A grown-up arts and crafts party

I've spent many years supervising, inspiring, teaching, helping my children with arts and crafts projects . . . always trying very hard to let them express themselves without my direction. As they scribbled, glued recklessly, cut jaggedly, and put colors together that really have no business sharing the same medium, I've wanted to open that new box of crayons, smell the rich scent of fresh clay, and try the watercolors for myself.

So, I thought, why not have a grown-up arts and crafts party?

I invited some friends to join me at Dunwoody Nature Center for brunch and crafts. We made pomanders, filled glass balls with silk flower petals and tied organdy ribbons into bows around their stems. I collected a variety of natural materials from the park grounds and we made angels, snowmen, nests, and other treats out of prickly gumballs, pinecones, pieces of fallen bark, seed pods, evergreens, and more. We beaded icicles and whirligigs, wrapped wool roving around balls for felting later on, and generally had a marvelous time.

As each guest left with her creations in paper bags, we agreed that our time together had been relaxing, creative, and a nice diversion during the holidays.

Definitely doing this again next year!