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Hello everyone!
I'm, not even sure I've got the right thing here - words like "thread" don't mean a great deal to me unless it's got beads atached!
Anyhow, assuming I have actually managed to negotiate my way to the "Introduce Yourself" section I'd like to say Hello to you all! Can't believe I haven't found this site before - it's a minefield of information!
I've been making, painting and creating for ovr 20 years. I started with beading and jewellery making back in the 1980s when my first child was born and big plastic jewellery was very much in vogue. Back then,I used to buy up bits of old jewellery from jumble sales and turn them into something that just went with the latest fashions. I started selling bits and pieces to friends at work, and managed to make a bit of extra cash in the process.
I stuck with beading for quite a while - then I discovered salt dough (probably early 1990s). I'd never seen anything like it (saw it for the firs time at a craft show) and just had to give it a try. My first few attempts were completely hopeless! So I bought some books, perservered and eventually managed to produce some really nice pieces - so I hit the craft show scene with a vengeance and was surprised how easy it was to sell provided other people could actually get to see what you could do.
I did that for around 3 years, then painted flower pots for a few months (loved doing it, sold a few, but they took far too long to make and although people liked them, weren't prepared to pay anywhere near enough to make it worth while) - then I discovered glass painting which was really new at the time.
This was surprisingly successful and I loved doing it. Again, I'd trawl around boot sales lookng for glass that needed painting and sometimes find a really stunning piece and end up paying only 50p for it, yet sell it painted for as much as £20. This was around 1996, and around that time a shop opened up near to me where crafters could rent a shelf to sell their stuff - it cost £25 a month which wasn't as cheap then as it sounds today, but I took a chance and signed up. This was great fun and I actually sold my stuff really well there for four years (it's shut down now, sadly).
Since then, really all I've done is dabble in bits and pieces - I'm currently painting canvasses (isn't everybody?!) but not really doing much with them as craft shows are so expensive now to sell at. My dream has always been to open my own art/craft shop and pinch the idea of the shop I sold stuff in ten years ago - and my sister and I are in the process of trying to make that dream come true.
I'd love to hear from other crafters with ideas for new hobbies and projects!
Anyhow, assuming I have actually managed to negotiate my way to the "Introduce Yourself" section I'd like to say Hello to you all! Can't believe I haven't found this site before - it's a minefield of information!
I've been making, painting and creating for ovr 20 years. I started with beading and jewellery making back in the 1980s when my first child was born and big plastic jewellery was very much in vogue. Back then,I used to buy up bits of old jewellery from jumble sales and turn them into something that just went with the latest fashions. I started selling bits and pieces to friends at work, and managed to make a bit of extra cash in the process.
I stuck with beading for quite a while - then I discovered salt dough (probably early 1990s). I'd never seen anything like it (saw it for the firs time at a craft show) and just had to give it a try. My first few attempts were completely hopeless! So I bought some books, perservered and eventually managed to produce some really nice pieces - so I hit the craft show scene with a vengeance and was surprised how easy it was to sell provided other people could actually get to see what you could do.
I did that for around 3 years, then painted flower pots for a few months (loved doing it, sold a few, but they took far too long to make and although people liked them, weren't prepared to pay anywhere near enough to make it worth while) - then I discovered glass painting which was really new at the time.
This was surprisingly successful and I loved doing it. Again, I'd trawl around boot sales lookng for glass that needed painting and sometimes find a really stunning piece and end up paying only 50p for it, yet sell it painted for as much as £20. This was around 1996, and around that time a shop opened up near to me where crafters could rent a shelf to sell their stuff - it cost £25 a month which wasn't as cheap then as it sounds today, but I took a chance and signed up. This was great fun and I actually sold my stuff really well there for four years (it's shut down now, sadly).
Since then, really all I've done is dabble in bits and pieces - I'm currently painting canvasses (isn't everybody?!) but not really doing much with them as craft shows are so expensive now to sell at. My dream has always been to open my own art/craft shop and pinch the idea of the shop I sold stuff in ten years ago - and my sister and I are in the process of trying to make that dream come true.
I'd love to hear from other crafters with ideas for new hobbies and projects!
Crafters DON'T do housework!
- crafting really is in your blood isn;t it - hope your dreams come true
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