And now she crafts too...

Lighted glass cube, by Hope Epton

Now, for all of you old school hip hop fans, I am not talking about Beastie Boys kinda "crafty". I'm talking Waccamaw Pottery, AC Moore, Michaels, I am going to take this ribbon and glass cube and make something bad ass kinda crafty! "I need a strand of colored lights, stat!"

 When I married this woman, I would have never guessed that within two years, she would be an exact replica of my mother. The phrase "you will wind up marrying someone like your mother", could not be more true in my case.  My mother, plus my wife in a craft store = our kitchen table turning into Epton Craft Corner. The smell of hot glue, paint and wooden trinkets has become a familiarity in our home. It brings back vivid childhood memories of my mother dragging me to Waccamaw Pottery on the weekends, that distinct "crafty" smell lingering throughout the entire store. That place was a nightmare for kids. Have you ever seen how big those damn stores are?? They have entire aisles dedicated to nothing but fake glue-on eyeballs! Every year, its reported that thousands of children go missing from craft stores, never to be found again. Its true, check the facts.

Witchy Door Hanger, By Hope Epton

It really has been something to witness, my wife turning into my mother right before my very own eyes. My mother has always been a very very very very big "decorate for every holiday" type of person. Not the Dollar Store strand of Santa heads or the popsicle sticks on the bottom of the Easter Bunny head that you see strewn about some peoples yards. I am talking, full on Southern Living, handmade, hit every tiny "cute" shop in the south east and stockpile an inventory of decorations that take hours upon hours to put out. Its serious business people. And this my friends, is what my wife is slowly growing into. The Witch Sign (pictured to the left) was my lovely brides first "project". It turned out great. Now, it turning out great means one thing. BRING ON THE NEXT CRAFT PROJECT!! My wife finds something that she enjoys, and is damn good at, then its game time from that point on. The only downside to our decoration collection growing every year, is that we don't have the room for it. My wife has already mentioned, "In the new house, we need a hell of a lot of storage!". This addition to our storage capacity will mean that eventually, my wife can be on my mother's level of decoration insanity. I love that my wife has found this crafty side. The look of satisfaction on her face when she finished her witch hanger for the door brought me great joy. It really did turn out great. I know that in the years to come, there will be a third person sitting at the dining room table, assembling some sort of decoration or project, my little princess. It is inevitable that my wife will introduce her to this new hobby of hers as soon as she possibly can. I think it will be great, all the women in my life, sitting around the table, glitter all over the place, glue everywhere and that "crafty" smell, which I know oh so well, lingering in the air. Ahh, breathe it in.