I'm still in the middle of house-moving, so not much crafting going on here, though I am doing some drawing in pencils to make a gift booklet for my husband (full of his roleplaying OCs!)

Courses are great! I don't care about qualifications, but I like the social angle and also the fact that I've gone somewhere specifically to work on whatever it is for several hours without being interrupted! I have taken wood-carving classes in the past, and more recently, painting classes. Both tutors were really expert craftsmen in their field and I learned so much from them. It's also really handy to have guidance in what tools and equipment are really essential and what's less important, because I could cheerfully spend far more than I own on supplies :-D