Gettin' crafty.

Growing up as the son of two elementary school teachers, I was forced to become handy with butcher paper and Elmer's glue at an early age. Sadly, that was about the extent of my artistic ability.


Over the years, Lisa and I have tried our hands at various craft endeavors. When the kids were babies, we went through a cross-stitch phase. It was fun to do and an easy activity during nap times and watching Jungle Book for the 387th time. Samplers, Christmas ornaments, seasonal wall hangings — you name it, we cross-stitched it. During the stamp madness of the early 1990s, we were right there — stamping greeting cards, lunch sacks, notebooks and anything else we could get our hands on. Then a dozen or so years ago, Lisa became a quilter. A good one, too. Her favorites were the ones using retro fabrics from the 30s, 40s and 50s. They're amazing.


But like all hobbies, life got in the way. Too much day, not enough time. And our crafting fell by the wayside.


And then I discovered Etsy — the eBay for hand-made, hand-crafted items. It is SO cool. Paper goods. Jewelry. Bags and purses. Toys. Housewares. Glass. All hand-made. Want something custom? It's here. Something old-school? No problem. Something that would make the perfect gift? Start clicking. www. Etsy.com 


No time for crafting projects? Don't worry, someone out there is still crafting away. And their happy to share their creativity with you. Enjoy.