Inspiration Re-invented

This new school year is into it's 8th week. I am so inspired by my seniors this year that my head almost explodes with the creative ideas and directions I want to do and go. The ideas and wants they have blow me away each week as I talk individually with them or as a group. Don't get me wrong, there are the levels of talent that are in the group, the ones that need to work hard or haven't had the proper design skill click with them yet. But they all are starving for as much information that they can get. I love it! The passion that is in that room every week is thick and cannot help but overflow and seep into me. With last years group I almost forgot what it meant to be passionate about something. Their energy was just so black and empty that it was effecting me as a creative. These Seniors this year has what it takes to take things further and put their mark on the world. I hope they understand that and I can help them get there as much as they have helped me find that part of me that I have been missing for way to long.

Along with absorbing the seniors energy, a few more things have happened in the past couple of days that have me so excited I am jumping out of my skin. A full-time teaching position would require me to get a masters. I know that I don't want to settle with a business or marketing masters. I am teaching in an art school, I want a masters in Graphic Design, my first love and the thing I am passionate about. I found the program for me, and know what I need to do to set myself up for applying for the program. I am trying to keep my hands on top of the "I don't have enough talent" side of me so that I don't drop the ball because of self doubt. (I am a strong believer that if I could just make a living out of being a student and learning as much as possible, I would do that.) But this program is the other thing that I have been looking for that will bring me back to the passion and the energy that I feel I have been missing. A learning experience that will not only benefit me, but my students that I will be teaching in the future. I never want to be that teacher that is "out of touch" so I also hope that going down this road will get me more opportunity on the freelance side. Maybe even give me the edge I need to work with people like David Butler and Kirk Richard Smith. A road that will take time and money and energy, but a road that I know will take me in a direction I never thought I would be able to go.

Projects I am working on include a wall in my foyer. I am "wallpapering" it with book pages. I can't wait to finish and post the pictures of it. (which of course jakob happened to my digital camera and I have to fix it. I feel like I lost my right arm without it.)

Jumping back on the wagon of teaching myself dreamweaver. I fell off that wagon when kadence was born and need to get back on. I have so many ideas...

Starting to revamp my portfolio. Reworking the layout and how the work looks. (Man, i need to get my camera fixed!!) Bringing it up to the level I need it to be in and the level I know I can take it to.

Happy Creating!!

T'is the season

As May creeps up on us, a new wave of creative talent is being prepared to be unleashed to the world. There is a range of talent, from so-so but has passion which will turn into great potential, to great talent without the motivation that just won't go far. As an instructor I struggle with the concern for them and their future. Do I waste my time worrying about a student who won't take any advice or even try any recommendation that is made to them? A student whom obviously thinks their way is the right way no matter what any professional tells them? Do I only worry about those who don't have the strongest book but has the passion and drive, listens to everything said to them and tries different solutions to get the the correct one? I actually still worry about both no matter what their attitude is. I am concerned for the ego of "I am right" because they are going to go out into a job and have a hard time because everyone will be telling them what to do and they will have to do it, no if's and's or but's about it. I am concerned for the passionate because the interviewer might look at their work and say they aren't good enough without looking into their heart to see the passion and drive I see.

Out into the world they go and scatter like those white puffs in the wind when you make a wish. Will my wish come true for them? Only they can determine that. I have done my part in their life and I can only hope I did it correctly, and did it well. The rest is up to them now.

It's about time

So it has been awhile since I have thought about posting something. Busy life? Maybe. Most likely? No. I find myself sometimes sitting at my computer, or on the couch wondering what I should do. Almost like I am in a daze of some sort. I have started several new projects though. One of which is done, so started since my last posting I should really say. I have included a picture of my daughters cute pink hat that I made. Granted, she won't wear it when she is born, so hopefully it will fit her in the fall. It is the first time that I did a "pom pom". Boys don't like those pom-pom balls on top of their hats. As I knit and crochet, I find that I need to go through the pattern I am using, then do it again with my own revisions. The pom-pom was something that I did from directions, ended up with a million cut up pieces of blue yarn all over me and the couch, then I did it my way after doing a bit of problem solving. But I am happy with how it turned out and have been told by my eldest son that I better not put any of those on his hats that I make for him.
Another project is something that I have always wanted to do, but never have had the guts to actually do. Writing a book. I have written several shorts, mostly about my experiences with life, and this book is a fictional story that has lived in my head for a long time, but has never really made itself into a good enough story until recently. I love that I can see the story in my head and as I write it just seems to flow from my fingers. Let's hope that it sounds as good on paper as it does in my mind.

Finally the third thing is my husbands logo and website design. I nailed a logo down and finished the design for the site yesterday. Now I just need to design a brochure. his is the first project that I have actually done a "brand book" for. Working on the vision was great and I loved the twinkle in his eyes as I read it to him. Designing patterns and other graphic elements is so much fun for me because since he is my husband, I can do whatever I want works best for his brand and won't get to much argument.

