The Opposite of Crafty

So this is the third time I've written about our annual high school buddy reunion--I've talked about how much I love these women here and here--but what I haven't admitted here in full sight of everyone with internet connection is that one of the things we do when we get together is a craft project.

Yes, we do.

Even though I am the most wildly craft-challenged person to ever pick up a glue stick, when we get together we delude ourselves into thinking we are good at this kind of thing and take one more step on the eternal quest for craft perfect. So far we have not reached that nirvana.

The first time we tried a craft was in 2007, when I found easy-peasy instructions for making a bead angel Christmas tree ornament. I will not link those instructions here, mainly because I threw gasoline on the link and burned it to the ground halfway through the frustration of trying to thread the stupid beads on the stupid wire, and the stupidness of the stupidity. Go ahead, you know how to Google. Check out any of the Web images for bead angel.

Fortunately, I did document how my own bead angel turned out.

Yes. The wings are asymmetrical, the halo is askew, and she seems to be trying to hang herself by the skeletal wire. It didn't look anything like the illustration, but at least I finished it, unlike some people I could mention (I'm glaring meaningfully at you, C! and you, D!) who almost immediately gave up on the angel and started stringing their beads into necklaces and bracelets.

Pffft.

This year it was my turn, again, to furnish the craft and I was determined that we were going to leave with a handmade remembrance of the weekend to hang on our trees. Thanks to Hobby Lobby I showed up with all kinds of suitable-for-painting wooden ornaments, paint, red-green-and-white buttons and tiny little plastic gingerbread men.

While some people were watching college football Saturday afternoon, the Fearless Four of Crafting were tackling miniature snowflakes and gloppy paintbrushes. One of us (K!) showed unusual innovation in being able to paint PLAID. I know!

After two hours, when the football game was over and we cleaned up the mess, we discovered we had created something beautiful.

As always, really, really terrible crafts. And as always, great memories.