"Just make Something"- Pics of the Process of Becoming Unstuck

Yup, that's a pic of a few assorted bottle tops. I've been washing them and setting them aside with the intention of doing Something. Just didn't have a clear idea of what that was. Yet, I had this feeling they really could be something. The feeling was one of those tickly, just on the edge of your consciousness ideas that flits to the fore briefly and then flits away before you can really grasp what it was you saw. But you know that for a moment you had something really really cool.

I feel like I've been a bit of a creative slacker lately. (My penance for claiming to be prolific a few weeks ago-as soon as I did I felt a creative block coming on strong). 

It's not like I don't know how to get out of a block. Generally I just sit myself down and make myself spend some time doing the no-thought- required prep work that can always be done. But it's been too easy to distract myself with housework or doing something with Jasper. I did finish up one of the suncatchers I started when we were taking the step by steps for the book. That didn't help a whole lot though.So the block has just sort of dragged on.

This weekend though I was determined to make something.Even if it was horribly, awfully, awful. So after I played with my background I pulled out my bottle caps and arranged them with some wire on the canvas. Then I played around with some fabric, deciding what to use, which is what I was doing when I took this pic.

Decisions... decisions...

To attach the bottle lids I punched holes around their sides with my crop-a-dile and then stitched them in place. The wire forms were stitched on as well. Then I decided to go all out and really add some stitching as well as some big items I love. So I glopped on a ton of gel medium and added the paintbrush and carpenter's ruler as well as some buttons.The piece ended up looking like this....which I like. 

All done... now what?

I still feel a little stuck though and haven't any more bottle caps but I am teaching a mixed media class tomorrow night at The Studio at Rush Creek and teaching always gets my creative juices flowing. I love the energy, the possibilities that come up as I'm introducing others to mediums or techniques. Their enthusiasm inevitably fuels mine. I would love to have anyone who's interested join us. And thank you for reading my mish mash of thoughts today. I hope you have a wonderfully, fabulously, unstuck and utterly creative kind of day today. Hoping to see you soon.  :)

The first thing to do when making a dream a reality is simple. So SO simple. You need to DREAM  (sounds obvious I know but sometimes we don't allow ourselves the time). Then, you need to BELIEVE in them. This is the part when you start to think the seemingly impossible is possible. That's a huge step. Now, these dreams can become GOALS. Goals can be achieved through action. So a list of baby steps would be good. That, then, gives you a place to start. Ta-da! After this it's just a matter of work, and time, although you need to keep in mind what  you're trying to accomplish. This will keep you from getting side tracked, and it will keep you focused on achieving your goal. But what about when you're done with one? How do you choose where to go next?

When I wrote my book I really loved having a definite goal with a clear path to achieving that goal. There were deadlines and milestones and it was all scheduled with the end result being the book's release. That was SO cool! When my part in the book was finished I figured my next task was to promote the book because really I wrote the book so that others would feel inspired, and for that to happen it meant getting people to see and buy the book. Okey doke. I figured I'd look up a bunch of magazine deadlines and try my best to meet as many of those as I could. This blog was another place to find people like you (who are like me) and might be looking for some ideas, new techniques to try, or just for some encouragement. Publish. Blog. Connect. Check, check, and check.

But then what? How do you choose and focus if you don't really know where the path you're on goes? Or even where you want it to go? A couple of days ago I stumbled via the Etsy Success newsletter the blog of Tricia McKellar. It's titled wonder thinking (which I think is absolutely brilliant) and has a number of really fabulous resources available free of cost. Right away I printed out her Business Plan-O-Rama (you can find a link on her sidebar). It's basically an artist friendly guide to the business plan for those of us who are business plan shy. I read it rather quickly and am looking forward to taking some time to work through. I definitely wanted to share it here with you. Just in case anyone else is looking for some help self-directing as well.  

I'd also love to know what you all think? Do you just go with the opportunities at hand or do you seek out and plan your course? How do you know where to go next? How do you know where to concentrate the limited amount of time you have? How do you choose? Thanks for your comments!!!

