Congratulations, Carol Duvall, on 1,000 Episodes!

A note from Carol:

"Oh m'gosh... who did all the counting? I hadn't kept track so the grand surprise celebration that HGTV and Weller Grossman gave for me on stage was REALLY a surprise... complete to balloons, a marching band (well, three guys with horns, anyway) and a larger-than-life sock monkey cake! It was all very, very exciting... 1,000 episodes... Wow! I guess that says a lot about the loyalty and staying power of our viewers as well...Bless them all. And the next day it was back to business as usual as we started taping the second 1,000!"

Q: What is your favorite craft that you do just for relaxing?

Carol: My favorite craft is usually the one I'm working on at the moment. At the moment, that happens to be knitting, but I really have always loved anything to do with paper. And in the last few years, when papers have become so prominent and so pretty, I feel like I have been vindicated in my love for what was once a very humble material. I haven't done a craft just to do a craft in such a long time that it's hard to remember...but I would say it's probably knitting. It's such a good television-watching craft.

Q: Where are you from originally?

Carol: Well, I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We moved to Michigan when I was 10, and I've been here ever since. First in Grand Rapids, then Detroit, and now up north.

Q: How did you come to be the queen of crafting?

Carol: I got started at a local station in Grand Rapids. I started hosting a children's show, and through the years have made my living working on many different television shows as host and/or producer. Years and years and years ago, I was doing a morning television show on a television station in Detroit when I was asked to do a 5-minute show at the dinner hour. I did anything I could think of, from talking about a book I'd read, to a movie I'd seen, to some of the things I did as a kid...and every time I did something that I remembered making, I got a terrific response. When I ran out of memories of things I'd made, I started making up things. And because this was back in the early '60s when there were very few craft stores, I had to make most of the things out of stuff I had around the house or could find in grocery stores or the hardware store. If I needed wire, I took it out of a hair curler. If I needed cardboard, I took what I could find in writing pads and boxes. If I needed plastic, I'd cut up milk cartons. It was just a matter of making stuff and making stuff and making stuff! And before I knew it, I was doing a craft show, and I did it every day for 14 years. That was the beginning...After hosting my own craft show in Detroit for many years, I was a guest on different shows around the country. Then ABC contacted me to be on the Home Show doing crafts. From there, I went to Lifetime, and eventually to HGTV. So I wasn't suddenly 'discovered' in a drug store!

Q: How long does it take to tape a season's worth of shows?

Carol: It takes a month, but that's just the taping. That's the easy part. I go to Los Angeles for six weeks. Even before we go into the studio, there is a lot of work...such as putting the voice track on our field pieces, checking wardrobe, etc. We tape for four weeks, and then there are several days of packing up, meetings to review what we've just done, and more meetings to discuss what we might do next time. Then, I come back home and spend a lot of time writing up all the directions for all the projects and segments I've just done. By that time, another batch of mail has piled up, and it's time to get going on the next series of shows...and so it goes. I am not complaining--it's an interesting schedule.

Q: Do you ever run out of craft ideas? Where do they all come from?

Carol: Sometimes I wonder myself. No, we haven't run out of ideas--we're more likely to run out of time. There have been times when I thought I'd never have another idea again, ever! I guess sort of like writer's block--I had crafter's block. But there's always some thought that comes through just in the nick of time. I'll admit that sometimes I find myself even stealing from myself. One day, I came up with a wonderful idea; I couldn't wait to show my producer...and then she reminded me that one of our guests had already done it! So, as I say, it's not always easy, but we keep trying.

Q: How big is your craft room at home?

Carol: I've only had it three years. I feel so incredibly fortunate now...I really have a craft room, not the kitchen counter. It's maybe 20' by 25', I'm guessing, but it's bigger than I'd ever hoped for. I have windows on three sides--I look out at the woods on one side and the lake on two. However, when I moved into it, I realized if you don't have walls, you don't have room for shelves, so I had this gorgeous room and no place to put anything! I think I almost bought out Staples' supply of stacked plastic drawers. That's where my stuff is stashed.

Q: Will you have any new books out soon?

Carol: I have been promising myself, as well as my family, friends and viewers, that I would write another book for so long now, that I think I'm getting dangerously close to actually doing it. Don't hold your breath, but maybe this year. I'm even beginning to believe that I really will stop procrastinating and do it.

