# I like projects. Woodworking, painting, collage art work, making things in general



## Pauline1954 (Mar 15, 2019)

I spend 80% of my time in my at studio. We built it when we bought our house in 2008. Im glad we did. My husband and I have discussed selling and down sizing several times before. But Ive decided im not ready because I paint daily and love my studio time.  Since our house is paid off we pretty much hang around home. Id like to travel some but ive learned my husband is not too keen on leaving home. He traveled so much over the last 40 years I guess he like staying put. He finally admitted he wants to stay home and enjoy our home.   Thats fine by me. I do other things. He goes to Mississippi to the casinos about once a month. I stay home and hang out in my studio and hang with my two dogs, 2 cats and two birds. Lol 

I feel retired especially when I get to laze in bed with my coffee and read news of the day or look at art and what my artist friends are working on.  But i do like projects a lot.


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## Gary O' (Mar 15, 2019)

Projects are what does it for me
Working alone, finally

Love it so

Even if it's something I've never done

...like French doors


















or just hanging home built doors with simple hinges






.....and they turn out OK


aaaaand, since retirement,  I'm always on schedule


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## Linda (Mar 16, 2019)

I like projects too but I'd also be going off to the casinos with my husband.  Darn, my husband doesn't like to gamble so we seldom go.    I paint, work with my rock garden and I like to research things.  I spend a lot of time reading and get caught up in that don't spend the time I'd like to with my other projects.


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 17, 2019)

Wow great work. I am impressed with your work.   So great to have somethiing to do and accomplish. Sitting in front of the tv just isnt my cup of tea either.   I love working with wood. My husband bought me a tablesaw for my 50th birthday. I have ripped many boards and loved every minute. I am the project person in our marriage. Lol but he does all the other stuff. I built a potting bench from scrap wood, a bench, potting boxes and cut many boards for oil painting on.  When I find my pictures I will post. I was really proud of my self. I designed, measured and cut every board by myself. I loved it.


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 17, 2019)

Linda post pictures of your rock garden. Please.


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## Gary O' (Mar 17, 2019)

Pauline1954 said:


> When I find my pictures I will post. I was really proud of my self. *I designed, measured and cut every board by myself*. I loved it.



Excellent

That is huge

Can't wait to see the pics


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 17, 2019)

Ive got a cleaning out project today. We decided to have a garage sale sometimes this spring. The extra stuff a person accumlates can be a burden on creativity.

I will find them and post later.


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 17, 2019)

Great picture of a happy man.


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## moosehead (Mar 17, 2019)

Well, I dabble as it were in cartooning, writing stories, playing the piano and strumming on a guitar. Tried a woodworking project once. Well, sort of....Was going to put together a small table which we purchased from Home Depot. Off I went to the basement, tools in hand and table parts ready to be assembled. Laid out the pieces, looked at the instructions. Could have been in Mongolian for all I could understand...Part A connected to Part C using tool D.....That soon became a nightmare of rather strong language...Which Sue heard from the kitchen. Which brought her down to basement to see what was going on....Long story short guess who assembled the table? I did help though...I handed her the tools....

Anyway, I have a list of projects Sue has set for me like cleaning the garage, painting the spare bedroom.....Which I'm thinking about doing. Anyway, time for a coffee as I think about what I plan on doing today.....


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## ClassicRockr (Mar 17, 2019)

Since I'm more of a computer and photography type person, I have spent quite a bit of time doing both. We don't have expensive photography equipment, but my wife absolutely loves my wildlife, rodeo action and scenery pictures. Pictures taken at pro-rodeos, in Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Basically speaking, physical work and I have never got along. I spent years working in warehousing, driving a forklift and became so, so glad to go into Purchasing & Inventory Management where I had my own office, computer and phone. Nicer salary as well, plus could wear nice office clothes. Heck, if they would've required me to wear a dress shirt and tie, I would've had absolutely no problem with that either. 

We watch HGTV quite often. The "home improvements" that are done are super looking, but I sure don't see any Seniors on those programs doing any kind of renovations to homes.


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 17, 2019)

Lol i LOVE to gamble but i lose. When i lose I feel like crapola and start thinking about what i could have done with that money. Even though not more than a couple of hundred thats just wasteful in my opinion. I hate feeling like that. And I don't like my husbands driving. So driving 3 hours with him makes my knuckles white.  but true. I stay home or paint.


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 17, 2019)

thats funny. Sometimes I think my husband would just let me. But he is just as stubborn.  Have a super day.


