Tag Archives: creative projects

June 7, 2023 · 3:32 pm

By Hand, From Heart

I love color. LOTS of color.

So when I began to make stuffed creatures for gift items, the bolder the color combinations I could put together, the better. And what a really great way to use up scrap yarn, old mismatched buttons, or tiny pieces of fabric I’ve saved from my crafting “stash” too! I mean, as long as the colors work together and balance in color or patterns somehow, my heart is happy.

and then…

I was asked to demonstrate basketmaking, and the absence of using color for these projects seemed to balance out the BOLD colors of the stuffed animals. The rhythmic weaving of the basket reeds come pretty close to a form of meditation, too.

Colors and patterns come out to play when I’m working on quilted pieces. Truth: I probably would’ve paid more attention during math classes (as a teenager) if I’d realized that folding a large square into smaller squares or triangles can be a LOT of fun if you use material, sew them back together and create a covering or a decorative table runner.

Handcrafting meets art, form follows function, and there are things I know now that I didn’t know then. I hope to learn at least one new something every day.

Happy creating to you, too!

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October 1, 2015 · 5:54 pm

Rolling Up My Sleeves To Get To Work

Fall is in the air and along with this cooler weather come even more creative distractions. Festivals and celebrations abound, and with leaves changing colors in the higher elevations–you know when those mountains call, I feel as though I must go.

I. Am. Driven. To. Distraction.

To celebrate October and to rein my creative self IN, I am making myself a creative promise:

I will Write. I will Draw. I will Create. I will read and make music, attend writing conferences or take classes, and make an extra effort to keep my You-Know-What in this seat working on my current Work In Progress.

There are lots of writers, illustrators, agents and editors who have tips and tricks on how to work through some of the pitfalls of “procrastination,” and I’ve heard many of them speak to this at conferences.

Here’s what I know: I’ve gotta write my book. It won’t write itself. I’m the only one who can tell the story I want to tell. And I really REALLY want to tell this story!

So I’m rolling up my sleeves to get busy.

Happy Creating to you, too!

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September 20, 2013 · 10:23 am

“Foolin’ Around”

Jinx and Teego watching me work.

Some days are better than others.

I set a goal and make step-by-step plans on how to accomplish that goal. I make and stick to a list. I check off items on that list as things get accomplished. I set deadlines for myself and work to meet those deadlines.

And then….

there are some days in which no matter WHAT I do, I just can’t seem to get it all TOGETHER. Nothing appears to get done. The projects are waiting. I’ve got what I need. I can find the supplies, have the time, look around and then WHAM! I get blindsided by what might appear to be procrastination, but it’s really not. (At least I don’t think so.)

I’ll call it “Spinning Circles” for lack of a better term. I can’t seem to get anything accomplished, so I’ll go out in the barn, sit down at the wheel and begin to treadle. On the wheel I can feel the fiber passing through my fingers and my thoughts begin to flow with the movement of the wheel. I keep a notebook handy for when/if the solution to a problem, inspiration or idea strikes. I’ll write it down because I KNOW I won’t remember it later.

Another technique I use is called “Foolin’ Around.” I’ll take my camera with me and go for a walk in the back yard. I never know for sure what I might find, but it gets me up and moving. My imagination begins to look at things from a different point of view and that’s always a good beginning.

Jinx and Teego were a little curious when I came into the pasture with my camera. Soon I had some handspun yarns out for a photo shoot and it was more than they could bear. They came over to look. Did I have food? After spending almost two hours with a camera and the alpacas, I could begin again. Maybe I was working all along.

What do you do when you get “stuck” with thoughts or ideas in your creative projects? Although I might be spinning circles and fooling around, I’ll be making forward progress.