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. :)

Turkey Craft

So, Jacob enlisted me in decorating a couple of cans for a lesson he was doing on the cost analysis of metal cans. (fancy- I know!) So, at first I thought I'd just make some funny labels to glue over the soup cans, but after browsing through some ideas, I decided to blow this project up and make turkeys out of the cans. The funny thing about them is that someone could used these as nameholders for Thanksgiving dinner if they wanted to be really campy.

Anyway, the assemble was pretty easy. I covered the cans with paper from a grocery bag. I created a spine on the bag so that different feathers could be glued to the back. I created a construction paper face, hands, and feet. Voila! Gobble Gobble. Pretty cute, eh?

hipstamatic adventures

One of the fun things about my iPhone is the hipstamatic application on it. You can play with different films, lenses, and effects. And, when you are in a pinch and want to capture something, I think it does a fine job creating artfully delightful pictures. Over the weekend, my boyfriend and I took a road trip to Austin. Below are a sampling of my favorite hipstamatic shots!


We took a short hike through some of Pedernales Falls State Park, and this is a photo overlooking a pond where people could fish and sit. It was nice to sit down and just relax for a bit.


On another part of our walk, we came up to the river and I loved looking at the long tree roots dipping into the water. It was very fun to play this particular lens and get the glowing effects of the sunshine.



At some point, we decided to look down into one of the cavernous rock formations near the water. This is just a shot of our shadows.



And finally, one cool thing about this app is that the effects can make things look pretty old. Here's a shot of an antique car that we found in the parking lot.

Sometimes, you don't need to have anything really spectacular to be creative. You just have to have an eye for looking about beautiful things. I encourage you to go on a walk sometime and snap away. You'll be amazed at how refreshing this activity can really be.

pleasant little doses of art

The weather outside is getting much better! Cooler temps is always inspiring for new adventures. I have been motiviated by the Artist's Way book and the Art Every Day Blog lately. I also like how other artists have done smaller projects so they are not overwhelmed by the challenge of being creative.

The above photo is an assignment that I was given in the Artist's Way to have a sign that says, "Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong." It's a good reminder that creativity, happiness, and love start with yourself. If you don't look after yourself, you will never be empowered to take care of others. Also, investing in self-love is a signal to others how you want to be treated.


The photo above is a simple painting of my watercolor pencils. They are portable, colorful and easy to work with when I'm crunched for time. It's a reminder that our creativity is a luxury we must indulge in often. I look forward to more artful times in the studio in the coming days. Can't wait for Thanksgiving Break!

Pearl

On our recent trip to the country, I decided to spend a couple hours on our balcony at the B&B and draw a bit. While Jacob graded papers, I became fascinated by the Pearl sign next door. The warehouse that the B&B now owned was formerly used for storage for the Pearl Beer company based in San Antonio. I liked the font and the blazing red. I continued drawing and painting downstairs in the owners living room. They were such a sweet couple! And, they were kind enough to let us watch the UT game (ugh!) while we hung out and did more work.

I am pretty happy with the end result, and I think it will look very sharp inside a frame in the near future. It is a very nice reminder of our lovely weekend in the country.