Have we met?

Hi, I’m Dale.

Jeff and I make things and always have, even before we met, which was in 1980. I would visit Jeff at work, while we were dating, and he would be making miniature furniture from scrap wood, or trees from copper wire, while on break. Might have seemed odd to some, but I was learning batik, pottery, weaving, photography, etc, in school, at the time. Arts and crafts had become a lifeline in my teenage angsty years. So, I adored all the cute, interesting stuff he made, and it all seemed quite normal. I was really young.

Since then, I have made, designed, and sold soft sculptured dolls, handmade paper, and altered books. Once, I made seven inch dolls which nestled inside of paper boats, made from my handmade paper. They were very cute…hmmm, if only sites like Etsy were around back then. Our family use to sell Jeff’s bamboo walking sticks at renaissance festivals. My daughter made all of our costumes as Christmas presents one year. They were beautiful, and I felt beautiful while wearing mine.

Now, I am surrounded by all things Jeff makes and builds for me and/or the house. I fall in love with every piece the first time I see them. Of course, this encourages him to make more. Somehow we always find room.

Being makers lends it self, easily, to serious DIY tendencies (diy = do-it-yourself). A case in point would be homeschooling our three grown children from beginning up until they started classes at our local college. Why?...basically because I could. And, I’m a bit selfish. I had romanticized about the idea of homeschooling when I read an article about it in Mothering magazine. My oldest was one. It was one of the most liberating things I have done so far, and luxurious.

This is all so nostalgic; I prefer a more forward thinking mindset to be in. So, to finish, this is Jeff and I in a tiny nutshell. There is so much more, though…