Down the Lane

Neither horrified or rolling about. More of a ...what? … hmmm.
Keep on having fun MQ

As long as you enjoy seeing the results, then that is the main thing. To make people laugh is a real art in itself, so carry on, MQ.
It sort of reminds me when I had bright red streaks put in my hair and then went into town, the smiles on peoples faces had to be seen to be believed. Whether they thought I was potty or not did not bother me, as I liked it. If I hadn't liked it I would not have to look at it except for poss once a day when I combed/styled it, so win, win.

I've just looked through this thread for the first time, you are quite brilliant! what an imagination you have. Do you sell your things online or just on stalls? Your statue looks like he's heading for the beach with a towel under his arm. The other day I found a market stall where a lady was selling homeade bags very like yours, I bought a jolly felted case for my glasses, very useful, perhaps that's something else you could make for your stall.

Hi kitla. I don't sell online because I am not interested in making money, and there are too many regulations regarding distance selling. My art is best viewed in real life and I don't want to have to deal with people who send stuff back, say it's not up to scratch, or it's not what they thought it would be. Also I don't want any transactions going through my bank.

I sell a few things on the Cat Rescue stall which I help out with. These are mainly shopping bags and pet beds. I get the fabric either given to me, or very cheaply from Hull Scrapstore. I also give away shopping bags, either on my blog as a prize draw, or hand them to shoppers when I am in Tesco. It's funny to see the look on their face when I say they are free. I want people to stop using plastic bags.

When people give me pillows and duvet's I make either pet beds, or cushions, which I give to the church. The benches are hard in there, uncomfortable for people to sit for very long.

I get pleasure from making art from scrap that I find. I will always look in a skip for something that can be of use, I hate to see so much going to landfill. I like to think that the creative side of things keeps my brain ticking over.

I will be having my first art exhibition in August in Burton upon Trent, and I'm quite excited about that. Some of it will be for sale. Up to now I haven't wanted to let any of my pictures go because I like them, but it's a shame that they are covered up on top of my wardrobe. If someone likes a piece and they want to buy it I shall be pleased that it will be hung where it is appreciated. I will be making a donation from my sales to Air Ambulance.

Next month (June) is our village Open Gardens event, I shall be open and some of my art will be on display in the Summer House. Thank you for your question, forgive me for waffling on a bit.

ilona

I have just finished this project. I bought a wire heart from a car boot sale for 50p, thought it might have potential to become something arty crafty. At first I was going to wrap it with wool, then realized that would be difficult. Then another idea, cover plastic bottle tops with colourful fabric and stitch them onto it.







I'm pleased with how it's turned out.

Ilona

How pretty is that.
What vision you have

What a transformation.

that's great, really pretty. It must have taken some patience to wrap those little bottle caps, they look like buttons.

kitla wrote:that's great, really pretty. It must have taken some patience to wrap those little bottle caps, they look like buttons.

Thanks all for your comments. There are 55 milk bottle tops, plus the smaller ones around the edge. I have an idea in my head of what I want to achieve so it's this vision which keeps me going to the end. I can't follow patterns and instructions, it's the creative process which keeps me focused. Occasionally I do run out of steam when a project becomes a bit laborious. I have to put it down and move on. It helps to have several projects in the pipeline at the same time, when I can pick them up again after a break.

I can't plod on with something that is boring the pants off me, there's always something new to do. Always looking at the next idea. I am a moving on kind of person. You might think that covering bottle tops takes patience, but if I allocate an hour or so each morning to a repetitive job, it takes shape over a period of time, and each step forward spurs me on to the next.

Wendy mentioned vision. I believe you need to have vision in all aspects of your life, to create the kind of life you want. Ooops, going off on a tangent, I'm always doing that, ha ha. But that's what being creative is about. Not going down the long straight road, but looking down the side roads, and going off on a tangent to see where it takes me.

Ilona

Hi , a question .
Have you been educated in the art / crafty /design schooling or are you self taught .

I think you are special , like a writer , painter . I think people of your total skill and mind set are few and far between . Under the right conditions past and future you could be famous person in the future to be looked back on.

As another thought , the world be a unpleasant place with out yourself and your fellow like minded souls .
Support for these persons in universities etc should be encouraged . Trouble is the useless ones spoil it for the rest .
Politics so stop now.
Well done and keep at it . I am sure money does not come into it but I can Safely say they are priceless.
Bob

bikesandbirdsbob wrote:Hi , a question .
Have you been educated in the art / crafty /design schooling or are you self taught .
Bob

Hi Bob. I haven't had any extra education in art, just the normal painting and sewing at secondary modern school. I left at 15 with no qualifications, and went straight into work. My dad thought I would be good as a window dresser in a big store, but I didn't fancy the training. He was an artist, and so was his brother, my uncle. I was never much good at art, painting and drawing, but I like sewing.

Yes I am self taught, for many years I concentrated on earning a living, and didn't have time for much else, except boys and going out, ha ha. It wasn't until I retired nine years ago that I was able to take up the sewing again, and one thing has led to another. For years my passion was trucking, and now I am lucky enough to have found another passion, art and crafts. Now I wish I had explored it earlier, maybe going to college to study, but it was important for me to earn money at the time.

I think art and design should be taken more seriously in education, young people should be encouraged to work out solutions for themselves rather than follow a preset programme of lessons. Young minds should be encouraged to expend, to explore, to question, and to come up with their own solutions. These skills are very much needed alongside the formal training for more conventional careers. We need inventors, people who have vision, who can see possibilities for the future. A creative and enquiring mind should never be overlooked. That's my view anyway.

Money will have to come into my work eventually, I have to price some of it up for the exhibition. At the moment I have no need to earn more money, my pension is adequate, and I make things just for the enjoyment of creating something. Sometimes people ask me if I can make something for them, a copy of a previous artwork, but I can't do that. Everything I do has to be for me.

Thanks for your questions Bob, Here are a couple of things I have made in the last few days. They had a sort out at the Village Hall and were chucking out a load of cutlery.
Wind chimes.




Someone pointed me in direction of a web site which recycles unwanted stuff which gave me some ideas. A flower for the garden.





On the blog now if you want more details.

I am grateful for your thoughts, Bob. Thanks.

ilona

Oooops, I made another one, more bling for the garden. Super glued two cd's together and inserted seven bent forks through the centre.



Painted the handles with gold glitter nail polish, looked good so I did the first one as well.



ilona

This is the third and last cutlery flower I made, I don't have any more stalks left.





Loads of cutlery left I will have to think of another idea.

Ilona

I like those, MQ.
Can you bend the cutlery and make hooks out of them? Just a thought, perhaps not do able.

Gwenoakes wrote:I like those, MQ.
Can you bend the cutlery and make hooks out of them? Just a thought, perhaps not do able.

Yes it is possible to make hooks out of spoons and forks. There are videos on youtoob how to do it. They are usually screwed onto a board, so a hole needs to be drilled.

I gathered up my plastic flowers from the garden, and added sequins to them. They look very blinging nice.



Ilona