Platforms

My son and I were at Target today, headed straight for the Lego aisle when I was diverted into shoes by this totally cute looking pair of platforms. The price was right (under $10) and they were denim. I love denim. So on a total impulse I bought them. At home as I put them in the closet I noticed that they were by far the highest heeled shoes I own. So just to make sure I hadn't made a mistake I put them on and walked all around the house; I was trying to see if I could actually wear them without turning an ankle. And they're great.  I feel completely stable wearing them. Up and down the stairs- no problem. Then, just now, I realized what a great analogy they are.

When we reach for our dreams we often feel shaky, as if what we're doing could cause us to topple at any moment. We may have taken the big leap already, or maybe it's still ahead of us. But somewhere, either before or after, we'll find ourselves walking. Just moving forward a step at a time.

Here's where the shoe analogy comes in. This summer has been hard, I've put my work and this blog aside and concentrated on spending my days with my little boy while he's been home and trying to fix up the house. I've also tried to make sure I'm spending more time with my husband then I am with you. But I've felt a little guilty showing up here when I do to pop on and pop off so irregularly. Then today, looking at the shoes, I got it. They're super tall heels but because they have a firm and wide platform base I feel secure as I walk. That's what I've been doing this summer, I've been building up my platform. And my base, my platform, is my faith, my home and my family.

It's important. Just think about it- how comfortable do you feel taking a big leap in  your art, or writing, or your business  if your marriage is rocky? How secure do you feel reaching for  your dreams if you know that your family needs you, really truly needs you to be present and with them? I know that I could not have made the leaps I have if my husband wasn't supporting me as I made a go of it. I truly need him there as my foundation, stabilizing me. 

So I've decided tonight that I'm not going to feel badly about all the things I'm not doing because I've been taking time for my family and home this summer. I'm supporting them as they do me and building that firm foundation with them so that we can all walk tall this autumn, reaching higher then ever before.

Altered Sundress

Before

So I'm now officially hooked on altering my clothes. My mother- in- law makes all her own clothes and gave me this very cute but very basic sundress a while back. She wasn't crazy about the fabric and asked if I'd like it. I loved it but had to add some of my own personality to it before it felt like mine.

 

Earlier that week I had made a this little pin corsage from a bit of fabric, lace, a silk flower, and string. I really loved the colors and decided to use it as my inspiration for the rest of the dress. The lace I had leftover from my little black dress makeover of the week before, the green eyelet fabric was from who knows where but was in my stash. The idea was to simply wrap the dress in the green fabric but as there was a zipper all the way down the back I had to leave the back open. It ended up looking like a little apron from the back- which I like. Honestly, I don't have very strong couture sewing skills and without a sewing machine I feel a little at a loss to make hems and pleats etc. But I had some fusible tape and some embroidery floss and in the end that was all I needed. Pretty cute and very very fun.

After

Now for that sweet little brown sundress my mother in law just gave me....

The little things....

It's definitely the little things in life. A comfy too big for you sweater, a worn in t-shirt, a big huge mug of coffee, and jewelry that you can wear without thinking, knowing it's just right.

The jewelry was a happy little discovery I made Wednesday when I was making some round wire charm forms for my last class. In my book, I show you how with this one little wire form you're able to make resin, polymer clay, and fabric charms. I demonstrated all these in my class as well. But it was a happy little accident when I got a little crazy with my wrapping on one and I discovered what a wonderful little ring it can be as well. 

Definitely one of those little things that make life sweet. 

Happy Friday!!!

Handmade Wire and Metal Charms That Look Oh- So-Sweet

"Nesting"

 As I was teaching a class last night the actual terms for some things kept alluding me. So I did a little improvisation (the words "thingie and danglie" were used with complete abandon). I did remember the word "mandrel" though and man, did I work that one. The class was a riff off of the mixed media charm bracelet I have in my book and pretty technique heavy. It was really a primer on how to begin to create jewelry, work with polymer clay, create your own wire forms (thus the word "mandrel" being used),an intro to resin, AND to basic stitching. For most of the class this was their first exposure to any of those materials and techniques and I was so impressed  by their willingness to try something new and have fun doing it. They all did wonderfully and I loved seeing all those danglies swinging from their wrists as they walked out at the end of class. 

A Penny for your Thoughts

Besides the charms from my book, I created a few more handmade charms that were simply made to demonstrate to the class how wonderful  wire can be. I also got out my tin snips and scraps from an old metal tray (the rest of it I had used for my altered tin heart tutorial here on the blog). I really love how they turned out.  My faves were a mini scribble heart, a little bird's nest, a couple of charms cut from an old tin tray, a button, a lucky penny, a jump ring danglie of shell buttons, and a funky little spiral.

