Posted by: @dlkfiretruck

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Eric ... A Suggestion... about the start of covid, I was a mess.  I had to limit my T.V. News to once a week if that!!  But one night about 3 years ago, while I was stressing, I decided I needed a way to stress relief and I needed it fast.  I decided I was going to really apply myself and learn to draw or sketch, it was something I wanted to be, an Artist! In a way, I was one. I used to decorate multi layer wedding cakes of drawing out my plans from the  brides needs. When I started out, I was developing a skill or two from several I started to follow on line. To my surprise  they were at my fingertips & freely teaching what they knew.  I bought myself a couple cheap unlined  journals & learned how to repeatedly watch their videos while I worked on one simple drawing an evening. Nothing too fancy, just how to turn simple shapes into a figure, like triangles into a fox.  Even if you just doodle on your hand, you can still learn to draw.  Many combine drawing with painting, @andrea.nelson.art "you do you". You don't have to paint anything, just draw out what they will paint, like the fox. 

That's so wonderful to hear. I would love to be skilful at drawing/sketching, and just need to find the opportunity to.

But ditto on reducing news... even though I feel the need to keep up on American news, because what happens there affects everyone, it's just too chaotic to be steeped in it all the time. Maybe that's by design. It's better to keep up with local events and community happenings 😊 

Maybe we should start a new thread about hobbies 😉 

@veganostomy  ... Eroc! Yes! I'd love that!  I have to admit though that I have such trouble starting a new forum.  I don't even try anymore.  I sometimes fear it may be dementia like my Mom, then realize I'm okay,  bcuz I've always had trouble understanding all the things on computers.  I just can't seem to figure out how to post a picture, I've cheated before & texted you after trying to start a new forum from in another forum  and asking you to move it for me, sorry, lol! Ugh, and Liza bless her heart has even posted a few pics for me bcuz I couldn't seem to understand that either! 

I think we'd  have a bunch of crafty people here from an Author or two, lol, ( me as one),  and lots of knowledge here on VO on everything from hand crafts to gardening, poetry, carving, quilting, weaving... this could be fun & so interesting to learn from and about each other & a chance to ask questions if we're  stuck on something, eh?! . I know in my lifetime creative people have enriched what I think or do.  I started watching "Cash Cab" to keep my brain fresh with facts & hopefully keep it wired to avoid dementia if at all possible. One night I won a fair bit of non-money while watching cash cab with my now 90 yr. young Mom... at the end of the show when I doubled my winning, she in state of brain,  turned to me & said, "well, your not one of my kids are you?!!!   You won a lot of money tonight! I can still hear her laughter & I laughed so hard with her... surprise Mom, I'm actually one of your daughters! I really wasn't  sure if she had an awake moment & made a joke or was serious,  no offense taken, I sure laughed with her. It was one of those precious moments & a story for my sister's on another day.  

When I think of gardening beside an almost 3 year old, then the same child at age 5  showing me a better way to plant pea seeds, to the child now age 6 with me on a dog walk last week, she turns to me and says... "Munga, let's talk about the  Peas, how many packets will we grow this year & should we try a new variety?" OH MY!!!  I thought my ❤️ was going to burst!! I imagined me, dentures out, sitting rocking in an old creaky chair in a nursing home, wearing a shawl Miss. G  crocheted over my shoulders, made from the same pattern I'd crocheted for her Gr. Gr. Grandma and here's G & I (I'm 115,  bcuz God likes a good laugh too)  sitting, sipping our favorite teas & she's telling me all about her own gardening with a few of her kids & all the canning she'll do this summer & fall to get affordably thru winter.  At 6 she's all gungho to start the garden again this year. What's that saying..  "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day,  teach a man to fish, he eats for a life time!"  Maybe this is our time to help and inspire others to learn a new craft, whether its learning to carve a piece of wood as a group or to go  fishing, garden,  weave, knit,  crochet, cross stitch, take up a sport like archery or SUP.... maybe mechanics is the hobby.   Eric ... you may be onto something here.... we could post pics of our accomplishment or start a group where we read the same book and discuss it as we go....  hmmm... What do you all think?  Its been so very enjoyable in the lounge talking about the weather & sight seeing 👀  pics, even the video of scarey places that I'm not brave enough to go to bcuz it would be me running our of there screaming only to hit a wall trying to escape the horrors!  But to see that prison in video impressed upon me, just how brave people were in those days & now, what a chicken I am today.   Ideas anyone??  Would you all take part & suggest something?  🤔 

