“Are you a school teacher?” I get asked this a lot from store clerks lately as I pile their counters high with my carefully curated purchases.  My husband should probably worry.  My life long love of crafts and school supplies that has been squelched for years, has been UNLEASHED with the birth of our daughter!

Growing up, every September I got so excited because it meant shiny new pencil boxes and brightly colored notebooks and pens, pens and more pens!!!  (I think I’ve only kept a paper calendar all these years as an excuse to use colored pens.) As an adult, my sisters would forbid my walking down the school supply aisle in stores for fear of losing me.  And art supply/craft stores?  Forget it, I love them!  I think designing jewelry was my way of translating crafts into commerce.  However, other than my own journal writing and an occasional need for holiday stickers on jewelry sale signs, there has been no reason to purchase any of these items…until now!

Now, I have the education of my daughter to think about and she MUST have the proper paper, crayons, google eye stickers, sparkly cut out letters, furry pipe cleaners, colored pom pons and don’t forget the colored pens to ensure her future status as genius!! And thank goodness a smart mom in our neighborhood organized a “mommy school” so that monthly I can create craft packets for other kids too!  I now HAVE to spend hours on Pinterest.  I mean, I can’t show up with a lame craft…my toddler would be so embarrassed!

 

Of course I’m kidding…kind of.  I have always believed in the power of arts education and now I get to put it into practice with my own daughter.  I see how she learns words through songs, how she understands concepts through art and learns essential movement through dance.  Playing is learning for her and it’s pretty amazing!

We are lucky to live in a place where there are thousands of really cool activities every month for kids.  I am working part time so I now have time to take Parker to toddler rock concerts, art class, story time with crafts, museums with hands on exhibits, or just hang out at home and have a dance party in the living room or sit at her table and stick “googles” on everything in sight!  She shares my passion for creativity and I love it!!

So no store clerks, I’m not a school teacher…just a mom who loves the arts with a little girl who loves to make it!