LissaBee Creations

I Have Arrived!

2010-11-15T11:14:00.000-05:00

I just completed the transfer of my blog to Wordpress. :-) The process was quite simple. You can now visit my new website:

LissaBee Creations

I am thrilled that I can finally get going on my website. My goal is a more interactive site for my visitors. Hooray!

Sailing On to Wordpress

2010-11-10T12:45:00.000-05:00

Sailing on Sydney Harbour
© 2006 Melissa Prell

It's time for some moving and shaking! I am in the process of moving this blog as well as my website to Wordpress. So if you have tried to get to my website this week, you will see an error message. As soon as the transfer of my domain is complete, I will begin building my new website. My goal is to make my website and blog more interactive and fun for my visitors. Stay tuned!

Blast Off!!

2010-11-01T14:22:00.001-04:00

Space Shuttle Endeavor by NASA

Today is the grand opening of my etsy shop! I am excited about this adventure. I am looking forward to meeting new people and bringing a bit of beauty into their lives. A peek into my shop:

My plan is to continue to add to my shop. Right now I am working on holiday ornaments.

Thank you for your continued support. It means the world to me!!

Melissa

Preparing to Launch!

2010-10-27T08:00:00.005-04:00

Space Shuttle Endeavor by Steve Jurvetson

I am getting ready to soar into the wild blue yonder of etsy. I have been working on my shop profile, announcement and policies this week. The planned date for lift-off? November 1, 2010. Here's a peek:

I am really thrilled to have this opportunity. I love crochet! I have noticed many gorgeous crocheted items in the etsy treasuries lately. I definitely want to be a part of that trend. I am also looking forward to joining the sellers on etsy and learning from them. Wow, this is exciting!

Crochet Inspiration from An Area Rug

2010-10-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

I saw an ad in the September issue of House Beautiful magazine for this rug:

I liked the use of brown and turquoise and used this inspiration for two new crochet designs. I used simple stripes this time and also created a bowl with a lid. A lid comes in handy for keeping items cleverly hidden. :-)

Brown and turquoise striped crochet bowl.

Brown and turquoise striped crochet bowl with lid.

The button on the lid.

My big news is that I plan to open my etsy shop to sell my bowls in the next couple of weeks. I will post an announcement here on my blog.

Let's get some conversation going. Any questions, comments or suggestions? I'd love to read them. Have a wonderful day!

Crochet Inspiration from Etsy

2010-10-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

While perusing the crochet category on etsy, I discovered some lovely and fun designs.

1. Sabahnur 2. Modern Needlepoint 3. Gsakowskidesigns

4. Sweetpeatoadtots 5. Aminfriends

It is a joy to see crochet being used in modern and innovative ways. It has played second fiddle to knitting for long enough!!

Dainty Crochet Earrings

2010-10-06T11:33:00.000-04:00

A quick and fun crochet jewelry project! I used this pattern from Julie Bolduc to make gifts last Christmas. I customized the pattern by adding 4 mm bicone Swarovski crystal beads.

Pink crochet earrings.

Purple crochet earrings.

Yellow crochet earrings.

It was such a joy to make these gifts for my friends. I have yet to decide if I will be making any Christmas gifts this year. I do want to support my fellow handmade artists, which is why I am participating in A Crafty Holiday. Angela Flicker is hosting a blog hop for bloggers to visit each other with ideas and inspiration for handmade gifts made by other artists. There is still time to contact Angela (deadline is October 14) if you are interested in participating. I'll bet we're going to be blown away by the beautiful wares!!

So, what are your plans for holiday shopping this year? Making your own? Buying handmade? Buying online? Braving the shopping centers? I'd love to know!

The Galah Crochet Basket

2010-09-29T13:58:00.001-04:00

My latest crochet basket was inspired by one of my favorite Australian birds, the galah, or rose-breasted cockatoo. We had many of them visit us during our two years in Canberra. Our nickname for them was "Lovelies". I really admired the gray and rose of their feathers. Such a beautiful bird!

Gorgeous Galah

Close-up of satin cord crochet basket

Silver and rose pink satin cord crochet basket

I can picture this color combination in an entry hall for keys and sunglasses. Or how about a lady's dressing table to contain those beauty supplies?

A Larger Crochet Basket Design

2010-09-10T12:02:00.001-04:00

Hello, everyone! How about a glimpse of a larger crochet basket I created? The wavy stitch design is the same one that I used on the baskets in my previous post. This time the dimensions are 7" x 3 1/2".

Toffee and Light Blue Satin Cord Crochet Basket

Close-up of my crochet stitches

Bottom of basket showing my label and embroidered edge

Picture a lovely beach house, with this basket filled with shells or starfish on the coffee table. I can also see it in a bathroom, filled with hand towels or wash cloths. How do you envision using it in your own home?

Wishing everyone a beautiful Friday and a lovely weekend. I can feel fall in the air!

My Latest Crochet Creations

2010-07-31T19:04:00.061-04:00

I took some time today to work on my photography. I practiced on my latest design which is a wave stitch. I like the fluidity of these bowls, the way the satin cord makes me want to sculpt it once it is completed. I also used the wave stitch on a hemp twine acorn bowl. The shape of it is very fun.

Coral and light blue satin cord crochet bowl.

Doesn't my prop look delicious?

Fuchsia and apple green satin cord crochet bowl.

Close-up of my stitches.

Turquoise and black satin cord crochet bowl.

Turquoise and white hemp cord acorn crochet bowl.

Another view.

View of the lid.

What do you think? I do feel like my photos are starting to show improvement. I know I have been told many times to take lots of shots, but I skimped a bit because it was hot outside and the gnats were gnawing on me.

The next series of designs I am going to work with softer colors of the satin cord. As much as I love the brights, I want to be able to offer muted tones as well.

Making Friends for the World to See

2010-07-20T15:11:00.001-04:00

I dedicate this beautiful video to all of my friends, past, present and future. This is one of my favorite songs by Elton John.

"Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver, the others are gold."
-Joseph Parry

A Hive of Colorful Crochet

2010-07-09T18:50:00.002-04:00

Here we are at the end of another week. I spent most of my creative time working on my website and logo. I enjoy Photoshop and am even getting the hang of Illustrator! I had a great time designing my "bee" and my "hive". I even made a button, as you can see on the left. I would love it if you grabbed one!

I am really thrilled to be a part of this online artistic community. I feel like I am part of something very special and very genuine. I don't feel like I have to do anything other than be myself to fit in. I love that! There has been so much support and activity that it makes me feel like no mountain is insurmountable. After two years of bitter heartache and pain, I am ready for healing and growth. I also want to put some positive energy into this world by supporting everyone that crosses my path.

Last week I was in the flow of creativity. I still feel it, and am ready to start working on new basket designs. I am concentrating on color and design in my crochet and it is really inspiring me to try new stitches. Here are my latest creations. What do you think?

Black and red basket using long single stitch.

Aqua and apple green basket using the long single stitch.

Red and aqua basket with diamond pattern.

Apple green and purple basket with diamond pattern.

Close-up of green and purple basket.

Goals and a Rose

2010-07-05T22:06:00.001-04:00

Last week's goal list:

1. Set up website on squarespace.com. I decided to try bigblackbag.com instead, thanks to a tip from my new friend, Jo. I did start my home page, but want to use different photos.

2. Update social networking sites (blog, facebook, twitter) about the process. Since I didn't do much work on my website, I really had nothing to write about. I did continue to use facebook and twitter to support and encourage my fellow artists.

3. Continue to develop brand. Hmm, I have had this on my mind for a bit. I did ask my husband how he would describe my baskets. His reply? "Traditional, with a modern twist." I like that!

3. Continue to develop lines of inventory. I did make some new baskets, two with a new design. I will upload photos of them soon.

4. Work on pricing strategy. I began work on this last night. There is a lot to consider, and I want to be conscious of the time and effort I am putting into the construction of my baskets.

So for this week, I hope to get at least the bare bones version of my website up and running. I decided to break this goal out into smaller steps:

1. Take photos for the home page.

2. Write my bio for an "About Me" page.

3. Link my website to my blog.

4. Develop my home page with photos and logo.

5. Make my own logo in Illustrator. This could be tricky, but I am going to give it a try.

6. Develop my tagline. I want it to declare my intentions for my creations.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, creative and playful week!

My Mardi Gras rose. Such a beauty!

Magic Monday Goals

2010-06-28T11:07:00.001-04:00

As a way to get going on my creative business goals, I will be posting them every Monday and then linking them to My Creative Business Goals blog set up by fellow flyer, Cathy Giles. I think it will be helpful for me to actually write out my goals and then be accountable to the group for accomplishing them. So here we go:

My big goal is to open and run a successful etsy shop. Steps to reach that goal that I am going to concentrate on this week are:

1. Set up website on squarespace.

2. Update social networking sites (blog, facebook, twitter) about the process.

3. Continue to develop brand.

3. Continue to develop lines of inventory.

4. Work on pricing strategy.

That's probably more than enough to keep me busy. I am also working on organizing and decluttering my studio, as well as the rest of the house.

This photo is from our visit to the Emerald Isle back in 2004. It's for Cathy for starting My Creative Business Goals blog.

Ladies View, Ring of Kerry, Ireland

A Long Week

2010-06-25T15:37:00.002-04:00

The first week of summer vacation and the temps have been in the 90's. My kids are swimming for our community team and have practice every week day starting at 8 a.m. It is a little adjustment for us. Mainly it means that I cannot do any kind of creative activity until after 10:30. That is, if I am feeling motivated. I must admit that my mojo was nowhere in sight. I tried to fake it, but it was not until yesterday that I felt that spark again. One big problem: I had the hives Wednesday night. I am fairly sure it was caused by a tick bite. I had found one of those nasty things on my foot last week. It itched terribly. Wednesday night I was checking it and must have hit the "hives" button. It started with the palms of my hands itching. Then gradually it crept over my whole body. It was a terrible experience! I also felt very nauseated and thought I would faint. I practically coated myself in cortisone and finally fell asleep. What an ordeal! I looked up hives the next morning and found out that it is really nothing to worry about unless you have trouble breathing. But I thought I might need a trip to the ER. I was glad when I woke up and the itching was gone.

I have been working on new ideas for my crocheted baskets. I have been adding felt to the bottoms to protect them. I am also working on some embellishments. I went to our library this afternoon for some inspiration and hope to get some time this weekend to get creative. The kids do have a swim meet tomorrow morning. Other than that, the calendar is pretty open.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Purple and orange basket inspired by my garden.

New Zealand Inspiration

2010-06-18T18:28:00.000-04:00

What inspires me? Nature, color, texture. Today I decided to write about a very special place. New Zealand. We took one of our school holidays while we were living in Australia to visit the South Island. One of the places we visited was the Franz Joseph Glacier. The walk out to the glacier was full of raw beauty and texture. I felt as though I had stepped back millions of years, watching the earth be formed by the slow movement of the glaciers. I saw the beginnings of new life.

The glacier.

Mossy boulder.

Lovely layers of rock.

Close-up of the glacier.

Scraping the glacier, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

It was such a magical trip. And I'm not talking about Disney World. I am talking about the real world, the natural world.

Doe a Deer

2010-06-14T15:42:00.002-04:00

She ran across our path and stood in the woods, about ten feet away. She stared at me while I gently talked to her. I admired those big eyes and ears and compared her red fur to my greyhound's fur. She decided to move across the path again. Then she just stared as we walked away.

She was a whitetail deer. I know so many people consider them garden enemy number one, but I do not, and I do love my garden. Perhaps they know of my adoration because they rarely nibble my plants. Or maybe my neighbors have a better buffet.

I do wish I had taken my camera for this morning's walk. But I will always have that image of that lovely doe in my mind.

I did take photos in my garden, as well as photos of my new crocheted bowl.

Old-fashioned orange daylily.

Bee on a sunflower.

Mountain bluet.

Strange bug on Shasta Daisy.

Scabiosa beginning to open, with seedpod in background.

First butterfly photo of the season. A cabbage white.

The cabbage white in flight!

The hot pink and black basket I created this weekend.

I started work on it outside and loved how the pink shimmered in the sun.

My child has mistaken my bowl for a hat! Both of my children have this habit. :-)

Lovely Colors

2010-06-10T13:25:00.009-04:00

A glimpse of my garden. Orange Helenium and purple Penstemon. I love these colors together.

I have been working on some new ideas for my crochet. I started to realize that maybe there is a reason why I am drawn to so many forms of artistic expression. Perhaps so that I can combine them in new and exciting ways. At least that is my hope. Being inspired is such a wonderful thing!

Testing My Wings

2010-06-08T11:31:00.023-04:00

Thank you all for the kind comments regarding my crochet. I feel inspired and motivated now! I am meeting so many amazing artists as a result of Kelly Rae's e-course. I am enjoying that immensely.

I had a couple of projects that I had laid aside a few months ago. Here they are, completed:

A pencil cup holding my i-Pod. :-)

A fiesta of a basket. I'm thinking it could hold picnic table supplies.

I started and finished this basket over the weekend. I used silver rat tail cord. I enjoyed making it because the cord was very soft.

This "acorn" is one of my first designs. I included a squirrel charm from glamourgirlbeads on the cap.

I truly do feel inspired, but I also feel a bit overwhelmed. One of my biggest struggles is with balance. I am a stay-at-home mother to my two children. I have them to think of as well as a home and garden. I want to learn how to stay involved in all areas of my life. It feels as though as soon as I start concentrating on my artistic goals, something or someone is getting neglected. Any suggestions on how to manage everything and not feel completely wiped out? I would appreciate any feedback.

Learning to Fly

2010-06-03T15:32:00.034-04:00

Here I am after nearly three months of silence. Once spring arrived, I ran immediately to my garden. I am growing a few veggies this year. I harvested some broccoli as well as snow and early peas yesterday. The peas taste like little green balls of sugar! Yum!

Sunday began Kelly Rae Roberts' online class, Taking Flight. She designed it to help hopeful artistic types (like me, yes, ME!) launch our creative businesses. Our most recent lesson was about blogging and how important it is to document our process and our growth. So I have made a commitment to write at least one to two times per week. I realized that I had only 30 posts since starting this blog back in September 2008. I am looking forward to changing that habit. I want to share more of myself, my goals and dreams.

In my last post, I talked about some crochet projects I had been working on. I photographed them on our patio table this afternoon. As I was displaying and photographing them, I realized what has been holding me back as far as opening an etsy shop. It was that nasty monster called PERFECTIONISM. I thought my creations had to be absolutely pristine and perfect for anyone to be interested in them. I want to change my perfectionism to "high quality and attention to detail". That should be a more achievable goal. Here are my creations:

The first is an oval basket made out of satin rattail cord.

A square basket made out of the satin cord.

An oval basket made with three colors of hemp cord.

A square napkin basket made with natural hemp cord.

A round beaded hemp basket.

A purple hemp pencil cup.

Red hemp pencil cup.

Purple hemp tiny square basket. Right now it is holding my favorite rocks, but it was designed for business cards.

Today is my 44th birthday as well. I feel much better about my life and myself than I did a year ago. This is going to be great year, one of growth and wonderful opportunities.

Christmas Crochet

2010-02-13T10:56:00.014-05:00

I spent a lot of time crocheting gifts for Christmas. I really enjoyed it. What did I crochet? First, a poncho for my daughter:

I also crocheted lots of earrings for family and friends. Here are some samples:

These designs were all developed by other people. While I was crocheting all of these gifts, I kept thinking about how I would like to open up an etsy shop and share my own designs. Since then, I have been working on my creations. The process has been a bit slow, lots of trial and error, but I am starting to create designs that I really like and would love to share with other people.

Crochet Creativity

2009-11-16T20:17:00.007-05:00

Crochet has been my creative outlet lately. This weekend I crocheted these fingerless gloves. It was an enjoyable project. I have been perusing lots of crochet as well as handbag-making books. I am seeing lots of inspiring designs. I have also been browsing books on acrylic painting and collage. What was my last post about? Focus? Hmmm, my interests just seem to be everywhere right now.

Focus

2009-08-27T12:00:00.002-04:00

That's the word!

I made this illustration last night to remind myself. I seem to have my attention all over the place, and I have been like this for as long as I can remember. I can't even tell you how many books I'm in the middle of right now. So I am going to focus my energy on my creativity. I really want to explore my art. I have neglected it for far too long and I am feeling the effects. Not good! One of the books I'm reading now (and I plan to put all others aside) is Visioning: Ten Steps to Designing the Life of Your Dreams by Lucia Capacchione. She suggests doing collage work to determine exactly what the life of your dreams means to you. So that is my starting point.

At 43

2009-06-03T16:00:00.012-04:00

Here I am. 43 years old. I have spent a lot of time today scanning my schoolgirl photos. I look at the face peering back at me and think, "Who is this girl?" I do not recognize her anymore. I have shed more than a few tears for her. Why? You might ask. Well, that is what I intend to explore. Who I am. Why I feel sadness when I see my young self.

I am 16 in this photo.

I was struck by the sparkle that I see in my eyes. When I look in the mirror now, I no longer see it. And I was intrigued when I captured it in this pencil sketch action I used in Photoshop:

So I am making a commitment to myself to answer these questions with my writing and with my art.

