Are you a writer, artist, musician, crafter, or other kind of creator?

[mum]

I have an Etsy shop. I opened it a bit into Covid lockdown. I'm always telling my kids to "have a go, keep learning, do what you love, don't worry about making mistakes, just try" and they all knew I'd wanted to have a shop but was too nervous too. And then I decided I'd better gather my courage and do it.

It makes me happy and I've met lovely people. I sew from mostly repurposed fabric and denim so is eco friendly. I also sell cloth napkins, to reduce waste, and I sell Happy Birthday banners which have been popular and really are a family treasure. So many memories when the same banner is put up for each birthday, year after year. Our own has been going for about 15 years and still looks like new. 

I'd love for you to visit my shop!

etsy.com/shop/FabricSpeaks

[Melissa Louise]

@mum, now I am trying to justify why I need the chicken apron!

[Garga]

15 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

@mum, now I am trying to justify why I need the chicken apron!

Yup! Me, too!

[wathe]

6 hours ago, kbutton said:

These are probably my three best EPP items so far. I don’t have a finished project in mind just yet—still playing around.

I think PeterPan mentioned EPP as a hobby some people have, and I went down the rabbit hole. I don’t cut or machine stitch precisely enough for quilting on a machine. The EPP method perfectly remedies that problem.

I really like this!  It reminds of my kids' pattern blocks.  I might have a go.  Maybe use pattern block colour scheme as a math homeschooling momento....  Make a quilted pencil case, maybe. 

[MercyA]

@mum, I remember when you just started your shop! It looks like you are doing wonderfully! So happy for you! 

My personal favorite at the moment is the sea turtle zipper bag. 🙂

[wathe]

I sew.  Mostly practical things for my family that would be either otherwise hard to find, or nice to have customized:  Pencil rolls, pencil cases, tote bags, dice bags for D&D, gym suits and swim suits for my boys (pink paisley boys' gym suits are a one-of-a-kind type of item, LOL), pj's, custom stuff sacs for camping items, rice bags, juggling bags, clothes for stuffies (Roman emperor toga and tunic for stuffie dog was a highlight), costumes/costume elements.  My latest project has been pouches for a custom "utility belt" for my DS 13, who is Mr Prepared and takes his survival gear e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.

Also, I've done a lot of masks (hundreds) and scrub caps for donation. 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by wathe

[MercyA]

@bookbard, the painting is lovely!!!

[mum]

1 hour ago, MercyA said:

@mum, I remember when you just started your shop! It looks like you are doing wonderfully! So happy for you! 

My personal favorite at the moment is the sea turtle zipper bag. 🙂

Thank you! It has been so good for me. I'm a bit more confident and I've learned so much. The sea turtle bag was made as a collaboration with a young woman who is a zoo keeper. She chose the fabric and I made a bag for her. She takes her utensils in it, for lunch at work. It seems fitting that it goes with her to a zoo!

[mum]

1 hour ago, Garga said:

Yup! Me, too!

The chicken fabric has been a great favorite. I did a poll in my newsletter when I got the fabric, and the consensus was that it should be an apron. I wear an apron every day. I've saved SO many clothes from ruin because of my apron. So I tell myself that an apron is actually a frugal item!

[Moonhawk]

We're a type foundry! I won't take all the of the credit -- or most of the credit, lol -- since I've slowly been fading into background management and not hands-on design work anymore, but I am involved a lot in the beginning design process and decisions, and the making of promo materials etc., so I think I can share, yes?

Here's a quick image with a few of our fonts. Won't include a link here atm, but if you're interested in learning/seeing more I'm happy to PM it because I love love love our fonts!

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by Moonhawk

[regentrude]

I am a poet. Have two published collections and a bunch of poems in magazines.
Also dabble a bit in songwriting.
Will share details via pm.

[Cecropia]

I am involved in music and crafting of various types, but I just want to share a recent story...

