Time to Catch Up

This week’s blog is brought to you by the letter F, the makers fun and faith – let them light your way through the darkness.

Going into month eight now, of this living with and allowing creativity. It sounds so lofty. “Yes, dahhling, I am infused with the spirit of creativity!” Bah. I’ve never liked the “artistes,” the artier than thou types. Never silly, often condescending, and fostering the impression that creativity is for the elite.

You know what though? It ain’t! Yes, AIN’T, not isn’t. Ain’t. Ain’t. Ain’t. It belongs to everyone. Like the air and sunlight. You just gotta throw open the curtains and the window, stick your head out, and make like the seagulls in Finding Nemo: MIME!MINE!MINE!

Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment to allow creativity in. It will never come. You’ll find the perfect moments when you’re in the middle of your project and realize you were able to get completely sucked into the present – no past to drag you down, no future to cause worry. Work hard to get there- I’ve been, and decided I’d like it to be a more regular state of being. It’s great to not have so much worry that my stomach hurts or I can’t sleep. I’m grateful that I’m not only (finally) learning how to live life one step at a time, but I am doing so while enjoying the view.

Ah. Rain. We finally have rain! Temps are in the 70’s and all last night, the rain fell.

I overslept and was late for work.

The week before, we had a heat wave. A real one where it went above 100 and it was still 90 degrees indoors at midnight. At least it was a dry heat, though, so I wasn’t sticky. I was, however, cranky. Cranky McCrankypants of the Kingdom Crankmeister. When it’s that hot, I have absolutely no motivation to make anything at home. I thought about papier mache since it would dry so quickly, but I just couldn’t bear to be at home and so I hung out at work well after my shift was over and worked on a scarf for my little nephew or hung out with friends who had air conditioning. My tomato and gourd plants loved the heat, though, and now my garden looks like a little jungle.

So, anyway, in the last 4-6 weeks, I’ve been chugging along on the crafting train. To start, I tackled these big, hairy beasts.




Got both wool sweaters for about $6. The colors didn’t photograph well on the Bill Cosby sweater pre-skeining, but take a look at the after picture below.



This was my first experience with recycling sweaters and considering how much yarn I got for so cheap, I think I’m going to do this again in the future. The skeins were washed and hung up to dry. The last part of the drying was done in the sun so the wool has the wooly/laundry dried on the line smell and the fibers went from looking like Top Ramen to fluffy and straight. Squishy.

For those of you who are thinking of giving this a try, here’s some advice:

- Work on an old bed sheet to catch all the fiber bits that will fall out.
- don’t work in the wind unless it’s blowing away from you or you will be covered in a million tiny hairs that will. drive. you. insane.
- the end caps of the PVC niddy noddy are important. I didn’t get them at first because I thought it was just cosmetic. It isn’t. By the time I wound up all the yarn, my knuckles and the backs of my hands were covered with cuts from the edge of the PVC pipes. Was I in a bar brawl? No- I was recycling yarn.
- If you don’t get the ends caps, you may want to sand the edges unless you’re
going for the bas-ass knitter look.

Oh- and go here for good instructions on making a PVC niddy noddy. It cost less to make this wonderful tool than a large cup of coffee.

Next for show and tell is:

A dog bed made out of recycled wool sweaters!



This is for a sweet little dog of some friends. I made a prototype bed for a friend’s cat a few months ago and she took to it immediately. I figured she would since she seems to be infatuated with my wool yarn and wool socks.

All I did was get some wool, non-superwash sweaters at the thrift store, bagged them up using old pillowcases and hair ties, and washed and dried them. The body of the sweaters makes the base and the arms are reinforced with ribbing and sleeves from other sweaters to make the walls. The whole thing is sewn together with wool yarn and then washed again. The stitches then shrink down a bit and the seams tighten up. The decorative button was a donation from a co-worker who recycled it off a coat. I think it completes the bed nicely.

The beds are easy to make – no pattern other than the large mixing bowl I used to cut out a huge circle. If you want to make one, here are my tips:

- for a cat/small dog bed, I used 2 XL wool sweaters
- I used 4 layers for the base for cushioning and insulation
- remember: the inner layers can’t be seen, so don’t worry about what color the fabric is
- periodically stitch the layers together, throughout the be, just like you would do for a quilt
- when you take the bed out of the wash, it will look like a giant, soggy tortilla- DON’T PANIC! reshape it and throw it in a hot dryer.
- I’ve only used wool yarn to stitch the bed, but I’m sure upholstery thread will work fine, too.
- time it took to make one: almost 2 viewings of Men in Black


Finally, here a photo of the result of my first foray back into the world of embroidering that I blogged about last month:



This was a fairly quick and extremely fun project! I will definitely be making more of these.

Whew…big fat blog and now it’s time for bed. Sweet dreams everyone!

It is too hot to write

Hello. It has been crazy hot these last few days and my computer generates a lot of heat and I don't have air conditioning so I am here for a few seconds to let you know this is all I am doing until it stops being 100 degrees in my home after the sun sets.

I am going back to laying on the floor like a gingerbread man. Thank you.

Blabbity Blab Blab!

Well hello hello! Long time no see, my friend! Come in and have a seat – would you like some tea and cookies? I have a lot to ramble about, so pull up a chair and –oh yes, before I forget-

This week’s blog has been brought to you by the letter E: the makers of enjoy, explore, and encourage – the ingredients that make life delicious!

Now on to our progam.

Ahhhhrrghh…where is that cable thingamajig for my camera? I have things to share! See what happens when I “organize?” I even remember thinking, “I’m going to put it here so I can find it easily.”

Why does that never work?

Time is really going by quickly this year- can you believe it’s already the middle of July? Holy cow! I’m not blogging as consistently as I would like, but I don’t feel bad about it either. Been busy both planting more creative seeds and actually making stuff.

