"Dressing the Nest' for Fall

How did it get to be Thursday so fast? If you remember way back on Sunday, I promised a glimpse into some of the fall decor I've been inspired to put together. In all honesty, I started this post last night and then got swept away by Glee (Emma as Audrey, simply wonderful). All inspiration credit goes to The Nester and her 31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest Series(although today's post ---fix something not particularly inspiring or maybe it's just because I like to put my head in hole and avoid those things, wonder if a call to the prop manager counts?)

The fall banner(center pic and close up on right) is what started this whole thing. Nester found it somewhere else and made one and you know it was everything I had not to rush out an buy some burlap that very minute. But I couldn't just hang a plain burlap banner ---oh no I decided I really wanted to redo the whole fireplace 'focal wall'. I've been scouting punched tin mirrors at antique stores and outside markets for a few months ---long enough to know the real deal is way out of my budget. So off to Hobby Lobby to try and find something similar, that was a no go, but mirrors were on sale so I came home with a plain black mirror. I painted the molded frame white and rubbed some silver to antique and I'm pretty happy. Banner is super easy...cut burlap into triangles, stencil letters in brown paint (I used some old BG chip letters to make the stencil) then punch 4 holes with your handy dandy crop-o-dile at the top and thread some twine or ribbon. The original poster had twine, but I'm thinking she must not have had cute brown and white polka dot ribbon, otherwise how could she resist.

The Nester is a big promoter of the 'Shop the House' theory for accessorizing and decorating, Yay for her as she has clearly spent her extra pennies on accessories at TJ Max and Ross. I shopped my house and came up with 3 types of things: clothing, craft supplies, and dead and faded dried flowers. Sadly hanging my beloved pink denim jacket on the wall just didn't look right, so I moved on to the craft supplies. Who knew mists could bring life to faded flowers? I wrapped a basic jar candle in my beloved ribbon and stuck a misted prima in the middle. Did you know burlap is super cheap? Not great if you suffer from asthma or allergies, but if you can get past it, this stuff is great for decorating for fall on the cheap. Not only did I use it on the banner, I used as table covers and runners for a bookcase, dining table, and side table. Then I stuffed an old pillow in a folded piece and stitched it up with some twine. Cute, made cuter by hot gluing some silk leaves (in the $1 spot at Target) on the front.

Even my October kit from Studio Calico got in the fun, I copied this from
one of the Tinas on the SC Design Team. Make a tree from Bo Bunny rubons, spell out Autumn with BG letter stickers, add some Cosmo Boyfriend paper, Brown cardstock and green pompom trim and you've got a festive art piece, stick it a frame from Goodwill with some silk leaves hot glued on and you've hit a home run.

I'm still on the search for the perfect pumpkin to be the centerpiece on the dining table, for now the white plastic one is filling in just fine.

How about you, how have you dressed you nest for fall?

Altered Journal Goodness

Have you noticed the school supplies everywhere you go, I love all of them...crayons, binders, and especially composition books on sale for 50 cents. I usually stock up and by 10 or so. Then I have them on hand when the inspiration hits...and hit it did. I gave this birdy a glitter bath thinking he would go on one of the layouts I posted yesterday, but then he just turned out so wonderful I thought he needed a project where he could really be the star.

I built up his nest with other goodies and adhered them all to the front on a composition book, I know this glittery friend with the cheery yellow will bring a smile to my face on those stressful days that the start of the school year brings.

Oh Jen...

I love altering wooden letters and monograms, so when Jen asked if I would do a set for her little guy I was happy to do so. It took a bit(ok 6 weeks) for the inspiration to strike, I realized that all of the letters I done in the past were for girls...easy to add flowers and sparkle, but a growing boy? I was at a loss until I really looked at the paper Jen gave me.

A little fussy cutting and some rub-ons and voila. I'm in love with the 'waves' on the E, it's my favorite of the set.

Now to make a plan to deliver them and I'm on to the next project.

The Wiki World

I'm continually fascinated by the wiki world, particularly the wikihows that pop up on my google home screen. Most of the time I don't actually click on the topic, but today I couldn't resist...How to Be Creative.

The author found this interesting video that made me think...



What?!? You mean I don't need every scrapbook supply ever created? This can't be right...then again I have been more productive(although not necessarily creative) in the newly purged room.

