topic BB Arts & Crafts Circle in Staying well

BB Arts & Crafts Circle

ecomama — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:48:26 GMT

Hey wonderful people!

I take delight when I read about what other people have made themselves; from art works to sewing to knitting to ANYTHING!

The CREATIVITY in these forums is astounding.

The skill set is pretty mind blowing too.

It warms my heart to know that Arts and Crafts are being enjoyed by so many of our members.

Please feel welcome to SHARE your past, present or future projects with us all.
Or even what you'd like to learn how to do.

Any gift ideas are most welcome too!

Love EM

BB Arts & Crafts Circle

white knight — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 21:27:23 GMT

An excellent thread idea EM.

Creativity and mental illness often go hand in hand, thank goodness there is a positive amongst the suffering.

Between 1992-1994 I was unemployed and wondered how to supplement my income. I drew plans for a cubby house with attic windows. By Xmas I had 14 orders all painted bright colours.

Then I built a locomotive on top of my ride on lawn mower. Then 2 carriages and a red caboose. The train could carry 19 children. I took it to shows. Very successful.

I also designed my own model airplanes and loved building them.

I've just finished building our Kit home. Currently building the verandahs.
Cheers

TonyWK

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Matchy69 — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 21:41:58 GMT

Hi Em great to see you got this thread going.I will post some things I have made later.
Mark.

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ecomama — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 22:15:25 GMT

OMG Tony WK! WOW!

JUST BLOW THIS THREAD out of the water with your first post here!!! 😂😂😂

Your creations are A-MAZ-ING! You just made my jaw drop to the ground lolol.
And your poetry on other threads evokes so many other emotions too.

Thankyou!

I love that you turned a very hard time around, used your creativity and SKILLS lol, to work hard, bring joy to so many children and make some money too!

The locomotive... omg, you're so clever lol.

Your kit home... well it's just beautiful you can make a home for you and your partner.
Love that.
"We" are hoping to build a cabin / bungalow in my back yard later later... my BF is drawing up my designs in a program he has, I've given the "Design Stage" 1 year to get right. Maybe we'll do some ground works during that time - maybe not lol.

Thankyou for your post!
EMxxx

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ecomama — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 22:17:05 GMT

Hey Mark

Lol aren't we just "two peas in a pod"! lol! We have so many past times in common.

Thankyou!
I look forward to reading about your creations!

EMxxxx

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monkey_magic — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 22:41:54 GMT

I went through a painting stage and have lots of acrylic and oil paintings. I have sold some of them.

Then I discovered painting by numbers. I've done around 12 or so.

🌈

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Matchy69 — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 02:18:01 GMT

Hi everyone I got started in woodcraft by making a possum house for someone who asked me to.I thought that would put my cabinet making certificate to good use.My then girlfriend at the time who became my wife said it was so good I should sell them and said I should make bird houses so I drew designs for them as well Mine I painted them to look like shops or houses with different designs and I started selling them at the markets and then one day at the markets a lady said she loved the design but could I make one it a mailbox instead of the birdhouse so a week later I had it finished and she loved it.Then a lady came up to me and said would I be interested in selling my my woodwirk in a craft shop so I ended up joining and then a lady came into the craft shop wanting a doll house and I started making doll houses.I ended up selling through two craft shops and markets on a Sunday.I haven't made much in the last couple of years due to my mental physical health deteriating.I am still involved in one craft shop mostly take plants and jam there these days.I also do metal craft as well making things at of horse shoes and old roofing iron.i can leave that for another post.
Take care,
Mark .

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ecomama — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 03:31:09 GMT

Hey monkey!

You and everyone is proving Tony WK right by sharing all your creative endeavours here!

Painting is awesome monkey and you sound like a very talented Artist.

Do you frame and hang all your artwork up?

Do you give some away to ppl?

I have lots of Alexa's art work and a gorgeous sculpture she made.

Do you find it relaxing?

Love EM

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ecomama — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 03:33:37 GMT

Hey Mark

Your timber work sounds awesome!!

I'm sure all your pieces have brought alot of joy, happiness and beauty to people's homes and gardens!

Not to mention GREAT houses for wildlife lol!!

Thankyou for sharing Mark. Can't wait to read all about your IRON WORK next omg, you're so creative.