The other weekend, I decided to hang out on the coast. The Oregon Coast – if you’ve never been there and you need someplace quiet to clear your head, go there. The ocean has always, ALWAYS been a big part of my life. Like family. Whenever I feel as though I’m going to crawl out of my skin with worry, anxiety, sadness, etc., I try to go to the ocean.

Time stops for me when I’m with the ocean and without realizing it, I find myself with a still and uncluttered mind and heart. It’s the calm in the eye of the storm. For those brief moments, I am outside my problems, looking in. Looking at it from a different angle and catching glimpses of how it all fits into the big picture. How it’s all connected to others and that I am not alone. Then I sink back into my situation with a new resolve and knowing I just need to commit to pushing forward and somehow things will be provided.

When you watch the ocean, think about how old it is. For all that is done to it, it has never lost power and sometimes it reminds us of that. For all this time, the ocean has never been still. Whether I’m standing in it on the beach or looking out over a cliff, the ocean always reminds me there is more beyond and my time is small and precious. It feels like being a child in the presence of the ultimate grandparent.

Spent time in Lincoln City, then drove north to Astoria and went across the bridge (my most favorite bridge, followed by the St. John’s bridge). Stopped by Cannon Beach and Sunset Beach (very quiet, absolutely peaceful even though there were several families there) along the way and collected broken sand dollars and some small bits of driftwood. Hardly anything on the beach compared to the wintertime, but it was wonderful and much needed. My anxiety levels had been slowly building again and the ocean scrubbed my soul clean, reminding me to rely on my faith and not my worries.

Then I went back the next day. Decided one day was not enough and went to Newport and explored the area south of it. The weather was the opposite of the previous day of soft breezes and sunny skies, but I loved it. The overcast day was quieter and the mist rolling across the sand made me feel like I went back in time. Maybe to the beginning when everything was being born. Found some small agates and 2 clam fossils- the first fossils I’ve ever found! Fascinating how the earth can hold on to the past and then one day, have it roll up on the beach.

I returned home renewed and motivated to tend to the things I’ve allowed to pile up again. Took the poor tomato plants, straining in their now too small pots and planted them in the ground. Planted the tomatillos and ground cherries, too. Installed a trellis and gently guided the gourd vines up. Made a PVC niddy noddy and began to skein up the yarn from an unraveled sweater (note to self: do this asap the next time I unravel a sweater- the skein takes up MUCH less space and is much neater than a big floppy plastic bag of yarn balls! duh!). Completed a sewing project that had been waiting patiently since (not an exaggeration) summer of 2008. More was done, but I can’t remember it right now.

Hm. Looking at the list, it appears I’ve tended to things that had reached a dead end when it still had more to go. I’ve felt so much better since doing them, as if I knocked down a dam and now things are beginning to flow where it should again. Instead of looking at it all and feeling overwhelmed, I’m trying out the clean a little-craft a little method and this is much more feasible. I hate cleaning, but I like things to be clean.

Hey- if you’re a crafter and your home looks like mine and a small part of you secretly wishes you could push everything into a hole in the floor, but you know you’d never do that because you might need something in that pile BUT you know you need to do something because it’s impeding your creativity – well – try the clean a little- craft a little method. When I get home from work, I allow 1 hour of cleaning. Even if I feel like I could do more, I stop. Then I can do something else. Knowing I only have that hour actually makes me focus on cleaning efficiently and I suspect I get more done. I also relax in knowing there’s one less thing to tend to on the weekend and I still get my creativity fix.

Do you ever wonder about those houses that look like a showroom? No glitter or seed beads randomly popping out of the carpet, never keeping an empty jelly jar to store buttons in, not a single smudge of paint on the dining room table. What do these people do for entertainment? Do they just sit there and not touch anything? Then again, they probably wonder how we live the way we do- and shudder.

I Wonder How Much Sawdust I Ate?

This week’s blog is brought to you by the letter D: the makers of Dreaming and Discovery- the pilot lights for your inspiration!





And now, on with the show!

Ugh.

UGH, I say! UGH!

I have sawdust in my pores.

Wait. Hold on. I gotta go jump in the shower. I can’t take this.

Ah…nice and clean. No grittiness anywhere!

Spent the weekend taking a class on how to make a flatbow. This was my first experience doing this type of thing and it was a lot of fun! I am, however, completely sore. I still have triceps, apparently. I had thought they jumped ship and left me, but no. They’re there and I know this because they hurt like crazy.

Using the planer was harder than it looks. Our instructor made it look so easy, gliding over the wood as if it were made of cheese…but you know, that doesn’t even matter since my arms get tired grating a block of cheese, too. Unskilled + sad upper body strength = working on something for a very long time.

The hours went by quickly, though. The pain didn’t even kick in until about an hour after I stopped and then I could barely keep my eyes open for dinner. Then I fell asleep, woke up, and went back to work on it some more.

My favorite part of it is what I’m working on now- shaping and sanding. With each hard edge gently smoothed into a soft curve, it’s looking less and less like the stick it started as and more like an object with an intention. REALLY REALLY want to put the stain on right now, but there’s still more sanding to do. Even though this is the first one I’ve ever made and far from being perfect, I need to do my best so I can be proud of my first effort.

I also need to do something about these weak arms of mine. Ohhhh-whoa-whoa, weak arms of mah-ee-yahh-ahhh-ayne!

So, this was a fun weekend and I finally got to do something I didn’t think I’d have a chance of doing anytime soon. Huzzah! I’m already thinking about trying to make another one with the tools I have: knife, sandpaper, files. Who knows?

