Make a Tiny Ojo de Dios With This Kit

A few weeks ago, I had a couple of hours to myself so I went over to a toy store I’ve been eyeing for a while. They have an entire craft section that I wanted to peruse longer than I can normally with a toddler.  😉

As I looked at kits where you can paint your own silk scarf or make a bowl out of paper circles, I kind of wished I was 9 years old again. And here is where I admit to the world that when a particular little craft for miniature Ojo de Dios caught my eye, I bought it.

This is also where I let you know that I never do that kind of thing, but now I wonder why not. It was around $6.00, and that little craft has yet to be used up. It has been so much fun twisting the embroidery thread around the tiny sticks to make necklaces; seriously fun.

And when I say “tiny”, I really mean it. The sticks are the size of toothpicks. You can make them for necklaces, fancy bookmarks, or key chains. And there are enough supplies to make 8 of these, so if your Ojo de Dios wrapping skills are a little rusty (like mine were!), then you’ll have a chance to try again. The kit comes with detailed instructions, which were helpful in refreshing my memory.

This simple experience really got me to thinking about how we as moms (or maybe women in general?) are more apt to buy a cute kit like this for a niece but even if we think it’s fun, we wouldn’t do that for ourselves.

I was recently perusing Julia Cameron’s book on living as an artist, and one of the things she mentioned was the Artist Date. My jaw dropped to the ground as I read it because it was basically the same thing as taking a creative retreat. Which goes to show there isn’t anything new under the sun, right? 🙂

But one of the things she mentioned that stood out for me was that on your artist date, you are to go someplace and buy something small that makes you smile. Nothing huge or “needed”. She suggests going to a toy store and buying a quirky pen or eraser. I guess I followed her advice to a T even though I didn’t have her book on my mind at the moment. I just followed my gut! 🙂

Which brings me to ask you, what small thing could you purchase (or pull out of your long-forgotten stash!) that would remind you of the creativity that is inside of you? That would remind you of the child in you? Is it a seemingly silly nail polish or lip gloss? Is it a craft kit like my cute Ojo de Dios one? Is it a new sketch book or a gel pen that writes in 3D?

Maybe you could go on a mini-retreat this weekend and pick up that little something as a reminder of creative you. As I’m writing this, my daughter is eating a plum and drawing away at her art table. She knows how to do this thing. It’s time we take some moments for ourselves to do the same. Not huge swaths of time (though, wouldn’t that be nice?) but moments that add up to feed our souls.

By the way, this Ojo de Dios craft kit is just one of MANY in the Craft-tastic collection. Seriously, check it out. There is so much goodness!

Have a lovely {and creative} day!