I used to write poetry and short stories all the time, decades ago.  Over the years, I feel like I have lost much of my writing creativity and generally become a much more analytical, practical, and generally scattered person.  For our anniversary this year, I decided to try writing some poetry for my husband.  It was a challenge to make myself focus on it, clear my mind and be open to inspiration... but three amazing poems just flowed out of me in two days, each one better than the last.  This part of me was still down there somewhere, neglected but not dead.  Perhaps there is someone else out there reading this who has similar self-doubt, who would like to rekindle a long-lost creative spark, but feel too old or altered or distracted to give it a real chance.  Try it -- the results might surprise you!

[Alicia64]

I would love for someone -- other than dh  -- to read today's post.

Ask this One -- Entirely New -- Question & Behold the Gorgeous Changes.

I know, the title's kind of long.

And thank you for reading.

 

 

[Pintosrock]

I crocheted before dd7 was born. During lockdown, I decided to get into it again. I made this "Don't Eat the Daisies!" afghan and am now working on one with rainbows and unicorns.

[Alicia64]

20 hours ago, bookbard said:

I'm a writer, but the kids and I took up painting during the lockdown - here's an example. 

LOVE! I'm a bird freak.

18 hours ago, mum said:

I have an Etsy shop. I opened it a bit into Covid lockdown. I'm always telling my kids to "have a go, keep learning, do what you love, don't worry about making mistakes, just try" and they all knew I'd wanted to have a shop but was too nervous too. And then I decided I'd better gather my courage and do it.

It makes me happy and I've met lovely people. I sew from mostly repurposed fabric and denim so is eco friendly. I also sell cloth napkins, to reduce waste, and I sell Happy Birthday banners which have been popular and really are a family treasure. So many memories when the same banner is put up for each birthday, year after year. Our own has been going for about 15 years and still looks like new. 

I'd love for you to visit my shop!

etsy.com/shop/FabricSpeaks

I've bought napkins and coasters from our WTM/Etsy-mom. Every time we use the napkins I think of her. Such a fun experience buying. In fact, I'm going to the Etsy shop right now.

[mommyoffive]

8 minutes ago, Pintosrock said:

I crocheted before dd7 was born. During lockdown, I decided to get into it again. I made this "Don't Eat the Daisies!" afghan and am now working on one with rainbows and unicorns.

Wow, that is the most amazing afghan I have ever seen.  So cool!

[Alicia64]

On 3/6/2021 at 11:20 PM, Thatboyofmine said:

I’ve started painting.  I don’t sell anything just keep or give.  I just finished the below painting for my mom... it’s **definitely** not perfect and I can see every imperfection, but oh well.   I’m trying to get into painting birds especially.   The lighting is off some because of the crappy living room light, but you get the gist... 

LOVE this.

On 3/7/2021 at 7:19 AM, Quill said:

I have always loved to create and make things. I write, do photography, loom knit, sometimes draw or paint, sometimes make crafts or arrangements of seasonal decor. I also love food as art: beautiful breads or desserts.

I’m planning to do the decor and some flowers for dd’s wedding in September. I’m sure I will show off lots of pictures of that when the time comes. I am also growing a lot of flowers for the wedding. Depending on how successful that endeavor is, there may be a lot of flowers from my own gardens or fewer. We’ll have to see what happens with that. 

I don’t maintain a blog anymore. I have an Etsy shop but it is currently empty; the last items I had in there were masks which sold out in a few hours. 😄 Traffic from the Hive boosted my shop in the search results (I speculate); normally my shop doesn’t rank high enough for much traffic. 

Here’s a photo I took, which I enjoy (excuse the weird angle; I was trying to block reflections): 

Just wow. I wish I had your photography-eye. Very cool.

On 3/7/2021 at 2:22 PM, kbutton said:

I have been sewing more during the pandemic. Blackwork cross stitch and English paper piecing are new for me (EPP just since Christmas).

This is my most recent finish from a free pattern shared via a FB group. I added a corner pattern to enlarge it.

Nice!