EMxxxx

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Guest_1643 — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 11:44:29 GMT

hi mark that is so cool

what a beautiful artistic expression

sounds like u have a real talent

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ecomama — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 15:09:50 GMT

Hey Sleepy!

There's alot of creativity in the forums, isn't there?

I love how you've made your rooms more "your own" by getting the things you like and in the way you like them.

Interior design and styling is also very creative, even when we take inspiration from others.

My whole home is "a work in progress" lol. So much repair work to do ho hum lol.

I loved our whole convo on other threads about Interior Design!!

The painting inside my home will be after we change rooms around and after we repair walls!

I wonder if there are any people who sew and do needle work out there?
I like doing this but since the trauma have found it hard to do.

Take care Sleepy!

Love EM

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Jstar49 — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 04:27:08 GMT

Hey creative peeps 🙂

I LOVE sewing. It's been a very dry year with study blocking out most of my spare time, so enjoying hols.

I'll write more another time, but I love making my own clothes, and stuff for kids. I'm passionate about COMFORT! It's got to be comfortable or else it's not on me Lol!

Today I want to keep working on my new handbag. The last one survived a year of tafe and stuffing everything (incl the laptop!) into it, and now I need a professional but fun bag in case I get a job next year. It needs to have plenty of storage, but not look like it. I've chosen a lovely pale taupe linen and a print in mushroom and rusty red, smoky steel blue. And I'm going to put fawn leather on the bottom, and on the strap, for strength.

I've also just finished some cute kids dresses for a friend with a 2yo and new baby. Stretchy and easy.

Em if I didn't have machines I would continue on my patchwork quilt. It's a 'grandmothers garden' pattern, with hexagons, so it's all handwork. I haven't done any work on it for a while.

Or of course I could finish my knitting- maybe it would be ready by next winter....?

Obviously I have issues finsihing projects lol!

What are you all currently working on?

Cheers

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quirkywords — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 08:27:50 GMT

I feel a bit of a fraud as my only creativity is with writing and imagination.

I tried knitting again and just made a long scarf my partner wont wear.

I tried a collage and did one this year but collected lots of items for collage.

you are all an inspiration. I will sit in the corner and watch and listen .

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Guest_1643 — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 08:36:18 GMT

hi Quirky- writiing is a wonderful way to create!

What do u like to write?

i have a notebook with me and sometimes like to sit in a cafe and journal out my feelings, plans, hopes and daily frustrations

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ecomama — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:21:59 GMT

Hey quirky!
Sleepy is SO RIGHT here.... writing is SO creative!

And collages!

And even knitting a scarf your partner won't wear! (grrr lol)

"Sit in the corner" pfft to that lol.... lead on and please tell us about your writing journey!
And your collages AND knitting!

I'm so interested to know about it all.
What do you collage?

I saw 2 beautiful collages once that a mum had made from all her twin girl's pre-school paintings. When she had each of them framed, she wrapped them as gifts for their dad.... and I just realised that my eldest D went to pre-school with them both, loved them to bits.... and one of the twins works with me now lol!

I really LOVE that idea and thought of it as I find my children's early art works.... yeah maybe a future set of projects.

What glues do you use to paste them together etc?
What surfaces do you collage ON?

Please share quirky!
Love EM

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ecomama — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:26:18 GMT

That's gorgeous Sleepy....

"journal out my feelings, plans, hopes and daily frustrations"

A creative way to do our own therapy...

Have you peeked at the Law of Attraction thread here?

Pretty amazing developments happening over there.... just sayin'.

I began a Dream Folder over a decade ago and sketching out things led me to use Watercolour Pencils and a wet brush pencil thingy my Aunty gave me.
Those work so well together.

Love EM

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Jstar49 — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:32:33 GMT

Oh yes definitely.

There is so many ways to be creative! I like to journal, and write, and keep starting 'books'.........but it's a bit the same as many of my creative endeavours, lots of beginnings and no endings LOL!

Collages are so great. Mosaicing is like collages only with broken pottery and tiles. Jeanne Baker makes books from her collages!

Em I once made a big pic from a selection of T's mermaid and fairy drawings- there was also a house theme going on but it worked better to limit it- I put different blue spotted paper in the background and it's in a frame. Some of the texta work is faded but still beautiful. Other artworks I keep in an art folder- one each. Too good to get rid of.

