Tag Archives: 30 days

30 Days of Creativity: Day 9

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Day 9: Make a list of creative people you are grateful for today.

There are so many creative people I’m grateful for… look at the inspiration every day just by searching different blogs, but here’s just of some of my favorite people.

Mrs. Moe and Mr. Walter (1994)

Mrs. Moe & Mr. Walter: In the absence of playing team sports, (and I mean I’m really not that coordinated, like you’d be concerned if I were on your team), I learned how to be a team player while singing in a large ensemble. We all depended on one another to make the most amazing music. My high school chorale teachers had to be creative to teach so many squirrelly teenagers, and teach us well. They taught me the importance of listening to others… on so many levels.

Craft Critique editors, Sarah Moore, Simone Collins and Dana Vitek: They’ve introduced me to some of the most creative people I’ve ever known, and gave me a break in the crazy world of craft product reporting.

My mom and aunts: They were my first creative mentors. One of my earliest memories of the family pooling together is my youngest aunt’s wedding. One aunt sewed all the bridesmaids and flower girl dresses, my mom and other aunts worked on centerpieces and corsages. My first introduction to floral oasis, I was eight years old.

The aunties and me at my college graduation party (1995)

 

Who are your creative heroes? Give them a shout out or a little hello today!

30 Days of Creativity: Day 8

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Create a self portrait, draw or photograph yourself. What do you see?

Her head down, nose to the grindstone, as they say. Always working on something. Always thinking. Busy. Trying to manage her home and family responsibilities. See the pile of laundry in the background? That’s a daily thing. But, overall, she looks like a regular gal with a good life.

I can also honestly say that the person I see is someone I hoped to be when I was younger. Someone a little more self-assured, and a little more proud of herself. I mean, we all have tales from our teenage years; mine not exempt from horrible hairstyle experiments, monstrous zits on the forehead at inopportune times, unrequited crushes, and self-esteem issues. They’re all pretty superficial disappointments, and I think I knew it would pass.

So here I am, plugging along pretty darn well.

30 Days of Creativity: Day 6 and 7

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How does your living space reflect your creative nature?  Share a picture if you can!

I love our home with its strong architectural style… it sets a nice foundation in itself for being surrounded by art. And, like lots of parents, we like hanging up the kiddie art. Ours are along the stairs heading down to the basement. Some adorn the cabinets in our kitchen. Over the years, my husband and I have picked up bits of art on vacations or from local artists…we like showcasing them around our home. Hanging in our dining room are lithograph plates with Andy Warhol’s famous daisy. We’ve also collected some pottery reminiscent of the Arts & Crafts period and blown glass pieces by Robert Fritz (we’re blessed to call him a friend). Count those with some framed black and white architectural photographs, and framed art along our entryway… creative moments are everywhere in our home.

Picture by Abby - April 2010

Relax!  Do you relax to create or create to relax?

For me, it’s like two sides of the same coin. But, sometimes, if I’m writing an article with an actual deadline, it can be a little stressful, especially when crafting equipment break.

30 Days of Creativity: Day 5

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What artists do you seek out for inspiration?  Create a small something based on your source.

That depends on for what I’m seeking inspiration: card making, sewing project, kid art project, home decor, event planning (details, it’s all in the details)? Sometimes it’s a matter of finding inspiration where you least expect it… I might be trolling the net for recipes, find a picture of the chef in his or her kitchen and see a kick-butt poster or a cute apron in the background. There! Inspired.

My problem, if you can call it that, is that I find it so easy to see bits of creative influence in everything I see… like inspiration ADD. Then I want to make everything I think about when clearly there’s just not enough time right now. *sigh* But, I do just love looking around at all the possibilities.

There are a few artists (professional or not) whom I like to go to when I’m seeking some uuumph in my creative ruts: Donna Downey, Sark, Patricia Zapata… all these women have strong personal styles that shine through their work. All very different, and I love that.

This past weekend we had a few birthdays to celebrate, so I didn’t create something specifically based on these sources, but had a great time wrapping presents with leftover fabric as ribbons and making my own paper bow. And, you can’t forget birthday cards! Love using my i-rock tool… There’s something I picked up from the hardware store, too. Can you spot it?

Embellishments and papers from Imaginisce

30 Days of Creativity: Day 3 and 4 challenge

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What words or phrases do you find inspiring and why?

Wordle: Inspire

Hard to say why I find individual words inspiring… it’s the feeling it evokes. Pumps me up, conjures up strength and confidence, if only for a little bit. Here are some favorite quotes, too:

  • Be the change to wish to see in the world. Gandhi
  • If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams
  • The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen. Frank Lloyd Wright
  • Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.Eleanor Roosevelt

Do some doodling… share it and write about it!

I haven’t made time to doodle much lately. Catching up on some laundry this weekend, I was staring at our mattress cover, speckled with feathers from our feather-top.  I asked myself, “Should I sit here and pluck them all out before I throw this in the washing machine?” The afterthought was, “What would Martha do?” And, that was the inspiration for my 3″ x 3″ doodle. WWMD. Not my favorite, but it might just be what I need to start up again.

If you’re looking for more crafty goodness, hop over to Craft Critique for lots of products and my recent review on the Martha Stewart Large Circle Cutter.

30 Days: Day 2 Challenge

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Just a small amount of apprehension as I begin to post again. I haven’t figured out the whole backup system yet. But here we go, no sense in stopping life… glad to be back.

What colors are meaningful to you and why?

Bad picture of Halloween 2010 costume

At first I thought it read, “What colors are inspirational…” The following colors are definitely meaningful, because I can be such the sentimental person. I’m just not sure they are inspirational colors for me right now.

Forest green: My elementary school uniform was a forest green plaid. My friends and I disliked it so much we called it “booger green” for a while. Later, around mid-1990s, I was really into dark forest green and burgundy. It seemed sophisticated at the time (college).

Navy blue: This was a color in our wedding and the bridesmaids’ dresses were a dark navy, almost midnight, blue. It is one of the colors from my college alma mater and elementary school, too.

Champagne beige (aka shimmery light khaki): The color of my first car, a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder

Yellow: One of my mom’s favorite colors, though I think she likes gold. Each bedroom I had growing up was yellow. Light yellow, but not cheery, as if it had a tint of gray in it. Didn’t like it all that much. Not my choice.

Thanks for all the messages about the blog debacle, friends, and welcome new readers!

In Other News

  • Recent food columns :: posted.
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