Monday 22 February 2010

Junk

Sit still a minute while I describe somebody: enormously patient, indeed some would say long suffering. Hugely talented, kind and has the soul of a craftsman. So loving that he rarely uses my real name - he calls me 'Darling' and I just love that. So, with all these very special qualities, you recognise Mr Dunnit. And no doubt you are right now, congratulating him on finding a splendid and totally in tune partner, huh?
How come then, despite building me this lovely work room, painting it my favourite colour, fitting it with cupboards that were made around stash and basket sizes, making the work desk and putting it on massive casters so I can work anywhere (in theory), how come he doesn't even begin to get it? What I do in here, that is. We genuinely have very little in common. But all is OK everyone, this isn't an announcement of marital breakdown or anything like that..I just wanna explain it and see if we're the same as any others....
This card, for example, is all wrong for Mr Dunnit. Let's break it down a bit; there's the gorgeous and I-can't-own-enough-and-indeed-am-actually-using-it-it's-so-nice flocked ledger paper from Making Memories. The presence of any sort of prettied up office supplies serve only to improve my life. Mr Dunnit feels that it sort of loses its point once you pretty it up. And he goes deaf when I explain that's partly the point. Huh? Then there's the use of a staple. For me it goes hand in hand with the echo of the ledger paper and is perfectly fine for anchoring down one of the two flowers I've used in the last quarter. For him it's utilitarian mixed with pretty and doesn't work. This may well be the case for a lot of people, I can see that. The pale stamped ticket image (Inkadinkado), scrumpled up and added behind the main image doesn't, as I intended, talk to him about the potential for journeys and travels and romantic, as yet unknown far flung destinations. Nor does the torn book page and lace speak of the romance and mystery that go with such things. I must say in fairness to him, that I wasn't exactly in that zone myself when I made the card, I just liked the stuff and the way I added it! But hey, I can reach deep inside my creative being and fathom a reason; if an unmade bed sits in a national gallery with a deep meaning, you can rely on me to find one for a handmade card! The main image, (again, Inkadinkado) he agreed was a great one, iconic. But why didn't I cut it out square, stick it on straight and just leave it like that? Well, the answer to that is really easy - I can't cut straight to save my life and if I stick it at a jaunty angle, it will draw the eye from any other horrid design mistakes...... but of course, I told him it was simply more artsy my way. Mr Dunnit, gazing around my workspace, more in shock and awe than wonder and admiration, simply said that if those 'bits of junk' were the biggest bits I ever put on a card, it would take a while to work through all my erm, 'big junk'. By which of course, he means stash. I get it. He doesn't. That's OK. It means I don't have to share, and as a middle child, that is a lifetime's reward!

21 comments:

Liverpool Lou (Anne) said...

Ah you've said it right there - the soul of a craftsman; not an artist, well he's not alone there speaking for myself of course :-/ Many men don't do pretty though do they, they like utilitarian, unless it's a man-gadget, then, though it may not be pretty, it will certainly have bells and whistles!
BTW I knew that if peeps were too young to know the Tiller Girls, they wouldn't know about Sunday Night at the London Palladium either, I did try to find a video clip or decent pic of the girls and explain but PC's been playing up, so gave up. I've been losing internet connection and the only way i could get online again was by rebooting :( I'm using Mozilla Firefox at the mo' to see if that solves the problem.
Anne xx

Liverpool Lou (Anne) said...

PS it all works beautifully together and I love the prettied up ledger paper ;) but have to admit I wouldn't have got the connection between the lace and potential for romance; but that's art, you make of it what you will :) - er, I think.

Ann said...

I like what you've done Julia and cat see your thought processes exactly! But I have a similar problem with Hubby. I show him my creation, he tells me what he thinks and usually doesn't get it either! Occasionally he genuinely approves of something, more often he lies and says he likes it to keep me happy, bless him. Mostly though he says it's rubbish! Especially if I've made a scrapbook layout - I quote, 'Photos should go into an old-fashioned album' and I shouldn't waste my time.
Women are from Venus, Men are from....where exactly?

ikki said...

Flower power, van, travel, lace and romance, artistic freedom !!!!????!!!! linked with ledgers, buying tickets, money, utility!!!???!!! Your Mr. Dunnit's reaction is just the same as my Mr. Holly's would have been. Loving you but struggling sometimes to love your work. It's that planet thing: Mars viz Venus! ikki

Unknown said...

Oh Julia i'm currently sat at my mums PC (on a very rare venture from my house)!! and we've just been reading your post - well all I have to say is that you have made my mum 'goster' (is that a word that is used outside Derbyshire) with laughter. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all I can say that men DON'T see it!!! My OH peers at my stuff - does say that ít's better than some of that stuff they do on the telly'- and that's his contribution - same as you though - at least he's not going to want to share my stash :O) - everyone's happy!!!

great card btw. I see it!!!

Paula x x x

Heavens2Betsy said...

