Things to Make and Do, Crafts and Activities for Kids

March 2011

Chocolate Dessert Cups

These beautiful pastel chocolate cups at
Cheeky Kitchen are surprisingly easy to
make and would be a great addition to
a party or holiday gathering.

03/28/2011 in Edibles, Family, Party Ideas, Spring Crafts, Valentine's Day Crafts | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just realized last night that today is The Crafty Crow's third anniversary! Honestly, it feels longer than that but probably because I’ve been blogging for six years so I wanted to share a few thoughts with you and I hope you will indulge me :)

One of the things that I am becoming more and more aware of the longer I blog is the issue of information overload. I adore the internet, I really do - I am still constantly amazed at the information that it can provide without ever leaving your home and for an introvert like me it's a wonderful thing! As a kid, if I needed to know something I really only had two or three resources for an answer - my parents, books (at home or the library), and teachers. Basically, if my parents didn't know the answer then I pulled out our encyclopedias and looked it up. If the answer wasn't there then, well, that was that. Now, finding out the answer to something isn't a problem at all, the problem is that there are too many answers and weeding through the good and the bad information becomes all-consuming. I have many interests and am continually trying to educate myself on a variety of topics but with so much information my head sometimes feels like it is going to spin off my neck like a top! My reason for telling you this is that when you visit here I hope not to add to your information overload. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed each day with a ton of ideas and if you're like me, inadequate, in not being able to do more, more! more!! I try to post ideas that are simple yet creative, doable by beginners, enjoyable for everyone, and inexpensive. I love for you to be able to make use of recyclables and natural items and find the joy in crafting and creating with your children even if you don’t have much space or experience. I try to post a variety of projects that will appeal to all ages and interests, and while I make an effort not to post too many similar crafts I adore seeing a new spin on an old favorite. There are thousands of ideas in the archives and I hope you will explore them when you are looking for a new project to try.

Everyday I am grateful to be a part of the arts and crafts blogging community and it has brought opportunities that I never dreamed possible. When I became a single mom I wanted to be able to continue homeschooling and spending as much time as possible with my kids, so trying to generate an income by working online became a very exciting option. Did I know anything about blogging, graphic design, html, digital photography, social media, online marketing, advertising? Uh uh. Nothing. No technological education or experience whatsoever because, yes, I am that old. But, I read and researched and experimented and I’m still here, six years later, blogging, with a reasonable amount of knowledge in those areas that lets me do what I want to do. I have exciting things on the horizon that always present a new learning curve but that’s life isn’t it? At the same time, not a day goes by where I don't feel stretched to the limit and disappointed that I wasn't able to do more. Not a day. My kids are growing faster than I'm comfortable with and the bittersweet feelings that accompany that remind me that my time with them is fleeting and precious so I am evermore conscious of making that time a priority. I do the best I can to balance it all but invariably something slips and I’m afraid one of those things is communicating with you. It pains me not to be able to respond to all of your emails, to leave comments on your lovely blogs, to update Facebook and Twitter and participate in the larger crafting community but I do read everything and cherish your comments and thoughts and I hope you know that.

The older I get I realize that I only have so much time in my day to offer and as much as I'd like to believe that I'm stretching time it really just snaps back to get me later on mentally or physically. I am still working on the art of balance and that is as much learning what you can do as what you can’t. If you feel the same way I hope you will work on finding balance too.

Thank you for taking some of your valuable time to read this and every moment you spend here on The Crafty Crow and communicating with me. And, as always, I would love to know what you would like to see more of in the future or ways that I can make The Crafty Crow the first stop in your crafting adventures.