[regentrude]

1 hour ago, Cecropia said:

I used to write poetry and short stories all the time, decades ago.  Over the years, I feel like I have lost much of my writing creativity and generally become a much more analytical, practical, and generally scattered person.  For our anniversary this year, I decided to try writing some poetry for my husband.  It was a challenge to make myself focus on it, clear my mind and be open to inspiration... but three amazing poems just flowed out of me in two days, each one better than the last.  This part of me was still down there somewhere, neglected but not dead.  Perhaps there is someone else out there reading this who has similar self-doubt, who would like to rekindle a long-lost creative spark, but feel too old or altered or distracted to give it a real chance.  Try it -- the results might surprise you!

I went through a decade of being unable to write. It was a combination of emigration to another continent and another language,  and my self being eaten by motherhood. I have only been able to write again for about 5 years.

[Melissa Louise]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

I am a poet. Have two published collections and a bunch of poems in magazines.
Also dabble a bit in songwriting.
Will share details via pm.

Peeps, she's also good. I have both her books. Recommend. Do PM her for deets! Buying poetry is good for health 🙂

[Melissa Louise]

53 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

I would love for someone -- other than dh  -- to read today's post.

Ask this One -- Entirely New -- Question & Behold the Gorgeous Changes.

I know, the title's kind of long.

And thank you for reading.

 

 

This made me laugh. 

I'm having a bit of a backslide, after months of doing really well, and this was a great question for me. I also rock at making my own day awful 🙂

Have bookmarked to read more. 

[Alicia64]

5 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

This made me laugh. 

I'm having a bit of a backslide, after months of doing really well, and this was a great question for me. I also rock at making my own day awful 🙂

Have bookmarked to read more. 

Seriously, thanks. Losing weight is hard enough I think laughing about the in's and out's should be considered a vital tool.

Thank you for the bookmark! ♥♥♥

[StillStanding]

I am "A Jack of All Trades, and Master of None."

Keeping my hands busy  has helped me keep sane during the pandemic. My youngest child is graduating homeschooling this year (he is mostly self-teaching); and I am not tutoring as the tutorial where I was going to work this school year decided not to mask or social distance, so I have had a lot of free time.

Growing up, and all through high school, I used to love to draw. Some family members framed some of my drawings and water colors and still have them on the wall. When I started college (STEM), I was too busy to do anything but study and work so I stopped drawing and painting. 

As an adult, and over the years, I have found some time to try my hand at the following: 

1. I enjoy painting murals, and create my own stencils, on walls (My house, and friend's houses)… I guess I should go back to drawing and painting [# of walls is always limited, but I can always buy more paper and canvases 🙂]. 

2. I enjoy sewing dolls (and toys): This year I opened an Etsy shop as an outlet for this hobby ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyDandelionsGifts?ref=search_shop_redirect).  I have sold very few things. Learning about SEOs, taking good pictures and editing pictures, CANVA to create pins for Pinterest (etc), all have been great to keep me busy during this pandemic, but I am not enjoying the "Marketing" side of having a shop. I am not very good at it.  I am debating closing the shop and going back to gifting my creation to family and friends.

3. My mom was a dedicated knitter and I learned the basics--I am a basic knitter (hats, scarfs, mittens and the like. I knitted a sweater in my 20's and I said "never again"). I cannot say  I enjoy knitting, but as people love the scarfs/hats I make for them I keep knitting. 

4. I enjoy needle point projects ( to frame, or to make pillows) and I have done several large projects over the years, some requested by family members as presents, some for my own home. 

5. I have been learning how to crochet during the pandemic. I am in the "easy/beginner" patterns level. I think I like it better than knitting...it has potential for being a keeper 🙂

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by StillStanding
I am a bit dyslexic

[Melissa Louise]

@MercyA

This is the nicest WTM thread in ages. 

[Kalmia]

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

I am a poet. Have two published collections and a bunch of poems in magazines.
Also dabble a bit in songwriting.
Will share details via pm.

I love poetry. Please PM me a link to your poetry collections. I remember when you were deliberating how to live a fulfilling life and were to become a poet. I'd love to read your work. 

[MercyA]

@StillStanding, I was hoping you would post!!! I was just looking around in your shop yesterday. Your corduroy cat is perfection! 💖 So sweet. I adore the dolls, too. 

