What Color is Your Creativity?

by Tawny

I've spent most of my life a creative soul looking for an outlet. I don't have the skill to be an artist, although I come from a family of them. So until I found writing, I turned to crafts. Ceramics (my aunt is a gifted potter), painting (my mother paints in oils and watercolor), loom knitting (my grandma despairs of ever teaching me to hold the tension right), beading (my grampa created gorgeous lapidary jewelry) and the list goes on. The only thing I've never attempted was drawing - and that was because it was always faster and easier to nudge my brother into drawing anything I wanted.

After my youngest daughter was born, I discovered scrapbooking and love it. Its probably the only crafty type thing I've stuck with, because its practical purpose outweighs any issues I might have with the imperfection of the final product. I'm making things my family will treasure forever. And that, I discovered, was the key. Since I couldn't create art, and my family and friends were definitely tired of the never ending flow of dust catchers, scrapbooking became my perfect outlet.

I also discovered faux painting. I love color on the walls. Love intricate patterns and textures in color even more. When we put our house up for sale in June, I had to paint most of the walls a neutral white (sob) and I'll tell you, that was one of the most uncreative months of my life. I can't write with white walls. I actually refused to paint the family room, since that was the room I wrote in, because I was on deadline and couldn't deal with the lack of color. Luckily, the house sold before my book was due, so I never did have to watch the gorgeous shades of sage greens turn neutral.

I really do believe- for me -that color is a creative inspiration. Its like a key that opens the Muse's cage. But my brother, a gifted artist who makes his living off his drawings, lives in pure black and white. So for him, obviously, color impedes his creativity.

I need greens, purples, reds. Strong, intense color. Pastels won't work and neither will blue.

How about you? I'm on the road today, but I'll check in as soon as I find an internet connection! In the meantime, please share your creative outlets and what color inspires you!!! I'll pick one random commenter to win their choice of any of my backlist books!! Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/crafts
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Crafty Holidays

by Tawny

Tis the season to haul out the gluegun and glitter. Pom poms and paint. Construction paper chains and handcrafted snowflakes.

Ahhh, its holiday crafty time! I remember in gradeschool, this was the fun time of year. Lessons were shorter so we had more time to create. I'm a big fan of creativity, so I was always excited. I remember making gifts for my parents, cards and other fun things. Did you ever do the paper bag Santa's? Cottom ball beard and a fingerpainted face. Ahhh, the memories!

So, obviously I love to craft. I'm a huge scrapbooking fiend, and this time of year is my call to creativity. (Okay, I admit it, I hear the call all year round, but this is the time of year that I drag everyone off to listen to it with me). I nag my kids to come make decorations for the house with me. One of my favorites is a papercrafted Christmas Tree, with loops of paper and lots of pretty sparklies.

Another thing I love making are ornaments. Michaels sells clear glass ornaments that are wonderful to fill with glitter, or to paint, or to glue bits and pieces of pretties to. Last year, we discovered the fun of making ornaments out of CDs. We always buy CDs in bulk, so we took a half dozen and glued scrapbook paper to them, added glitter (do you see a theme here?) and ribbon to hang them from the tree. I loved it! My daughter made some for her 4H group, too, using wraping paper.


This year, we're making gifts, too. My husband cut a 4x4 into blocks for me to paint, and I've covered them with pictures and, yes, glitter. I also created calenders for all the grandparents this year using the kids pictures. One year I decorated candles, using pretty paper and ribbon... but they caught on fire (go figure) so this is my next candle-type project -something in jars that is less likely to shock the recipient with a possible bonfire.

I have to admit, as much as I love to make crafty things, I'm not so sure people like getting them. One year I helped my brother move and was hauling out all the stuff he'd stored in his garage. I found all the crafty type gifts I'd made him still in their giftboxes. He claims he loved me enough to keep them and that should count for something. So a lot of times, if I'm not sure the person will really like the gift, I resort to turning my creative impulses into the kitchen. Almond toffee, fudge, cookies. Oh, yeah!

So how about you? Are you a creative crafter who hauls out the glitter this time of year? Do you make your own gifts? Do you like receiving crafted gifts?

