The Edge of Reason: For the Love of Color

Become a Fan

When I was a little girl, I loved four things above all else: kittens, baby dolls, county fairs, and crayons. Back then, there were not many things that gave me a bigger thrill than a new box of Crayola Crayons. I still remember opening a new box and smelling the aroma of the wax. I remember arranging the colors monochromatically in the hues of the rainbow. I remember memorizing the names of the individual crayons. And most of all, I remember selecting the color Cornflower to use first every single time I began to draw.

From my love of Crayons, my love of color expanded to colored markers when I was in college. And due to my love of markers, it didn't take me long to discover Sharpies. To this day, I prefer Sharpies above all other pens. In fact, I own every color ever made, and I have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to storing my Sharpies. Because I love Sharpies, my kids have learned to love them too. For the most part, this isn't a problem. But in the past, it has come back to haunt me on a few occasions - like the time John was three years old and decided to draw pictures using a black sharpie... the problem was, he exercised his artistic skills on the hearth of the fireplace. I had to call a restoration company to come out to my home to repair the damage. And still, I continued to love my Sharpies.

Knowing the history of my passion for color in all forms, it didn't surprise me when Thursday night John returned from the Red Hot Chili Pepper concert looking like some sort of crazed fan:

Come to find out, John and his band-mates had gotten into the Sharpie drawer and helped themselves to my chubby Sharpie pens. The look on John's face was priceless when I informed him that Sharpies are permanent and that the face enhancements and chest embellishment were going to linger far longer than the night of the concert. I can only imagine what his English teacher thought on Friday morning when John showed up to take his Language Arts final exam looking like the personification of a rebel rocker.

When I think about the history of how my love of color has progressed, I have no doubt that it has led me to the place I am today. For it is because of color that I fell in love with crafting. And it is because of color that I began to scrapbook. And it is because of color that I have a passion for the work I do in this industry.

Last night, I arrived in California. I write this on the eve of another Craft and Hobby Association winter show. I am here today because of my love of color. When I began my love affair with color at the tender age of two, I had no idea that it was the beginning of the most exciting journey of my life. And because this journey has turned out to be such a great experience, I thought I'd share the blue hues of California: