Crafty Christmas Cheer

I have some photos of me, my brother and my sister. And, I'd really like to do something special with them. One idea would be to create silhouettes for my mother. The Fab Miss B blog also has great instructions and pointers on how to make one on your own. Ugh, I am so ready to get out of the office, stop going to meetings, parties, and dinners and get some creativity done!

sources of inspiration for creativity

Inspiration is something every artist needs! One of my favorite things to do is to go bookstore browsing. Find a good comfy chair, take a stack of magazines (I enjoy Somerset Studio for art, Lucky for fashion, and Self for fitness!), and bust out your iPhone camera. I enjoy seeing how other artists create gifts, paintings, and collages. In the above photo, I placed 8 images that I found to be quite motivating.

* How can you make this day worth living? - I love this one because it resonates with the recent musings I've had with patience and fullness. Is there an idea that you haven't lived out fully? Is there someone you should be reaching out to? Do you have an intention for your day? I also really like the colors and script used in the sign.

* Be nice to yourself. This one is a great reminder. I think it would be cute to put in care packages with something sweet, bath salts, lotion, a candle, and a heating rice bag. It's a reminder to put yourself as a priority. Go to your artist dates! Take that French class you've been thinking about. Get a manicure. Go on a trip!

Sunset I love the sunset or sunrise photo. It reminds me of a few moments where I took the time to take a photo in nature: driving up Mount Haleakala, camping at Lake Livingston, early morning trip to the Grand Canyon, or watching the sunset on Tamarindo Beach. We often forget about the simple beauty of a sunset, but it is one of the most relaxing things to do.

Quiet Time This isn't an image from a magazine, but from my fall retreat. It is so important to pen down thoughts, go somewhere alone in nature or a cafe, and rest. "Morning pages" is the foundation for the Artist's Way and it can be a very life-altering activity.

I will be grateful for this day. What a lovely reminder! Sometimes thinking about what and who you are thankful for can inspire new creative ideas and work. Also it's just good to slow down and think about your abundant life.

Smile on a Stone This photo reminds me of a clip my art teacher showed me last year. There is an artist who creates funny and amusing compositions in nature. I just thought it was rather whimsical because I used to see smiley faces everywhere when I was a child.

Yoga images The last two images just remind me of yoga and being still. Hopefully my recent interest in yoga will spark new things in me.

Sewing Class @ Sew Crafty

Last weekend, I went to my Quick Gifts class at Sew Crafty in the Heights. And, wow, it was so much fun. Since they moved to their new space, they have more room to display product, fabric, fun project kits, and a wassail station with yummy cookies. Jenny Gabriel was our teacher and we were able to pick out some fun fabrics for our projects: a rice bag that you heat up for sore muscles, a small pocket purse, a scarf, and an eyepillow.


We moved upstairs to the sewing room and picked our stations for class. We worked from 1:30pm to 6:30pm. It was so much fun though. I have totally forgotten my machine skills. So, I was a bit rusty on that front and I had this nasty tangle on my scarf project, but it was okay. The other projects turned out really nice. Below is my rice bag, purse, and eye pillow. As a nice touch, they gave us fun bags, tissue ribbon, and cards to wrap our gifts with. My cousin got the rice bag and she really appreciated the fun fabric and the individual packets of rice. So, I think my projects were a success thus far!

I was so inspired by the feedback, I am thinking about making more rice pillows and I bought a clutch project. I am hoping that my mom will be around for me to work on these projects with her this holiday season. :)