Creative Dawn

Here are three funny little characters!  This is a silly project that was a fun creative outlet.  The material...you guessed it, FELT!  I really don't know if they are alien creatures or monsters but they are kinda of cute in a weird way.  Now, I am in the homestretch.  One month to go on my daily, it has been interesting and learning experience.  As stated in the past, blogging will continue but the everyday posting will go away.  On to August and only 31 days left in my 365 day goal.  The countdown is on!

I have had many post about Jimmy Buffett related art that I have done and the Parrothead club that we belong to.  Recently we found out that the founder of our club had Cancer.  He is a great guy and one of the people that helped my to get started doing artwork for the club and charitys.  My nickname in the club is also because of him.  After hearing about his illness I decided to make a simple get well card that was a Parrothead design.  The card has a shark fin and the words Fins Up from the song 'Fins' by Jimmy Buffett.  It seemed appropriate for a cheer/get well card.  It's like keep your head up and think positive.  It is my little way of giving to someone that needs a bit of cheer. Just a side note to anyone that has never been to a Buffett concert.  When this song is played it is the coolest thing to look at the entire crowd singing and putting their hands together like shark fins.  You see a massive wave of people all in a single motion.  http://youtu.be/nR7dKVE

A few weeks ago at work we marked down some pictures.  They ended up being forty cents each, what a deal!  There were five and I bought all of them.  The frames are really pretty so they are going to stay as is, they will just get new artwork.  Here is the first piece. The design here is something that I've been thinking about for a week or so and finally put pen to paper and drew it out.  It is like a floral design but also reminds me of something from my childhood, a Spirograph.  I would sit for hours and make different 'doodles' with my Spirograph it was so fun!  Maybe that is were my preference for geometric designs started.  After the circular drawing was finished it needed something so it was cut out and put on a bright pink background.  It seems like a basic design but it is complex too.

Well, had to do it, I got another idea for beaded jewelry.  This one is a large pendant necklace.  As with the other beaded items felt was used for the base but this time there is a piece of thin cardboard in the center.  Since the design is hollowed out in the middle I wanted to be sure that it wouldn't be too flimsy so the cardboard gave it a bit more weight.   It is fun and funky and definitely a statement piece not everyone would wear.  Ok, so I promise to try to branch out more for the last month.  There are few charity events coming up so that will force me to do other projects.  But, there still may be one or two more beading items.  Just sayin!

This past Sunday my husband and I met up with some old friends.  It was a casual gathering and we figured it would just be a few drinks and snacks.  We hung out and reminisced, made some new memories and had a great time.  The gathering was hosted by the parents of one of our friends and 'snacks' ended up being a barbecue with all the trimmings.  So unexpected but appreciated.  Why am I telling you all about this?  Well, it is so important in the age of Internet and texting that you send a personal thank you note for things like this.  Last night I drew up this sunflower card for that purpose.  People really appreciate this kind of gesture, it may seem small, but it goes a long way.  

The other day I posted some felt items, one of them being this cupcake design.  Since then it has been finished and is now a fun and colorful pillow top.  It is so bright and cheery and is reminiscent of an Andy Warhol print.  Working with bright colors is a favorite of mine, the more color the better.  Today was also a baking day.  A few days ago I purchased some zucchini and today it was made into bread.  Patterns and recipes are both things that to me are guidelines so the recipe was altered to work with the ingredients that were on hand and I didn't feel like going to the store.  The recipe ended up as zucchini carrot bread and it is sooooo gooood!  It is posted below if you want to try it. Zucchini Carrot Bread 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 tsp nutmeg 1/4 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp ginger 3 cups flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 tbls vanilla 3 eggs 8 oz can of carrots blended and pureed with 1 tbls oil 2 1/2 - 3 cups grated zucchini M

My head is feeling much better today so here is a normal post.  A former coworker of mine just became a daddy for the first time, it's so exciting!  Of course the gift is a teddy bear but I need a card to go with it.  For two hours tonight I made various designs with baby themes until deciding that this was THE design. The card lent itself to a bib design, my drawing just enhanced it and the scalloped edge made the perfect 'lace.'  After drawing out the bib it seemed to be missing one thing so I cut out the middle and added pink behind it.  It was a definite improvement.  Now all that is left is a trip to the post office to mail it off to the new family.  Congrats G!

Today this is going to be quick.  My head is pounding!  YUCK!  Here is a cool drawing of hearts.  Have a great week. :)

My nieces birthday is coming up and she requested that I make something for her.  She did this last year too.  It's great because then I don't need to think about what to get her and it's what she wants.  Last year she wanted a small drawing of Audrey Hepburn for her dorm room this year the request was for a container that was colorful and fun to keep stuff in.  For the past few weeks I have been looking for a container like this to paint or decorate.  Yesterday, finally, there was the perfect one at the Goodwill.  It's wood so painting it would work out great, the hardware on it is really cool, but, the main design on it wasn't painted on, it was paper that was adhered to it.  It should have been easy to remove but it took over two hours, UGH!!!  As mentioned yesterday there was a delay in the planned post and that is why.  In the end it was worth it because it turned out great.  I just hope she likes it.  Happy Birthday to my beautiful niece and happy creating

My plan for today was a painting project but it is taking longer than was originally planned.  More about that later.  So here are a few designs that I have done in felt.  Two of them are additional coffee sleeve designs and the cupcake is part of a larger project that is in progress.  Felt has truly become a favorite medium of mine and since the materials are cheap and versatile.  The peace sign design is fun and will probably be a gift for my niece and the owl is just cute.  Owls also have been a popular design element for me during this time.  Hope you like my designs!

These bags have been mentioned in a few past posts and now after seeing my Mother in Law still using hers figured it was time to blog about it. This is her bag, and where this cabbage fabric came from I don't remember but it is a fun pattern and great colors. The handle is also extra long so that it can be slung over your shoulder. A few years ago I made tote bags for Christmas gifts.  Everyone got a bag filled with goodies.  They weren't small bags, they were big enough to carry a good amount of stuff.  Most of the fabric was bought at discount prices and I also used sheets that were purchased at the Goodwill to save on money.  The simplest ideas are sometimes the best and this proves it.  I was trying to do a green type of gift and my family loved it! 

My niece's birthday is coming up so I had to make are card for the occasion.  The inspiration is some fabric that recently caught my eye at work.  It is a fun cupcake design and since this is a birthday card it seemed very appropriate.  Recently the store that I work in was remodeled and we got some new crafting items in.  We got these cute blank cards that are just not plain rectangles.  The one used for this card is a cool circular design.  There is also one with scalloped edge and another with the corners rounded off.  Eight for .99 which is a great deal and then my 25% discount on top of that.  Woo-hoo!  My current card supply has been running low so this is exciting for me.  It's the little things sometimes!  :)

This idea is from in a magazine that was in the break room at work.  It is called Southern Lady and it would not be a normal choice for me to buy, but it was there and it looked interesting.  It is a simple idea for felt, yes felt, napkin rings.  The pattern is easy and very pretty, but I had to put my own spin on it.  The original is no sew and quick but my decision was to make a more complex design that was sewn together.  The design is a hibiscus flower and fits in perfectly with much of my decor.  This is another idea that could be easily adapted to different design that are seasonal or just other flowers It is great to be able to take an idea and make it work for you.  Look around you, the world is an inspiring place.  Learn from others and take it one step farther!  

I lied, sorry, here is another beading post, but it is really cool!  The bib style necklaces are currently very popular so I had to make my own version in black and white.  This one is not as large as many of the ones sold in stores but with all of the beading, larger would be too much.  This is definitely a special occasion necklace.  

My husband is going to want to keep this one, but my plan is to give it as a gift to his brother and wife for Christmas.  I may just need to make another one for us!  For months now I have been saving bottle caps from different beers and finally had enough variety to make this trivet.  The frame was a find at Tuesday Mornings for .99.  I just had to break the existing tile out first.  The bottle caps were all glued down and then used grout to finish it off.  It is great gift idea for the beer lover and you could even use caps that are all the same or even pop caps.

A few weeks ago I was walking around my home trying to find stuff to paint.  This is a Goodwill find from a few years ago that I always meant to paint but never did.  It's a nice looking chest that was all gold and it's current use is storing old cards and miscellaneous memorabilia.  The green paint was the first choice for a background and then cream stripes were added.  Today, after glancing at it I decided that the stripes just didn't work so after covering them with a few coat of the green these designs developed.  It's got a little of a psychedelic feel to it without bright colors.  It's fun to see what you already have that you can update. 

It seem like I have become a bit accessory obsessed lately.  Part of it may be a time issue because these things are easy to make in a few hours.  Tomorrow I don't have to work, it is supposed to be REALLY hot so my plan is to paint a few things.  Hopefully that will mix up the types of posts.  This post is about a bracelet that is made with felt, buttons and a few beads.  It is just two strips of felt sewn together with an assortment of colorful buttons and some beads for accent.  The 'clasp' is a piece of Velcro.  While making it I was thinking about a friend that cannot normally wear much for jewelry due to an allergy with metal.  This would be a perfect gift for her except it is really small because it is fit for me and I am a small person.  Oh gee, guess I might have to make another one for her!  

This is a fun drawing, reflections of a beach through sunglasses.  This is not a perfect drawing and after finishing it I realized a bit of a mistake but I still like it.  The beach scene is not lined up perfectly in the lenses.  It's minor and it doesn't really take away from the picture too much. Time to relax with a bit of wine and enjoy a beautiful summer night, the memories will carry me through that long Minnesota winter!

So, lately I have been checking out different magazines and websites for inspiration.  That is what led to this doll.  I was perusing through a stuffed toy magazine and could not believe all of the creativity in this medium.  Zombie animals, brightly colored aliens and many more fun designs.  My effort is not the best doll ever but she is funny and cute.  She's my little Punk Rock Girl!  Which is a song by the Dead Milkmen and was stuck in my head the entire time I was stitching her together.  The other song that I was thinking of was Sheena is a Punk Rocker by the Ramones.    So there you have it, my attempt at doll making.  I am now giggling because of the silliness of this felt punk doll.  You gotta laugh at yourself sometimes.  :) Have a great night/day!!!

Here is another post about letters.  This is a foam D that I got at Joann Fabrics for .25.  It was originally hot pink but it seemed too bright so painting it white was the solution.  The letter is smaller so there were not a lot of options for embellishment.  Thumb tacks were the perfect solution for decoration and also very economical at .82 a package.  This probably took me all of five minutes to complete, it's simple but nice.  Once all of the 365 posts are complete, I plan on posting some pictures of the displays around my home of many of these projects.  When this blog was started there were a lot of plain white walls, now they are adorned with custom art.  I don't know if this was mentioned in a past post but the blog will continue, just not on a daily basis.  It's been fun, but some days it gets a bit tiring.  This has been a great accomplishment and a challenge for me.  Until tomorrow! :)

Remember yesterday when I said this beading thing could be addictive?  Well, here is another beaded project.  Originally the flower was supposed to be pink but the yellow seemed to work better.  For now it is attached to a headband but that may change to a brooch.  While I was photographing the subject of this post, it reminded me of a cruise that we went on.  The ship was the Carnival Conquest and until we got aboard the ship, I was unaware that the decor was all impressionist artist influenced.  Just wandering around and looking at the decor was like being in a floating gallery.  Why this post reminds me of the cruise, the gigantic sunflower in this atrium!  Here is a picture of it.  Yes, another item influenced by Van Gogh, go figure.

This morning before I went to work, my mom called and asked if I would want some headbands that she didn't use anymore.  Of course the answer was yes, so she dropped off a bag full of headbands and other miscellaneous hair accessories.  After work, I started to sort through the bag when an idea hit me.  Embellishing a simple headband could be fun and a great blog post.  Using the ever useful felt that is always around, I cut out different shapes to experiment with.  At first felt was going to be the only material used but it needed something more.  In the box o' buttons there is also assorted beads and such.  These beads have different shades that catch the light and look really cool.  The light blue middle is a nice contrast to the darker beads.  Beading is not a hobby that ever appealed to me before this blog.  It was relaxing and fun tonight to just sew them on create something so simple but beautiful.  This could be another addicting craft for me!

