A Creative Family - Mum

Hi there, 

Showing the last of the photo proof of some of Mum's crafts again today. 

I've included the list again, so you can see where we're up to - ie. the empty nest stage. This is probably quite typical for creative people. Mum's always made time for some type of craft or another, but she's had her lean times. She did jigsaws for a while there. Big ones and a lot of them. 

But this time - the empty nest time - was a very productive time on her crafting calendar. She discovered quilting and sewed with abandon. She discovered glue guns and dried flowers. She discovered teddy bears and her love for all things furry.  

I think she did a lot more crafting for four reasons - more money in the house, more time on her hands, more people doing crafty stuff around her in the church group and she was missing us and needed to fill the void. Makes a lot of sense to me. 

Let's have a look at some of the crafty loveliness shall we?

Mum's list of crafts

Plaster of Paris Craft (Moulds & Painting)

Knitting

Embroidery

We're still technically in the early years of the list, but she had embroidery listed here, so I had to show you this bag she made for me. 

She and Sue both had one and I wanted one too. I'm not a sewer or anything, I just wanted a bag like them! Mum was good enough (in both ways) to make it for me. It's lovely, don't you think? Note the bee button. My bag is different to theirs. They're all different. 

Sewing (Doll’s clothes)

Pressed Flowers

Cross stitch

Applique

Crochet

I've shared this before, but those strawberries are worth sharing again.

Ceramics

Hobbytex

ClayPot Craft - Decorating etc

String & Nail Pictures

Latch Hook

More sewing craft – Barbie Doll outfits etc

Doll House Decorating (wallpapering, rug-making, mini-furniture making)

Macreme

Quilling

Fabric & Lace Covered Photo Frames/Journals/Notebooks etc

Smocking

(empty nest stage starts about here) 

Candlewicking

Hot Glue Gun Craft

Old Gold Books

I wish I had pictures of these!

Dried Flower Arranging

Folk Art

Patchwork

Crazy  Patchwork

Quilting 

This was an industrious stage. She made a lot of quilts and quilt-y wall hangings. 

Long Stitch

Tatting

Decoupage

Paper Making

Soft Toys (sewn, knitted, crocheted etc)

And onto the Teddy Bears.

Another very industrious stage!

These are the big bears. All regular bear size. 

These are the small bears. They're sitting on a table top. And those ones at the front are tiny. And jointed. They're about two inches high when sitting. Maybe less. 

So cute. 

The bookshelf was a Christmas gift that was made for her to hold all the bears. 

You need that sometimes. Somewhere to put all the stuff you make...

Here's Sunshine. Mum made her for me. She's about 3 foot high and heavy. 

She's sitting on the chair in our spare room right now.  

Linky (on the left) and Binky. Or Blinkie. Or ? I can't remember the name of the pink one. 

Linky for Luke (her grandson). 

Maybe Slinky for Sarah, heh heh.

Mr and Mrs Gustafus. My favourites. 

These bears make me smile every single time I see them. 

And the tiny, jointed bear she made for me. He's half the size of Gustafus's foot! 

Honestly, he's amazing. 

Ribbon Flowers

Silk Flower Arranging

Christmas Decoration Making (Sequin balls, Foam covered baubles, stick trees etc etc)

Card Making

Punch Art

I know! Can you believe it? Very Mum again. She often comes up with an ambitious project and tries it to see if she can do it. 

And she rarely fails. In fact, she doesn't. 

This started with the giraffe. I remember making up those giraffes together one day. We had a great time. And then that led to her wanting to make more animals etc etc. You know how it is. 

She made it as a gift for Jack for his bedroom. 

He's had it up in there for quite a while now. It's still gorgeous. 

He's gorgeous-er.

Took this photo too to illustrate the punch art, but I love the reflection of the three of us in the glass. Jack's looking up and Casey's in front of me.  

Scrapbooking

Papercraft

General Crafts (by the dozens) includes: 

Suncatchers

Fake lead lighting

Cellophane pics

Copper pics

Leaf rubbing

Sand/pebble mosaics pics

Rockpainting

Pipe cleaner art

Paddlepop stick art

Clay figures

Shrinkies

Pencil case making

Well, there you go, hey?

Mum's fabbo list of creative prowess, massive accomplishment and skill in the crafting arena. Amazing, isn't she? Truly amazing. 

I really think it's fairly obvious where my crafting gene came from, don't you? :o)

Next up, her craft room!