Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Every year my mom would make our St Patrick’s Day breakfast extra special by dying everything green. On Valentine’s Day, everything would be red, and on Halloween, we’d have purple pancakes, blue eggs, and orange milk. I loved growing up with this tradition in my home. When I moved out, I’d do this for my roommates, or just for myself because having a regular looking breakfast on such an important day didn’t seem right.

Also, this is the last week of the drawing challenge! How have you guys been doing with drawing and/or doing awesome creative things? My sketchbook is almost full and I’m excited that I have few new ideas that I want to push further. This challenge was a very much needed break for my creative juices build up. And this week, I’ll be in Utah, so a change of scenery is sure to bring new ideas into my sketchbook.

I also have some cool ideas for some upcoming projects and I have a few recipes that I can’t wait to share with you guys.
In fact, I’m so excited, that I better sign off and get to work before I spill all the beans.

We’d love to know how you guys have been doing with this challenge. Let us know!

Sketchbook Sneak Peak

Here’s a sneak peak of the new project I’m working on.

I’ve worked on it a little more and I can’t wait to show you guys when I’m done!

I just love it when things work out and I’m not constantly fighting my pencil the whole time.

I was thinking today while I was drawing about the projects I did in college. I had professors, studio time, and was surrounded by other artists. I was able to bounce ideas off of my friends and get help, and I had space to work. But did I care as much about my work then as I do now? Nope.

I was thinking about a few of the projects I did back then–they were all crap. I didn’t care about them and basically just finished to get a grade and pass the class. I remember one particular assignment in my creative perspective class that I was really excited to work on and couldn’t wait to get started. I “never got around to it”. I think my roommates were doing something really interesting like picking their noses or something and I hung out with them instead of working on my project.

I think it’s funny that I could not have cared less about my projects in college, which were for a grade…and now I care so much that I forget to eat dinner.

Oh well. They let me graduate. I must have done something right.

There’s just over a week left in this challenge. How are you guys doing?

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Sketches and Snacks

I’m still attending to my sketchbook…are you?

Sometimes when I’m drawing, my pen goes off on it’s own and surprises me. For example, I was just going to draw a car with a load of luggage on top when these two guys showed up for the ride.

Fun Fact: I don’t like drawing eyes or hands. I can. But they’re the most expressive parts of the body and if I don’t have enough time to devote to getting them right, I just don’t draw them. 

That’s why this guy’s eyes are closed. 

And that’s why the cook from my last post had an egg beater instead of a hand.

Another Fun Fact: I either get the munchies when I draw or I forget that food exists and get sucked in to what I’m doing.

Yesterday I had the munchies.

To help resist the urge to eat any and all things made with sugar, I whipped up a plate of cucumber bites.

My friend told me she uses avocado instead of mayo when she mixes tuna or chicken salad. So I tried that.

Um…this is the most delicious snack I’ve ever had.

Okay, maybe that’s a false statement, but they were dang good.

There’s two weeks left in this drawing challenge.

I’m excited to see what I come up with in the weeks to come. I’m also excited to see what you guys are working on as well!

We Linked up at Home Stories A to Z

Challenge Checkpoint

How have you guys been doing with the Drawing Challenge? 

What have you guys been making?

I have absolutely loved this challenge. My sketchbook has been receiving some much needed attention. When I’m drawing, sometimes I zone out and my mind totally wanders off and I’ve gotten some really good ideas for new projects and new recipes that I want to try out and share with everyone here. 

I’ve also been thinking about how exploring our creativity and sharing it with other people is scary. It can leave us open and vulnerable. We leave ourselves exposed to attack and criticism. That criticism can be good, constructive, or sometimes unkind and hurtful.

 However, I think that kind of vulnerability and openness is one we should be encouraging. Wonderful things can happen when we share what we have made with other people. We have an opportunity to become stronger. We learn and grow and have the ability to inspire others. 

One thing I hope Alix and I achieve with this challenge, and ultimately this blog, is encouraging others to explore their creative side, to be curious and to become more aware of the beautiful things that surround our lives.

Drawing Deluge

Every day this week, I’ve come home and doodled in my sketchbook for the drawing challenge. 

I don’t know if my subconscious is trying to tell me something because all I can seem to draw is grumpy old men in ties. They just kind of poured out of pencil every night!

Whatever it’s trying to tell me, the challenge is working. I don’t know how to explain it, but my mind seems more clear and I can feel my creativity coming back to me and I feel motivated to get things done.

I believe that everyone has the ability to create something. You don’t have to be an artist to make something beautiful. So even if drawing isn’t your thing, do something else- do something that makes you happy, that excites and nourishes your creative side. 

I can definitely promise you will be instantly energized.

I’d love to hear how you guys are doing with this challenge!!
kreativ77@yahoo.com

Drawing Challenge

Lately I’ve been feeling off my game. I don’t know if it’s because I’m juggling three different jobs or that I’ve been trying to figure out new ideas and projects to do for this blog. Making things and being creative takes time and energy. Having an idea is easy, it’s making that idea come to life that’s the tricky part. 

