This week, I made use of the Cricut machine set up in the studio. My daughter in law put her Expression machine on the big cart I bought from the thrift store. It is an awesome cart. I purchased it for $49. It is an old hospital cart made to last forever. It has big wheels so it rolls very easily. That means I can put it darn near anywhere in the room, and use it where I am working. The drawers are perfect for Cricut cartridge storage, punch storage, and storage for a set of die press dies from Fiskars that I bought for a song on clearance.
The Exploding box album in the MiniAlbum cartridge from Cricut turned out so cute. Construction and embellishment took just a little over an hour. Ideally I would have pictures for this project, but since it was just an experiment with the program, I simply embellished the box that will soon hold a tiny stuffed toy for a new baby. How fun is that? Not sure how much such an item brings on the open market, that research comes later.
Tonight as I prepare to work on class Valentines with Maddy, my granddaughter, I am taking time to thumb through the pages of my Close to My Heart Artiste cartridge. For a couple years the Cricut sat idle while I turned my attention to life changing events. However, it seems no worse for wear. What I need for Madalynn's project is a tag for Valentine treats in a clear bag. Easy peasy.
The pages are also filled with very cool boxes I can cut and even sets of cards to go in them. That saves me a lot of time. Keeps me from having to reinvent the wheel and calculate dimensions. Wow, just wow. Not sure how much that sort of thing brings on the open market either. But, so much at my finger tips at a time when I can think clearly and make plans.
In March I will be setting up Saturday Afternoon Art. It will be a calendar that will cater to crafters of several age groups and interests. The images and possibilities in just one cartridge are an inspiration in planning for the sessions. I see images that I know some friends will want to use in scrapbooks in the upcoming Saturdays for making graduation albums along with cute ideas for a workshop for...gosh who knows what....on an occasional Sunday afternoon.
The cartridges can be used to cut paper, cloth, and plastic. I haven't done very much heavy cutting, but the possibilities for cutting thinner chipboard and perhaps thinner metal sheets, and some cork makes for some fun planning for album and sketch book covers and pages. Stencils should be a snap.
Vacation is on my horizon for most of February. But, when I arrive home, big plans in the works. Details and web brochures to design. Blogs to spiff up. Technological wonders to learn and perform. My creativity is sparked. My hope is that I can share the light and warmth with others. Inspire them, light the spark!
So while I'm gone, make something! It's ok if you make a little mess.
Friday, January 22, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
The Underpants Gnomes
Today, I feel like the underpants Gnomes from South Park. You know the ones, the little guys who were going to collect underpants, then do something something which would equal profit. It is always that something something that lurks just out of sight. Plus, for me I have to redefine profit.
Profit in its most pure definition can be merely paying for the efforts and having fun doing a project. Which means that I have to decide what it is I want. From the beginning of my artsy self-education all I can recall ever wanting is companionship with others who like to make things. I will teach, but teaching a craft is not my goal. I mostly just want to open the door and welcome in the handful of folks, who like me feel driven to make something. People who would make something even if it served no obvious purpose except to just be.
When I look across Pinterest boards, I see stitches for crochet that I just want to try for the sheer fun of seeing it form the appropriate shape or design. Me? I am a gifter. I rarely make things for myself. At first I worked on gifts for the people around me and people I hardly knew. My goal is to change that this year.
Mainly, my goals will be to design and make my own clothing, routinely work on my scrapbook, and to design projects and kits for the yet unnamed people who will be coming through the door. For about a minute, I thought I would make a business of selling one brand of paper and accessories from a direct sales company, but once I saw the limitations on my creativity that such loyalty required, I decided it was time to be my own designer with unlimited numbers and brands from which to choose.
This year, I am going to "make it so" (that bit is from Star Trek for my hubby).
So my equation goes something like this, Hoarded art supplies, plus Creativity and Desire = Personal Profit. Profit to be defined by all those good feelings I get from creating, chatting, and sharing.
So if you are in the neighborhood, or you WANT to be in the neighborhood, check with me. I will be in my big messy room making something and you are welcome to join in. Bring a friend, sit a spell, and make something, almost anything.
Profit in its most pure definition can be merely paying for the efforts and having fun doing a project. Which means that I have to decide what it is I want. From the beginning of my artsy self-education all I can recall ever wanting is companionship with others who like to make things. I will teach, but teaching a craft is not my goal. I mostly just want to open the door and welcome in the handful of folks, who like me feel driven to make something. People who would make something even if it served no obvious purpose except to just be.
When I look across Pinterest boards, I see stitches for crochet that I just want to try for the sheer fun of seeing it form the appropriate shape or design. Me? I am a gifter. I rarely make things for myself. At first I worked on gifts for the people around me and people I hardly knew. My goal is to change that this year.
Mainly, my goals will be to design and make my own clothing, routinely work on my scrapbook, and to design projects and kits for the yet unnamed people who will be coming through the door. For about a minute, I thought I would make a business of selling one brand of paper and accessories from a direct sales company, but once I saw the limitations on my creativity that such loyalty required, I decided it was time to be my own designer with unlimited numbers and brands from which to choose.
This year, I am going to "make it so" (that bit is from Star Trek for my hubby).
So my equation goes something like this, Hoarded art supplies, plus Creativity and Desire = Personal Profit. Profit to be defined by all those good feelings I get from creating, chatting, and sharing.
So if you are in the neighborhood, or you WANT to be in the neighborhood, check with me. I will be in my big messy room making something and you are welcome to join in. Bring a friend, sit a spell, and make something, almost anything.
Monday, January 4, 2016
Today I Made a Blog
If you have gotten this far, you might be farther along than I am. This is me making a blog when I can hardly work my smart phone. Does that mean I am not smart enough for a smart phone, maybe. But, at least I am trying.
This is my first blog post to My Big Messy Room. My big messy room is my craft studio, updated from craft room for dramatic effect in case you're wondering. It is the place where I have designed spaces to paper craft, sew, bead, stamp jewelry, paint, do thread art or just to sit and write or think.
The profile picture I uploaded is just a place holder until I can find a picture that will downplay my fat cheeks and rosy complexion. The technical aspects of all of this eludes me today, but today I DID create a blog, so hurray for me.
Last night Kelly helped me organize my big messy room some more. With the help of friends it is more orderly, but knowing me, it is always going to be a little bit or a lot of messy.
That's my creative process.
In the coming days, I will be adding content that will benefit you and benefit me. Some of it will probably be a waste of time, but it will be my goal to create it, you can decide what you think about it.
Make something and make a mess.
This is my first blog post to My Big Messy Room. My big messy room is my craft studio, updated from craft room for dramatic effect in case you're wondering. It is the place where I have designed spaces to paper craft, sew, bead, stamp jewelry, paint, do thread art or just to sit and write or think.
The profile picture I uploaded is just a place holder until I can find a picture that will downplay my fat cheeks and rosy complexion. The technical aspects of all of this eludes me today, but today I DID create a blog, so hurray for me.
Last night Kelly helped me organize my big messy room some more. With the help of friends it is more orderly, but knowing me, it is always going to be a little bit or a lot of messy.
That's my creative process.
In the coming days, I will be adding content that will benefit you and benefit me. Some of it will probably be a waste of time, but it will be my goal to create it, you can decide what you think about it.
Make something and make a mess.
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