Crafting with Seniors

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Today I conducted my first crafting class with the members of the Dorchester Senior Center where I saw some familiar faces from last week and met a few new ones. By way of introducing myself to them, I brought along some samples of my previous work so everyone could acquaint themselves with what I do and to show them the variety of possibilities inherent in card making. Because Friday afternoon is somewhat slow at the center, only a few members stayed around for the class. This actually turned out to be a good thing. It allowed me to give everyone individualized attention but, more importantly, it allowed me to observe and slowly maneuver through their physical limitations. This information will help me put together projects that suits their abilities and gives them a sense of accomplishment.

I had pre-cut most of the pieces at home and organized everything into individual kits that I distributed to everyone along with a set of instructions and a photo of the completed project. However I deliberately left some things undone so I could see how they carried out the necessary tasks. Right away I discovered that a most of them can't see well enough or do not have the dexterity to cut anything out with a scissors. Also they tend to move more slowly than I anticipated. This is good information for me to have for future crafting sessions. Now I know where I have to make some modifications to allow everyone full access to my projects.

This was a new learning experience for me that I found very satisfying. The seniors came away with a pretty little card and I came away with a whole new perspective. To see the card they created this week, check out the blog post just before this one.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

The Joys of Card Swapping and RTU's

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When I was first introduced to the world of online craft groups, I was interested in the practice of swap challenges. This is when participants create an item according to certain guidelines such as specified color(s), theme, layout, technique, etc. It was an opportunity for us crafters to try something new, share it with others of our own ilk and get some feedback on our work. The group I was member of for nearly two years recently shut down and its moderator suggested we join Paper Craft Planet if we were interested in continuing to swap, a suggestion which I took. In the past two weeks I have participated in two challenges and the results are pictured here. These are all examples of challenges where you have to create a card based on a specified layout or "sketch". The first two cards were created for the same challenge. You can see how the placement of the elements in both cards is the same but the colors and themes are totally different. The third card is for a different sketch challenge that required that the central element be a heart in addition to using the specified layout.

This last card is an excellent example of how you can use little things you may have laying around in your craft stash to create a beautiful card. I like to experiment with different techniques and new materials in order to get a feel for them. Some of my efforts end up in the trash but some of them I like so much that I can't bear to toss them even though they were meant only for practice. I call those pieces RTU which means Ready-To-Use. That is the case with the inked and embossed chipboard heart on this card. It was a successful experiment that was lying around in my stash and perfectly fit in with the requirements of this particular sketch challenge. The polka dot ribbon came from last year's box of Valentine's chocolates and the velveteen stripes were created with redline tape and Fun Flock over striped wallpaper.

Are you a crafter? Do you have a stash of RTU's waiting to be "discovered", or perhaps you have already created works of beauty using little bits of this and that? If you have a photo gallery with pictures of your work, please share them with me through your commnents. I'd love to see them. Thanks.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva