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lorraineg570

off the beaten path craft ideas?

lorraineg570
14 years ago

So I've been "crafting" for the past 30+ years and I'm just bored...lol.

Last project was a crossbody foldover handbag in a bright blue vinyl. I made it because I knew specifically what I wanted in a bag/tote and couldn't find it for a price I was willing to pay....not because I'm that into sewing. I do enjoy the actual designing aspect though...(no pattern used).

I've been online looking for my next project and nothing seems to jump out at me. Everything just seems so...I don't know....docile? I want something I can sink my teeth into.

I walked around Pat Catan's for an hour the other day....jewelry making (meh), fine art (been there done that), scrapbooking (not for me)...

I guess I should preface this by saying I'm not a "girlie girl" and making "pretty things" doesn't appeal to me at all. I'm also not into "country" at all, which most crafting seems to fit more in that decor. I'm very "artsy" and worked as a professional photographer for awhile....LOVE b&w photography.

I've done and like woodworking but I don't have the funds to set up a proper workshop so....I also thought about stained glass but I don't know that I care for the finished product enough to bother. Something like decorative ironworking sort of appeals to me.... I guess I'm looking for a meatier craft if that makes any sense...

Any "off the beaten path" ideas would be appreciated. :)

Comments (20)

  • JoAnn_Fla
    14 years ago

    I tried my hand at fabric plants, I did about 4 of them and I've had enough. Here is a pic of one I did. Another different one is Bean balls. you can find info on this message board about them.

    when I get looking for new projects I look around at Etsy and see what they are up to.

  • lorraineg570
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the response.

    "I did about 4 of them and I've had enough"...lol. I hear ya. I get bored easily. Your projects look great!

    I'll have to check etsy out. Thanks!

  • Adella Bedella
    14 years ago

    Have you looked into making recycle projects or garden art? It's a hobby of mainly a lot of one of a kind projects for your outdoors. You can work in iron, glass, wood, found objects or what ever strikes your imagination. I'm posting a link to the Garden Junk forum. There are tons of ideas there.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Junk Forum

  • natesgram
    14 years ago

    Several years ago my DH & I were making bookshelves. I was looking thru a forum and came upon the word "intarsia" and after looking it up, decided to give it a try. I don't know what kind of woodworking tools you have but it requires a scrollsaw and some kind of sanding tools. It takes practice but I really enjoyed making this wood art for several years. You cut out pieces of wood, similar to stained glass patterns, and shape the front and sides, and put on a clear coat of finish. The types of wood and the grain is what makes the design, there are no stains used. Here is one that I made and a link to a site that shows how to do this. Just an idea. I'm now making bibs, something a little less meatier. Hope you get a lot of good ideas.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Free online tutorial

  • JoAnn_Fla
    14 years ago

    natesgram that is just beuatiful!

  • barb_from_pa
    14 years ago

    natesgram - wonderful!!

  • williamsburgjane
    14 years ago

    How about woodburning? You can start with an inexpensive woodburning tool and there are quite a few books out on it too. The intarsia piece is beautiful!

  • lorraineg570
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    The intarsia is very pretty!

    I think part of my issue is that I lean away from "country" decorating, which most crafting seems to lean toward.

    I actually have a woodburning tool that I purchased for something else. I just don't know what I could do with it that wouldn't be country.

    I'll have to check out the Garden Art forum.

    Thanks so much!

  • concretenprimroses
    14 years ago

    you might want to check out the stained glass and mosaic forum too. Its mostly mosaic, and I've never seen anything like some of the projects there, especially the outdoor stuff.
    Good luck. Let us know what you choose to do next!
    Kathy

    Here is a link that might be useful: Stained glass and mosaic forum

  • toomuchglass
    13 years ago

    I'm the same way ......I like the "artsy fartsy " stuff , too ..... I love the aspect of soldering in stained glass - so I learned to do welding !
    It opened up a whole new world to me . It probably cost me under $300 to set up enough of a "hobby type" shop. I got to play with it alittle bit last fall ...... I'm dying to get back out there and see what I can come up !

  • luvnaz61
    13 years ago

    I'm the same in disliking "country" crafts and I'm not the typical girly girl either :) I like meatier projects myself. I've gone to firewood piles and taken logs, peeled them, sanded them till my fingers were falling off, put layers of polyurethane on them and topped them with a slab of beautiful flagstone that I sealed. I made a tall entry way table, coffee table and two end tables.

    I get into phases. I had my sheet metal phase and made a bunch of outdoor light sconces. It was a very inexpensive craft too. I bought rolls of sheet metal at the hardware store, I had tin snips. I made a pattern for the sconces, cut them out and used a nail and hammer to punch holes in a pattern to let the light shine through. I thought about carpel tunnel syndrome after about a half dozen of them and realized I'd better come up with a less complicated pattern because I had to punch too many holes!! I attached a back section with liquid nails with a hole cut out for the light bulb area. I then spray painted them hammered copper.

    Another sheet metal project I did for a while was making geckos, butterflies and dragonflies etc. I made patterns and cut them out and painted them.

    Then came the gourd phase and I made dioramas with gourds. I cut a hole in the gourd and set a little scene of a house, fire pit, plants, and pained a little scenery too. I wanted to put a light inside, but never got around to it.

    Then my favorite phase...is my Hanging overall planters. I take used childrens overalls and paint them with polyurethane and hang them with plants in them. They are really cute!

    I also have made wreaths with prickly pear pads (carefully!!) and they turned out great and very unique.

    I also found some grape roots that are similar to driftwood and decorated them with little wood quail and grass and hung them on the wall.

    I've also made tea cup bird feeders, helped make a wine barrel fountain with three tiers.

    Some projects I have in mind are a fountain with a half barrel with a watering can tipped into the barrel flowing water into the barrel. I've also come across an artist that makes twig sculptures that I want to try (I have a lot of twigs to choose from!!) and I want to paint our mailbox with a letter and a scene.

    I hope you can capture some inspiration from where ever you can find it and go for it!! I love to go to arts and crafts festivals and gather ideas and inspiration from other artisans! It usually gets my creative juices flowing again!

  • luvnaz61
    13 years ago

    Here's a idea for the wood burning tool I just thought of. I've seen gourds decorated with a wood burning tool that are fabulous. They call it pyro engraving :)

    This is not a girly girl craft and it's definitely meaty and the possibilities are limitless!!

    Hmmmm...feel a phase coming :) LOL!

  • Ina Plassa_travis
    13 years ago

    http://theanticraft.com/antifesto.htm

    this may be my favorite site when it comes to 'non-girly' crafts :) because they're SO irreverent - but there's lots of great sites out there that do urban, or Fairy Goth, or Steampunk decor...

    I get where you're coming from with 'cute' and 'country' - where 'prim' crafts are concerned, I'm more in to true primitive stuff, like Bronze Age? so there's something deeply unsettling about 'grubby candles' and who came up with the idea of dipping a teddy bear into a melted Yankee Candle?

    'toothbrush' rugs are my new curiosity, having finally seen a video that revealed the complicated-in-print gesture to have more in common with macrame than it did with crochet - and I do need something to do with my leftover material!

  • lorraineg570
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Toomuchglass,

    Did you do any stained glass projects? I seriously considered stained glass but for the most part it's very victorian looking which isn't my thing at all. Learning welding sounds way cool though!

  • lorraineg570
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    The metal phase sounds cool if I could figure out a way to put a contemporary twist on it.

  • lorraineg570
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Oops, I'll have to check out the pyro-engraving....

    Thanks!

  • lorraineg570
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Chinacat___________Sunflower,

    Now that sounds like something I'll have to check out tomorrow when I'm off.

    >who came up with the idea of dipping a teddy bear into a >melted Yankee Candle

    LMAO....I agree. I am so not girlie. I do love make-up but I don't do ruffles, don't do lace, pink is not a color for me. I've done drywall, installed light fixtures and outlets, plumbing, etc. I own my own power tools. Although I DO try to get them in a girlie color if possible so DH is too embarrassed to "borrow" them for his work....lol.

  • toomuchglass
    13 years ago

    I do tons of stained glass ! I don't really like doing anything "typical" .... my stuff has to be different - and best of all 3-D . I never use a pattern from a book ... it's too ordinary & simple for me. I started getting into solder sculpture until the price of solder went sky high !
    I also bought all the equipment to do copper enamelng - I'm just waiting for the Unusal ideas to hit me ! I love it when people ask if I made a project myself - then the best remark - "I've never seen anything like that before".
    Hehehe ... I like being different :)

  • concretenprimroses
    13 years ago

    Too much Kathy Where are the pictures!!!
    That antifesto site is a riot. But there are plenty of young people making cutsie crafts, so it bothers me (now that I'm 54) that its called grannie to do so.
    There is more than one aesthetic. Not sure crafting is that age connected. We all should make what we want. I do think its fantastic that young people are crafting again. Seems like it went out of style for a decade or two a while back.
    Kathy

  • toomuchglass
    13 years ago

    I never thought of taking pictures back then ! DUH !

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