All of these are cool links--thanks!

I really like crafts like cross-stitch and embroidery, but I can't imagine how hard it is to stay patient enough to create some of these things. Whew!

I also admit that while I enjoy crafts, I've always thought that they required patience more than they required artistic skill. A person who can follow a pattern and has the patience to work at it can create a very passable piece of cross-stitch--a little tree ornament or a square for a quilt isn't beyond most people's reach (if they have patience).

But to paint a lovely watercolor requires a whole lot more than patience--there must be real talent, or it's going to be awfully lame.

If you're with me so far, you may also find it interesting that while Lucy quills, and Elinor actually paints. Lucy has all the patience it takes do meticulous crafts and to keep her feet firmly planted on Edward for five years, and Elinor has all the gifts to paint with realy taste and to attract Edward genuinely within a few weeks.