Hello! My name is JoElle and I live and create in Madison, WI with my husband and kitty, Maisy. I am a mom, daughter, sister, wife, cook, student, writer, amateur decorator and crafter. The name of this blog, A Crafty Composition, is me in a nutshell. I’ve played many roles in my life, but the one common thread is my desire… no, my NEED to create. I grew up in a home where creativity was always encouraged. My Mom is a ‘Jane of all crafts’. She’s dabbled in ceramics, macrame, upholstery, watercolors, paper mache and even wig styling! She is an amazing floral designer, has a keen eye for antiques and has sewn enough outfits to dress a small town. Her mother, my grandmother, was a hairdresser for a short time, preferred oil painting and was truly the most AMAZING seamstress I have ever met. She was a perfectionist and I do believe you could wear any of her handmade dresses inside out and nobody would be the wiser.
She actually sewed an entire dress and matching hat out of crepe paper. . . CREPE PAPER! I mean….I’m pretty sure I could count on one hand the number of people in the world with that kind of skill and patience. It was for a May Day celebration…and it was beautiful!
All these creative juices, one way or another, flowed down through me and some of my earliest and fondest memories are of making things. From sewing to scrapbooking, print making to cooking, paper collage to building furniture – it all satisfies my need to create with my own two hands. Crafting is my happy place. I can get lost in it and forget…. well, pretty much everything – like… dinner and doing laundry. Everything else just melts away and it is all about textures and colors and ideas. I just love it! Now, don’t get me wrong – not everything turns out great. There are many fails and very few beautiful crepe paper dresses BUT I am always grateful for the experiences, knowledge, friendships and satisfaction that comes from the creative process. THAT is what I’m looking forward to sharing with you as we create A Crafty Composition.