Synchronicity of Another Kind

2009-04-02T13:40:00.008-04:00

I have been in a strange place lately. I have felt that something inside of me needed to come out. I think I may have stumbled onto what that something is. Consider these:

1. I have not updated my genealogy database in about a year. I recently received an update to my software, so I opened my family file. I entered the data regarding my mother's death. The date was May 10, 2008. I have not been able to even consider updating my file until now.

2. I recently dreamed that I told my mom, "I will see you in heaven."

3. I talked to a friend this morning who reminded me that I was grieving.

4. The title of today's post Patti Digh's 37 Days blog was "Poets Help Us Grieve" and she included a beautiful little poem by Jane Kenyon that resonated very deeply with me. Things that remind me of my mother have caught me unaware, completely grief-stricken.

5. I pulled out my checkbook today. The check I wrote on had bluebirds, my mom's favorite. I remember a picture of one in the viewing room at the funeral home. I completely lost it when I saw that picture.

So while these things are telling me I need to completely grieve the loss of my mother, I find it difficult because of the array of emotions surrounding my thoughts of her. I would say it is a bit overwhelming. I am thinking of slowly going through my photographs and letting myself feel the extent of my emotions. I hope it will bring me some peace and calm my heart.

Creative Risk-Taking

2009-01-29T18:00:00.002-05:00

I have been mulling over what I wanted to write about regarding Chapter 3 of The Twelve Secrets of Highly Creative Women. This chapter is all about taking creative risks and following your intuition. A major risk for me was starting this blog to share my creative journey. Just a year ago, I would not have imagined posting online something I had drawn. It really started when I joined Art Every Day Month hosted by Leah Piken Kolidas of Creative Every Day this past November. I posted drawings in the flickr pool and was inspired by the kind comments others left for me. So in January I decided to try her Creative Every Day Challenge. She had suggested keeping a creativity log which I have done and for the month of January, I believe I only have two days where I didn't have anything creative to log! I feel pretty good about that.

Today I decided to challenge myself with one of those 25 Random Things About Me tags that are flying around facebook. At first I thought, "What could I write about that anyone would care to read?" I did make my list and even felt good about it. It was liberating for me to see in writing who I am, at least in bits and pieces, and in how I see myself. I decided to post the list here as well for my fellow book bloggers. I guess you can call it a first step in understanding the person I truly am.

1. I was born in California and grew up in Mississippi, so I consider myself a southern belle.
2. My favorite vacation was spent in Western Australia searching the forests for wildflowers and orchids.
3. Music has always been my preferred form of escape.
4. I grew up with a Chihuahua named Cisco and now I have a Greyhound named Belle Starr.
5. I have not gotten over the passing of certain pop/ rock singers like Andy Gibb, Michael Hutchence and Bradley Delp.
6. I have a thing for men with strong, beautiful voices, like Raul Julia.
7. I have a dream of singing in front of a crowd. Now if only I had a set of pipes to pull it off.
8. I am a nature girl at heart. I love wildlife, trees, flowers, babbling brooks, etc.
9. I am looking forward to the classes to become a Master Gardener for Loudoun County, which start next week.
10. I despise politics because everyone has their precious agenda and no one knows the meaning of compromise.
11. Even though I am fairly organized, detail-oriented and studied business in college, I am much more interested in artistic pursuits.
12. I don’t much care for amusement parks. Rollercoasters can be fun, but the rest of it bores me to tears.
13. I want to visit the town in Poland where my paternal grandmother was born.
14. My favorite city is Florence, Italy. Seeing Michelangelo’s David for the first time was an amazing moment in my life.
15. I felt in awe upon seeing the Venus de Milo at the Louvre, but not about Mona Lisa. I expected to have the opposite reaction.
16. I grew up water-skiing, so learning to lean forward to snow ski has been a real challenge for me.
17. I broke my arm snow skiing in 1996 and had to have the bone set with external fixation, meaning six screws sticking out of my right arm. I had to learn to write and eat with my left hand. And I was unable to drive the Thunderbird with the stick shift for quite awhile!
18. I swore I would never drive in Italy because it was such a scary experience with tiny vehicles and scooters zooming all around me. But somehow I learned to make that “too-narrow gap to get through” a lot smaller while I was there. My life did flash before my eyes more than once!
19. I didn’t think I would learn to drive on the LHS of the road in Australia. But I did, and even now I sometimes forget which side of the road I’m supposed to be on.
20. I am an introvert, but I am very compassionate about other people.
21. I can crochet, but have yet to master the art of knitting.
22. I love when synchronicity occurs. That’s why I named my blog “Artful Synchronicity”.
23. The most beautiful place I have ever been is the south island of New Zealand.
24. I despise clutter.
25. I am inspired by art, nature, soulful writing.