🙂

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ecomama — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 10:48:52 GMT

Omg you make me laugh J*!!! I had to keep doing a double take to make sure I was reading YOUR post and not one of mine!

SNAP! So much the same lol.

I guess sewing is one of my last (hopefully) trigger fields to explore and do Exposure Therapy on lol... oh yay. There are probably more but I know this is one...

I feel better sewing in a group as that's how I was raised.
My aunties, great aunties and grandmother, second cousins, even 1st cousins when they grew up, would all contribute to our own projects and others in any mix of family.
Pretty sad, I miss that.

But AWESOME that we have this group NOW!

I have multitudes of unfinished projects lol... back in that family circle when I brought out my Fair Isle cardigan to continue knitting, my family and I would nearly wet ourselves laughing because it was taking SO LONG for me to knit. When other's tried to knit it FOR me, their tension was different so I would have to pull it ALL apart and reknit it!
It was so stupid that it was funny.

My Nana always said "You have to be a good UNknitter to be a good knitter", she was RIGHT!
I often pull apart knitting in therapist's waiting rooms because stitches were missed then re-knit it lol. (OCD? yah maybe lol).

But I have many unfinished cross-stitch projects too.

I found a sweet WELCOME sign I cross-stitched whilst decluttering my room and drum roll... it was FINISHED! omg can't believe it. I want to frame it and put it downstairs in our new glass room. I'll wait till the room is finished, painted etc to choose a frame.

Now IDK... just doing interior design stuff, moving rooms, moving furniture all over the house, decluttering.

Alexa said I'm a maximalist kind of minimalist which is a funny paradox.

Decided to store my projects with all the materials that go with each, so they're not lost in the mire. Take them out when I'm inspired to.

But I LOVE mending clothes!
I found some pants that are great for work, I need to re-stitch the zipper on them.
I washed them today in preparation for that.

For now I'm donning a spackle scraper thingy, rake and garden shovel far more than a needle.

All good. I love knitting and stitching in Winter more than any other time.

Maybe I'll keep my Wise Owl Scandinavian style cross stitch in my bedside table in my new bedroom for those stitching opportunities.
LOVE Scandi style.

EMxxxx

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Jstar49 — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 11:03:31 GMT

Em I LOVE that picture of a whole group of women sewing and knitting! Yes, you must miss it.

I grew up with big family gatherings at Christmas- it's been hard to adjust as an adult. One of the reasons I persist with my fam ( who aren't bad btw, just my dad is a bit controlling, my sis never let go of the hurt of losing her first baby- ouch and very sad- and they're all averse to emotions and communication) I am the black sheep! Stick out like a sore thumb!

Ha lol- so similar! I think you have a much busier life than me tho Em. I wouldn't be able to keep up! You remind me of my wise older friend Marta (not her real name). I would always go to her as a troubled 20-something, and she would always know what to say.

Totally in awe of scandi and fair isle- wow! I like stripes.... thats about as far as it goes! My unfinished cardi is plain green. I would never finish if it wasn't!

I agree that home stuff is creative. Renovating, building, moving furniture. Christmas decorations!!!

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ecomama — Thu, 31 Dec 2020 12:01:58 GMT

Gee thankyou for that sweet compliment of being like your old friend lol... thankyou.

I was pretty impressed with my youngest d today, I call Yvette (not her real name lol).
She made LOTS of cupcakes for her work friends as she was working tonight on NYE - and pretty excited about that too!

She'd bought some special glitter spray to spray onto food.
I'd given her some more baking things for Christmas, even tho it seemed she'd stopped baking.

She stopped doing everything she enjoyed doing this year and I was desperately seeking MH support for her which all books were full here.

So she planned her baking venture for today by buying things last night with her brother's help by driving her last night. (Sharing 1 car between many of us atm).

IDK it made me happy that she's doing things that bring her more joy. Even if I had to spend hours cleaning up the kitchen after it all. She decided to catch a bus to work early due to the car situation.

She created a "sparkler" effect with skewers and new tinsel to make like sparklers or fireworks on top of the cakes for NYE. So cool.

Things to be proud of in my children.

EMxxxx