And don't forget! Today is one of the 12 DAYS OF BANDITA CHRISTMAS! Be sure to comment to be eligible for th edrawing to win a Bandits Prize!!Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/crafts
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The Craft of Being Crafty

Joan
I’m a crafty sort of gal. Not in the sneaky sense like the GR. Nope, I mean in the sense that I can do a lot of handcrafts: crochet, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting. I was taught by my Mom who excelled in even more textile arenas including quilting, needlepoint on plastic canvas and, in homage to our golden one, chicken scratch embroidery. Mom entered her items in the State Fair and won as many ribbons for that as I have for cakes. No doubt in my mind that given enough golden yarn, she could crochet our chook!



The first piece I ever did was an embroidered sampler about the Girl Scouts. Samplers for the uninitiated are pieces that reflect some aspect of life. A saying such as “The flowers of tomorrow are the seeds of today”. The alphabet is often included along with flowers and elaborate borders. This first effort had the Girl Scout oath. I used satin stitch, chain stitch, outline stitch and the ubiquitous French knots. Laborious for a 10 year old but boy was I proud of that!


Then I learned how to crochet. Could not even tell you the moment I started single stitching and double stitching…probably just watched my Mom. She had a vast array of different crochet hooks...like an armory for yarn. My first granny square afghan had brilliant central colors of pink, blue, green and yellow surrounded with black. Stayed on my bed through my high school years. It kept me warm in more ways than one. I also learned how to crochet with string. You know, of doily fame? Mom had a pattern for the sweetest baby bib and I still have her early (1940's era) pattern books for doilies, tablecloths etc. with a pineapple motif.

Next, I discovered counted cross-stitch. In a bizzaro switch I taught my Mom to do that! And we were off. Spent over 10 years creating masterpieces with hundreds of shades of floss. Hues every bit as wonderful as tubes of paint. My brush was a needle, my canvas Aida cloth. The stitches strokes very like painting. My mother especially became enamored with challenging pieces like this picture of the little girl gathering shells on the beach. It hangs in my living room, a constant reminder of my Mom's love.

Knitting? Well, I learned that working night shift at the hospital. Oh, now come on...one has to do something to stay awake at 2 am. Of course, "back then" people weren't as sick as they are nowadays. Using my newfound skills I knitted my newborn godson a sweater, cap and mittens. The gauge was off a bit and while Brian never got to wear it, his sister did…when she was 2 years old :-)
What brought all this to mind was a recent rash of expectant mothers among my staff at work. I am on my fifth knitted baby afghan and yes, my wrists hurt. (Send Motrin). But when I’ve given these modest gifts to the mothers to be their mouths drop open. They are in awe. “You MADE this?” has been the common refrain.

Well, yes I did. Making something as a gift shows the pleasure and happiness I feel for them as a part of my life. Hooray for babies and lets snuggle them in a blanket that Joan Darling made. This is what I grew up doing. I didn’t get their astonishment.
And then it occurred to me that with all the modern conveniences, specialty items (esp. for babies) that handcrafted gifts are rare "nowadays". The generation behind me…for the most part….do not know how to do these things. Let’s face it, many of their mothers were working, balancing raising children, keeping house, and bringing home the bacon. They did not have time to spend with silk threads and yarn. Time is of the essence in today’s world and no matter how sincere the wish, we just don’t have time for crafting.



The signs are there. At the State Fair the textile exhibit shrinks a little bit more each year. I mean for about 4 years the chicken scratch category was entered only by my Mom and some nun! I know, GR....calm down.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong but when you see a young 20 something girl’s eyes round in awe at a simple knitted blanket, ya gotta wonder if these talents are a dying art. I sure hope not.

What about you? Can you do any crafts? Knit one, Purl two? Ever made Christmas ornaments out of felt and toilet paper rolls? Snowmen with styrfoam balls and crocheted snow? Have you passed it on to the next generation?


I hope so.
Source URL: http://idontwanttobeanythingotherthanme.blogspot.com/search/label/crafts
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