoop to pick them despite our warnings that we did not want her to fall. She just wanted a small trinket from the earth that, in my opinion, would never come close to matching her beauty.

(Grandma appreciating the outdoors)

She loved to hum and sing. I feel very lucky to have one my earliest memories be of me and Grandma sitting on the porch swing at her house rocking. She would sing and hum to me and say to me "penny for your thoughts." As she became older, she would hum all the time. She was content to sit and hum for hours. Sometimes when I watched her hum, I thought it was almost like she was remembering lots of wonderful memories of younger years...

(Grandma helping us sew- she was a wonderful seamstress.)

Grandma was proud. She had 3 children (1 son and 2 daughters), I feel like there may have been no greater joy for her than to watch her children have their own children and in turn, watch the grandchildren grow. There were countless ballet recitals that she attended, she used to drive me to ballet practice a lot. She always listened to classical music and even made a beautiful etching of my ballet shoes.

(My Mom and Grandma)

Grandma loved animals. Animals LOVED Grandma! My dog Tulah, rivaled all the other dogs in the family for the prime spot to sit: on Grandma's warm lap. Grandma always had room for every animal big, or small and always had time to pet or cuddle an animal. When Tulah was a puppy, Grandma would say over and over again, "I could just put this little doggie in my pocket."

(My brother with Tulah, Grandma with Sofie, and me)

(Grandma and the Easter Bunny -yup, that's me dressed up)

She was a true woman, no matter the occasion. She always looked beautiful and was rarely caught without lipstick. Her nails were painted a bright pink, and she would sit with a slight smile on her face and her legs crossed at the ankles.

(My Grandma, Mom and me on my Wedding Day)

One thing is for sure, Grandma will be dearly missed. It has only been a day, but it already feels like it's been too long. I am happy for my Grandma to know that she is in Heaven with my Grandpa. I am grateful for our close relationship and all of that wonderful memories I have of her. These words certainly do not do her justice, but it makes me feel better. Thanks for reading and for your prayers.

(Grandma blowing a kiss)

I love you, Grandma.

Inspiration Comes Full Circle

Hi all! I seriously love it when I hear from people who have tried something that I also tried. Most of the time I am inspired by other people, magazines and tv, so when I hear people are inspired by lil' ole' me, I get all twitterpated and it makes me smile real big from ear to ear.

Here is an example of one such person who made me smile today! Kim at Cheap Chic Home showed me her take on the alphabet balls that I previously made. She did a great job and while you're checking out her adorable blog, feast your eyes on her candlestick revamp turned cloche base. I love it!

PS: If you have tried anything that you found on my blog, I would LOVE to see it! Leave me a comment or send me an email at redheadscraftmorefun@gmail.com. I love celebrating creativity with you!

Don't Agonize, Organize!

We've heard it before: “Don't agonize, organize”. Yet here I am agonizing. Could it be the agony in my lower back, after spending hours sitting on the floor in my living room? Yes. I recently received a BUNCH of crafting items from my Aunt and Grandma. Look at all the goodies I scored!



How do I organize it all?? It's official- I am going to need to create a crafting space in my house. Call the hubby- he has some dry-walling to do! I would love a place like this. I don't think that will happen anytime soon. I will just have to improvise.

I may not have a "crafting space," but I certainly do have all the supplies to fill the place including these adorable cans from the original crafter of my family, my darling Grandma! These will definitely have a special place front and center in my (future) crafting station.



I had to chuckle because if you look closely in the picture above, you will see the cute duck-shaped pencil holder, hand-crafted by my wonderful Grandpa. It comes complete with scribbles on the sides, crafted by one of the grandchildren many moons ago (maybe it was me?). I can't wait for that little guy to sit next to grandma's cans. The thought of it "quacks" me up. (Get it? hehehe)

All this organizing led me to a grateful moment. I am lucky to come from such a "crafty" family. My grandmother, the artist; my grandfather, the woodworker; my mother, the fellow red headed crafter (she used to own her own crafty store); and my father, the fixer-upper of anything. (Just to name a few.) Where would I be without these people to inspire me?

What inspires you? Leave a comment and let me know!