This is a cool drawing of pencils, a design of writing utensils.  You know by now my love of patterns.  I think that there should be a name for the looping style that is in almost every design.  What do you think?  Any suggestions? Here are a few ideas:  Swirling swoops, looped curves, curling flourishes.  Too silly, I know but there needs to be a name for it.  Think about it, let me know.

Oh what a day!  Do you ever have those nights when you are extremely tired but don't end up getting any sleep?  That was last night for me.  I was a bit cranky today and just UGH!  Toss in a few aggravating customers at work and well you know, everyone has had one of those days.  I was so excited to get home and relax and of course I had to vent to my hubby.  It really does help to just let it all out.  Whew, I am so much better now!  So, we put in a funny movie and I started to doodle.  The result was this turtle.  They are fun to draw and paint because of the shell there are so many possibilities for the design.  You can add color and patterns and let your imagination run wild.  Concentrating on drawing all of the swirls helped to get me in a calmer mood and hopefully relax me enough to get some rest tonight.  

So, the other day, my mom gave me a wire fruit basket.  I really wasn't sure what to do with it until yesterday when I went to Michael's.  They had paper mache pears and apples on clearance for .50 each.  They had five total so I got them all.  There may be a trip to another Michael's soon because five is not enough to fill the basket. Painting them normal was not an option they had to have fun patterns and bright colors.  I am still debating about adding a fun glitter finish to them or just a plain gloss coat.  They do need something else, to make them complete, we'll have to see what kind of inspiration hits me.  Have a great night!   

My brain was full of ideas today but the problem was where to start first.  There is a drawing that I want to do, about five different painting projects, a couple of crafting ideas and a sewing project that are all floating around in my mind.  Yesterday the blog was about the less popular letters from the craft store.   Unless you have a name that starts with z what else can you use it for?  You could decorate a kids room with animals and use it to spell out zoo.  Tip it sideways and substitute it for an 'N' or like this post make it into a decoration for your bedroom.  This is going to hang about my bed.  I may actually have to make a few more and have a wall of Z's.  Many people use things for the purpose they were designed for, the creative person sees more than what it's made for and then recreates it.

Sorry, had to do it!  Actually when you are a creative person and make many Christmas gifts you need to start early.  I went to Joann Fabrics the other day and they had some letters on clearance.  The popular ones are always gone leaving you with Q, W, Z, X, I, O, etc.  I decided to buy a few of these orphan letters and figure out a project for them.  The first letter was the O, it's round so I figured it would make a good wreath.  After a dark green base coat, other shades were added using a Van Gogh like brush stroke to mimic pine needles.  It really didn't need much to make it look good so I just used a small gold wreath to the middle.  It is simple and it has a modern feel to it.

This is going to be a quick post.  I just got home from work and now have to go to some festivities.  I will be tired later!  Here is a fun drawing of stars in honor of Independence Day. Have a beer, a burger and check out a light show tonight! Check out the lyrics of a favorite Jimmy Buffett song called 'The Night I Painted the Sky.  It is a great song.  There really is a Buffett song for any occasion.  :) Independence day and all I remember Was a midnight rainbow that fell from the sky As I stand on the beach I slowly surrender To the child in me who can't say good-bye...

Hello all!  Tomorrow is Independence Day and usually it is a holiday that I don't decorate for but here is a quick creative idea.  This is made from the cardboard used for bolts of fabric.  Working at a fabric store makes access to these very easy.  Don't worry, you can still go to a fabric store and ask for the cardboard, it just ends up in recycling anyways and an employee will happily give you one or several.  What I did was wrap batting around it first for more thickness and then added the fabric.  There are two patterns here, the main fabric is a miniature flag print and the other was part of an Andy Warhol style soup can fabric.  A bit of ribbon is also added around the stars.  This is so fast to make, everything is hot glued together. There you have it a quick decoration that is appropriate for any patriotic holiday or just because.