Let's Talk Products

I love trying new products....sometimes they live up to their claim and sometimes they are disappointing.

Papermate Ink Joy Gel pens are AWESOME! I love the colors, I love how smoothly they write with out bleed through and well....I just adore them. They are a little "pricey" though so for sure look for coupons and sales.

The little blue plastic pouch is a makeup bag from Dollar Tree....the set fits perfectly.

Next up we have some stamp sets from Michael's The four little sets are in the "Dollar Spot", but they cost a 1.50 each. I wish the days of the week also included Saturday and Sunday. For cost they actually stamp pretty well but you need to use a good ink pad and a light touch. The larger set is also from Michael's and its part of the new Recollections planner stuff. I can't remember the price but I think it was around 7.00. For the price I actually think the smaller sets stamp better. Also the larger set is created for a personal size planner so they are TINY.

I actually bought these last year around this time or maybe a little later when school stuff starts popping up. They were in Target's Dollar Spot...which as we all know has items that are more than a dollar. I can;t remember but I think the were three dollars. They are sentence strip holders that teachers often use in the class room or they hold flash cards too. I use them to hold a variety of items for my planners. It helps get the stuff off the desk top but still in clear view.

I hope you have a great creative weekend!

Washi Holder

Do you know what washi is?  If so you know that people LOVE the stuff. You can find beautiful and pricey tubes of it at Michael's and Hobby Lobby or you can pick it up at the Dollar Tree. People most often use washi in planners or scrapbooking but there are tons of other creatives uses for it! What ends up happening as its so cute and mostly inexpensive that people quickly accumulate quite a collection.

I've stored washi in jars, in baskets, in plastic tubes and all other sorts of places and then I watched a youtube video on a DIY washi holder and decided to create my own!



The one on the right is a wooden washi holder from Michael's which is about 12-14 dollars but you can use a coupon of course!  I suppose the idea is to pull your strip of washi and then use the cutters to remove it and then use it but I tend to want to take the roll off and use it which is a lot of work with this storage piece because it basically involves taking the whole thing apart to get your washi roll off. The one on the left is my DIY using a shoe box, old wrapping paper roll and duck tape!  You can also use a hot glue gun to attach the rolls to the box.

Here's the first tip.....


If you buy a patterned roll of duck tape you might want to use a random pattern if matching it up perfectly is a must for you! I probably could have taken a little more time and done a better job but since it really doesn't show I didn't!  You can also use a solid color. Duck tape is about three dollars at Walmart and right now they have some rolls on clearance for 1.50.



Here is the holder with two of the tubes inserted. Again you can run some hot glue down the back of each tube before inserting it into the box.


This little cutie cost really less than a dollar to make because you really don't need a whole roll of duck tape. If you want to you can make additional ones and then attach one to another to make a large holder.  This holds 50% more than the one from Michael's, is easier to get rolls in and out, takes up the same amount of desk top space and cost a fraction of the cost of the white one. You can also totally coordinate it with your room/desk color scheme because there are hundreds of patterns/colors of duck tape.

Here's the video I used for inspiration and hers is totally cuter than mine but I think I did ok for a first try!

I hope this inspires you to get your washi organized....or at least sends you to the store to get some create rolls of washi for your own fun! 

Cabinets, Trunks and Other Old Things

Oh my...the list goes on and on....

 

 

My husband's aunt had an auction as she is moving in with one of her sons and therefore needed to get rid of a lifetime of stuff.  I bought this little kitchen cabinet with granite top for 12 bucks...I know it looks rugged but THIS is after I cleaned it up some...you should have seen it before. The inside bottom board was rusted from cans of old paint. I plan to paint it but haven't managed to get that done yet!  This picture below shows the inside after I removed all the old wood with rust attached and put down a shelf liner....I'll probably put in a new board at some point! 

