Cool... Calm... and Collected!

It is fun to 'watch' as the internal changes I experience play out in the external surroundings of my living space. When we feel overwhelmed or that we've lost control, it is often very evident by the chaos and messes that seem to overrun our homes.... of course, some of us are simply less orderly by nature : )

As for myself, my space continues to evolve just as I do.

Recently I created a great workspace from a nook... not only is it FUNctional, but I also find it beautiful to look at... This is another example of a collage... made from many different items I've collected, assembled together to create a 'whole'....

Many thanks to my wonderful handy-woman Sue... this would not have gone nearly so well without her!

What ways do you bring a touch of art or whimsy into your 'every-day'?

Art of the Ordinary

One of the things that brings me great joy is finding art in the everyday... I am striving to surround myself with art*full vignettes... whether in my workspace, my lounging space, or even the notebook I take with me to my meetings, there are objects that make me smile and are constant reminders that there is beauty all around me...

A recent piece of functional fun I created is my message board.... there are many different ways to create this or something similar from covering pressed paper board (available at your local lumber yard) to covering ready made bulletin boards... and loads of things in between... most cover or make these pieces of functional art with variations of fabric and ribbon... for mine, I chose to use this gorgeous paper from Paper Source this time...

What are some of the ways you put the 'fun' into functional art?

This piece is super low-tech... I didn't even bother to use a measuring tape... seriously, I went against all basic tenets of creating something... but I was really impatient and wanted it done NOW...

Want to recreate the look?

Total Time: <10>

Supplies: Whatever message board already on hand, begging for a makeover, favorite patterned decorative paper (I think I used 3 different prints although common sense would dictate to use 2 or 4....I've never been good at following directions, so I'm not sure why I insist on writing them ), 2 way tape, scissors

1- Take the board your bored with &

2- Figure out what configuration you want to go with this time (because if you're like me, you'll do this again when something even MORE gorgeous turns your eye...)

3- Hold up the paper(s) against the board and cut to the size you want to cover, maybe a teeny, tiny, bit bigger

4- Do this for as many sections as you are going to make

5- Use the double sided tape to secure into place (hint: start at a corner and then smooth across so you don't end up with wrinkles)

6- Cut one of the patterns into longer strips... aprx 1 inch wide (just eyeball it...enough so you can fold each side in for a clean line) and fold into thirds

7- Use double-sided tape to place in between the sections

8- Enjoy!

Taste Life

Part of my quest this year is to reclaim who I am & discover who I am becoming. Like the layers of the paper on my decoupage bowl, sometimes there is something gorgeous hidden by other layers. The process has been mostly fun and always intriguing... I wonder why, after I'd worked so hard to find myself the first time, I let go and covered up my soul with layers...

One of the things I'm reclaiming is my love of the visual and tactile.... colors... textures... art in every day things... and of course, art in words. I created a bouquet of color in a mug that reminds me daily, to Taste Life.

How do YOU create the fun and unexpected from the ordinary? Share... let me know!

Want to recreate the look? Word Art mug from Paper Source; Felt Tip Marker Pens in a tub of 100 (they have shades and shades that simply are glorious!) by Paperchase, picked up from Borders.

Taking the Leap

Tonight is the night...the night I dive head first into the next 'new' thing I am trying on. Thanks to my friend for forwarding the invite to the craft social... where I met some really fabulous, smart, artistic and creative women. It was an amazing experience and the energy was incredible.... and it gave me the impetus to, as Nike would say, 'JUST DO IT'. I've been wanting to start a blog for some time... but have been waiting until I knew more, had 'something relevant' to say, knew HOW TO actually do a blog... lol... well, life's short. I'm taking the leap.... I will learn and grow as I go along... & hopefully you all will help me because I really do love to collaborate!



oh... and the craft project I did tonight was to make a decoupage bowl... although for my mind it was more a creating a papier mache bowl... either way it was fun. Guess who's coming to dinner and guess what they're getting for Christmas... Watch for pics and instructions to come... it's late, wayyyyyyyy past bedtime so off to bed I go.



Updated Saturday May 23rd... okay, so here's something I learned... Baxter (my sidekick pupster) will keep me company while I create or write til all hours (3am when I finally crawled between the sheets...) but still wants to get up @5:30am for our walk... lol (see the pic of him waiting patiently in the sidebar)


The bowl I created last night is still in the 'drying' stage which will take a few days.... the instructions follow below and are compliments of the lovely women who organized & hosted the craft social last night:

Supplies Needed: A bowl to use as a form, any size, smooth sides; mod-podge or paper glue; container to hold glue to coat paper strips; aluminum foil; thin papers, magazines, old books, etc; something to use as a stand for your bowl when turned upside down (I used a cup that was slightly taller than the bowl); wet rag for drips or spills.

This is a great project to do with friends... lots of laughs, giggles, and sharing.

1- Wrap the outside of the bowl with foil. Smooth is down as much as you can and fold the edges into the center of your bowl.

2- Tear the paper into pieces. (I actually used a bit heavier weight paper... needed to make it very wet with the mod-podge so that it was pliable and would stick)

3-Flip the foil-wrapped bowl upside down and set it on your 'stand'. Coat the paper pieces/strips with the glue mixture (mod-podge). Fingers work best. Smooth each piece to the outside of the bowl, overlapping the edges. More layers of paper will make for a sturdier bowl. (The bowl in the picture has 3 layers).

4- Allow your bowl to dry a minimum of 2 days

5- Once the glue completely dries, remove the 'real' bowl from the foil. Peel the foil off the paper bowl. (I have NOT done this yet... I'll let you know how it goes).

You can use sharp scissors to trim off the rough rim of the bowl if desired; Bowl can be painted if you like (I am thinking about layering the inside of the bowl after it dries... I'll let you know about that, too.)

Bowls cannot be used for food, but of course you knew that... loose change, keys, all those buttons that come attached to new clothes... *grin* And please, share your ideas and photos with me!

. . . scatter joy . . .

lindy