How about an altered project to show off this new creativity. We have had these Cosmo photo boxes sitting around the store for some time, I knew they would make something cool, just not sure exactly what so I set out to make a Valentiny project. I could only wish to have enough love notes to fill this box.

Supplies:

Photobox: Cosmo Cricket

Patterned Paper and letters: Pink Paislee

Flowers: Prima

Here's the rest of the article in case you need a jump start...

How to Be Creative

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Can creativity be taught? That’s a question without a simple yes or no answer. Creativity may not be able to be taught directly, but what you can get better at is frequently aligning the circumstances of life which foster the greatest chances for true creative expression. Creativity is not like a lightning strike, but more like something which manifests itself inside those who learn to foster it and create the right conditions for it to prosper.

Steps

1. Ruthlessly limit your selection of tools to only the most vital. The more limited your set of tools is, the more creative the output will be. Having a limited set of vital tools forces creativity and really challenges you to use what you have to produce the desired results. As a byproduct, you’ll get incredibly good with that small set of tools and refine your use of them to a point you can literally do anything you like with them. You’ll be far sharper than someone who merely dabbles with a larger set of tools. Learn how to be resourceful.
   


2. Don’t listen to feedback, keep following your own path. The problem with asking for feedback is invariably the feedback will be given infused with that person’s preconceived notions of what the outcome should be. Others will unconsciously push you in a direction that they see as best. This is done with good intentions; however, it actually hurts your internal creativity. Now this is different than sharing your work--by all means share, but listening to feedback is not a good decision if you want to truly find your own path of creative self-expression. Once you're finished with your creative work, whatever it may be, then you can listen to feedback. Just don't let criticism (even the constructive type) stifle your creativity during the creative process.
   
   
   
   
   • Keep in mind that people will generally display resistance to your idea, because good ideas change the existing dynamic, and people, for the most part, like things the way they are. When you present something that challenges the status quo, many people (friends, relatives, co-workers) will feel threatened.[1]
     
   
   


3. Having a routine is actually not a bad thing. Routines are positive if they reinforce a healthy, creative consciousness and negative if they destroy that. While breaking your routine once in a while to force new ways of thinking is good, what if growing/learning/experiencing new things was built into your routine as a given? The people who get stuck in a monotonous existence and speak negatively about routine have simply not developed a routine that puts them on a path of internal growth. The key is to discover creative rituals that put you in a more creative mindset.
   
   
   
   
   • Many writers not only have a minimum number of words they must write each day, but they also have almost superstitious requirements for the circumstances under which they write. The 18th century German writer Friedrich Schiller, for example, kept rotten apples at his desk and soaked his feet in a tub of ice water while he wrote![2]
     
   
   
   • Don't be afraid to seize control of your environment and make it work for you. Ray Bradbury wrote the book-burning story Fahrenheit 451 by leaving his house and writing in a library. Stephen King insists on utter silence while writing, while Harlan Ellison listens to high-volume classical music.
     
   
   
   • Set aside a block of time each day to foster your creativity. Kick the session off with a creative exercise or ritual that triggers a flexible state of mind. Whether it's meditating, freewriting, listening to a particular song, or rubbing your lucky rock--do whatever gets you "in the zone" and set a daily goal (e.g. one sketch per day, 1000 words a day, an invention or song a day).
     
   
   


4. Let go of perfectionism. Your natural output uninhibited by concern for creating something correct or incorrect will always produce creative results. There are limitless paths to achieve creative success; there are so many shades of gray. Imperfection is human, and sometimes the most creative artists leave mistakes unfixed on purpose. Nature itself is beautifully imperfect. Many try to be so perfect that they scrub away what made their work special in the first place. In a world saturated by overproduced, unnaturally perfect, and clean--the unpolished is the most creative and in many cases most inspirational.
   
   
   
   
   • Work on the "bad" ideas--even if you are only coming up with what you feel are "bad" ideas, you are still being creative, so develop them, and it could turn into a great solution!
     