This morning after I grabbed my coffee, I got out my pliers and a chain and made my own little bracelet with the charms to show you. I really do love how versatile wire can be, and how easily it can be shaped into forms that seem soft or organic and yet are so solid and firm to the touch. It's a juxtaposition I love. 

The completed bracelet has a definite handmade charm

 Which are your faves? Have you ever made a charm bracelet? Any sweet tips on other unexpected items that you've worked with? I'd love to have you share, so please leave a comment! Have a great weekend and thanks again for stopping by! :)

The NEW Somerset Home and a SUPER good deal!

Just a couple of super cool newsy bits to share with you today. First, one of my all time favorite yearly publications, Somerset Home is making it's way to mailboxes and newsstands all over the country. With over a 100 creative ideas to beautify your home, you're sure to find something to flip over in this issue. I received my advance copy yesterday and love it. I'm also excited to say that it has not just one but TWO articles featuring my beloved steel wire. One is mine, and in it I show you how to creatively reuse an old book by turning it into a photo display.  The other article was written by the french wire artist Claire Rougerie. She tells you how to make the most adorable wire cuckoo clock. Seriously. cute. I just popped over to her website and am absolutely in love. (But it is wire and I LOVE, love, love wire.) Plus, the issue has lots and lots of fabulous ideas for beautifying your home. I hope you'll check it out. It officially hits newsstands on August 1st. Whoo-hoo!


The second little item I thought I'd share is that over at the Create Mixed Media site they are offering a bundle of three essential books for the mixed media and fabric enthusiast. My book, Creative Bloom, is one of those books, the other is Ruth Rae's Layered, Tattered and Stitched and third is the all new Mixed and Stitched by Jen Osborn. The bundle is available at a special discounted price but only for a limited time. I love a good deal and this looked like a fabulous one to share with you. All three titles for only $34.95. You save 53% on all three!

 I have a class I'm teaching tonight and have been so excited all day so I'm going to go finish up my prep on that. Hope you're having a wonderful, creative day and talk to you again soon!Thanks for stopping by!

Funky Cool Trade Show Displays from CHA

I've still lots and lots to tell you about my CHA experience but thought I'd make it mostly pictoral today. I took a lot of pics of new products, innovative booth designs, and super cool displays from the CHA trade show to share with you. SO without further ado, here ya go!

This funky girl was the focal for the Handbehg felts booth. I LOVED this booth. Not only did it have a million cool ideas of how to use their product but it was really artfully displayed and had this artcycle theme that I of course think is fabulous. Check out the paper towel rolls on this girl!

From the world of upholstery to super cute locker mates

Love how the artist behind this product upcycled this Victoria Secret freebie bag into something SO much cooler!

Found this beautifully draped girl at Nunn Designs who had the most gorgeous bezels and findings for resin/collage jewelry lovers.

Graphic 45's booth was overflowing with creative examples of ways to use their new Wizard of Oz stamps and papers. It worked great as nostalgia but also for Halloween.

Art-C is a new line from the makers of Little Yellow Bicycle- loved their canvas prints and their new molds (more on this later)!!!

We ALL wanted ALL of these spray inks by October Afternoon- the colors are just so spot on perfect.

The Vintaj booth- the eye candy was AMAZING!

This was a display item at the We R Memory Makers booth. They have a new tool that crimps on these cute two sided metal tabs. Adorable!

Rose Mille had these gorgeous gorgeous bags of german glass glitter. The colors were really breathtaking and I LOVE the way they look in these wax paper bags. Really truly GORGEOUS!

Hope you enjoyed these pics direct from the trade show floor at CHA- Summer 2011!!!

CHA Impressions

Posing by the October Afternoon CHA booth

CHA was amazing. My head is still spinning and it's taken me this long to feel like I can even give you my impressions of the experience. I had the intention of blogging it all right away but honestly was completely unprepared for the huge impact this conference and trade show would have on me. I went with my friend Shelley from Single Stone Studios and we thought we'd go in and just sort of scope out the people and opportunities with the idea that we'd attend our next one knowing what to expect and able to really be proactive. We were not expecting to meet as many people as we did, we were not expecting to be given as much advice and guidance as we were. We were both totally unprepared for how generous, open, and encouraging everyone was. We both felt like we were suddenly in this cool club without really knowing how it was that we got there.

