The arts have it

It’s been nearly a year since a simple facebook post ignited a surge of creative endeavors.

It read like this: The first five people to comment on this status will receive a homemade gift from me throughout the year. They must repost this status and too make five homemade gifts for the first five people to comment on their status.

It’s pay it forward, art-style.

The five folks who signed up were as unique as they were distantly located – so I needed some extra time to process proper gifts. I was a bit unprepared, so I created the simple above-pictured mixed media painting to air my apprehensions before getting down to business.

The first handmade items completed were for my friend Lauren, a Northern Ireland resident who was about to get married. I made an espresso body scrub to be used on her wedding day. It provided both soft skin and a boost of energy needed for special day exhaustion. I also threw in a homemade candle, red and white to symbolize lovely-dovey stuff.

(As an aside, I tested out the body scrub product before sending it, stupidly at 9 p.m. I was up until nearly 6 a.m. Conclusion: I found the gift to be effective).

My second attempt at art was a painting made for my friend Corki – a serpent for a serpent. 

The third gift soon followed, and I must admit, I had help on this one. For Jaleh, a librarian and fellow book nerd, I commissioned Jeremy’s help in making her an invisible bookshelf, courtesy of instructables.

The fourth gift was a new attempt for me. Finding a strange looking toy at the thrift store, I turned it into a snow globe. It’s weird, so am I, and so is my friend Tom, so it seemed like a good fit. The use of glitter proved troublesome though. It’s been said that glitter is the herpes of craft supplies and five months later, I’m still finding it in places I simply shouldn’t.

For my final art attempt, I collected sticks for a few weeks on my daily walks with Skydog to create a flower vase for my BFF and bona fide earth goddess, Crystal. After she received it, she commented that she’d like to live in house like that someday. It will take a few more walks, but I’ll see if I can make it happen dear friend. Perhaps that will be next year’s art endeavor.

I received a special piece of art from STL’s own Jeff Miller well before I started my projects. And Jeremy, who also signed up to create five homemade gifts, has yet to finish his. But, the year’s not quite over, and sliding in minutes before deadline is par for the course with a house full of journalists.

Deadlines are kind of our thing; art, however, is everyone’s thing.