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 17, 2019)

I know what you mean no seniors. Its mostly young people that have more energy and strength. ☺


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## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 17, 2019)

I couldn't live without my projects and I have to have my me time and plenty of it. My daughters room has become my women cave. I have moved my sewing projects to the dining room table for more room. I'll be putting that away soon because of yard work and gardening and of course spring cleaning. The hubby and I go to the casino in Atlantic City just to play the penny slots. We take advantage of the comps we get once in awhile. I love to go to the pool while the hubby plays just enough to be invited back.


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## Linda (Mar 17, 2019)

Pauline1954 said:


> Linda post pictures of your rock garden. Please. 


  I will Pauline.  I'll have to hunt a photo down on my external hard drive.  There is grass growing around the edges of it now so I don't want to take a photo today.    I think I have posted it on here before but I'd have no idea where that is now.


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## Seeker (Mar 17, 2019)

I love projects, and the ones I enjoy the most are the ones my husband and I do together.

Since the floors, only thing I have had is cookin and cleanin.

I'm ready for another............I'm gettin bored.


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## Keesha (Mar 17, 2019)

I’m very into hobbies. I do acrylic and watercolour paintings, woodworking, woodcarving but those are done mainly for fun. Today my husband and I worked on our front foyer. My husband put down the tiles and we both painted it. We have enough projects to keep us busy for 3 lifetimes. 
The new railings are solid maple , the stairs are solid maple and the railings wrought  iron . It was a bit pricey but it coming together quite nice.


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## Seeker (Mar 17, 2019)

Keesha said:


> I’m very into hobbies. I do acrylic and watercolour paintings, woodworking, woodcarving but those are done mainly for fun. Today my husband and I worked on our front foyer. My husband put down the tiles and we both painted it. We have enough projects to keep us busy for 3 lifetimes.
> The new railings are solid maple , the stairs are solid maple and the railings rod iron . It was a bit pricey but it coming together quite nice.
> 
> View attachment 63424



I love the rod iron...looks great!


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## Keesha (Mar 17, 2019)

Thanks Seeker. :love_heart:


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## retiredtraveler (Mar 17, 2019)

I absolutely hate working on the house. I do it to save money, but don't like it.

But gardening, or outdoor projects in general,  that's daily for about half the year............................


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 18, 2019)

Nice railing.  I wish my husband had that interest to wood work stuff. But he is not a handymanl.  But, he cleans out the gutters, trims the bushes, mows the acre and takes out the trash very well. Biggest of all he is great with finances and doing all that balancing. Me I can do the projects. I am the right brainer. I paint too. Oil, acrylic and sometimes watecolor. But 90% oil painting.


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 29, 2019)

That's great Pauline. I need to get back to my creative projects (composing, coloring and painting) so I admire that you are committed to doing yours. My father was like your husband, though for a different reason. He just didn't like to travel. My mother belonged to a social club and they had bus rides so she and I would go. She'd make sure she left him a couple of meals cooked and we might be gone for several days. Will you (or have you) posted your work anywhere on the forum? There's a group for hobbies and creative endeavors.


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 29, 2019)

I havent posted yet. Ive been doing the medicare 65 thingy. It seems im having trouble with agents. Craziest thing ive ever experienced before. But after next week I will start participating. Then ive got to do my spring cleaning before i go visit my daughterfor a week in dallas. But yes i will post. Creative projects are good for mental health.


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## Keesha (Mar 29, 2019)

Pauline1954 said:


> Nice railing.  I wish my husband had that interest to wood work stuff. But he is not a handymanl.  But, he cleans out the gutters, trims the bushes, mows the acre and takes out the trash very well. Biggest of all he is great with finances and doing all that balancing. Me I can do the projects. I am the right brainer. I paint too. Oil, acrylic and sometimes watecolor. But 90% oil painting.


Thanks Pauline. I am lucky. My man is a great handyman. Really good. We rarely need to call professionals to help us. 
I do all the yard work here except he has been helping my rake the leaves in the spring and fall. 

Ive tried oils but I prefer watercolours. Acrylics I like also. 
What kinds of paintings do you do? What is your favourite thing to paint and why do you like oil painting?