When opportunities pop up to learn something new, take it. It’s a good feeling to feel like a kid in the classroom, eyes and ears wide open, hungry for more information. it’s good to be shown there are still more stones left to be unturned.

What's Up Doc? What's Cookin'?

Wooo…I have been absent. I have a good reason, though- been busy making stuff!

Guess what I discovered? When the computer is not on, I have more time to create. Really! I know, I know- crazy talk, but really- when I am not distracted, I can get down to the making and the creating! Who knew?

Obviously, not me. ho ho.

Before I go on, let’s give a nod to our sponsor for this week’s postings: the letter C, the makers of Creativity and Curiosity - just what you need when life gives you a flat tire!

So what have you been doing? Any new projects started? Old ones completed? Untangle that wad of embroidery thread?

The last post was me in tender mode. It has, fortunately, passed. The time spent working on the 3 art journals I have for a round-robin helped me work through the funk a bit, although there’s still a small nagging voice questioning where all this will take me.

It’s the Looney Toons angel/devil on the shoulder thing. The devil tells me all this crafting is frivolous and I should be ashamed I’m not spending more time worrying about my mistakes and flaws. The angel whispers calmly, that this is my ticket out of this self-imposed prison; that I need to allow, listen, and trust. Old habits die hard and you know, that voice that tells me to be fearful and full of regret isn’t going to go down without a fight. I’ll fight dirty if I have to, though. I’ll bite and kick it in the balls. I don’t care, I want to win.

Made a pleasant discovery this past weekend- I think I like embroidery. Freeform embroidery, anyway. Mom taught me how to embroider when I was around 6. Dishcloths with Vogart designs ironed on them. Pansies, kittens doing household chores, and I think there were fruits with faces. I liked it for the Little House on the Prairie feeling it gave me, but hated the constriction of having to follow the design. It would become very obvious when I grew bored when the tiny stitches suddenly turned into 1-inch leaps across the tea towel. Never pursued it after that.

But now…

now, I see it differently. Saw blogs where people refer to embroidery as painting with threads and it didn’t really sink in until this weekend. For one of the art journals, the journal’s owner has a Dia de los Muertos/Halloween theme. Decided to embroider a calavera that I could glue to one of the pages. So far, I’ve embroidered flowers in the eye sockets and outlined the calavera in a dark fuschia. I’m going to decorate the inside to look like vines and flowers, probably, and finish it off by stitching seed beads here and there. Each stitch is so much like the stroke of a brush, I was surprised by how relaxing it was. Very different from my previous experience of feeling resentful that I was stuck having to create a stupid smiling bunch of grapes.

In addition to having fun watching the colors appear across the fabric, it was fun to be able to take apart the thread and blend colors. Like mixing paint. This will be a good fiber-based craft to work on in the summertime. There will still probably be knitting since I have projects I want to have completed before winter comes, but if it’s really warm, I’ll probably take the embroidery to craft night.

I’ll take a picture when I’m done- probably this weekend. Sorry for the no-picture blog tonight. I need to go to sleep now, though. Got up crazy early this morning and I’m so tired, I have the queasy shakes.

Oh, and another thing I’ve been doing when I start to have anxious thoughts about the what ifs when I’m trying to go to sleep: I plot and plan a current or upcoming craft project. The embroidered calavera was born from one of these nights and I fell asleep pretty quickly as soon as I began to imagine what I would stitch.

It really is so much healthier to drift into dreaming, thinking about what I can create instead of worrying about what may destroy. Let the inspiration flood in and flush out the debris that has been blocking your path. Let it saturate the ground and see what starts to grow.

hmmmm… I am feeling, what Kelly Rae Roberts refers to as “tender.”

I like that term. For me, it’s feeling a little blue and a lot vulnerable. Started on Monday, after I had a bad dream of having my heart broken. Felt so real, just like the first time it happened in real life. When I woke up, it took me a moment to realize it was only a dream and I nearly cried with relief. Since then, the feeling has lingered off and on and has invited unwelcome feelings of doubt. It’s as if the dream was a nasty scrape that took off all the skin, leaving me…well, tender.

Times like this make me seek out the positive. Cannot stand to be like this, fussing over the things that worry me even though the worrying does nothing but steal sleep. There was a time, years ago, when this kind of existing consumed my life. Painfully homesick and overwhelmed by the future, all creativity stopped and it felt as though someone had placed a heavy, cold stone inside me. A lot of crying, a lot of sleeping. Interestingly, what got me to not just hole up and give up was the knowledge of how sadly disappointed my parents would be if they saw the state I was in. For all they have done for me, I just had to push forward and not cause them any worry. It was just so hard. Sometimes, physically painful.

When I started this blog, it was partly a commitment to myself to finally start something I had been thinking about for a few years. Then I figured at some point, someone would probably stumble across it and perhaps that person was in a bad way. They may be at a time of their life when things look bleak and the future just seems like another possibility for something else to go wrong instead of something else to go right

If right now, you feel empty and find no joy or inspiration in creating, don’t be hard on yourself. You aren’t alone in this. Just take it one step at a time, always facing forward. Keep in your heart, the certainty that somewhere on this planet, there are others walking that slow, difficult journey. Treat yourself to a small project. I’ve found that one benefiting others to be especially helpful. If even that is too much right now, then keep searching for the light. You owe it to yourself to be relentless in this.

So with this in mind, how about a short practice in gratitude? What 3 things are you grateful for right now? Nothing is too small or insignificant in this practice. It all adds up.

Here’s mine:

1. I just saw a funny commercial that made me laugh out loud
2. It’s bedtime and I look forward to have an inspirational dream
3. I get to go to work tomorrow and be with co-workers I adore

Dye Another Day

This week’s blogging is brought to you by the letter B, makers of Breathe and Believe- practice both so you can move forward!

