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Emerald U.

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Sep 24, 2024
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General Discussion Thread 07.18.2025​

Hello, hello, dear GrayViners! I hope your morning is off to a lovely start.


Photo by Micheile Henderson.jpeg
Image source: Micheile Henderson/Pexels



Mine certainly is! I woke up to a message from a friend asking me to paint their wedding invitation. As a small artist, I am over the moon! I thought, what a special way to be part of their milestone—and a sweet little boost of confidence, too. It got me thinking... have you ever taken on a DIY project that made you feel proud? Maybe a home fix-up, a handmade gift, or even a crafty experiment that turned out better than expected? I’d love to hear about it—share it in the comments below!

Have concerns or topics you'd like to discuss? Feel free to share here and ask your fellow Grayviners!
 
My granddaughter is getting married next spring. She lives in Ireland. I sent squares of white fabric and asked to have her friends and family sign each square. I embroidered their names along with flowers and made a quilt. It's ready to be mailed.
 
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One year I made little Christmas trees (12 inches tall) for all of my employees (10). I glued each tiny real pinecone on then decorated them with tiny decorations. No 2 were alike and some even had lights, I had a tremendous amount of labor in each one and was very proud of what I had made. Unfortunately, some of my employees threw them aside and were not happy with a homemade gift. Oh well, it probably meant more to me than to them.
 
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My friend had bought a small house as is. We gutted it to the studs and remodeled it totally our selves. Considering 2 women not even 5 foot we did an awesome job. Replacing windows we were amazed at what we found stuffed that they had used as insulation. We even did sheet rock, that was definitely a job.
 
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l have approximately 20+ statues around my yard. Both big and small. l repainted some of them last year and l have been doing the rest year. Some were big(2-4 ft tall) and some were smaller. The bigger one were painted white because of their size and they weren't painted before. The smaller ones have a lot of details on them and l spent a lot of time bringing them back to the glory
 
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I used to sew pretty regularly. I started making my 4 sisters simple skirts. Then as I got older I made my daughter what I call bubble suits. They were one piece shorts and top. They had elastic around the legs and straps at the top. My daughter had so many colors. She loved them. That daughter is now 54
 
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When I was younger I made Christmas balls from styrofoam balls decorated them with sparkle, beads, ribbons. Sometimes it was a combination of them. A few painted with lines and some ribbon and beads.
I finished my bathroom project which was taking down the wallpaper, spackling and painting. Not to bad. I am not the best at spackling and sanding to make it look flush but I do a decent job.
 
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maryjosephine said:
My granddaughter is getting married next spring. She lives in Ireland. I sent squares of white fabric and asked to have her friends and family sign each square. I embroidered their names along with flowers and made a quilt. It's ready to be mailed.
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That's a wonderful gift, @maryjosephine! Did you take a photo of it? I'd absolutely love to see!
 
NIBOR0 said:
One year I made little Christmas trees (12 inches tall) for all of my employees (10). I glued each tiny real pinecone on then decorated them with tiny decorations. No 2 were alike and some even had lights, I had a tremendous amount of labor in each one and was very proud of what I had made. Unfortunately, some of my employees threw them aside and were not happy with a homemade gift. Oh well, it probably meant more to me than to them.
Click to expand...
What a thoughtful gift, @NIBOR0! That kind of care and creativity says so much about you. Even if not everyone appreciated them the way you hoped, I’m sure the right people would’ve treasured something that special. I know I would have!
 
Arkie98 said:
My friend had bought a small house as is. We gutted it to the studs and remodeled it totally our selves. Considering 2 women not even 5 foot we did an awesome job. Replacing windows we were amazed at what we found stuffed that they had used as insulation. We even did sheet rock, that was definitely a job.
Click to expand...
That’s seriously impressive! Gutted to the studs and rebuilt—by two women under five feet tall, no less. What an incredible labor of love and strength. You should be incredibly proud, @Arkie98!
 
angib55 said:
l have approximately 20+ statues around my yard. Both big and small. l repainted some of them last year and l have been doing the rest year. Some were big(2-4 ft tall) and some were smaller. The bigger one were painted white because of their size and they weren't painted before. The smaller ones have a lot of details on them and l spent a lot of time bringing them back to the glory
Click to expand...
It sounds like your yard must be full of character and beauty! Repainting statue takes real patience and an artist’s eye. I love that you’re restoring them to their former glory one by one. I bet they bring a little spark of joy every time you step outside, @angib55.
 
Gibb said:
I used to sew pretty regularly. I started making my 4 sisters simple skirts. Then as I got older I made my daughter what I call bubble suits. They were one piece shorts and top. They had elastic around the legs and straps at the top. My daughter had so many colors. She loved them. That daughter is now 54
Click to expand...
How sweet of you, @Gibb! I’m sure each one was made with love, and your daughter must have such lovely childhood memories thanks to the bubble suits you made for her.
 
Hazeleyes said:
When I was younger I made Christmas balls from styrofoam balls decorated them with sparkle, beads, ribbons. Sometimes it was a combination of them. A few painted with lines and some ribbon and beads.
I finished my bathroom project which was taking down the wallpaper, spackling and painting. Not to bad. I am not the best at spelling and sanding to make it look flush but I do a decent job.
Click to expand...
I imagine each Christmas ball was a little work of art. And oh, you finally finished your bathroom project, @Hazeleyes! That must have felt good!
 
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