Meet Janelle. She is a cherished niece/cousin to the Fairview (and across Kansas) Spangler family members.
Her day job is teaching science and math at a middle school in Arizona.
Earlier, soon after graduating from a university in Kansas, Janelle taught school in Japan for a couple of years. She also took her first tap dance class while in Japan.
Solo, with husband Ed, or with family and friends, Janelle adores travel.
Her wedding was themed around stars and the night sky. Her wedding dress was a gorgeous pink. She and her husband Ed took ballroom dance lessons to be prepared for their first dance at the wedding reception.
Janelle’s Fairview cousin Shane was totally honored to be the officiant at the wedding. When
Janelle and Shane were little kids, and the Arizona family would come to visit, the two kids played on the farm near Fairview. Shane had happy childhood adventures in Phoenix when the Arizona Spanglers invited him multiple times for summer fun!
Janelle has incredible hobbies. Designing and sewing clothing, needle felting, welding (especially with a plasma torch), designing and creating stained glass works of art are some of them. Check out the brief album featuring some of the results of her creative efforts.
The following thoughts are directly from Janelle, as she describes a bit of her hobby journey.
“Needle felting started maybe 10 years ago with the Christmas bag. [My friend] Penny and I had gone to a “Craft Rave” and they had all these crafts you could try. They had these cotton ball sized balls of wool. Basically, you stab the wool in various colors strategically to make your picture. That’s how I made the Christmas lights design on the bag.
I want to do needle felted 3D pet portraits, but I haven’t worked up the courage yet…”
“I had always wanted to learn how to weld, so I found a metal working class at the Mesa Arts Center which had the artistic/crafty side in mind. Turns out welding is fine; but what I REALLY like is a plasma torch. I designed these butterflies with the initials of Leeann’s (my sister) kids in the wings. Everyone got metal things for Christmas that year.”
“Took my first stained glass class when I took welding. Again, because I’ve always wanted to try. My first piece was the Starfleet symbol. Then the next was a fireplace insert because we have so many “no burn” days in Arizona in the winter. We set up lights with a timer to brighten the insert for that cozy feel in wintertime. The stained glass cat portraits portray each cat that has been a part of my adult life.”
“ I make a lot of stuff to give away. I’m not sure what the recipients think about this situation . . . maybe some would rather have a gift card, but I can’t seem to help myself.
(Carol’s note: Seriously, Janelle?!? Are you kidding???? These are fabulous creations of art! We love it all!!!)
“It’s extremely fun for me.”
“I had a high school friend who had developed breast cancer. He started to need a walker. He was a huge Harry Potter fan, so I made him a Sythern walker thingy. We had consulted on it, so he knew it was coming. I had so much fun finding the fabric and customizing it for him. It feels a little selfish. My friend Casey came through with all the old stamps which was just the best finishing touch.”
There you have it: Creative and kind, generous and genius; Janelle is awesome. Her hobbies are beyond fantastic.
How about you? What are you best hobbies: Raising Chickens? Drawing? Restoring Furniture? Embroidery? Collecting Farm Implements? Historical Travel? Hiking? Collecting Rocks? Reading? Scrap booking? . . . Whatever makes your heart sing and brings you joy! That’s the perfect hobby just for you!
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