 

 

Next we have my next crazy purchase of the day.......TWO very old trunks that are in pretty bad condition on the outsides!  The insides are really surprisingly in pretty good shape.  Can I redo these?  I'm not sure....Oh, Pinterest....I'll have to visit you soon to see what might be possible.

The one on the right is actually in the best shape, inside and out so I plan to redo that and see if I can use it near my front door. Will have to see what it looks like when I finish.

 

The material is sort of a thin metal covering so perhaps after I sand it then it could be painted or covered with something (contact paper, fabric?) I believe both date back to the late 1800s so I shouldn't be surprised at the condition plus they were stored in a shed.

 

You can see that the wood on the inside is actually in pretty good condition.  I bought both for 25 dollars so even if I can't manage to get them "pretty".....I haven't wasted much money!

 

I hope to be back soon with some AFTER pictures....or at least some completed project...otherwise this to do list is going to get out of control!

What I Created This Week

Being creative is not just about pages in a book. This week I took my creativity outside. Together with my husband, I created a garden table. It's just the perfect height for tending to the plants. We have added our tomato plants and bell peppers, mini sweet peppers and cilantro so far. I love this table.

Here's my koi fish that was old and rusted...and I got him for FREE....then I spray painted him. Spray paint after all is a girls best friend!  He is just the right touch of color in the little corner garden behind the garage!

Let's recycle....a wine bottle tree. I still need to add more bottles but I'm waiting for some different colored ones!  I'm also creating a wine bottle border on one of the beds so ....hmm.....guess we better get to drinking!

Creativity and Your Daily Planner

Oh all the creative people have been doodling in their planners for years and now it's becoming another "must buy" option. Simple Stories came out with an awesome planner set this year. It's binder based and has all the bells and whistles!  I love it and I had planned to buy it!  Enter shipping issues (some problem with a strike on the dock delayed shipment of said planner items until almost the end of January)


Anyway I needed a planner so I bought a simple one at Walmart for 7.95. It's spiral bound and has lots of room! There are monthly calendars along with weekly pages after each monthly calendar. Does it have all the bells and whistles? No. Does it do the job? Yes.








I use my planner weekly sections for not only appointments but also as a sort of journal so when I "look back" I can remember what was going on it life at that time!


When I found out the Simple Stories planner was available....I went to a web site to order it. Oh the lovely possibilities. After putting everything in my cart (and I didn't even add ALL the items) It was 80 dollars plus shipping. When you look at planners overall 80 dollars isn't horrible as most of them are in the 65-75 range in the office supply stores!  Hmmmm. I hesitated before hitting the order button. What will I do with the spiral bound planner I've already started?  Will I go back in time and fill the January things in if I buy the new planner set up?  Do I need all of that to do what I want to do?  It was hard but I backed away from ordering the set. I'm not saying I might not order it for next year but for this year I'll stick with the simple one I have. I realize that the Simple stories planner is designed to "do it all" That is be a calendar, a to do list, a menu planner, as well as a scrapbook. Don't get me wrong...I still LOVE it. I just don't feel like spending 80 dollars for a set up when I have something in place that's working! I hope to be able to try it in the future and see if it adds to my planner "joy" ....sigh.....that darn strike cost me the adventure for this year.


P.S. I do have several Simple Stories Snap albums that I love for photos and December Dailies and other awesome things!  It's a great line of products but I just couldn't justify the cost after setting up the 2015 planner I already had!

Create 2015

Let's face it ....2014....had its ups and downs with my creative endeavors. You'd think it would have been easier in the fall since I retired and didn't return to work but there always seems to be 101 things to do and setting aside time to be creative just seemed to take a back seat. So when I woke up this morning and realized it was time to post on The Creative Spirit blog....it felt like a chore, I had nothing "new to share", nothing new to say....I was a sham.

At first I thought I'd write about goals for 2015...and then that felt like setting myself up for "failure" again! Last year I started out with an art journal I loved but by May, I felt "behind". How can one be "behind" in an art journal? Well part of the problem was I decided to do a "system" in my art journal. Here I'll show you.....

