 | There are few words in the English language that elicit as many images as the words "craft" or "crafts". There is a person's craft which embodies passion, dedication, skill, experience, knowledge and most of all talent. The word "craftsmanship" is derived from this sort of craft and it makes us think of time-honored traditions, attention to detail, expert finishings and general perfection. Normally, with this type of craft, we associate years of training, a studio or professional workspace and high quality supplies and tools. Under this category, we might find Woodworking, Fine Jewelry, Stained Glass, Weaving, Pottery, etc. Always, though, it is a vocation that has been honed to a fine art. In fact, we don't tend to call the people who practise their craft, crafters, do we? We call them Artists thereby granting them a special level of authority. There are Arts & Crafts which may bring to mind all sorts of hobbies; time well spent in the pursuit of interests using one's imagination, creativity and supplies that might be borrowed, recycled or bought. This category may be divided into many sub-categories such as Paper Crafts, Needle Crafts, Kids' Crafts, Computer Crafts, etc. Arts & Crafts may conjure visions of books being altered, beads being strung, clay being rolled through a pasta machine or even spray painted maccaroni being lovingly glued onto paper plates. This enormous category contains crafts that don't even include the word crafts in their names such as, Cake Decorating, Painting, Floral Arranging, Beading, Wood Burning, etc. With these types of crafts we imagine kitchen or dining room tables strewn with supplies and half-finished projects sitting in the midst of a bustling household and waiting for those elusive twenty minutes that can be given over to them. These are the Crafters; the people who dream of having a full week just to work on their crafts but who know that life demands much more of them than that. This site is dedicated to all Crafters; the people who find such joy in stealing a few moments from their busy lives to create smiles, memories and endless joy for those they hold dear. Crafters - everyday artists who may be held back by life but never by their creativity or passion. Here's to you! |