Woo woo – I now have 2 more garden boxes! You know what this means? A dyer’s garden! Or…a garden to DYE for! Oh har har!

I want to be able to dye the fiber I get at the fiber festival this September, so whatever I plant will need to be fast-growing. Borrowed several books from the library and it’s just on the brink of overwhelming. The one I think I’ll be referring to the most is this book by Rita Buchanan. A small book and very organized. On the left page is a photo of the plant followed by a description, how to grow, and how to dye. On the right edge of the right page are photos of the colors you get from that plant, depending on the mordant used and on the fiber. It’s interesting to see the difference a mordant makes in the final product. I will be using only alum for this year.

Now to figure out what I’ll be growing!

Some aspects of Old World dyeing puzzle me. Like cheese puzzles me. Some techniques used fermentation. Some used pee. It makes me wonder who took that first step. With cheese, who looked at the smelly, moldy mass and thought, “Hm. I’m going to put that in my mouth and eat it.” Same thing with dyeing. Who thought, “I’m going to keep my pee and use it to soak fabric in.” or “Oh hey. This bucket of plant material may make a good dye, but first I’ll let it sit around in murky water and let it rot. THEN I’ll stick my fabric in it.”

And how about this- “Hm…I’m going to scrape all these bugs off this plant, smash ‘em up, and then use that as a dye!” Good times!

Does make me wonder what plants are out there yet to be discovered for dyeing making, though. I will probably let some of the weeds grow in for this purpose. I will not, however, be saving my pee.

I’m sorry. This will be it for today. It’s been a long day and I’m already falling asleep. Not even a photo to make things pretty.

I spend too much time thinking about the things I want to make instead of actually sitting down and making them. This is how my dreams often go, too. I have so many dreams where there’s a destination or object to get and I always get sidetracked. Always. These dreams are cousins to the one where something is chasing you and the hallway gets longer or your legs get really, really heavy.

Having deadlines helps and I came across a great one to last me through next year. The link was on Gingerbread Snowflakes. Please read the poem, take a look at The Butterfly Project, and pass it on. I plan on making several and I wonder what will result form being inspired by sadness and anger. Can’t even imagine what 1.5 million looks like.

Being part of something creative to help ease suffering or increase awareness is another way to keeping moving along the creative path. There are always people who need help. It forces me to always reconsider my priorities and reminds me that no matter how little I sometimes feel I have to offer, I actually do have something to give. More importantly, knowing I am one of thousands involved in such projects gives me hope. For all the pain shown on the news, there are always total strangers compelled to ease it. Like an invisible thread that ties us to one another.

Well, this will be it for the post. Wanted to get the word out about The Butterfly Project. There’s more crafting stuff to write about, but that’ll happen this weekend.

Looks Like Somebody's Got a Case of the Mon-days!

Before, I begin, I’d like to send a word of thanks to our sponsor. This week’s blogging has been brought to you by the letter A, the makers of ART and ATTITUDE. Remember, it’s what you create and present to the world!



Does the Monday feel like the start of a marathon workweek? Do you wonder, “How will I make it through to Friday?” If yes, please wander over to Susie Hewer’s blog. I listened to her Craftsanity podcast this weekend and it left me inspired and amazed! I will be spending my breaks at work this week catching up on her blog. And I must say, she has excellent taste in picking out blog templates!

Mondays will always come around, no matter how tightly we hold on to Sunday. There’s no point in fighting it. That being said, let’s start it gently and with gratitude.

Here are 3 things I’m grateful for right now (what are yours?) :

1. The huge tree outside my window and how it sounds like the ocean when the wind blows through the leaves.

2. The birds and squirrels who hang out in this tree, cruising over to the plate of seeds, the bird feeder, or the birdbath. Sometimes I’m perplexed by how easily they will capture my attention for long periods of time. You’d think I stepped into a fairy ring.

3. The long days in late spring through summer. I love that the summer seems to have started early and the seeds I planted have all started to sprout.

While I actually really like my job a lot and my co-workers even more, it’s hard to shake that feeling of, “Awww…I can’t sleep in and do whatever!” In light of the economic situation, though, I’d be grateful even if I had a job I hated with people to match. The reality of it, for me, is that if left to my own devices, I don’t think I’d really get that much more crafting done if I didn’t have to work. I’d do a lot of puttering about. Besides, there’s something about being at my desk and interacting with my co-workers that inspires ideas. Is it wrong that I actually miss them when I take a stay-at-home-for-a-week vacation? …or is it wrong that so many people don’t experience this? Every single day at work, I am guaranteed giggles and laughter. When bad things happen, people are kind and caring to each other.

The other part about my co-workers, which I appreciate so much, is their talent. As it turns out, there are several people who are very artistically talented. When I bring in something I’ve made, it’s fun to be able to share and get feedback. During our breaks, there’s no stupid gossiping or backstabbing. We talk about our hobbies and what we did over the weekend. We arrange play dates instead of hanging out in bars, complaining. It’s nice. Fantastic, really. Now that I’ve just written this and read it over, I really am fortunate, especially considering what diverse backgrounds we all come from.

That’s one thing about getting older that I love so much: differences matter less. Some of those differences have simply faded and are no longer vivid enough to earn anything more than a passing, curious glance. Positive changes.

The other part about getting older that I love is how much less I care about what others think about what I make. It’s come down to whether or not I enjoyed the process. That part of the creating is something solely within me and what I hold important. It feels great to get compliments, but if someone were to insult what I made, it wouldn’t mean much. It would be like me taking a vacation somewhere and having someone tell me how much they hate my destination. It wouldn’t matter since the trip was all mine to experience anyway. To those who seek to bring down with insults, I blow a raspberry in your general direction.

