Where to begin...

I was raised in somewhat of a "crafty" family. My mother was an amazing cross-stitch artist, quilter, and sewer. Some of my fondest memories include either sitting by her while she worked on any given project, bringing me along to the folk craft fair, and accompanying her to the wallpaper store where I would sit and look at unique paper designs for what seemed like long peaceful hours. It was around this time where my obsession for things "DIY" began to blossom.

My Aunt Janet was also an amazing crafter and she had this awesome craft room where she would create her various house decorations and later sell them at craft fairs that I loved to tag-a-long. My Aunt Annie was my favorite amateur cartoon artist and she would create these hilarious custom-made coloring books with personalized titles such as: "Jessie Goes To The Beach" (1987) depicting my 6 yr old self having a blast with my siblings down in Seaside Heights.

My Grandma crocheted afghans for as long as I've known her. She'd sit on her couch and crochet beautiful afghans for everyone in the family. She would try to teach me how when I was little, but it didn't really catch on. When my Grandma passed away in 2005, I was heartbroken. It was then I picked up Debbie Stoller's Stitch' N' Bitch Knit & Crochet books and taught myself the craft that my Grandmother loved so much. I became hooked (pun intended).

I never thought myself to be dedicated to one particular hobby. As far back as I can remember, I've always been the girl to save little pieces of paper, collect markers, stamps, and pretty fabric. I would also draw crazy little comics, reconstruct tired clothing, experiment with photos, audio, and video arts (pre-digital era). I can say I never really grew out of this and my collection of art & craft supplies and projects grew over the years. At first I would usually just store them in my collection of wine crates and take them out to look at once in a while. On occasion, I would make something whether it be just for fun or if I was desperate to make a last minute gift for a friend.

This little memoir of my delight in DIY, makes me want to express how important it is to never lose your creativity. The unique skills our ancestors possessed are fading away due to the fast-paced capitalistic-digital world we were born into and we all have to look a little more carefully to find inspiration.

Duff & Lorelei is a little blog spot where I can actually share some of my inspiration and various projects (finished or tortured WIP [works in progress]).