So that is it for now. So maybe I am that busy. Time to get some family time in now, it is pizza and movie night.

the thought of mundane

The dictionary, among other ways, describes mundane as common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative. This pretty much describes my life and most everyone's life unless they happen to be lying about it. It truly is what you do with that mundaness I guess that turns your life interesting or imaginative. Could it be that we think someone else's life is so interesting compared to ours we assume ours is mundane? Or do we feel ours is so exciting and everyone else's is so mundane they need to read about how exciting ours is? It is possible for me to think that just because a friend of mine and her husband don't have kids and travel a lot and go out a lot that their lives are that much more exciting? On the other hand they might think the same of me because I have kids and do completely different activities than they would. (For the record, I do believe for me, my children make my life that much more interesting)

Facebook users post the mundane parts of their lives for the world to read, and we find ourselves feeling and almost needing to read them. No one ever posts "I caught myself on fire today" (read previous post to understand this reference) It is always: I am eating lunch, I am soaking my whites in bizz bath, or I am going to a hockey game tonight. I am glad you get to eat lunch, that you are cleaning your whites, and you are going to a hockey game, but do I need to know this information? Are our brains that dry that we can't come up with something to say that makes it worth reading? Are our brains that starving that we feel we need to read these things? Maybe it comes down to the fact that our lives are so mundane that going and getting coffee with the friends, then cuddling on the couch with my man sounds exciting, like we are famous and everyone wants to know what we are doing. Paparazzi around the corner to flash our mug, but because we posted it to the world first, they are not there to bother us.

Would it be weird to read a post about someone taking a shit? (Picture a person sitting in the stall with their pants around their ankles computer on lap, squeezing and typing.) It could be mundane since everyone has to go to the bathroom, but there is some shock appeal there.

Would it be creative to instead of saying you went to go see a movie, post something like "i am wondering what it would be like to sew buttons on my face in place of my eyes" (Coraline reference) or I need to go put on my ski mask and make a rukus (jason reference)

Who knows, all I know is that the mundane in my life might not need to be posted on facebook, but if you want yours to be announced, go ahead, there is a disease out there that causes us to read it. Where is House when you need him?

Room ideas

Decorating a room for me either hits me in the face with what I should do, or takes time that drags on for either days, weeks or months. My big room is one of those that has been dragging for years. I find simple inspiration everywhere, whether it is a color from a magazine, or something I see while shopping that I can build from. The next room I am getting ready to start is my little girls room. I found this beautiful bumper pad that was dark chocolate with pink graphic bees on it. It hit me like a wall. Not wanting to spend the 150$ on the piece I turned to what I could do to recreate or just take inspiration from. I have settled on pale pink walls with dark chocolate brown graphic flowers as a middle border. I found a brown bumper pad that I am going to sew on new ties of pink, and find out if a friend can embroider a graphic designed bee that I come up with on it. The bumper pad was a total of $30 and only $7 for the pink fabric. Buying just a plain pink bedskirt for only 10$ I also purchased a dark brown ribbon to trim the bottom with. In the store I found that I was looking for a second smaller width ribbon to offset the dark brown. I knew I needed an accent color, and found it in a thin green with brown polka dot ribbon. I will then take that green and expand it to be the center colors of the graphic flowers on the walls. To incorporate my bee in other areas, especially if I can't have them embroidered, will also be on the wall. Simple yet buzzing around the flowers around the room stamped in brown.

Having trouble selecting a color you like for your room? What I do is go to the store and grab all the paint chips in the colors that I want. (They are free and what they are there for.) Then lay them on the floor by the wall and slowly take away the colors that you know immediatly won't work. Eventually you will find your color.

Not ready to decorate, but find things you love or interest you? Buy a notebook that you can paste pictures or write notes in that is specifically for your home. I have one and when I see something I like it goes in that book. It is filled with paint chips, pictures of items from sunday circulars, pictures of rooms I found on the internet and magazines, to swatches of fabric I loved in the fabric store. I also draw up sketches of ways a room can layout or even how an outside path can wind around. Don't just make it indoor things, the outdoors are just as important.

Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to grab it when it comes.

Cutting up those cute clothes

Well, in between some small freelance jobs I have been able to start cutting up the material for Jakob's one year quilt. The reason I make the squares only 5" is because with newborn clothes it is hard to get a 6" square out of them. I just make sure that when I sew the squares together I am only sewing in about 1/4" so I don't loose the size or any of the design. The difficulty will come when you try and get a square from a zipper or button up sleeper. Most likely you will have to include the seam from the underarm, but that is just added character. I also cut out a swatch from the back of the sleeper. Make sure when you are placing the outfit on the cutting board, you don't stretch the fabric. You stretch it and your square will be smaller than 5". Lesson learned from last time : ) Here are some pictures of how I cut out the swatches.

1st year quilt

My second son is now 14 months and I have gone through all his clothes and picked out all my favorite outfits that he wore. Just like with my first, I am going to make a rememberence quilt made from his clothes. It is fun to look at the quilt and remember each and every outfit and what they were doing at the time they were wearing it.

I pick out a backing color for the quilt. I don't need that much because I make the quilt a simple lap quilt size. (Size can vary with how many outfits you pick out to cut up. Yes, I cut them up, so the real special outfits I put away for safe keeping.) Lay the outfit out flat and cut out a 5" by 5" square with a cutters wheel. I use the front and back of the outfit. I then tile the squares together and sew a 3" border, then finish with batting and the backing.

Later on I might sew some hanging tabs on them so that I can hang all three together. We are expecting a little girl in June, so I have one more after this to make. I think it is a better way to remember those little life moments than box it up and only look at the items 3 times in your life. Why box those memories up when you can make a piece of art out of it? or a warm quilt to cuddle up with.

I will post images of my progress for those who would like to do this very same thing. I just need to carve out time to start the project, hopefully tomorrow.