Oh- and I went and bought some papyrus, by the way. Then went to the library and borrowed several books on paper making. Haven’t looked through them yet, but the papyrus is still small anyway. Right now, it’s sitting outside in a bucket with a water hyacinth and some other water plant that I’m too lazy to look up the name of. As an added bonus, I discovered that it came with a teeny, tiny snail. Just a little bigger than a grain of rice. I will love him and squeeze him and call him George.

Well, the stagecoach turned back to a pumpkin and Monday is here. Go off and buzz around, busy bee. Remember- the task may feel small and redundant, but it’s an important part of the big picture. Go out and help things prosper.

Precious....my precious....

This year, I’m becoming more and more aware of how not alone I am in certain crafter traits that I was more than a little ashamed of. Kept this as my dirty little secret because I really didn’t know anyone who did these things, although I now suspect I did know, but they kept it a secret as well.

My dirty little secret? I have a lot of stuff. All for the sake of some project that has yet to hatch.

As I read through various blogs and listen to podcasts, it’s comforting to know that there isn’t anything wrong with me- this is just the way of the crafter. Publications like this and this not only confirm this, but show me there are a lot more people out there with way more stuff than I! I find solace in my crafting brethren. I find I am not alone in my collecting of all materials and objects of this world. I find I am not alone in collecting ribbons off candy boxes, buttons off old and worn clothes, keys that no longer open doors. Low tide leaves exposed, treasures that others would see as nothing more than beach glass and rocks – Look! This rock has a hole in it that you can peep through! This one is heart shaped! This one has some flecks of some shiny stuff in it- nature’s glitter! wooooo. I have a jar of acorn caps, a box of very old photos of people I never knew, and hoarded glitter. IKEA and recycled food jars help keep things in their place. When I saw a brief tour of Aaron Spelling’s mansion, my only thought was, “Wow…he almost has enough room there so that I could devote each room to one craft subject!”

The drive to make stuff invades all aspects of my life. Like spilt glitter on shag carpet, it will always be there, sticking to everything. Ideas are triggered at every turn. They change and evolve with the seasons.

With the weather so warm this spring, I had already started my garden a few weeks ago. This year, amongst the edibles, I’ve planted gourds. Why? so I can have more of this in my home



Oh wait. That was the before.

Here’s a prettier after:



I know. Gross, huh?

That was my first foray into drying gourds and I love the end result. While not expensive to buy, a whole packet of seeds costs the same as one gourd and I need more. There’s also the joy of growing things and harvesting. Inner gnome is pleased.

And what do I plan to do with a collection of dried gourds? Fairy houses! Instead of a traditional Christmas village, I’m thinking about a fairy village. Seen some really incredible gourd art and it would lend itself nicely to being converted to houses. It would be…gourd-geous!

Also in the garden this year: several varieties of lavender. I want to make those ribbon-woven lavender thingamajigs. Love the smell of lavender when in it’s natural state. So far, all lotions I’ve found have an underlying patchouli scent, which I dislike very much.

Thinking of planting a small garden of dyeing plants, too. Oh- and last week, I saw a papyrus plant and I think I may get a few. I’d like to try and make paper.

I know a woman who does cross-stitch. Nothing else. Just that one craft and she’s been doing it for years and years. For people who have the capability to focus on one craft and do it exceptionally well, hats off to you! I’ve tried it and failed. I became like the kid in school who is constantly looking out the window to watch birds bathe in a pool of water or autumn leaves caught up in a swirling column of wind. Ants in the pants. I have crafting ants in my pants. And they are covered in glitter and wool.

My inner gnome has spoken and I have answered. Frugally.

Last year, I bought some washed fleece at a fiber festival.

Keep in mind, I know pretty much nothing about spinning. Know even less about how to pick fiber, but knew I needed (not wanted- NEEDED) some and the only criteria I went in with were: affordable, nice color, washed. Sure, there were many vendors with amazing displays of roving in beautiful colors, beckoning seductively… “Loook at ussss….we’re ready to spin! All aligned and perrrrfect!” Oh, believe me, I wanted all of it! Wanted it to be mine- ALLLL MINE!

…but no. I was strong.

Fueled by the desire to teach myself, I knew I needed fleece so I could start as close to the beginning as possible. If I could, I would have just come home with some sheep and started there (one day, one fine day..). I had to skip the getting my own sheep step, decided to also skip the washing step because I have neither a big enough sink nor am I ready yet to deal with sheep dingle berries, and started with 3 humble 1-pound bags of fleece. 2 dark brown and 1 cream. One has caramel brown tips, which I suppose some may see as imperfections, but to me, it’s beautiful. Then again, I’ve always found sweet beauty in the imperfect – the runt of the litter, rust, mutts, vegetables that look like they have noses, gargoyles.

One bag I bought was from the first shearing of the sheep. The woman told me this as I was paying her and she smiled a little sadly and patted the bag like a mom watching their child go to their first day of kindergarten. This is my favorite bag and the one I chose to finally do something with.

For the last year, I looked at what I bought and wondered how to prep it. I have no hand cards and didn’t want to buy a set yet because of the cost. How about dog brushes? smaller, but the same concept, right? Well, I priced them and decided it wasn’t cheap enough. I’d be better off just saving my money until I could just get a real set.

But the inner gnome. It wants to play!

So…I went to the Dollar Store and found a dog comb. Guess what- it worked fine! Not something I’d use for the whole bag unless I wanted Popeye arms, but for small amounts, it was perfect. This also allowed me to witness the fibers as they turned from clumps, into lofty clouds. Very primitive, my skill level, and I’m happy walking this slow and imperfect path. If I can understand where something is coming from, I stand a better chance of knowing how ride with it to new destinations.

So here is what I came up with. “After,” on the left, “Before,” on the right. My $1 dog comb peeking in from the top to say, “Hello!”



