Working as a family is important to me. What I do shouldn’t always be separate from what the kids do. We can all learn from each other. So why should my crafting be any different? Crafting isn’t just for me. It’s for us all.
Pixie has always been my fashionista. Trying to get her to not accessories her volleyball practice gear is tough some days. “Pixie… you don’t need a purse to practice… a sash belt… a scarf…” It’s funny and I just have to shake my head. She will spend hours designing outfits in her notebooks for her dolls or for brides. One of her Christmas gifts last year was a history of fashion book. So, you get the idea about Pixie.
Of all the things I work on, jewelry is her interest. She could care less about the half a dozen coaster sets drying in the garage. Her eyes want to see the geeky jewelry. She is my display girl at shows trying to set up the necklaces so they’re just right. This month I decided to bring her into the mix. She both wanted to start earning money for herself and creating things. Her eye for color amazes me sometimes (the ladies at the fabric counter when we shop for her sewing class supplies always mention it when she brings her picks) so I’m happy to see what she comes up with.
I don’t remember what drew her to pixie dust jars. I think we were at a store and she pointed one out on a rack asking for it. I told her I knew how to make them (like I do a lot of jewelry) and Pixie asked if I’d teach her. Some days, I admit, I’m not a rockstar mom and my answer isn’t always positive. It sometimes is like “we have so many other things to do” but I’m trying to change my attitude to help inspire better attitudes. So yes, I am glad to teach her how to do it.
So our thing to do together is pixie jars. We’re both learning things about making jewelry and about our own selves.
It’s teaching me more patience that’s for sure. Hubris can be one of my character flaws at times. (I came up with this while we were all reading the second Percy Jackson book that discussed fatal flaws. We decided I was a bit like Annabeth Chase in that I always think I can do things better than everybody.) So this project is helping me with that.
Pixie’s flaw (admittedly) is wanting glory without work. This is teaching her to accomplish a goal and accomplish it well. We talk about her wanting to sew and sell things but she doesn’t want to put in the effort and time to do it right. So with this, she is really seeing the project from beginning to end. It’s also teaching her how to put her vision into place. I told her to pick a bead or a charm and make it her inspiration. Build the colors from there. And does she ever come up with some cool schemes.
T-Rex and I always have our “thing” together. Our personalities seems to blend a bit more cohesively at times. Pixie and I butt heads a bit much so it’s nice to have another “thing” to sit down and do. Talk about comics, make our fair dust, and plan our next race together. The older the kids get, the more I realize I’m going to miss these times so start these things now together and hopefully we can grow into new projects.
So that is that and that is how the Pixie Collection was created. It truly is a family project.
I’m housing it at Store Envy because it’s easier to separate from everything else in the Etsy store. (Some of it is on Etsy but not all.) I also want her to get the most for her efforts and Storenvy has no fees. (Eventually I’ll be moving a lot of my necklaces here since Etsy has an oversaturated market.)
You can find the Pixie Collection here and you’ll also find it at our table at craft shows.