[Junie]

My dd16 wants to be a costume designer.  Here are a couple of her recent projects:

 

[Guest]

55 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

Peeps, she's also good. I have both her books. Recommend. Do PM her for deets! Buying poetry is good for health 🙂

I concur. I have one of her books as well. 

 

[Guest]

On 3/7/2021 at 3:20 PM, Dreamergal said:

I was pushed into STEM, I did not have any sort of art education whatsoever. 

I am in the learning stages. Learning to paint, draw, sew using a machine, possibly play the piano and my biggest dream is to write something. Not get published, but able to write creatively like even fanfiction. A story, fleshed out with dialog that I can write and not be ashamed to have people read. I love to read, but I cannot write and I have tried. So I am planning to take a creative writing class, but I am putting it off because I am intimated and scared I will really find out I cannot write.😊. I have gone back to embroidery.

Dance is a creative art, I am in the area of murdering the dance form. But I am taking a dance class . terrible at it and loving it

I photograph a bit, quite ok.

If cooking was a creative art, that would my thing. I am a creative cook in the sense of I do not use measurements, I take a recipe and make it my own. Mostly it works out but some have truly been experiments and my poor hubby has borne the brunt of them, because I try it out on him, not the kids.

I may never create anything but it gives me quite a bit of joy to try all these things. That I think is the point.

In the early part of the pandemic, I was having an absolute ball writing fanfic Harry Potter, while also reading a bunch of fanfic on Quora. I was writing a story, “How Bella went dark,” that was about Bellatrix LeStrange’s early years. (I took poetic license on certain things, like having her at Hogwarts at the same time as Snape, James and Lily.) Can I tell you how much pure fun I was having? It’s very freeing to use your creativity to develop a story that has no potential at all of ever being sold. It’s also easier, in a way, to use the parameters of an existing novel’s world and characters. That way, you can focus your creativity purely on the story you want to unfold. 

[Melissa Louise]

34 minutes ago, Quill said:

In the early part of the pandemic, I was having an absolute ball writing fanfic Harry Potter, while also reading a bunch of fanfic on Quora. I was writing a story, “How Bella went dark,” that was about Bellatrix LeStrange’s early years. (I took poetic license on certain things, like having her at Hogwarts at the same time as Snape, James and Lily.) Can I tell you how much pure fun I was having? It’s very freeing to use your creativity to develop a story that has no potential at all of ever being sold. It’s also easier, in a way, to use the parameters of an existing novel’s world and characters. That way, you can focus your creativity purely on the story you want to unfold. 

People forget writing is play. 

[regentrude]

21 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

I would also love read your work, regentrude - but your pm box must be full?

oops. Cleaned it out. Realized I have been on these boards for over ten years.

[regentrude]

22 minutes ago, Melissa Louise said:

People forget writing is play. 

so, so important!

I had a lot of fun playing with form last year. Nobody will publish a poem in dactylic hexameter, so it was purely for fun, absolutely no pressure.

[I talk to the trees]

I’m a hand-spinner and knitter. Most of the time, I spin the “typical” fibers: sheep, angora, alpaca...basically the fibers you’d find in your local yarn shop. But occasionally, I get the opportunity to spin someone’s chiengora- dog combings. I don’t have an actual business. It’s more of a word of mouth thing. People will call and say, “You made Mrs. Smith some mittens from Fluffy, and I wondered if you could do the same for my Fido.” 
 

Back to the “normal” side of spinning: This green and gold Leicester Longwool fiber was purchased from none other than our own Hive Queen Empress Susan at a Peace Hill Farm stand in Williamsburg in the spring of 2019. I finally got around to spinning and knitting it up this winter. 
 

[MercyA]

We have another anonymous contribution!! The contributor said that she plays but does not write music and wanted me to emphasize that she is a hobbyist / amateur. This is just beautiful. 

 

 

[MercyA]

I am in awe of all of you! ❤️

[mum]

8 hours ago, Alicia64 said:

LOVE! I'm a bird freak.

I've bought napkins and coasters from our WTM/Etsy-mom. Every time we use the napkins I think of her. Such a fun experience buying. In fact, I'm going to the Etsy shop right now.

Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you are enjoying the napkins