 

I wanted to create a calendar each month and then behind the calendar would be any art pages I created that month. It's not a bad idea but here's what happened....

 

By May I came to a screeching halt....I HAD to make the calendar for the month before I could create other things that I might be thinking of or wanting to do. I had created prison bars rather than creative expression. I still don't have June-December done....although I loved making the calendars and jotting down memories. I actually still want to go back and do them. I won't worry about art work pages behind them because honestly they wouldn't be in sequence anyway but the calendars are still fun to make and a great way to document life. I have my planner so I can easily fill in dates of major things!

In 2014 I also "tried" penciling in time to create daily. Didn't seem to work for me because again either I would be so busy with other things or "not in the mood."   It just seems like when I set aside time then I draw a blank, can't think of anything to make, call it artists block but it seems more like an "assignment than creativity. I guess I'm just difficult. LOL  I know that as I started thinking about 2015 I felt frustrated because creating is fun and it helps me grow!

 

Then it dawned on me that creating is just not visual art. There are so many creative endeavors that I did do in 2014 ...they just aren't on the pages of an art journal.

 

1. I created my little shelf in the bedroom that I change up each month. It's like a little spot of art in a sometimes VERY messy room. Every morning it makes me smile to see this cute little display.

 

2. I blogged like crazy....writing is creating.

 

3. I took tons of photos.

 

4. I mused and reflected and meditated (there's no visible end product but its definitely creative)

 

5. I planned parties with tablescapes and favors and all manner of creative dishes.

 

6. I created a faery garden

 

7. I spent "cooking" days with Kelsey trying all kinds of new recipes

 

8.  I did a "Painting for a Cause" painting

 

9.  I made ornaments during the North Pole breakfast

 

10. I set up and completed some pages in the December journal.

 

I'm sure there are others, those are just the ones that popped into my head.  The point is if I follow my creative muse does it really matter if I have "pages" or canvases to show for it?  BUT with that being said I still crave time to create so I am wondering if sitting aside a "creative day" is better than a "creative hour" or two?  I don't know....sort of like a Creative Retreat. Yet I like the idea of "creating daily" so I'll need to spend some time musing about what might work for me. I also HAVE to get my creative space re-organized. I have started this large endeavor but still do not feel like it is at the stage I want to be. Of course, this is always an ongoing process so it's no surprise that I'm still fooling around with it!

 

Well I'm off to create something this morning....not sure what yet.....but I'm sure it will al unfold exactly as it should!

Why I Can't Keep Up With My December Art Journal

 

Every year I endeavor to do the December art journal a page a day. And TWO years I actually managed it!

 

 

This year we are doing PLENTY of December activities!  Like weekly Happy Hours at my house!  Elf wine....cute, right?

 

 

Photo Shoots......

 

 

North Pole Breakfast with the elves....

 

 

 

Tired Elf

 

 

Gratitude Friendship Brunch

 

 

Christmas puzzles, game day, crafts, and Christmas movies to watch!

 

 

Lego Advent calendar

 

 

 

Feliz Navidad dinner

 

 

Church Christmas program.

 

 

Painting for a Cause

 

 Concerts.

 

 

Visits from people spreading Christmas Cheer

 

 

Elf gifts

 

And there's still MORE before December 25th

 

Today we are off to historic St Charles Christmas Traditions to enjoy a day out with friends.

Tomorrow we are off to the Fox to see a Christmas Story and have dinner for Kelsey's birthday!

Monday and Tuesday...finish a creative gift with Evan for his mom, finish preparing for the Christmas Eve game,  wrap gifts, sort stocking stuffers, bake cookies, shop for Christmas Eve dinner etc. I got a bit behind schedule as I've been at the hospital every day for a week with my critically ill sister.

 

Last night I started feeling some anxiety over neglecting my December journal and then I thought....you can make time to journal or you can live life fully. Guess which one I chose? So yeah...that December journal is going to get finished in January!