Creative Style Inventory

2009-01-23T10:00:00.004-05:00

I read Chapter 2 in The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women about a week or so ago, but I am just now finding time to blog about it. I have been busy with home improvement projects. I covered our eat-in kitchen's dining chair seats with some remnant chenille fabric. They look sooo much better without nasty kiddo stains! We also stripped wallpaper and painted my son's room a luscious shade of green. We are going to order those large dinosaur stickers to mount on the walls. My favorite is the pterosaur, the flying dinosaur.

Anyway, back to the book! So when did my creative reawakening occur? I think it has happened in fits and starts. I have searched for the THING that inspired me most for about 15 years now. I guess it can be timed with getting married and getting out of my parents' house. The first beautiful place we lived was Monterey, California. The call of the ocean with its beauty and drama is forever etched in my memory. It was there that I painted scarves and ties for Christmas gifts. I had never painted anything, and it was one of those experiences where time had no meaning. I was so involved, as was my good friend, Susan. I also became more interested in photography, as well as relearning how to crochet. Since then I have continued to crochet, and finally learned how to read patterns, which is an art unto itself! I also continued to take many, many photos, especially during our time in Italy, as well as Australia. It was in Italy that I fell in love with Renaissance art, as if it were possible not to! Now I am finding myself interested in collage, as well as abstract art. I also enjoy digital scrapbooking to tell my story. As for my natural talents, I would say I am curious, fairly organized (I am working to improve this with a wonderful set of CD's titled Get Organized the Clear and Simple Way by Marla Dee), detail-oriented, intelligent, intuitive, and compassionate.

The next question to ponder is which elements (fire, water, wood, air) draw me to them. I love water, especially the sound of it trickling down a stream. I took my dog for a walk yesterday and saw that our creek was mostly frozen, with a thin layer of snow on top. It was beautiful with the shadows of the trees upon it, as well as the deer tracks crossing the creek. I am smiling right now thinking of the deer. I love the fresh air of being in nature; it is so good for my soul. I also love trees, so wood draws me in too. As for fire, not so much, unless it is the lava flows on the big island of Hawaii.

I usually create in the mornings or early evening, when my energy levels are high. I have a room for my studio, but I need to do some rearranging and organizing to make it more conducive to creativity. I made a mind map to help me plan my creative space:

I don't have any creative rituals, but I am going to incorporate some as I organize my studio. I wish I had more time to be creative. That is part of the reason that I want to get organized and do away with the clutter. I want less things taking up space in my day and in my life. I am ready to embrace simplicity. It is clutter of all forms that drains my creativity. Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual forms of clutter just have a way of shutting me down. I have also noticed that mindless activity on the internet drains me as well. The things that activate my creativity include colors and combinations of colors, especially pure ones; reading inspiring stories, especially spiritual ones; being out in nature, marveling at everything; and seeing amazing displays of art.

I believe my greatest creative hurdle is probably that inner voice telling me that I don't have time to be creative, that I have too many responsibilities. Bah! I am ignoring that voice more and more. I am coming to believe that I need to be creative in order to have the motivation to take care of the mundane business of life. I can clean the toilet if I know that later I will be able to create! I tell myself over and over that I am a human being, not a human doing. I don't have to be doing something every minute of the day. I can sit quietly, I can reflect, I can imagine, I can dream, I can create.

The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women

2009-01-14T13:30:00.005-05:00

Last week I joined The Next Chapter book blogging group for The 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women. Each week we read and write about a book chapter and what it means to us. The first chapter is titled, "Acknowledging Your Creative Self". My blog was created specifically to find my creative self. I have felt the pull toward art for many years, but it is just now that I am fully responding to that pull. I have been doing some mixed media art and have recently become interested in abstract art, which I wrote about in my previous post. I am at the beginning of my creative journey, and right now I am enjoying the process of learning. The scrapbook page I included here I did last year and it showcases my interests including art, travel, flowers, crochet and birds.

