This month's Etsy Metal Blog Carnival topic is about other artistic or creative interests beyond metalsmithing.
I have a degree in studio art and started as a painter. When I began metalsmithing, painting fell by the wayside, although it is still definitely an interest. I hope to pick it up again one of these days when I have more time. Meanwhile, I've been pursuing more practical creative interests--one that feeds and one that improves our house!
At the beginning of the year I decided I wanted to learn to make bread, and I do consider that and cooking a creative endeavor. I love to cook (and eat!) and wanted to try baking. Of course I decided to start with a more difficult recipe for a rosemary and walnut boule. I threw out the first batch of yeast because I wasn't sure it was activating. Then I remembered I had a thermometer that could accurately gauge the temperature of the milk I was putting the yeast in. That helped and the bread came out wonderfully! I should have used two pans since the loaves grew together to look like one big butt.
My next baking effort was flaky, buttery dinner rolls that were baked in a muffin tin. I didn't quite get them all to be equal size, but they were so, so good and were scarfed down at dinner time.
My other creative interest at home is interior design. We are getting ready to renovate our second bathroom, add built-in shelving to the family room, and partially redecorate the master bedroom. We redid our master bath fairly recently (I did the design and a contractor did the installation), and changed it from 50's pink to modern beachy spa. We took out the bathtub and put a large shower in its place, and removed a second entrance (it was a jack & jill). I designed the vanity and had it custom built. I am excited for our next projects!
Read what my Etsy Metal teammates have to say on this subject:
Andrea Ring: http://amuckdesign.blogspot.com
Beth Cyr: http://BethCyr.com/blog
Debbie Ritchie: http://www.fentondesign.ca/whats-happening
