Week 11 Mint and Story

 

This week I decided to buy some new fragrance oil, since I used up my fancy all natural kind. But instead of getting the cheaper Walmart brand I got the Better Homes & Garden brand, hoping that it wouldn't smell as cheap. Of course I couldn't decide which scents to buy, so I bought about 6 different ones, including some Christmas scents. This week I just made one candle with a "Honeysuckle & Mint" fragrance oil. I lit the vanilla and cinnamon candle from a few weeks ago and it has no scent. So far my homemade fragrances are pretty pathetic. But that's okay, because Walmart sells some good smells. 

Many of my blog posts have told the story of this occupation and other aspects of my life. My story goes back to my childhood, where I grew up doing all sorts of crafty/creative things with my mom. I am the only girl in my family, and even though my mom also taught my brothers how to sew and things, sewing and crafting was a special time for me and my mom. I always loved going to Joann's with her and seeing the endless options of things to make. I have dabbled in knitting and crocheting and can probably make anything rectangular. I have dabbled in paper crafts and back at home I have one of the original Cricut machines. Somewhat more consistently I have done sewing with a machine and by hand, and in the last few years started learning embroidery. Part of why I enjoy these occupations is seeing the results and creating a finished product. So similarly, I enjoy cooking and have learned a lot while in college and tried many recipes. These experiences have helped develop a mindset that I can make pretty much anything I see on Pinterest. The only thing stopping me from doing that is time, money, and limited attention span. So when it came time to choose a new occupation, I knew I would enjoy learning to create something. Making candles still seems so random to me, but it was one of the few crafts left that I hadn't tried. And now that I am writing this, I just realized that it is kind of a combination of crafting and cooking. What I create is not edible, but I make it while standing in the kitchen, measuring, and pouring, instead of hunched over a sewing machine. 

Another thought I had about my story is that I don't really have a specific identity within crafting/creating. Some people get really into one specific thing and identify with it. They might consider their self to be a knitter or be a crocheter, or whatever that thing is. I jump around so much and never really get super good at any one thing, so I kind of just generally identify as a crafter, but that word feels kind of lame. And it kind of makes me feel like a grandma. Someone should come up with a cool name for people who make things.