   
   


5. Ignore trends. If you want to be truly creative, you absolutely must ignore trends. Block them out--pay zero attention to them. Trends are the polar opposite of creativity. In many forms of art (especially music) the masses of artists are following whatever the hot trends set forth are. Then there is the other, smaller group of artists that are pursuing their own path and not really paying attention to external trends in their form of art of choice. There is certainly more money, fame and instant notoriety for following trends, but most of what is popular is hardly creative. If you want to make something truly unique, trends are irrelevant. Looking inside yourself is where you will discover a greater wealth of creativity than available in any hot trend. Here are some more suggestions for insulating yourself from trends:
   
   
   
   
   • Don’t watch TV, don’t listen to the radio, and remove the vapid elements of popular culture from your life. These things aren’t bad for you in moderation, but they are great at normalizing your thoughts with the rest of society, and do not foster true internal creativity. Realize everything that you experience, every piece of content you consume plays a role in shaping your personality, even if at a subconscious level. It is all influence one way or another. You are in many ways a product of your experiences and stimulus. In one sentence, your creative output can be thought of simply as a personal interpretation of external stimulus. The best part about this is you get to control the input.
     
   
   
   • Don’t try and fit into a genre. Actively trying to fit your art or work into a genre is severely limiting and a detriment to its quality, if creativity is desired. Don’t try and write for a genre, don’t try to follow trends within a genre, in fact don’t even consider genre when working. Labeling it in a genre is a necessary evil for people to be able to find your work, and you will probably have to do this--but it shouldn’t be something that crosses your mind when trying to work. Genres, styles and methods don’t matter for creativity and originality.
     
   
   
   • Spend a lot of time alone. You don't have to be anti-social, but many people find their creativity really starts to open up when they are removed from others and able to have quiet focus for their creative work.
     
   
   


6. Ignore the past. Want to be really creative or original? Ignore or forget the past; ignore what the world has created up until this point. Sometimes considering the past will make you place a sort of unconscious time stamp on a style. That’s the antithesis of creativity and originality. Create things from within yourself that don’t draw inspiration from what has come previously or even consider it, and you’ll be on a path to creative output. In a creative state of mind, time doesn't exist--a few hours can feel like seconds, a moment can seem to last for hours, and you're completely immersed in the present.[3] Learn how to live in the moment.
   

The article goes on to list some interesting creativity exercises, I'll have to try at some point.

Happy creating!

SNOW!

Yes snow --- September 23 and there was a light covering of snow here in Evergreen, welcome to Colorado high country. Although at 7500 feet it's really 'medium high'. While I was initially bummed to see the snow, within a couple of hours I was reminded of the wonderful difference between CO snow and AK snow --- IT MELTS. Yes I know all snow melts at some point but here it melts the same day or some time in the next couple of days. In Alaska...it melts in May.

Fall colors are at their peak and I am hoping to get out and enjoy them in the really high country sometime in the next couple of days.

It's been a busy couple of days...On Thursday I rented a U-Haul and picked up my stuff from the shipping dock and moved it into storage. After three weeks I forgot how much stuff I had, it was really tempting to bring it all home, but there is just not enough space. So instead I tried to arrange it so I could get to it easily and every time I was tempted to go shopping for scrapbook supplies or clothes I would 'shop' in the storage unit first. Yeah right, we'll see how long that lasts, although my savings for jobless living is just about gone and no job in site so that may help me stick to my savings plan a bit better.

Speaking of no jobs, I did have an interview yesterday for an Asst. Manager at an Archiver's store in the area. While it was significantly less pay than previous positions I was/am willing to take a pay cut to get my foot in the door. I thought it was a great interview, in fact I know it was. Sadly at the end of the interview the manager admitted that they had already started the hiring process with another candidate and would I maybe be interested in a part time supervisor position. I was soooooooooo bummed and I think she may have been to that she jumped the gun just a bit. So we'll see on that note.

Also yesterday... our darling baby Kinley, went in for his 'boy' dog surgery yesterday. Poor thing was really drugged up when we picked him up yesterday. He's back to himself and ready to play today, but he's really not allowed to play at full speed for two weeks, I don't know how we're ever going to keep him calm.

I was able to finish a quick scrapping project yesterday. While it's definitely not perfect, I am reasonably happy with the end result and know what to do different next time. I saw a composition book turned into a purse at Archiver's and decided to try it myself.