Now this will be no surprise to most acquainted with wool, but it was a fun surprise to me- dark brown plus cream does not equal light brown! At least in fiber world.



It makes a nice warm grey. Who knew? Not me! The cream roving is actually from some “mandala wool” from the Tandy Leather Company. Never made a mandala, but it was a good price for a bunch of roving. I originally bought it to experiment with felting, but got distracted by knitting.

After about and hour of playing around with the fleece and dog comb, I had a small pile of fluff. Used the CD drop spindle and spun a yard of brown and a yard of grey and liked how they looked in yarn form. Then went on to something else.

Needle felting! Saw this first years ago on the Carol Duvall Show (why did she have to go off air? I miss you Carol!!) and bought a set of needles, but had no good direction on how to create anything beyond lumpy blobs. That is, until a co-worker brought this book by Laurie Sharp in:



I was so impressed by the step-by step photos and the end product, I went out and got my own copy. Check out her blog as well- funny and especially good to read on a down day. Coincidentally, the night I brought home the book, I downloaded some CraftSanity podcasts and what do you know? There was an interview with the author!

Inspired by the book and wanting to make something from my pile of wool, I made…



A pig. Squeal!

This was a gift for a co-worker who wants a miniature pig one day and it was very well-received.








Here’s the oinker from a different angle…I guess you could say he’s HAMMING IT UP! hyuck hyuck!




Alrighty then. I have now made up for the lack of regular blogging by writing one really long one. You still awake?

All this and for what? To tell you about what I did with some hair shaved off an animal.

You know what though? My inner gnome is content.

What do you get when you dye roving with Kool-Aid in bright, awful colors?

Clown yarn!




I want to learn how to spin yarn. It's something that has always fascinated me, probably because of fairy tales. It's one of those things that calls to my inner gnome.

I'm just starting out and having to stick with the self-teaching route for now and I decided to try it with a homemade CD drop spindle since it's, well- CHEAP. Only had to buy the rubber grommet and dowel. For less than $2 and 15 minutes of my time, I had me a drop spindle! Ugly, yes. Not as "spinny" as a proper drop spindle, I'm sure. Didn't matter, though- I had something to make something with! Woo!

I actually dyed some roving with Kool-Aid in my favorite colors- dark, blood reds- first, but I don't have a photo of it yet. The above colors were more an experiment to see what colors the flavors would make and then to see how bright colors would look when mixed up (clowny). It goes well with my FAT-skinny-FAT-skinny-LuMpY-skinny-FAT-LuMpY yarn that I've been producing while getting used to this whole spinning thing. It's very addicting! I'm thinking this fall at the fiber festival, I may end up treating myself to a proper drop spindle. I love how they look clustered in jars and pots. The kind of thing Mrs. Weasley would have, I'm sure. Jars of beautiful wooden spindles.

Going with the theme of cheap and ugly, I also have plans to make out of all the PVC pipes I've had for the last 9 years: a swift and an inkle loom (saw it here and here). Trying to figure out if I can make my own ball winder with stuff I already have...saw one made of Legos, but I gave all mine to my nephews. After using the ball winder at my LYS, I was hooked! Although I love the look of a hand-wound center-pull ball, it takes a long time (time that could be spent knitting!) and they don't stack nicely.

Oh- and let's not forget the bead spinner made out of a plastic take-out container and a chopstick. Nowhere near as beautiful as the $40 wood one I saw, but worked fine.

If Fat Albert and his friends did crafts, they'd have the above.

It's late. I'm sleepy. I'll be back later to add links to some of the above for any of you who may want or need to go the Fat Albert route of making crafting equipment.

It's been awhile. Been busy making stuff and reading about making stuff.

This is one of the charms I sent off for the Cloth, Paper,Scissors magazine charm swap. Almost didn't make the deadline even though I knew about the swap at least 4 weeks before the due date!

Keeping myself on task has been a challenge. You'd think since I enjoy making stuff so much, there wouldn't be any problem about sitting down and just doing it, but no. The big problem is how easily I get distracted while working on something. Usually happens when I need to find a tool or materials. While looking for my hammer, I suddenly found myself on the floor, looking through a book on needle felting. While outside spraying a coat of varnish on some charms, I end up spending an hour puttering around with the plants. It's very enjoyable, but the end result is a whole bunch of half-finished stuff. This is where having projects with deadlines comes in.

In the last month, I've completed making the journal for the round robin swap (the phoenix book below), completed my 4 pages in the journal I got from the person before me on the round robin, and submitted 3 charms for the charm swap. It became a little stressful at the end of each project because up until I finished, I spent a lot of time following some crafting wil-o-wisp into the deep forest. The feeling of pride of actually finishing a project was fantastic, though! Now that creativity is back in full force, my next exercise will be to learn to be disciplined in time management. Ai-ya!

Even this blog., the frequency of my posts isn't anywhere near what intended. No worries, though. It's still in it's infancy. So many ideas...so little concentration.

Tools to Create and Destroy

When I was little I would get into so much trouble with my hands. All the time. Mom would go nuts after finding me sitting at the table, big ol’ blobs of paint squeezed out of those tiny watercolor tubes…or worse yet, I got my hands on her acrylics…but I could not resist. Then she’d just get exasperated when I got mad after I smooshed all those wonderful colors together and it all turned to that purple-brown poo color.

Went to town on the big bathroom mirror with her lipsticks.

And the nail polish.

Locked myself in a room and started “painting” on paper with all her nail polish. My brother ratted me out after smelling the nail polish fumes wafting out under the door. I remember starting to feel a little weird in the head while pouring all the polish out.