Posted by: @dlkfiretruck

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I have to admit though that I have such trouble starting a new forum.  I don't even try anymore.  I sometimes fear it may be dementia like my Mom, then realize I'm okay,  bcuz I've always had trouble understanding all the things on computers.  I just can't seem to figure out how to post a picture

Hey Linda, see if this page helps with answering some questions about how to navigate/use the forum: https://www.veganostomy.ca/forum-walkthrough/

Photos can be attached by clicking on the "Browse..." button just below the box that you type text into. You will get a pop-up asking you to select the file, then after you reply, the photo should come up. It can't be a huge image (either in size or dimensions), so if you have problems seen a photo, it may need to be resized first.

Okay, here goes - I like to paint (my photo is a painting I did for my son’s girlfriend a few years ago); I’m nuts about gardening (it’s like painting, but with plants). I took up hand spinning about 30 years ago because an antique spinning wheel piqued my curiosity. I have spun almost every fibre known - wool, camel, llama, alpaca, rabbit, cat, dog, silk, linen, cotton, corn, milk, bamboo, and many more. I then weave or knit with them, or sell them at my annual guild sale. But my favourite textile art is felting. I love to make my own felt out of various fibres and then make something out of my felt, usually a garment of some kind. Again, it’s like painting, but with fibre. I’ll try to attach a photo. I also have recently begun playing the ukulele, but I’m quite lousy at it. I try to limit my playing to when I’m alone in the house, even though my husband insists he’s not bothered by it. I know he’s just being nice.

Laurie 

@tigerlily you are very talented! That vest is gorgeous!!

@tigerlily Nothing beats the arts! And you've got talent! 👍 

Are these things you enjoyed doing at a very young age?

Thanks Chelly and Eric. I guess I have always enjoyed artistic hobbies. My interest in fibre arts is like a rabbit hole that keeps evolving into something new. But aren’t we all like that? When we find something that really captures our imagination, whether it’s art or sports or whatever, it’s easy to follow wherever the path leads. We need these diversions from life’s practicalities, to recharge. I’d be despondent without hobbies.

Laurie

Laurie, that is stunning!

I tried several times to upload a picture of the couch throw/quilt that I finished recently, but the file is too large. So far I have not had success trying to reduce the size and will  try again.

Posted by: @llholiday

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Laurie, that is stunning!

I tried several times to upload a picture of the couch throw/quilt that I finished recently, but the file is too large. So far I have not had success trying to reduce the size and will  try again.

For quick conversions, I use this website, which processes images in your browser (not a server) : https://squoosh.app/

You have the option to resize, but it also shrinks the image with a before and after splitscreen so you can gauge how the settings will affect the final image. 

@llholiday Thanks Linda. Yes, please try again to upload your quilt photo. I have not done very much quilting, but I love how creative quilters can be! My mother had a friend who made spectacular quilted works of art, and won awards consistently. Painting, but with fabric! 

Laurie

Trying again - I make simple projects like quilts/throws (which are never as simple as I thought they’d be!).  And many thanks, Eric.

@llholiday Absolutely gorgeous! I love how colourful it is, with a strong primary colourway. And I love the different themes you’ve used - the floral/berry theme that you see instantly, and then the quieter themes - Route 66, Dr Seuss, fashion. No, these projects are never as simple as you think, but I bet you had a lot of fun designing it, and then completing it. Do you belong to a guild, or do you have a few quilting friends that inspire each other? Thanks for sharing this photo with us. 

Laurie

@llholiday beautiful work! 👌

@llholiday very nice work!!