A hobby shared

One of the best things about a crafts hobby is that it's a natural source of gifts.
You get to create something — a piece of needlepoint or a page in a scrapbook or a miniature scene, say—and then give it away. This leaves an empty spot on your counter or worktable, so you can make something else.

In the past year, I've taken several scenes to the silent auctions we usually have at mystery conferences, and also created a couple of one-of-a-kind presents.

The dollhouse in the photos above is one that will be leaving my house tomorrow. This was a bought house, but a fellow crafter and I added paint and holiday lights to the outside. We made sheets, blankets, pillows, and rugs for the inside to add color and texture to the plain wooden furniture.

The house will go to a nearby school for their annual raffle, the proceeds of which go to a children's breakfast program. We've been doing this for a few years and it's a lot of fun, especially when we get a photo of the winner, usually a little girl with a bright smile.

This year I'm most happy with the dolls I found (no, not the caliber of your dolls, Deb! But good for five-year-olds) … three families, one Asian American, one Caucasian, one African American. The three cultures represent in large part the composition of the neighborhood where the school is, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The purple rug in the living room on the lower floor was made by a woman I've never met. Nettie is a resident in a retirement community in a small town in Kansas where the mother of a friend of mine, Julie, lives. Julie (who lives in Portland, Oregon) was visiting her mother in Kansas and talking about my miniature projects; Nettie overheard, and a steady stream of knitted goods has followed. A circuitous route, but that can be the best kind.

A hobby shared is twice blessed. Did I hear that somewhere? Well, whatever the math, it's most rewarding.