She lined the hallway walls with butcher paper because she knew I’d draw there spankings or no spankings, but didn’t realize until years later that I also doodled on the underside of the dining room table. And a little bit at the back of a closet.

Then there was the time I went to bed with Silly Putty because I wanted to make animal shapes…and fell asleep. Woke up to mom swearing under her breath while trying to pull it out of my hair. It makes a neat noise when you chew it, by the way. Don’t sue me if you do this and get poisoned.

My hands weren’t always getting into inadvertent mischief, however. There was a time in my early years when I remember waking up with weak hands. Could barely make a fist and took until breakfast was ready to get them to wake up. Vaguely remember the doctor telling my mom to have me spend time working with my hands before I went to sleep, so she had me doing origami. Ducks, cranes, inflatable balls, boats…all of them coaxing life into my hands. I’m curious to know what that was all about. It did go away in time, but I’d like to know what was wrong with me back then.

I Did It!

I committed!

I joined a round robin art journal group on Ravelry and sent my book off yesterday. For this group, we were to all pick a word to set a theme. Each person will have a few pages to create their artwork on and by the end of the year, each of us will have a book of everyone's work.

The phoenix has been on my mind as 2008 was coming to a close. The thought of rising anew from ashes fit my state of mind and spirit perfectly as I began forging a new path. The one I had been on was worn out and reduced to going in circles.

The cover didn't photograph so well since it's shiny and has metallic paint. Made it from an old book cover, coffee-stained coffee filters, and acrylics. The filters were also partially burnt with the ashes gently pressed into the acrylic and also painted over with GAC 100. It's my first attempt at making something like this and I was pleased with results, although the next time I make one I'll do some things differently.

This is both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. Everyone else in the group appears to be experienced artists. However, they've all been really friendly and fun, so it's a good place for me to start and hopefully get some constructive feedback. If not, I'll go eat a jar of peanut butter as I rock myself on the closet floor.

Creative homework. Exactly what I wanted for myself as I started this journey at the beginning of the year!

This is a short and unflowing post, I know. Staccato. It's late, I'm sleepy, and I really needed to just get this posted.

Breathe

Early morning last fall. Waking up with the world, a plate of waffles, and a cup of coffee. Good to go somewhere quiet and let the sun coax me into the day.

Where are the Monkey Bars?

You know, this would be a lot more interesting if I posted photos.

Maybe I should finish a project…but at least there are works in progress. It’s a little weird to just make stuff. Good weird, but I feel a small amount of guilt for this “indulgence.” Still, it’s been good for me. When I’m working on something, my mind is mainly focused on that very moment. No random worries about what I don’t have or the “What if….?”

I used a lot of time and energy feeling afraid, worried, anxious, doubtful, regretful. Had I channeled that into something creative, dang…I’d have a warehouse full of homemade crap!

It’s a tug-o-war between my mind-is-everywhere-but-in-the-now-and-by-the-way-can-I-think-of-anything-else-to-worry-about? and my creative side. The former is a bully with low self-esteem, hell-bent on dragging everyone down, and the latter is a kid who lives for recess. I haven’t stood up for that kid in years.

Funny thing, though, this kid. He bears no grudges. Probably because he doesn’t dwell on the past. When I finally stepped out to play, he ran up to me and grabbed my hands, pulling me out to the playground. He’s trying to coax me to swing higher, but I’m still holding back until I get used to this feeling of weightlessness. How long before I get enough momentum to swing up and over?

Ah. Time. How quickly you fly by my window!

I’ve logged into this blog several times since my last posting, but just didn’t feel like I had anything to say. Keeping true to my 2009 promise, I’ve been investing at least 15 minutes each day in something to enrich my creativity. Oddly, as this has become an intentional habit, my paths are now crossing with like-minded people, blogs, books, podcasts, and articles.

Looking back, my excuse of not having time was just that: an excuse. If you’re in the not-enough-time phase, try this - couple the time you spend not talking with time getting inspired. Commutes to and from work, time spent running errands, and lunch breaks are great times to listen to a podcast or CD (check out your local library!). For me, it turned out to be nearly an hour, 5 days a week. 5 hours to listen to other people inspire me. I normally use my lunchtime to write in my journal (the one fueled by the questions in Taking Flight). That’s more than 15 minutes a day.

Before I go to bed, I usually need to wind down. I now use that time to read through books and magazines for craft/art techniques, which I jot down in a journal I started for this very purpose four years ago (and put down and neglected until now).

It was hard to get into this habit first, but now I find myself needing it. I started one morning commute without my morning podcast and it was as if I didn’t eat breakfast or have my coffee. Listening to other people with a similar focus helps keep me positive and is insurance against my tank running empty. That’s what has happened before- got enthusiastic and then ran out of fuel because I tried to go it alone and with no tools to help me.

So…

If you are really wanting, hoping, wishing, NEEDING to have more creativity in your life, please explore your resources. Take a look at the other blogs I read. I’ve found them invaluable in keeping my spirits up. Some of them have podcasts, too (one of my favorites is the Craft Cast interview with the Crafty Chica- the best of both worlds!).

Cristina Acosta has some wonderful suggestions to stay inspired. I actually cut out a picture of one of her paintings years ago. It was in the newspaper and I loved it. This was pasted into that rejected-until-now art journal. I tried to find her stuff online, but nothing came up back then. Now she has a website and blog and you can go see her fantastic art. There’s a lot of movement and passion in them. I looked at them on a day I was feeling a little anxiously angry and they gave me little bit of a shake and helped re-focus that energy into a feeling resolve instead of resentment or regret. Her paintings have a current of strength running through them that really appeals to me. Her posts on inspiration has great advice, especially for those who don’t even have 15 minutes a day for themselves. For one, she suggests using your cell phone camera to snap a few photos every day. Just to get into the habit of allowing creativity daily. Excellent!

