LIZ'S CRAFT PAGE

At a very young age I became interested in creating with my hands. My oldest brother, Doug, got me interested in drawing as I had a talent that I really should have taken further educationally than I did. I only took an art class in high school because my real love was nursing so art became a hobby.

In high school I did the drawings for our graduation yearbook. After that my drawing took a hiatus until we were stationed in Alaska when I decided to take up painting scenery in assorted sizes of gold pans. I had quite a little business doing the gold pans for gifts until a friend asked me to paint an Alaskan scene on velvet. It was mural size, white on black velvet-quite an undertaking but came out to my liking as well as the admiration of my friend. I then took on ceramics, painting scenes for gifts, etc. Most of the painting in Alaska was in oils which was very relaxing and enjoyable to me.

I then had many years pass before I got back to my hobby of painting. Out of the blue one day I got a brainstorm to begin giving my grandchildren a christmas ornament that I had made for each year of their life so that when they were older and on their own they'd have those ornaments made by grammy up the street to remember me by. I've also painted ceramic Santas for them.

Another of my undertakings is wreaths made from individual 4 in. x 4 in. cloth squares poked into a straw circle which eventually becomes a beautiful multicolored wreath. These wreaths are mainly made for Chrictmas decorations but can have any theme. We have one that blends in very nicely in our main bathroom.

One Christmas my son gave me a gift certificate for a Bob Ross painting class at Michaels. I've done two paintings so far in acrylics and would like to do many more. Both of these paintings were winter scenes and turned out fabulous. I gave one to each of my daughters who have them hanging in a place of honor in their homes.

Susan and Deborah both love Portland Head Light. (Susan has a Portland Head Light page on her website). For Christmas one year I drew a picture of the lighthouse and painted it in watercolors. They both have these drawings displayed in their homes also. It's always nice to have your work appreciated.

When our beloved dog Eureka died, after roaming the world with us for sixteen years, our entire family including my in-laws were deeply saddened. I drew her picture and painted it in watercolors and presented it to my in-laws. This really helped all of us in our grieving.

HAPPY

HALLOWEEN

I've also made decorative birdhouses that are too beautiful for any bird to call home unless they make there way into the living room to live. In addition I've also created floral displays which I place on my mom and brother's gravesites each year around Mothers Day.

Above is another example of something I did in my sparetime.