TWELVE RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's Twelve Random Facts About Me on The Hive, so I decided to see if I could come up with 12 things lol.  It wasn't as hard as I thought, so here they are. 


Twelve Random Things About Me:


1.  I am the youngest of 4 children and the only native born Canadian - all the rest were born in Britain.


2.  I have always done some kind of art, even as a child - my parents were both artistic and encouraging.


3.  I have an overfocusing type of Attention Deficit - I can work on the same thing for hours and hours and have to force myself to stop for breaks.
  
4.  My parents were 1st cousins, perfectly legal in Britain and Canada, but I do get funny looks when I tell people. The upside was a double dose of artistic genes, the downside was a double dose of Attention Deficit  - you have to laugh LOL!


5.  I met hubby when we were 11 & 12 years old and started dating when we were 14 & 15 years old.  We have been together for 44 years and married for 39 years.  He is the best find of my life.  :o)

6.  We have two children, a son and a daughter and one 7 year old grandson, whom we adore.  He is a real character and makes us laugh every day. :o)

7.  I worked as a secretary for 5 years, for the English/History depts  at Queen's University, in the early 70's and now I find my spelling atrocious lol!  My brain has been on holidays all these  years lol.


8.  I used to make paper mache dolls, molded felt dolls and miniature cernit dolls.  One of my molded felt dolls won a nation wide contest for Canadian Living magazine and I won a Janome sewing machine, which I still use today.

9.  I painted scenes on blown eggs and sold them at large craft shows for 20 years, along with other Christmas ornaments.  I loooove Christmas ornaments  Artists were required to attend the show, but I brought a friend with me and paid her  to sell my things because I can't handle crowds.  Another artist friend had a  mattress at the back of her booth, behind a curtain, and I spent my time there reading while my friend did all the selling. :o)





10. I used to do children's portraits with coloured pencil, on commission.

I also taught myself to solder so I could make photo jewelry and ornaments, using family photos and copies of vintage postcards.  I love old photos and geneology, and it's a lovely way to display family members and document who they are on the back of the ornaments.  I've been trying to trace what happened to my grandfather for years, with no luck.  Any one out there have a relative named Robert Arrol Cochrane? LOL!

11.  I became a miniature bear artist because I loved miniatures bears, but couldn't afford them.  I made one to go with a little Cernit doll I created and I was absolutely hooked.  I literally chucked the dolls and moved onto bears and have been making them for 15 years.

12.  I have arthritis in my hands that is getting worse  and I may have to discontinue bear making unless I can find a way to work around it.  I am thinking of trying fingerless gloves - has anyone else tried them?

    So now that you've read mine, what are YOUR 12 random facts?  Come on, give them up :o)