Have you made it past all the words now? Sorry- making up for lost time. A dream and intention I have for this blog is that it will be a sort of message in a bottle, bobbing along and occasionally washing ashore on someone’s island. Someone like me, right now, just starting to venture out into a new chapter and stocking up on inspiration for the journey. If you find me while I’m still just starting out, why don’t you hop on in for a road trip? I could always use the company. We could be like the Muppet Movie. Movin’ right along…

This Book Rocks

Every day since 2009 started, I've made good on my commitment to invest at least 15 minutes a day to my creative side.  It's quickly become something I look forward to and crave.  Like a really, really good chocolate chip cookie.

My notebook and journal are quickly filling up with ideas and writing- oh- if you haven't already seen it, go check out Kelly Rae Roberts' book.  I'm using it like a textbook.  One by one, I'm writing a question from the book in my journal and spending as many days as needed, answering them.  I just finished question #3 and I am loving this book BIG TIME! It's a beautiful, gentle book that coaxes the creative spirit to come out and play.  Me likey.

ah. Now me go to sleepy.

Give Yourself 15 Minutes

Hello! Meet the war elephant of the Summer of 2008.  He took up a lot of my time and a lot of my living space. This was a venture into papier mache that I followed with no actual plan and was surprised as his face began to emerge from the wads of newspapers and crumbled paper bags.  

This guy may have been the an omen to my final commitment to jumping into creating this year.  No more waiting until (fill in the blank).  

I'm sure this post will meet the eyes of someone feeling stuck, discouraged, overwhelmed by a whirling collection of responsibilities and obligation.  If this is you and you are here, think of our meeting as a sign, a message waiting for you: you have the time, don't wait any longer.  Your perception of time can be adjusted.  You can spend 15 minutes a day writing, sketching, coloring, knitting- YOU pick!  You don't have to complete it.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  That's not the point.  The point is to gift yourself a very small portion of time regularly to add quality back into your life.  I've only been doing this for about 2 weeks and the effects have been wonderful.  Please do this for yourself.  

This may be a little woo woo, but whatevas.  I believe in signs, in things happening for a reason, paths cross for a purpose.  I felt unfocused and well, blue.  Slowly it became obvious it was my doing- I had neglected and set aside, my need to make stuff.  Plain and simple.  My head was in the past or speeding ahead into the future.  A lot of worry about everything that wasn’t in the now.  By about October, I knew I needed to change.  More importantly, I wanted it. 

Stopped obsessing about the news.  Back then, it was about the economy.  I let it grab my ear and whisper to me that all was lost.  I let it grab my heart and fill it full of fear.  Then reason stepped in.  It reminded me that this will pass, it’s just part of a cycle.  I cannot help people in foreclosure, but I can donate to food banks, schools, shelters.  No money? No problem- I donated time to help with Habitat for Humanity. Used coupons and sales to buy pasta and canned goods.  Went through my closet to donate gently worn clothes.  Realized fully how giving even a little is still giving.  Somewhere out there, parents find comfort in knowing their child went to sleep with a full belly. I can choose to worry about people losing their jobs or their homes or I can choose to focus my energy on helping. Only one of the two will have a positive outcome.

So…I literally said out loud, “Enough! Just go forward!”  and made a plan- 15-30 minutes a day to invest in my creative side.  Maybe some knitting, maybe reading through a back issue of a craft magazine and jotting techniques and ideas in my notebook.  Doesn’t matter as long as it’s related to creating. Can’t say where it will take me, but a voice tells me I’ve finally found my path again and it’s a very good thing.  That this will help me help my loved ones, my community.  I feel like I’m waking up when I didn’t even realize I was asleep.

Weirdly wonderful is how, during this time, I’ve found blogs and podcasts that all seemed geared towards this path. When you open yourself to positive change, things begin to filter in.  If you’ve read this far in the blog, then you probably are looking a for a shift in the wind.  Think of how everything starts to change when wetlands are created- little by little, life is drawn to it and the area begins to grow and thrive.  Give yourself 15 minutes to stop and enjoy the now. Go play, go create! Really, you deserve it. 

First Post of 2009!

Hello. Here I am, I’m finally doing it. Didn’t seem so long ago that I was thinking to myself, “I should do a craft blog. It’ll keep me motivated. It’ll make me make stuff instead of just thinking about it.” Well, that was about 2 years ago. 

It wasn’t that I forgot. It was I’lldoitwhenitis. I’ll do it when my place is perfectly organized. I’ll do it when I’ve deconstructed all my upcycling garments and have them ironed (who am I kidding?). I’ll do it when my pants fit.

All this time, I told myself I couldn’t craft regularly until everything else was in place. By the end of 2008, the realization that it would never be all in place sunk in. There would always, ALWAYS be something that needed cleaning or weeding or putting away or, or, or. Like Lucy in the chocolate factory. So why fight that battle? Enough of waiting for things to be just so ‘cause it won’t be just so if I just sit here and…do….nothing.

Little by little, I’ll learn all the doodads on this thing and gradually add to the lists, blogs that inspire me or things I like. Two years ago, I planned on getting this blog up and completed all at once, but that was just another episode of I’lldoitwhenitis. No one knows I’m here, so no big deal. I wonder who will be the first person to stumble across me? I wonder how long it will take? Woo.

You. You, who stumbled across me like a message in a bottle, look and see where you are in your life. What are you holding yourself from that adds happiness and contentment to your life? Don’t be like me and keep waiting. You don’t need to be perfect externally to deserve contentment within. I’m leaving this island and setting sail. Why don’t you do the same? 

This year, I’m finally going to get to some serious crafting. Awaken the supplies that have lain dormant and set them free. Set me free. I’m ready to go.