Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A Crayon Box

Crayon Box Quilt Block

Continuing on with the Diary Quilt, I want to share this block with you, though I apologize for the horrible color. If you look at the sunbeam block, that is the same turquoise, yellow & orange. Not sure what happened to the color in this photo.....those strips that look black? They're dark green. 

Technical difficulties aside, this block was a no-brainer. The minute I saw it, I knew without a doubt I had to include it. For no one else but me. 

If one thing, one toy or hobby or emblem could be chosen to sum up my childhood (and, by childhood, I mean all my living at home years....) it would be crayons. Oh how I have always loved crayons. 

A fresh box, with that delicious scent of brand new crayon. 

Dumping the contents and arranging them correctly. Because, as any crayon lover knows, they belong in rainbow order. All the reds marching on to the oranges to the yellows to the greens to the blues to the purples, and then the pinks and grays and browns and blacks and  metallics. In a dark to light to dark progression, of course. 

Buying a new box when the crayons got so dull that I might need to tear the paper in order to sharpen them. Nope, not me. If the paper  needed to be torn, it was time to buy a new box. Period. 

I made only one exception to that in all my at -home years, and that was when babysitting the niece of a friend. I couldn't resist Maddie's innocent request and big brown eyes begging to sharpen the crayons. I caved. And bought a new box the next week, saving the peeled paper ones for any future Maddie visits. 

Of course I have my favorite color. In fact, my quilting mentor did a blog post about that, when she asked my favorite color (so she could surprise me with a gift!) and I replied, "Cerulean. You know, the crayon color???"  Her kids being a wee bit older than  mine, crayons haven't been around her house in a long time. She had to go on-line to look up the exact color I meant. Oops. (and thanks, dear friend!)

So, yep, when I saw this block I knew it was going in the quilt. It so perfectly, all in one block, captures my entire childhood, all of my at-home years. From Christmas tree ornaments to Keepsake Tins to entering (but not winning) New Color Naming Contests to those many, many, many boxes of beautiful, barely used,  unpeeled crayons. Crayons simply are my childhood, and this Crayon Box Quilt Block simply is the perfect symbol of that. 

What about you?? Do you have a favorite color? Or some other favorite childhood toy? And, did you order your crayons, or leave them all willy-nilly how the crayon company packages them??? 

7 comments:

  1. Note to self: hide crayon bucket if The Reader visits.

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  2. I loved those Crayola boxes of 64 crayons with the built in sharpener! And you are so right about that new crayon smell---it brings being 5 years old right back. I was always a fan of periwinkle, brick red, and orchid. Red is just my favorite color, but there was something about those other names that were so much more fun than the standard yellow-green. On a separate note, we really haven't been to the ER THAT much. It happens around once a year and for some reason we just always go to Taco Bell after (probably because it's close to the hospital and open late :-)

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  3. Jennifer- I promise not to rearrange your crayons! Or be appalled they are peeled! Or any other thing that would make you want to hide them from me. I assure you, with 3 boys in the house, I take delight in the ONE child who also properly arranges his crayons, as well as the one who dumps his willy-nilly into one mass bucket (and the one who leaves his more or less how they come). Mommyhood has really changed my outlook on the pristine part of crayons.

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  4. FTM, so glad the ER visits aren't frequent, just late at night! (well, okay, you know what I mean!)

    And, yes!, it's the names....(sigh).Love those creative names. "tickle me pink" is just way more fun to use!

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  5. Oh, I love knowing these crayon facts about you!! :) I'm smiling just to read this.

    We did not get to buy crayons when I was a kid. I guess it goes with walking uphill both ways to school as well!! So when I had a daughter that wanted to color, I'd buy her any crayon set she wanted. It never thrilled her as much as it thrilled me. *sigh*

    Love the block - and imagine the colors being correct. ;)

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  6. Fun stories - we have crayons in a box dug through by small visitors. But I do have a soft spot for a freshly bought packet :)

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  7. You always were all about the crayons! I still have the fancy crayola tin with crayons in it that you bought me for Christmas in college! Remember the "Name the new Colors" contest? I just knew you were going to win with at least one of yours!

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