What crafts does everyone do?

[FreakyCola]

I don't have much time for crafts now, but I used to fiddle with something all the time.

I painted a whole wall in my son's room with a giant brontosaurus, volcanoes, plants and a river. His head is up above the window and the window was painted to look like a tree so he's eating the leaves of the tree. Meant to do the other 3 walls, but like some of the others here I must have ADD and never finished it. He's 14 now, not really into dinosaurs anymore, but likes dragons so I keep saying I could change that bronto into a dragon pretty easy. I keep saying it, but nothing gets done! lol.

For the last 3 or 4 summers I've meant to paint one side of my garage with sea creatures & plants and make a topiary octopus in the bed next to it. I've bought all kinds of fish plaques and neat stuff to decorate it with and the bed is filled with fish statues and pelicans and cool stuff, but like the dragon wall, nothing gets done! Problem here is I have to do it in the early spring before any plants start growing in the way!

I'm really impressed with all the talents of everyone here!

[gardenkat]

Freaky-You just reminded me of one of my first creative projects. My first apartment (many years ago) had a long narrow hallyway in it. I hated the boring whiteness of it and painted apple trees along it on both sides. Painting seems to be my medium and over the years I have painted pictures, patterns or designs on everything from clothes to flowerpots to my cement driveway. A few years ago I painted one side of my garage that faces my "secret garden". I started with tall grass and flowers against a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. It looked great but has faded over the years so it's barely there. Time to re-do it I guess. I love to paint and wish I had time to do more of it but this working-for-a- living really gets in the way. I'm impressed at how some of you all find the time to be so creative. And in so many different ways-this really is a talented group.

[wild4flowers]

Another memory nudged. Over 20 years ago I worked in Labor and Delivery. During a slow period, I painted childs characters as a border around the top of the nursery. I worked themidnight shift, so no one bothered me, and when a patient came in to deliver, I took care of her. We had 2 nurseries, and used alternating ones, so one was always empty. Thats the one I painted.

I painted all types of cute little animals, fairy-tale characters, flowers, all in a border. All free hand. Today I wouldn't be able to get away with that. What with all the regulations.

Talk about a walk down memory lane. CHAR

[Wylee]

Wow! I am in such great company here!

As for what crafts I do... oh, I think it would be much easier to try to list the crafts I have never done!

Let's see, for fibers I can sew, knit, crochet, make pine needle baskets, make experimental fibers baskets, embroider, cross-stitch, do loom beading and batik.

For painting, I've worked with acrylics and watercolors, I build all my canvas stretchers and frames

Sculpture: hypertufa, clay, metalsmithing

Printmaking: woodcuts, linocuts, lithographs, silkscreens, bookmaking, monotypes, and etchings

Cooking: jams, jellies, candy, want to try wine making some time... is cooking a craft?

I've also made candles, quilts, and lipbalms... is there anything else? Uhhhh I think that about covers it. I have a bachelor of fine arts degree so that's how I explored so many mediums. My most current fascinations are painting with acrylics on canvas and sculpting with hypertufa.

I'm going to be quiet now and let somebody else talk.

Wylee

[GiniaC]

Here's a couple of my latest pieces. Some of you that know me saw these already, so don't bore yourselves. The Brug still isn't finished and is done in colored pencil and the Iris is watercolors.

[GiniaC]

still can't get two pics in one.

[Nikkal]

Ginny, I've seen them before , and I'm still not bored!! You know I think you're work is wonderful.


Nik

[Wylee]

GiniaC, those are beautiful, very illustrative, are you working on illustrations for a book? The brug is very close to being finished, maybe just a few touches of color in the secondary one? The iris is gorgeous, nice use of color, especially in the greens! I have a hard time making greens look real, but you've done it masterfully.

Wylee

[GiniaC]

Thanks Wylee! These are just a couple of drawing I'd like to enter into some local art shows. Nothing for a book. I think I should have posted these in another thread, I just noticed this was a permanent thread, sorry.

[Dustbunny]

Ginny,
It looks like you have done more too them since the last time you showed them..

I really like the iris, It pops out at ya!

and the Brugs you have added lines and more details.. they are really coming along well.. how much more do you like until they are ready to show?

[jmboyer]

Wow! Those are just beautiful, Ginny. We certainly have a talented groups of folks here.

[wishiwere]

Wow is right! What a talent you have. Beautiful drawings!

[Junior]

I do pencil drawing, pen and ink drawing, and some photography. Does that even count?

[Janet D.]

Absolutely! Let's see what you've done

[newtohosta-no more]

I never cease to be amazed at all the talents you all possess! Please show more pics of your work! I love seeing them.

[barbiespoodle]

Wow, it was great to hear about all the many different artistic talents of fellow gardeners.

Personally, I cross stitch. I have trouble sleeping and took it up as a way to pass the hours when I couldn't do anything else. Since I give away everything I make, I have finally started getting smart and taking pics of my work for my own records. But I recently got a computer cross stitch program and am now making the first piece for myself, a cross stitch of my best friend, my standard poodle.

These are a few of my completed pieces.

[wishiwere]

Oh, those are beautiful! Would you mind sharing what program you got? Is it one of those that you create the cross stitch pattern from a picture? Have you used it yet? I was wanting to check into those, but didn't know anyone that had actually used them. Would love your thoughts on which one and how you liked it?

Thanks! And great job on your beauties! WOW!

[Deb118]

I LOVE the sewing room one!!!! I learned to sew on a Singer like that. What beautiful work. I just wish I had the time to do something like that. But I cant sit still long enough

[barbiespoodle]

Deb and Jane, thank you for the nice compliments.

Wanda and Ginia, all I can say is WOW. You two have real talent, all I do is follow a pattern.

Jane, it's called PC Stitch 7. I got in on e-bay, just type in cross stitch software in the search engine. It's a very easy program to use and customize to your particular style. You can make a pattern from any picture you can get into your computer. I'm not sure of the end result yet, I do have a project going I printed out from the program, a pic of my beloved standard poodle, but it keeps getting put aside as I need a gift, lol. You know how it is, the cobblers kids are always the last to get shoes.

Please allow me to show off some more, I so seldom get to do it.

The one is a gift I made for a wedding I'm going to on Sunday, the other two are past projects that I gave my best friend years ago and finally got smart and took pics of.

[wishiwere]

Wow! Isn't it fun to give them away! If those people only knew the hours of work though! Whew!

I made the mistake years ago when I first learned to not promise something you can't finish! Oh my! Bought and finished one of those monthly towels for dearest mom for Christmas (January snow scene) with the promise that once a month she get another one! I figure through the winter (with no gardening and lots of time I do those!). Well, all were delivered, but I never realized the amount of time put into them when HAVE to do them! LOL

The worse of it, she loved them, and knew the work, so woudln't put them out to use and has them stored boxes! UGH!