Q: Are you married and do you have grandchildren?

Carol: Yes, I have grandchildren, and I'm hoping you know what the answer to the first question is, then...

Q: Did you have children that also share your craft talents?

Carol: I have one son who earns his living as an artist. And he is truly an artist, far beyond what I do.

Q: What do you do back in Michigan when you're not taping the show? What do you like to do when you finally get a break?

Carol: What do you mean, get a break? Give me a break! As a crafter, I'm sure you know that your mind is never turned off regarding crafts, craft ideas, craft projects, craft products, etc. I actively work on the show at least 50 weeks a year--some by choice, some by necessity. My craft helper/assistant Cherryl comes here and we spend a week or so just going through the mail that has been sent to me from HGTV, going through the Shoebox ideas, bouncing ideas of our own off each other, and dividing up the projects that Cheryl will work on in California and I will work on here in Michigan. As any crafter knows, it takes a long time in preparation to complete sometimes just the simplest-looking project. And we're doing things that we think of ourselves, so often we take the long way around before we get to the right way and the best way. At the same time, I type up the directions for the projects and the Shoeboxes that we did on our last series of shows. So you see, there's not a lot of time for me to get into too much trouble, I'm sorry to say.

Q: What inspires you personally? Do you keep a file with images you like?

Carol: I'm my own worst enemy on keeping files. I save everything and couldn't put my finger on a single thing. One day, I'm going to read those 30 or 40 books I have on getting organized, and I'll organize all those ideas I've been saving. We get show ideas from any place we can possibly think of! Many ideas come from the guests themselves. I find mine often by searching through catalogs, my imagination, my memory, and just by talking with other crafters. Catalogs spark my thinking in many different directions.

Q: How difficult is it to create the magic in your studio for the show?

Carol: The magic in the studios just seems to happen, when you get so many people who are all devoted to one thing--to turn out a good show--and who truly enjoy what they're doing. This includes the cameramen and women, the director, the producers and of course, our guests.

Q: Do you and any of the demonstrators get together out of the studio and spend time together?

Carol: Yes, we have formed some wonderful friendships. As a matter of fact, Mary O'Neill, Donna Kato, Karen Thomas, our supervising producer Kelly and I have an annual girls' weekend.

Q: Do you have any craft projects that you are intimidated to attempt?

Carol: Well...yes, as a matter of fact. Back in the beginning of our show, I did a few polymer clay segments. However, since we've had so many wonderfully talented polymer clay guests on the show, I'm a bit intimidated to do anything myself. This has happened in several categories. I'm more comfortable when I stick to folding and cutting, knitting and crocheting, and cutting up bleach bottles!

Q: What is your favorite part of your shows?

Carol: Well, I must admit that I enjoy the Shoebox segments very much, partly because I just so much enjoy and appreciate that kind of contact with the viewers, to see what they are interested in and what they are doing. I am constantly amazed at the talent and the creativity out there. I also enjoy the fact that many are still doing some of what I refer to as "the old-fashioned way" of crafting, meaning a lot are done using more imagination than product.

Q: What is your favorite show on HGTV, besides your own?

Carol: My favorite other show is Kitty Bartholomew: You're Home. Not only do I enjoy watching Kitty at work and some of the projects that she and/or her guests do, but also I love seeing the homes that she shows. And I love Kitty. She's a dear friend.

Q: Do you answer all your fan mail?

Carol: I always intend to...I read every letter...I really, really want to and mean to answer them all, but I just can't. And I just can't throw them away, either. Maybe I'll figure out a solution someday.

Q: What have been the biggest changes you have seen over the years in the craft industry?

Carol: The biggest change is in the products themselves. Instead of learning how to cut a circle, we have circle cutters, and oval cutters, and shape cutters, etc. Instead of one or two kinds of white glue, we have more than we can count, and each one is supposed to be for a specialized use. The list goes on! I used to teach people how to make stamps with art gum erasers or foam trays. Now you can buy every image imaginable! Because there are so many wonderful products that help you along the way, it really is true that anyone, ANYONE, with the desire and a little patience and a willingness to take the time to do it right can really turn out lovely items.