This project involves major power tools and my first time using a miter saw. After the initial fear of cutting my hand wore off, it was actually kind of fun. I struggled with getting the right angles and completely destroyed one book trying to get it right. This was my second attempt and it worked much better. So now I have a cute little notebook for my purse.

**** Affirmation Time ****

(yes I am typing these out each time -- no cutting and pasting here)

1. I am a channel for God's creativity, and my work comes to good.

2. My dreams come from God and God has the power to accomplish them.

3. As I create and listen, I will be led.

4. Creativity is the creator's will for me.

5. My creativity heals myself and others.

6. I am allowed to nurture my artist

7. Through the use of a few simple tools, my creativity will flourish

8. My creativity always leads me to truth and love

9. My creativity leads me to forgiveness and self-forgiveness

10. There is a divine plan of goodness for me

11. There is a divine plan of goodness for my work

12. As I listen to the creator within I am led

13. As I listen to my creativity I am led to my creator

14. I am willing to create

16. I am willing to let myself learn to create

17. I am willing to let God create through me

18. I am willing to be of service through my creativity

19. I am willing to experience my creative energy

20. I am willing to use my creative talents.

Next post...The rules of the road: Remember that it is my job to create the work, NOT judge the work and more from The Artist's Way.

Affirmations

A you can see from my blog description and previous posts I am between jobs at the moment. Mostly by choice (we'll save the 'mostly' for another blog). I have never been one for self help books and their seemingly endless lists of affirmations. When I think of affirmations I can't help but think of Stuart Smally from SNL --- ' I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and gosh darn't people like me' I tried to find a video clip on the net to remind all of the classic skit --- alas no luck and back to the topic at hand. Now that I have all of this free time on my hands(more than I was hoping for to tell the truth) I have wanted to spend some time developing my skills in a couple of areas.

1. Creativity --- especially with my scrapbooking I am really hoping to be published in a magazine this year.

2. Job Skills --- specifically finding a job I love and gaining my PHR certification.

So I do what all people do with lots of time on their hands I march my self down to the nearby Barnes and Noble --- Danger!--- and buy a few books.
To address goal #1 I picked up the highly popular and recommended Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and of course it has a series of affirmations to repeat to myself on a daily basis. I once heard that affirmations are like a foreign language that you just need to keep concentrating and repeating and eventually you will be fluent. (Not that it really worked all that well w/high school french) But after a year of being in a deep black hole in this area I am willing to try anything.

So here goes...the daily affirmations:
1. I am a channel for God's creativity, and my work comes to good.
2. My dreams come from God and God has the power to accomplish the,
3. A I create and listen I will be lead.
4. Creativity is the creator's will for me
5. My creativity heals myself and others
6.I am allowed to nurture my artist
7.Through the use of a few simple tools my creativity will flourish
8. My creativity always leads me to truth and love
9. My creativity leads me to forgiveness and self-forgiveness
10. There is a divine plan of goodness for me
11. There is a divine plan of goodness for my work
12. I am willing to create
13. I am willing to learn to let myself create
14. I am willing to let God create through me
15. I am willing to be of service through my creativity
16. I am willing to experience my creative energy
17. I am willing to use my creative talents.

There it is in my print so now I've got to believe, right?. The book is big on writing morning pages and you're supposed to do them in long hand but I figured I'd just post to the blog most of the time as it's a place for random thoughts as well, and at this point very limited readership.

It is my plan to balance my days with job searching, scrapping/creating and studying for the test.

Yesterday I spent more time creating than anything else, but I was very happy with the finished project.

This is a simple paper mache box that I painted brown (not as easy as it sounds as I didn't have any brown paint). I used Heidi Swapp masks for the lid, my first time using these and I was really happy with the way the lid turned out. Sides and inside cut outs are Scenic Route, my all time fav patterned paper. I'm thinking that I might add some small ball feet to give it extra oomph. I'm so happy with it I'm considering using it as my altered item for the 'Making Memories Idol' contest.

Speaking of altered items --- I scored at Target today...composition books for .12! I am trying to figure out how to cut them on the miter saw to get the right angles to make it look like a purse...after destroying 2 books I'll ask my brother in law to help. Asking for help is a big deal for me so we'll see if it happens.

More good news...my stuff is here from Alaska. I just need to figure out how to pick it up --- 3 palettes worth --- and where to store it until I find my own place.