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## Pauline1954 (Mar 30, 2019)

I belong to an endangered animal group on facebook and have been painting 95% animals for about 5 years now. But Ive been exploring cold wax and oil. Ive painted and completed two painting and these were wedding gifts. And Ive got 3 more in the works. My great grandson paints with me when he comes and stays. He has been painting since he was about a year old. It started out as hand and feet printing to abstracts and now he is asking to paint specific subjects. I sketch them out and he paints. However, he is in the first grade now and I dont see h8m as much. And he lives 1 1/2 hrs away. Ive got a blog I try to update and do from time to time. I love the feel of oil on my paint brush I guess. I also think acrylics are great to use like waterrcolor but harder to lift up the mark if im on paper. So I better get it right the first time.    I painted my 7 year old granddaughter (she was adopted by a couple with children in Arizona and they looked me up. And she asked me to paint my granddaughter. )and her parents have asked me to paint all of their children. But there are 5 more children and im not commiting to that task. Life can be messy and confusing. But I do not want to spend months work on 5 portraits when i wont get paid or have much interest in who these children are.  Ack I went off on a tangent. Lol

And you, how do you control watercolors? They can be very hard to. And, learning to control it takes a lifetime. I can control oil and acrylic much better.   What do you like to paint?


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## Dolly (Mar 30, 2019)

My husband enjoys painting water colours and has taught me, but I'm not much good. We both enjoy pottering about in the garden and D-I-Y projects. I am an avid knitter! Socks on 4 needles and  Aran knitting on 2. I crochet  and also love needlepoint. We don't have a dog at the moment. 44yrs with at least 1 dog at a time means that we really miss them. But our lifestyle has changed and we go away so much it wouldn't be fair to have one. So we love babysitting other people's. Merlin and Pebbles are 2 spaniels we have know since they were pups. Freddy is a terrier we also have know since he was small and Trevor is a new friend a French bulldog, full of personality.


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## Keesha (Mar 30, 2019)

Pauline1954 said:


> I belong to an endangered animal group on facebook and have been painting 95% animals for about 5 years now. But Ive been exploring cold wax and oil. Ive painted and completed two painting and these were wedding gifts. And Ive got 3 more in the works. My great grandson paints with me when he comes and stays. He has been painting since he was about a year old. It started out as hand and feet printing to abstracts and now he is asking to paint specific subjects. I sketch them out and he paints. However, he is in the first grade now and I dont see h8m as much. And he lives 1 1/2 hrs away. Ive got a blog I try to update and do from time to time. I love the feel of oil on my paint brush I guess. I also think acrylics are great to use like waterrcolor but harder to lift up the mark if im on paper. So I better get it right the first time.    I painted my 7 year old granddaughter (she was adopted by a couple with children in Arizona and they looked me up. And she asked me to paint my granddaughter. )and her parents have asked me to paint all of their children. But there are 5 more children and im not commiting to that task. Life can be messy and confusing. But I do not want to spend months work on 5 portraits when i wont get paid or have much interest in who these children are.  Ack I went off on a tangent. Lol
> 
> And you, how do you control watercolors? They can be very hard to. And, learning to control it takes a lifetime. I can control oil and acrylic much better.   What do you like to paint?


Hi Pauline, 
Cold wax and oil sounds very interesting. Most of my pictures are landscaping pictures but some are churches and animals. 
Ive got a thread somewhere of my paintings. I’ll add it if you’d like to have a look. 

I paint on 150 to 300 pound water colour paper but got acrylics I use stretched canvas. The great thing about canvas and using acrylics is that if you mess up you can let it dry and paint over it which you can’t do with watercolours.

Most of my watercolours I do on wet prestretched paper. The wetter the paper the more and faster the flow of colour. It’s easier to work with the colour than try and get the colour to work for you; especially when first starting. Sometimes adding salt to the edges adds a really cool effect  and can be a useful technique. 

With watercolours you really do use the water. Quite often the coloured water will sit there and look like it will never sink in but it does and if your paper is heavy enough it won’t warp but if it’s too light you’ll need to stretch and tape it first.

https://www.seniorforums.com/showthread.php/35252-Some-of-my-Artwork!

and here’s some of my woodworking 
https://www.seniorforums.com/showth...s-Everyone-Needs-One!-So-What-s-Your-Favorite


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## Pauline1954 (Apr 5, 2019)

Keesha, try starch and alcohol.  I heard about the salt but hve never used it. Oil has been my primary medium for several years now.

I will post a couple oil and cold was.  I enjoy it a lot. But i paint in  layer sessions.  I will find the two I painted for my girlfriend.








Keesha said:


> Hi Pauline,
> Cold wax and oil sounds very interesting. Most of my pictures are landscaping pictures but some are churches and animals.
> Ive got a thread somewhere of my paintings. I’ll add it if you’d like to have a look.
> 
> ...


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## Pauline1954 (Apr 5, 2019)

300 pound is hugely sturdy. Its almost thick as canvas    ive got a couple of 300pd wc paintings given to me by my former art instructor.

But ive never painted on it. Its expensive. When i painted in acrylics i used Fabriano Uno. An Italian  product they no longer make. I loved the stuff.


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