Crafty Cipote* at CAFAM Part 2

... returned to the that wonderful treasure along the miracle mile, the Craft and Folk Art Museum (CAFAM), for this month's "Etsy Craft Night". I was excited when i found it would be a night of making personalized journals. This was my second Etsy Craft Night; last November i attended a holiday paper ornament workshop led by Mark Montano. Tonight's personalized journal session was led by Letterista, Lisa Engelbrecht. She's super skilled with a calligraphy pen and i was impressed with her unique letter styles--fused from calligraphy, graffiti and tattoo lettering.

All the materials i needed were provided: scraps of paper, magazines, glue sticks, scissors, pens and colored pencils. I felt like an anxious kid about to make a mess and have fun doing it ... which i did. Enjoyed an Indian pale ale and pretzels but worked slow taking my time to cut (from a book on Hindu art) and tear and paste the scraps to my journal (which were pre-made, the only downside). I'm still way too methodical--and, like the last craft night, i brought some scraps of paper home to finish and add further personal touches with some materials of my own. I marveled at the crafty folks at my table at how free they seemed to work, creating wonderful, even whimsical, journals. It was like sitting at the table with my loud jokester tias ("Oh my god i've desecrated the Virgin!", exclaimed one woman when she colored in a photo she had cut out of a sculpture of the Virgin Mary).

I love collage. I think the reason i've always chosen the medium to express myself, to make crafty personal gifts, is because of the beauty in its freedom, texture, and inimitability. There are no mistakes. And every person who sits to compose a collage is an artist.

The highlight of the night was seeing my friend Marisela Norte, poet, photographer, and Admissions Assistant at CAFAM. Not only did she give me the heads up on tonight's craft night, but she so also gave me a beautiful cadmium yellow sheer throw, and an old school MTA bus token! What a treasure ... and what lovely gifts.

Can't wait for the next Etsy Craft Night!

*Cipote: Salvadoran term for boy.