21.10.12

a handmade holiday

this fall i have been committing myself to learning new handmade skills. i was going to just write "skills" but then you might expect that i'm brushing up on my long division, or learning how to change a tire! rather, i've realized that i love creating - so i'm expanding my crafting repertoire! this holiday i want to make all of my gifts by hand...or most of them anyways! in the past couple months i've learned two different types of bookbinding, the basics of sewing and embroidery, and i'm trying to teach myself calligraphy. in the upcoming months i want to learn:

soap making
needle felting
more sewing
more embroidery
baking
knitting
crochet
encaustic
watercolour
silkscreen printing
gocco printing
linocut printing
paper cutting
mask making
graphic design
stained glass
and so much more!

do you have any suggestions??

i know it's a long list but it's kind of brightening my life to try my hand at these new things. if i'm not too embarassed - i'll share some of my handmade gifts here! below are some images of what i've created/been working on lately:






3 comments:

  1. I've recently gotten back into crocheting, I used to do it a few years ago, taught myself most of the stitches but never really made anything. Now I'm making some Christmas presents (and things for me) and its really fun! I will say that I've tried knitting and I just didn't like it at all, so don't feel bad if you're better at one/like one better than the other, it seems to be pretty common.

    Yay have fun with all your crafting, sounds like you're happy and inspired :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, this is a great idea! I've been trying to cultivate a beginner's mind and learn new things too. I'm working on Photoshop right now, and then I'd like to do more screenprinting. The best part is that there are so many free videos these days, so you can learn on your own time.
    By the way, I have some extra encaustic wax if you want it. Just let me know.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous21.10.12

    I want to learn to sew clothes! Also, its not really a craft, but I want to FINALLY get serious about learning the Spanish language. I have so many more, but I really need to ma out a plan for some of it all.

    Your list says baking... I LOVE to bake. Let me know whenever you get around to doing that. You could do some Christmas cookies as gifts; that's what I plan to to!

    ReplyDelete

thanks for your comment, i love hearing your thoughts!