Crafty Couture by Jen Cushman and Claudine Hellmuth

The conference part of CHA started on Monday so I flew into Chicago on Sunday night where I met Shelley. Monday morning we dived right in, our first seminar was a round table discussion for designers. I've never been to a round table thingy and thought it was so cool to walk into the room and see all these round tables that seated about 8, all with some neat-o sounding topic and discussion leader. We were late and so sat down at the table closest to the door and that happened to be the go to table  for info on the CHA designers council. We were both feeling like complete newbies so this was just a little gift from God that we were able to chat with people who really knew the organization and could point us in the right direction right from the start. They also told us about a  design council meeting that we were able to attend later that night that proved to be hugely informational. Then it was time to switch it up and I made a bee line for Jen Cushman's table which had the title, The Editor's Eye. I SO love Jen Cushman's articles on the Create Mixed Media site. Besides having a background in journalism, Jen has a ton of other experience in the craft/art industry AND has authored the book Explore. Create. Resinate, a book about using ICE Resin in your art. In case you missed it, Tonia Davenport wrote a fabulous review of the book, that you can see here. Jen was super sweet, she knew who I was and even has a copy of my book. It was surreal to hear her give a glowing opinion of it (and I'm sure that by the end of our little chat I was completely glowing too). So a fabulous, wonderful way to start.

The new Vintaj embossing machine

As for first impressions- the theme for this summer's CHA was Mixed Media and I was completely struck by how new the concept of mixed media was to the attendees. It's like it was this completely new thing that nobody knew what to do with but everyone knew they needed to understand so that they could bring the products, techniques, and projects that mixed media artists want to their buying public. Walking the trade floor I realized that the majority of companies there were companies that cater to the scrapbooking trade. The aisles were full of paper products. Many of these companies were trying to move into the mixed media realm by adding dimensional products to their paper product lines. By dimensional I mean mdf cutouts, chipboard, rubber embellishments, and flowers- lots and lots of flowers, made from any and all materials at hand. There were some really innovative products though. The one that literally had me jumping up and down in their booth was by Vintaj. They've created this little pressure machine that will create impressions on their little metal blanks. They have two types of plates, one creates a deep embossed look, and the other more the delicate appearance of an etching. I've been wanting to texture metal for a while and this seriously was just so so cool to see. Vintaj has also partnered with Ranger products which you can use on the metal to create an enameled look. AGAIN, so so cool!!!

I've got a ton more to tell you about - more interesting people, experiences, and products. But it's late and time for me to be in bed so I'll have to share the rest with you tomorrow. Thanks for reading- I have to say,it was a great trip but it's nice to be back. :)

Making Over My Little Black Dress

after

Next week I'm flying to Chicago to attend CHA for the first time. I'm super excited but have been wondering what to wear.

In the last year or so I've been trying to dress more like "me" and less like I think I should look like to be "in style". I feel much more comfortable wearing clothes that I've altered in some way, or wearing accessories I made myself. I just don't  usually take the time to do the altering. Jeans still are, and always will be my wardrobe staple but for something out of my ordinary day to day (like CHA) I'd like to wear something fun and artsy. Something much more "me".  So last night I pulled my little black dress (LBD) out of my closet and started to play.

before

First, I stitched on some vintage buttons to the front. Next, I added a little shell button to each sleeve. Then some lace purchased at JoAnn went around the bottom of the dress. It looked pretty cute at that point and I wastempted to leave it but I love doilies right now and think a doily dress would be SO fun to wear. A little more stitching and the doilies were on. The dress was originally $35 at Shop Ruche and the trim/doilies was about $14 at Joann. I had the buttons and floss so the entire dress cost about $50. It's worth so much more to me though to be able to create something unique and original- a dress I can't wait to wear. :) 

How about you? Do you alter or sew your own clothing or accessories? If you do, I'd love to know what your favorite technique for altering your clothes is. I've been haunting blogs, and flipping through Altered Couture for a while wanting to try something. I'm so glad I finally took the time, because in the end I think it only took a total of 2 1/2 hours and I love the change.

 details, details....