BB Arts & Crafts Circle

[ecomama]

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

[Jstar49]

Hi all,

Go for it Golden! Loved Em's idea of something playing for company- is that co-regulating Em? I often do that, will watch a movie as I sew, altho I am more productive with music I think. Altho considering how many times I make an excuse to leave the room for a break or a cuppa or something maybe not...? If you are doing it for your own pleasure it totally doesn't matter how productive you are!

Somedays I think, I will spend the day in bed or just reading today. So if I do get up and do stuff, anything is a bous. And i tend to remind myself of that during the day- that anything I do today is a bonus. It helps me to feel a sense of achievement and joy in what I do.

I'm like you Em, I make and create for a purpose usually. I think that's why I'm more motivated to do things for others than myself. Except mending. Still not motivated to mend! Hem jeans. Fix broken bedspreads or valances. I like things to have a creative aspect, something I can choose and design. Solve a problem with.

Bag is coming along, slowly. I'm working on doing bits of things everyday. Most days. Instead of hoping for one whole day of sewing. Cos that never seems to happen, and if it does I wander around wasting time! Interesting Em about effects of trauma on concentration- that makes sense.

I also am interested in improving my completion rate! I get so many ideas and it's hard to not start a new one. Back to my bag.

Cheers,

J*

[ecomama]

Hey J*

Well done on continuing with your bag. I'm sure it will be beautiful.

When we're doing okay, use strategies we know when necessary, then we are "self-regulating".
We can even learn to do this as I've done with C-PTSD. Although I still check with MH professionals whether my reactions are appropriate ie within the "normal" range... more and more they are which is good lol.

I think for ppl with trauma responses, esp ppl like me with C-PTSD, when they trigger it provokes many things including the shakes, extreme fear, mind movies of past realities, concentration is impossible. Any triggers have far less impact now with all the work I've done.

I understand that CO-regulating is when we need someone ELSE to help regulate us.
Or WE are the other person helping to regulate that person having a difficult time.

I'm not sure if having music / movies playing are a "co-regulator" for all ppl but I think they help me in many ways to stick with a task and prevent my mind from wandering OFF the task.

This time last year I literally couldn't walk into my back garden without severely triggering, dizziness to the point of vomiting.

I hired a gardener and we chatted and talked. I was triggering quite horribly at times but he kept chatting about gardening things I'm interested in and "brought me back" if you will. Sometimes I couldn't remember what he said during the deepest part of the trigger / dissociation.

I had Exposure Therapy soon after. Now I'm ok to walk anywhere in my garden by myself with only faint memories (not triggers) nor dissociation that I'm aware of.

Having upbeat music in the garden for heavy work helps KEEP working hard me lol.

I think I've "paired" music and / or a movie with a set task to complete.
It's REALLY worked with all the changing room tasks, therefore I can truthfully say that this strategy helped regulate / co-regulate me.

Long winded answer lol.

Love EM

[golden82]

Thanks EM 🙂 I already had heard of the Steiner schooling (and it doesn't surprise me that you would be aligned to this way of teaching). Don't know where you get the time/energy to homeschool though. Wow! I like the holistic approach and googled the Steiner watercolour images - beautiful. I get lost/absorbed in those images. Thanks for prompting me to google. And providing the breakdown of what is needed. Too often I get overwhelmed and by you dot pointing it made it seem easier. I will however need to get some bench space - get the motivation to get to decluttering... take a leaf out of yours and Blues books lol. But I guess that can be part of the motivation - so that I have a space to paint my watercolours 🙂 I hope everyone is continuing to enjoy their projects 🙂

[Doolhof]

Hi Everyone,

I'm really enjoying all the conversations here.

My Paint by numbers is coming along very slowly! Enjoyable but slow! It is quite a big project. I had thought about doing some smaller paintings in-between for an immediate sense of satisfaction and completion.

I like watching tutorials on the internet so will check out the Waldorf Steiner watercolours that were mentioned here.

Happy crafting and creating everyone. Cheers from Dools

[ecomama]

Hey golden

Oh I don't home school any more lol. One child decided to go into "Institutional schooling", so they all went.
All good.

I thought you'd be mesmerised by the Waldorf / Steiner paintings.

Beautiful and calm. Just like you :-))

Love EM

[ecomama]

Hey Dools, good on you for persisting with your paint by numbers art work!

And I loved your idea of hanging some pieces and storing some others, changing over once in a while.

It's REALLY helped clear our spaces! And I don't have to throw any of the children's beautiful art work out, not that I would lol.

I kept 2 needlework projects in my bedroom to complete first.
Hand stitching around quilted hearts in simple running stitch on a small patchwork quilt I love.
Then I have to do the edging which I have no idea how to do successfully.... I might dare ask my aunty to help me lol.

Another is my Owl cross stitch. I have a place for it in my kitchen / dining room (I can swap out some art), I'll do that after it's finished and framed.

That should take this year and next lol!

But I'm super keen to sand back an antique cabinet that looks quite perfect under the TV now.
I'd rather paint the room first THEN decide on what colour to use and how to paint it.

It's well over 100yo now and still sturdy but I want to treat it with love and respect.

It's earnt it's place in our loungeroom!

Happy crafting everyone.

Love EM

[Doolhof]

Hi Em and All,

I love your enthusiasm EM. Before breakfast I placed my paint by numbers out on the patio table. I am going for a walk shortly and then I will do a little more of my painting.

Might get my acrylics out to do a quicker painting as well. Sometimes I like to just spread the colour around, then when it is dry, use a black marker to create a picture out of what I have painted a little abstractly.

I have my crocheting in a basket next to the couch in the lounge room ready for tonight. My husband likes to watch the cricket. I can join him and do my crocheting.

Right! I have declared today to be a creative day for me.

Cheers all from Dools

[golden82]

Good on ya Dools, sounds like a lovely crafty day you had planned 🙂

[HamSolo01]

G'day all

Nice to see you all 🙂

[ecomama]

Nice to see you all too lol.

Nice Dools! I saw some paint by numbers tonight at the shopping centre and thought of you lol... and monkey magic who painted a waterfall a while back.

The one I saw was a Protea and looked so beautiful just in black and white lol.

What a nice spot to paint, on the porch, fresh air, being outside. Nice.
I also like your idea of having some craft ready in the loungeroom, esp when a whole lot of mindless stuff is happening on TV LOL!

I need some advice... I have 2 cast iron framed stools, more like tall chairs really, but I call them stools lol. They had timber seats.
My parents bought them back from Asia when I first came to Australia.
One was broken by demon but only the seat part, it couldn't break the cast iron obviously lol.

So as a present for myself around March, I want to take them to a neighbour's timber workshop business and have the timber seats recrafted by him. Maybe stained and varnished, not painted. I like the look of timber.

But I will need to paint the cast iron frames. They're green atm but that's gotta go.

I want to paint them BEFORE they get their seats redone and just touch up any paint when I get them back if needed.

I was thinking black but they could be white or even very pale blue or any colour probably.
Leaning more towards black I think.

Any advice? TIA!

We picked up a package that Yvette ordered and she showed me what it was.
A "sparkle" organiser lol... the organiser has about 50 tiny little containers with labels. She's got 5 designs to do. One's a cat.

She read that these activities are good for your MH she told me lol.
That's awesome. I'm really thrilled that she's crafting and choosing to spend her money on things like this.

She also got more photos printed at Kmart tonight and they're to replace some not so happy ones any more on her photo wall.
Good thinking 99 lol.

Wishing you all well in your creative time!

EMxxxx