idea thief . november 30 . 2006—
One day I was surfing flickr, looking for lovely things in one of my fave craft pools. People put things there (the way I see it, anyway) because they want to share, inspire, show off, gain adulation, find kindred spirits. So often I've 'met' people through flickr that make me smile, or take my breath away, or transport me, or give me aspirations, and it's fun to share that through images alone.
I found some lovely handsewn stuffed things, toylike and fun and entirely my sort of craft, and clicked along, looking at more of this person's photos. As I usually do, I clicked to the 'profile' and there it was: "Please don't steal my ideas."
I was incensed, and vowed never to buy the woman's products, let alone "steal" her ideas by putting cute little felt eyes on things. Or whatever it was that she was "protecting" with that statement. It seemed to me entirely the opposite of the point of craft: to show others how to enjoy creating, to inspire, to share in the beauty of the make. I shared my feelings of peeved-offness with Larissa, and she could only agree. [She seems to have since removed the statement from her profile, so don't go a-Googlin']
Since then, it's been quite a joke with us, and Martin continually reminds us not to steal his ideas. We won't! But I might do some thievery today. Here's what I'm stealing, mostly for the SCRAP Holiday Bazaar and Bakesale and some, just for me and the boys ... (and in the spirit of Larissa's post, the things I may or may not complete, but wishing makes it so)
- felt sushi from soft-and-luxe sweaters
- stuffed christmas trees from scraps and fave fabrics (the boys, they *love* them)
- soft and sparkly and wintery leaves
- funky felted appliques on thrifted garments
- fun recycled hats
- quilted backpacks
Phew! I've even gotten about 80% of the way through that list... starting anyway...
