Shoestring Arts and Crafts is the name I have chosen to describe the collection of creative items that I enjoy producing with as little expense as possible. Shoestring Arts and Crafts was created as a fund-raiser for rescued horses and needed a home, both in which to travel and to be displayed when on fund-raising trips. So I collaged a suitcase that I had had since the 1950's - one of those hard-sided ones with the leather corners - and The Decorated Suitcase was created. Standing on a card table, turned on its end and opened up, it forms a background display for my craft items. It made its debut in 2006 at an Open House at Second Chance Farms, Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre. Please check out my other blogsite about my Horse Experiences - you can find it by clicking on My Profile at left. The original decorated suitcase has now been joined by two more suitcases as the number of created items has increased.
Here are some of my painted stones:


Painting on stones has a wonderful 'feel' to it. I use acrylic craft paint and finish with a coat or two of acrylic varnish. People have suggested putting the stones in the garden, but I strongly advise against it, because the paint will not survive the ravages of winter and will fade in the hot summer sunlight outside.

Here are my latest paintings:

Scroll right down to bottom of page to see more of my paintings and also photos from the Open Houses at Second Chance Farm, where The Decorated Suitcase had a display and sale.

Knitting is something I enjoy. It's surprising how much yarn comes to me free as leftovers from friends' projects. Knitted items can also be unpicked, the yarn wound into skeins, washed and knitted up into something of my own design, such as the cushion cover shown below. Designing scarves is fun and they are quick to knit up.
Here is a shawl that I designed and knitted. If you can knit, why not join me in this enterprise and help raise funds for the horses? I can supply the yarn and give you the ideas for knitting it up. We'll put everything in The Decorated Suitcase and take it to a 'horse event.'

At left is one of my recent paintings, the proceeds of which went to Second Chance Farm. It is done with acrylic paint on watercolour paper. I scanned it, but it was a little bigger than the scanner surface, by about an inch all around. To the right is the original photo. Below, left, is a pastel portrait of 'Misty' at Second Chance Farm. And below, to the right, is my latest painting - 'Barred from the Meeting', showing Breeze, the pony and Lucifer, the cat at Second Chance Farm.

This painting (below) was just out of my head. Was testing out some new paint on a small piece of paper and first of all did a stone wall. Didn't like that, so put some blue and green over it and then the seascape began to emerge. Thought I'd practise some flowers down in the corner - and kept going in the creative mode and this was the final result.















Sometimes, when I have paint left over from a painting project, I like to have fun and do some abstract painting. It's exciting, like going on a journey, because you never know where you will end up! Here are a couple of those experiments:With this one, I could see a subject either way up:



The one on the left is called 'The Canal' and up the other way is entitled 'Landscape.' But the one below, which I call 'The Red Glacier' looked best in this position:


At left is my latest painting, already sold. It is quite a lot larger than my usual ones and is in acrylic paint on watercolour paper. I did not name it at the time of painting, but I think of it as 'The Old Patio by the River.'


Below are some photos of some of the horses and Shoestring Arts and Crafts at Second Chance, taken at the open house, July 21 and 22, 2007: