Over the weekend we met up with some friends we have not seen in years. Literally!! I think 5 years was the number we finally decided on:) And even with all that time passing it was like we had just seen each other. All those memories of river trips past, of kids growing older and TALLER!! It was definitely good to see them and we left with promises to see each other soon.......
Wendy has been my facebook friend through this time and is always loving all the fun stuff I post and we talked a little about it. About as much as you can in a country bar lol! But I did say I would put together some websites she could look at to get started. Where she lives is not SoCal but art travels anywhere!! And with online classes really taking off inspiration is as close as a click of a mouse and Hobby Lobby:)
So really this could be for anyone who is just a little scared, perhaps a little overwhelmed and just wants to dip maybe a pinkie toe into this vast world of art and crafts:)
Let's starts with the basics. If you have a JoAnne's, Michaels and/or Hobby Lobby you already have an art supply source. Hopefully your Hobby Lobby employees are brighter than mine! But anyhow all three stores offer anything you need for basic supplies. I do mean basic. Whether it's paper crafting (scrapbooking), sewing or stitching (start with stitching first unless you already have a sewing machine), jewelry making (basic tool kit a must) or collaging (probably the easiest, messiest and cheapest of all I do).
Wendy it's a bummer your Michaels went out and your closest JoAnne's is in Bullhead but you have Hobby Lobby! That's a start. But I also looked up "art supplies" in your area and you actually have a bead shop, embroidery shop and a yarn shop. I bet those shops offer classes. You should check them out.
For beginner online classes I would recommend.......
Jeanne Oliver: Jeanne offers alot of different classes that range from collage to photography to decorating. Some as little as $10. Her new class that just went up is {home for the holidays} and it features several different women and their homes as well as projects. All skill levels.
That would be a great jumping off point! I am not really sure what you are interested in:) I am interested in just about anything pretty regardless of what the technique is.
You had asked if I sold anything which unfortunately I don't. Just not enough hours in the day:( But a fabulous site for all things handmade would be Etsy. It's also a great resource for looking for anything vintage. Which I use quite a bit of. When you want to take a day trip there are a ton of antique stores in Kingman. I am always on the look out for old laces, perfume bottles, old earrings and other jewel bits, flowers (millinery) and anything else pretty. Once you've seen a few blogs you'll start getting an eye for things you love and want to collect.
Here are a few of my favorite blogs. A few of them hardly post anything anymore so look into the archives. Lots of inspiration!!
Karla Nathan (also has online classes I love)
Jennifer Hayslip (just fun)
French Larkspur (makes me want all things French)
Faded Plains (makes rustic look gorgeous)
Andrea Singarella (first blog I started following, look in the archives)
My Desert Cottage (just found this one and LOVE it)
So there is a few to get you started. If you really want to see some inspiration join Pinterest!! It is crazy how much is out there and almost all the pictures link to the website so you just can't stop the madness!! LOL:)
But seriously try an online class. I know you could do it and that you'd love it!!
And if you need any help or have any questions let me know and when you want me to walk you through your Cricut tutorial just call me;)