This post made me ache with laughter. I've got the same thing going on with my Mister and the wonder of it all is ..... I still make him things despite his inability to GET IT! Hey ho - we're all different I spose.

Antonia said...

Is your Mr Dunnit my DHs twin brother, I have a beautiful craft room fitted out by him with love and patience. He will bring me a cuppa look over my shoulder and say "er thats nice" "is it supposed to be at an angle" Never mind its to late to swap him now. Love your work and Yes I can "see" where the card is coming from

Helen said...

I knew there was a benefit to being on my own - no-one who doesn't geddit!!

Paige said...

I adore the card and totally get your need to use office supplies I love staples :) Trav likes that i have a hobby and is happy to sort out craft spaces and have even promised to build me a craft studio once we have a house with a large yard. But does he get it????? no not a bit!!! but then I don't really get what he does with websites and computers. so we match perfectly :)

Liverpool Lou (Anne) said...

Just to say I'm in the 'I don't understand art, but I know what I like camp' LOL
Anne xx

Annie said...

Julia I am now sat here with tears of laugher running down my face. Thank you. You are one in a million. I just love your blogs. Keep up the good work.
Big hugs.
A x

Charlie said...

Not sure what I like best - the card or your explanation?? Thanks for a good evening chuckle. I like the card and my DH as supportive he is wouldn't get the ticket either. I once used a Tim H. ticket on a card and he said - "are they going anywhere?"

Anne said...

I love it - the card and the post!

Pam said...

You do make me giggle, my DH is exactly the same apart from the building me things bit, but as I have said many a time he is fab with a duster, washing machine and Iron (actually I think thats what he is doing right now! its Monday night afterall!!) and anything else domestic. I made a card once with an image of a child riding away on her bike and all he could say was where the front of her!!! As for my very small craft room he just doesn't get it its just an untidy mess in his eyes! Hugs Pam x

Elaine A said...

Julia - you crack me up! Sometimes my husband "gets it" and sometimes he doesn't. When he "gets it" he'll ask questions like, "how did you do that" or "what did you use on this"? When he doesn't get it, he'll glance at the item in question and say "um, yeah - that's nice". But like your husband, he put furniture together, added shelves where I wanted, moved things around, etc. So I guess I really can't complain.

Elaine Allen

Carmen said...

You could be describing Craig to a tee. He is quite happy to build me some shelves under the stairs to more or less single handedly fund my 2 Ally Pally trips each year, to feign interest at whatever piece of 'junk' I find free on Freecycle or in charity shops that can SO be made into something so much better. At times he glimpses sight of almost getting it.... but he doesn't.

At the same time, I can appreciate the skill of him training his pidges to pick out a tiny shed in an equally tiny yard when they have basically been blindfolded and driven gawd knows how many miles away from home. I love to see them flying free and sitting waiting for us to let them in at home. What I don't get is all the work involved, being up to your armpits in bird poo with all the daily cleaning, having to raise the birds basically from birth if the parent takes against them... so we rub along, leaving each other be, just happy that the other is happy :P

Unknown said...

Mr Newman is the same ... I once put fibres on a card and he told me it looked like Zandra Rhodes' lady garden :0)
Only last week he looked at Dan's cards and said Why don't you buy stamps like that? Erm ... I do!
Sometimes he says nice things ... and he really is the bestest fun to be with ... would n't swap him for anything ... well ... apart from Lord Tim :0)

Charlie said...

Thanks for visiting - YES I am a scrapper - but a very lazy one - cards just seem to flow from my fingertips - Layouts take forever. But you didn't know me 12 months ago - and that was last time I managed to finish a page - if I don't count the 30 page minialbum I made in January 2009. You might like that it's about a trip to Paris with a co-worker. Take care.

Chrissie said...

It's obvious that we think on the other side of our brains I reckon!
'Hmmm, very nice!' from my old man, just about covers a multitude of platitudes!
Loved this article too!
Get published girl... you'd make a bomb!
Chrissie

Anonymous said...

Another reader here who is rolling around on the floor with laughter! I can stamp and colour to my hearts desire, but as soon as I add a second bit of DP or ONE button them I'm told that "It's OK but do you always have to go so over the top??"! Occasionally something will interest him, like tone on tone stamping with Versamark ink, but it's few and far between. My problem is that he uses my stash! He bought me my trimmer for Christmas one year and then proceeded to use it at any given opportunity! He quite often takes the best bits of my DP for his gift certificates for his clients and I can always tell when he's been at my punches because he forgets which drawer he takes them out of!! Still, he leaves me to get on with it most of the time and I need that space of my own, so I appreciate that.

Brenda

paola said...

Oh my word when i found your blog this morning i knew i was gonna love it, you Brits have the sense of humour that i can totally relate to. You tell your Mr Dunnit, my hubby agrees with him about our JUNK! as he so eloquently puts it, but my hubby just knows better than to call it JUNK.
i had such a good laugh, i am chuckling as i write this.
smiles
Paola