Abstract Creativity

2009-01-11T19:50:00.004-05:00

I have become interested in abstract painting so I read Abstract and Colour Techniques in Painting by Claire Harrigan this week. It is not a step-by-step instruction book. Instead, it gives narrative on how the artist makes decisions about her paintings. All of the painting in the book are Claire Harrigan's work and they are gorgeous. I especially love her use of bright colors, reminiscent of Matisse. She inspired me to start sketching to get some ideas for an abstract painting of my own. I used a photo I had taken at Shenandoah of a leaf on a fallen log for my sketches:

In the first sketch, I tried to incorporate too much detail. So in the next two sketches, I tried to simplify. I like the last sketch the best. I also drew a sketch of Belle sleeping:

Virginia Wildflowers

2009-01-06T18:45:00.006-05:00

Since I am starting the Master Gardener's Volunteer program next month, I put together this layout of wildflower photos I took last spring. I tried my hand at the layering of elements, but I'm not sure I completely like the result. So what, right? This is what creativity is all about. Trying new things!!

Dream

2009-01-04T19:30:00.001-05:00

Not much creativity today, unless you count wrapping and storing Christmas decorations. That is one joyless task, no doubt in my mind! I doodled last night with my girl. The result is Dream, something I try to remember to do. To hold onto my dreams of living a creative life.

Today's Creativity

2009-01-03T18:00:00.009-05:00

I printed The Rules to put in my kitchen. Yeah, I'm a dreamer, aren't I?

I started another digital scrapbooking layout last night and finished it this afternoon. When I saw the background paper, I immediately thought of that photo of my children. It must have been the colors from the sunrise.

Angel in a Box

2009-01-02T19:00:00.001-05:00

So it's another digital scrapbooking layout for today. I love this photo of our kitten, Angel. She likes to sleep on top of my printer in the box I keep my paper in. As you can see, she is getting way too big for the box!!

Snow Play

2009-01-01T22:58:00.008-05:00

Today begins the challenge to be Creative Every Day of 2009. The theme for January is "play". My first creative endeavor is a digital scrapbooking layout. I really had to be creative to find background papers to blend in with the pink and the red of the photos. I tried all kinds of colors and settled on a "pinkish red". (My blog post title is clickable and will take you to the gallery where my credits are listed.) The photos were taken last January as we have yet to have any snow.

New Year's Habit

2008-12-30T11:42:00.004-05:00

I just joined the forum at Leo Babauta's The Challenge of Less website. The challenge is to "create a new habit in 30 days". I chose to start walking every day with my trusty sidekick, Belle Starr. We will go out in the morning after my shower and then again in the afternoon. The afternoon walk is harder to plan for since the kids' schedules change every day. So my main goal is to get out every morning.

Crocheted Creativity

2008-12-20T15:45:00.003-05:00

I have been spending time crocheting hats and scarves for Christmas gifts. My daughter is modeling a set I made for her which was an early gift. Since she is such a great model, she may find another set under the tree!

Light a Candle

2008-11-30T18:00:00.001-05:00

I drew this last night as I was lying in bed. It is dedicated to the people of India, especially those who live in Mumbai. I also wanted it to be a reminder for the rest of us. We can all do our best to make this world a better place, regardless of the people intent on destroying it.

A Donor Was Found!!

2008-11-26T14:14:00.002-05:00

Read the wonderful news here. To think the perfect match came from one of the mother's e-bay friends, on her birthday at that. What an amazing story and so wonderful to hear the day before Thanksgiving, when all of us should be counting our blessings.

Save a Young Girl's Life

2008-11-24T13:48:00.003-05:00

A young girl is in desperate need of a kidney. Read about her here.

There is a potential donor questionaire on the blog post. I am filling one out because you never know who could be a match for her. I admire this mother for not giving up hope to save her daughter's life; and I pray someone can save her.

What Is Artful, Anyway?

2008-11-22T20:10:00.009-05:00

I was playing with some frames tonight to see if any of my art is "frame-worthy". I had two frames which would only fit my 8" x 8" canvases. I did not like how any of my art looked. Perhaps it was the frame or the mat. Afterward, I felt a bit dejected, like maybe I am kidding myself that I have any artistic talent. I realize that everyone who attempts any kind of creative endeavor feels this way from time to time. I know I just need to keep working, practicing, and trying new things. Maybe I need to stop looking at the amazing work other artists are creating and focus on my own art. But my art feels so insignificant. I have to remember that my work is a part of me; therefore, it does have worth, regardless of the quality of it.

Here is a link to my work for the Art Every Day Month challenge which I have been participating in for the month of November. And a link to the AEDM pool, to see everyone else's work. I know, it is too early for me to give up on something that has tugged at my soul for a very long time. I will find my artful purpose, as long as I continue the search for it.

