My name is Kimberley Johansson, I am a 54 year old mother and grandmother who was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm 4 year's ago, after having craniotomy surgery to place a clip on my aneurysm followed many complications which led to 4 more surgeries in a short period of time I was left unemployed and at this point unemployable. So, I decided that I was not going to just sit around and feel sorry for myself and began learning all sorts of crafts. This all started when someone very close to me showed me how to make greeting cards. I collected all the things that one needs to make cards and began to play around with that, then my oldest daughter was going to search for someone to make her son a blanket, I told her that I would do it. Now, I had no idea how to even turn on a sewing machine let alone use one but I was going to do what I could. I purchased a new sewing machine, material and began making lots of mistakes. Reading books, watching video tutorials and becoming an expert at taking out stitches, this was my daily routine for a couple of months. In the end I had sewn a blanket for each one of my 6 grandchildren plus a few others.
I then decided to do a special blanket for my mother, I got myself an embroidery machine then did a family tree quilt for her. This was not and easy thing to do! In the end I was proud of it as is my mother.
I then moved on to learning how to transfer onto wood and coffee mugs. This was very unique in a way that no two are the same.
During all this time it was eating at me that I wanted to do something to give back and help other's, what I was going to do was the problem. I am an American living in Sweden where awareness of brain aneurysm's is little to none. I wanted to bring awareness out, I wanted to get atleast 2 people talking about it which I felt would lead to 2 more and so on. I just didn't know how to go about it. One day I saw a video on how to finger knit, you guessed it, I tried it! After trying several times to no avail I talked to my mother in law who brought out two wooden kitchen forks and told me to try knitting with them, she informed me my fingers are too short for finger knitting. Looking like a fool I sat there learning how to knit with wooden kitchen forks. It worked! In the end however I had pain and swelling in both my hands, my doctor said knitting is out. watching more video's I found loom knitting. I purchased a loom. After making one scarf I knew what it was that I wanted to do for aneurysm awareness here in Sweden. I decided to talk with a couple of people that could knit about helping me to knit 100 scarfs in a month, selling them and donating the money to aneurysm research and awareness. Our goal was off by one day! In just over a month we had made and sold 127 scarfs then donated all the money to the same university hospital for aneurysm research and awarness that I had become my second home.
My goal for myself is to become good enough to sell the things that I make, to become employable again even if it's in my own home. I am very big on personalized items. I believe that something made especially for someone comes from the heart and that's not something you get from a store.
The newest craft that I am working on is learning pyrography (woodburning). This craft I am finding one needs patients for, but very rewarding when your project is finished. Again it is a craft that takes practice, practice and more practice.
With cardmaking, quilting, knitting and woodburing I am keeping myself very busy.
The goal is you enjoy my DIY products and spread the word.
In saying all this, I hope to hear from other's that enjoy creating things from the heart. I am always up for tips & tricks as well as learning something new.
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