H is for Handmade - A to Z Challenge

Today is about my involvement with handmade crafts.

I'm always short on words because I know anyone who may visit and take the time to read this doesn't have time for a lengthy post, therefore this will be short and sweet.

I've been making handmade items for years, since I was fourteen ~ make that many, many years I've been making handmade items! 

Handmade by me

I give all my work away, I've never sold anything. Too scared mostly and everything I do has been done before, so who would want to buy my stuff.  I love giving my stuff away and I would never give anything that I wasn't truly happy with.

 

Sewing is a breeze for me and not much of a challenge, so I find I'm moving more towards drawing and painting (Oil) and I know that the only way I'm going to improve is to practice and one day I hope my paintings will be as much a breeze for me as my sewing is now.

Like I said in my post yesterday, I am very grateful to have found so many clever internet people. I have paid for and mostly enjoyed hours of tutorials on painting and drawing and I've enjoyed sharing my efforts ~ however humble they may be.



Handpainted by me

 

So for today, my point is all things handmade make me happy, especially if I'm the maker.

 

Source: soimarriedacraftblogger.com via FaveCrafts on Pinterest

Bloomin' Marvelous

If I planted a flower 

Every time I thought of you, 

My garden would bloom forever

All It Takes Is Practice

I'm doing the Fabulous Faces course with  Tamara Laporte from Willowing Arts and after many hours of practice I think the work is paying off.  If I never get any better than this I don't care.  It's been so long since I've been able to post something that is me ~ all mine ~ yes siree she's fabulous.

And ......................... I've finally learnt how to put a watermark on my photos.  Double bonus.

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Just Loving Learning

Happiness can be painted in any colour, shape or form

If you can live your imagination, your life will be a dream come true

I'm having a great time learning to draw, paint, collage, art journal and create artful letters.  All online courses with a bunch of wonderful people. 

"With love in my heart I bid thee farewell"

I Love Whimsical Letters

I've been taking Joanne Sharpe's Letter Love 101 Art Journal classes [29 lessons all up] of which I've been working at for close to a month now [!!!] and this humble attempt below is from lesson 14 and all my very own work, I might say.  I even signed it.  I can't believe I did that but well I did.

There's quite a few hours work in this lovely [get it] drawing.

 For this lesson we were asked to create a 'love' themed illustration with words and quotes [I forgot the quotes] using our new lettering techniques. [My techniques are scratchy 'cause I've skipped a few lessons ~ apologies Joanne.]

We had to keep the colour palette exclusive to reds, pinks and purple.  Well, I slipped in some orange too and not much purple.  In fact, I stayed away from purple because I tend to go overboard and I really wanted this effort to work out well ~ not end up in a crumpled ball on the floor.  My mantra should be "Keep it simple Christine", but I don't know how to do that. 

The tree of love ~ by Christine Kemp 2012

I've been struggling with drawing and painting for months because it's not something I do well ~ but it's something I so desperately want to be able to do!  I'm really clueless even after having had some face to face painting lessons [won't say how many] and participated in a couple of on-line art journal classes.

If you could glance in my craft room [one day I might call it a studio] you'd think I was a world class artist, when in fact I usually sit most days and stare at my stash of paints and stuff because I don't know what to do with them.  Yep, even with all the lessons I've attempted I still can't make a real start unless I have someone holding my hand and telling me 'it will be okay, Chris really'.  I can be a real basket case [or attention seeker] ~ depends how you look at it!!!!

Now it's not all doom and gloom.  I've found the courage to post my most recent artistic endeavours into the 'WORDS OF LOVE' on my blog and I give myself a big fat C+ for effort.

I'm off to find out what lesson 15 has install for me and see how much paper I can destroy and paint I can waste before I once again come back to this humble blog with something to share.

'With love in my heart I bid thee farewell'

Letter Art ~ My First Lesson

I'm loving Letter Art.  It's fun, relaxing, creative ~ just a wonderful play time.  The best part is I don't need a desk, nor do I need expensive paper, pens or paints.  In fact, I coloured this delicious piece with chalk and then later gave it a luscious and generous spray of hairspray.  My masterpiece is now adorably perfumed.

Naturally I didn't think of this myself, the mastermind behind my learning experience is Joanne Sharpe from Letter Love 101 and this is the coolest of classes.  What's so good about it for me is that I can chill out on the couch, pillow behind my back, wrapped up in a snuggly doona, dogs by my side and just get creative.

There's nothing special about these doodles but it makes me feel good, time wasted is not time wasted if you're having heaps of fun.  This is lesson number one only twenty-eight to go.  Just having too much fun.