Painting Pumpkins

2008-10-26T11:21:00.003-04:00

Not too much creativity this week, but my children and I painted pumpkins. We enjoyed this small fall project.

Childhood

2008-10-15T21:20:00.001-04:00

My creative project for today was inspired by a technique taught by Judy Wise as well as an idea I found in The New Acrylics:

In Photoshop, I converted the photo to BW and used a stamp filter on it. Once printed, I covered it with Self-Leveling Clear Gel Medium. Once the medium was dry (it took a couple of days), I wet the photo and peeled the paper off the back. Now my image is translucent! The inspiration for my background was Simultaneous Open Windows by Robert Delaunay. I read about it in one of my favorite books, Sister Wendy's 1000 Masterpieces. Finally, I added some pressed flowers and a few paint swirls.

Fiddleheads

2008-10-14T18:45:00.001-04:00

I have decided to take the Creative Every Day challenge for 2008, even though we are already in the tenth month of the year. I painted this last night:

I did not paint with any plan. I just went on instinct, and the result reminds me of emerging ferns. It was definitely fun just putting layers of paint on my canvas and seeing the result.

Wings of Beauty

2008-10-13T19:52:00.003-04:00

I was in my garden this afternoon and took photos of two lovely monarchs. My favorite shot:

I am past the peak migration dates for my longitude which are the last two weeks in September. However, this is my second fall here and I rarely see them until October.

Mixed Media Collages

2008-10-10T11:30:00.001-04:00

Inspired by Kelly Rae Roberts' book, Taking Flight, I have begun to explore mixed media collage. I have always admired collage and have even collected materials, but have never ventured forth to actually create something. My first attempt:

The lyric "Because we all have wings" is from the song Never Tear Us Apart by INXS. The cute elephant paper is a freebie from Jackie Eckles on the Little Dreamer Designs blog.

Second try:

Most of the elements on this page are from the Angel Kit by Lily Designs.

I enjoyed the process of making both collages, especially getting to paint. I already have other projects in the works, and will be trying some new techniques. Ahh, art is bliss!

Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit

2008-10-03T17:55:00.007-04:00

Today I went with my daughter on a field trip to Waterford, Virginia for the annual fair. Waterford was founded around 1733 by Amos Janney, a Pennsylvania Quaker. It is also a National Historic Landmark. We watched juried craftspeople in 18th and 19th century style clothing make baskets, do woodworking, stencil floorcloths, and spin wool, to name a few. One of my favorite exhibitors was Vermont Botanical. Maggie Lake's pressed flower art is spectacular! I loved the Jack-in-the-Pulpits and Fiddleheads (emerging ferns). I could have spent the day learning about all of the traditional craftsmanship, but we had a bus to catch back to school.

Digital Scrapbooking Layout

2008-09-19T09:32:00.005-04:00

I am having difficulty posting an image in my previous post, so I am adding it here. I am still learning how to manipulate this blog.

Two of My Favorite Things

2008-09-19T09:31:00.004-04:00

We adopted a retired racing greyhound last November named Belle Starr. We had never owned a dog. I never knew that greyhounds were so mellow. You would expect such a fast animal would be high-strung. Not at all. While there are exceptions, most greyhounds are laid-back couch potatoes. But they do love their walks and an occasional run. Belle is the best companion we could have ever asked for.

We adopted her from the most wonderful group, Blue Ridge Greyhound Adoption. We just had our annual picnic and had lots of lovely hounds. One of the most amazing things is that even at a park full of greyhounds, they are very quiet. They rarely bark. They sniff and say hi to one another, but that is it.

Another of my favorite things is digital scrapbooking. I enjoy the creative process of putting together a digital layout. Of course the best part is being able to tweak it ad infinitum in Photoshop.

Master Gardener Program

2008-09-16T13:18:00.000-04:00

Last night I attended an informational meeting for our local Master Gardener's Program. I want to learn more about growing plants suited to our little micro-climate here in Northern VA. Also, I would like to give back to the community by answering homeowner's gardening questions, caring for the demonstration garden, and participating in local events. The bonus is meeting people who love gardening.

Welcome to Artful Synchronicity

2008-09-15T13:30:00.000-04:00

I am doing something I thought I would never do... start a blog! Honestly, why add another one to the online world? I decided that creating this blog was my first step in living and documenting a creative life. I have to start somewhere.

So let the creativity begin!