Nothing says “crafting with mom” like pipe cleaners, Styrofoam, and odd vegetable assemblages. We asked folks at Lark to share their finest crafting memories with mom. Sweet, unique, or downright wacky, these memories are definitely cherished. Eat your heart out, June Cleaver.

“My mom didn’t craft (sad, huh?), but she did sew, which she inflicted upon me. With her encouragement (whip-wielding as it was), I made my dad a terrycloth robe for Father’s Day. The fabric was kind of stretchy, and, after a few wearings, the belt ended up long enough to wrap around dad three times. But he did wear that robe until it was threadbare!”
Linda Kopp, Production Editor

“Some families are big on saving the wishbone from the Thanksgiving turkey, but in our house it was the entire breastbone. Every year, my mother would clean it carefully and then set it aside to dry for a couple of weeks. Then in early December, she’d turn it upside down, spray paint it black, and voila: A sleigh to which she’d add a Styrofoam Santa and nine pipe-cleaner reindeer. It was freakish and, well, slightly repulsive, but it wouldn’t have been Christmas without Mom’s turkey bone sleigh.”
Kathy Sheldon, Managing Editor

“Mother and I decided to spruce up a dreary bathroom one weekend. We halved oranges, limes, and grapefruits and went to town printing the walls in yellow, orange, and green paint.”
Marthe Le Van, Senior Editor

“My mother and I didn’t make things together. Instead we crafted for each other. I still have a finger puppet my mom made for me when I was around 5 or 6. I’m 56 and cherish it as much now as I did when she gave it to me. I think the things we craft for others celebrate the true and most wonderful aspect of crafting in all its many forms. Thanks, Mom.”
Terry Taylor, Senior Editor