I don't know how it is for all crafty-artsy people, but there are a few of us who simply HAVE to make things on a semi-regular basis or we go completely doo-lally.
Doo-lally is, of course, a scientific term meaning utter and complete whats-the-point-of-getting-out-of-bed-depression but with a friendlier spin. My husband jokes about my "wandering uterus" because I get a "little" (read: a LOT) more emotional and snappy and despondent. It was due to an unplanned jaunt to a sweet little cafe that lead me to the realization that, DUH of course I am depressed! I haven't made anything three-dimensional in almost two months!
The jaunt was a story in itself: on Saturday it was raining and I was going out of my f-ing mind and my very-smart-and-loving husband suggested we get out of town and go visit Emmett, a little farm town north of where we live. I had been wanting to visit the coffee shop there anyway and I am very much a country person and being cooped up in the city makes me a little crazy, so despite the rain we drove north (after picking up delicious donuts first, of course).
Emmett is actually a neat little town that reminds me of where I grew up (minus the tourism) with old store-fronts and a single grocery store all surrounded by the Payette River and a lot of farmland. We passed horses, sheep, goats, llamas and long-horned cattle on our drive, which was great since the wildlife were hiding from the rain.
The Coffee Shop (yes, that is its name. One of two coffee places in Emmett - the other is a questionably-named Christian coffee place) not only sells coffee and pastries, but also has ceramic painting available. Now, I don't know if you've done this before, but ceramic painting is fun - you spend a few meditative hours painting your ceramic piece in these pastel-looking gloopy paints, and a week later you get to pick up a finished product, all shiny and brightly-colored. The bonus is that this place in Emmett makes their own pottery pieces locally and do not charge a sitting fee (also: COFFEE) - which makes this much cheaper than any other ceramic place I've been to.
Finally, while we were there, painting with locals and surrounded by folks just there for some coffee, people started bringing in food. I mean good food: fried catfish and hushpuppies, homemade skillet bread, corn slaw... the best part? It was free! The owner's dad had too much fish so he was frying it on the patio and giving it away, and some of the people living nearby decided to bring over side dishes. Wow.
The best part of the trip was the feeling of a HUGE weight off of my shoulders. For the next two days I actually felt optimistic and calm - and I realized that all it took was the two or three hours we spent making something that will be both useful and beautiful.
Of course, pictures will follow. Darling man that he is, my husband is going to drive with me back to Emmett this weekend to pick up our items (and maybe paint some more). I expect my mermaid and goldfish sugar bowl to be the highlight of my new kitchen.
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