I’ve always been into art; from a very early age. My dad used to take me to museums here in San Francisco and we’d sit and draw all the taxidermy animals. In school I was always the one in group projects that drew on the poster boards. I had no idea what we were learning, I just liked drawing. 

I have this tremendous imagination. Great ideas. I get excited thinking about all the things I want to build, paint, draw, write, create. Sometimes I’m effective in my endeavors as an artist. My creative juices are flowing and my brain and my hands are so connected to each other. 

Lately however, I’ve hit a wall. My creativity, and my motivation, and my belief in my own ability has stopped working. Nothing I do is working, and it’s very frustrating. 

Today I just wanted to give up. I was working on a new project for this blog and the whole time I just wanted to throw it away. 

Half way through, I did. I chucked it and laid on my bed, watched funny youtube videos and ate cereal.

After two bowls of frosted mini-wheats, and a movie night with my friend I felt a little better. 

I realized that it’s okay to be frustrated. 

The fact of the matter is that I love what I do. I don’t care whether its super easy or really hard to work through. I care about what I’m doing–I care about working on projects, and drawing and painting and teaching people how to create work of their own. I don’t want to quit. I want to break down that wall and challenge myself to keep going. It’s okay to stop. Everyone needs a break every once in a while, but to me, quitting is not an option. Quitting means that’s it…it’s over…I’m never doing this again. 

If I quit, I’m giving up a part of myself that makes me uniquely me. 

So I need to stop, and re-organize. 

What is it that will make me creatively happy? 

What do I need to create that will get me excited to create more?

I’ve been in this spot before as an artist. I’ve been stuck behind this wall. I know that what I need to do is just draw. I need to put away my paints, and my computer, and my piles of project making things that are strewn about my living room and just focus on my sketchbook. 

Like I said before, I draw ALL the time…but when it’s mixed up in all the other stuff I work on, it doesn’t get the attention it needs. 

So for the next while,  it is back to basics. I will be just be drawing. And I would absolutely love for you to join me!

To be honest, it always bugs me a little when I see drawing challenges with a list of things to draw each day. I feel like they’re rules I have to follow, and I’m not much for rules. Or even guidelines. Or instructions for that matter (if you couldn’t already tell by previous posts with recipes).  I like to draw what I want, and whatever I feel like. 

So I have made a short list of suggestions for those of you who don’t know where to start:

But really, the purpose of this exercise is to just draw. Grab a pen or pencil and start moving it around on a piece of paper and see what happens. Draw something that’s right in front of you. Draw your kids’ shoes, your stove, draw some scribbles and add some arms and legs to it. 

Just draw.

I’ll be doing so every day–and I’ll be sure to show you guys my sketchbook as I go along.

If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get started!

Puzzle Blocks

Today after work I needed to get my hands messy with something. Staring at a computer screen all morning takes its toll sometimes. I broke out the big tools to make these puzzle blocks and I had a lot of fun once I figured out what I was doing.

I surprised myself with this project–I thought I was going to fail miserably at it. It’s far from perfect, but I’m proud of myself for not giving up.

These weren’t super hard to make…but if you want to make these, definitely block out your afternoon. If you don’t want to cut out the blocks like I did (which, I don’t blame you) and you buy a set of wood blocks ready to paint, this project won’t take you long at all.

I was rummaging in my parents basement and found some scrap pieces of wood about 2 inches by 4 inches. I found six of those that were all roughly the same width and cut them in half.

When I say I cut them in half…I used a saw. 

I haven’t sawed anything since 7th grade woodshop. 

I told Alix what I was going to do and she said, “It’ll be a good story if you cut off your finger”. 

Awesome.

I still have all my fingers.

Anyway, after I cut them all in half (very poorly I might add. Like I said…I haven’t done anything like this since I was 12.) they needed to be sanded. This is the first time I almost gave up. I used my electric sander so it would go faster…but these are very small pieces of wood so I took some skin off my fingers during this process.

The second time I almost gave up was fitting all the pieces together as close as I could. My precision sawing skills need a little help…as you can see. I didn’t want huge gaps so there was a lot of sanding and a lot of rearranging. At one point, I knocked them all off the table and had to start all over again.

But once they all fit as well as I could get them, I put a rubber band around them to keep them secure.

Then I spent some time sketching out some ideas for the pictures I wanted to paint on the blocks.

Sketching is VERY important. You get a chance to fix all the mistakes and plan your ideas out on paper before you go ahead and draw or paint all over everything. You’re less likely to make a mistake on your finished product if you spend a good amount of time sketching. I stress this to all my students… and most of the time I won’t let them begin their project without seeing their sketches. 

Once I had everything where I wanted, I started painting. 

A couple coats will do…enough to clean up your lines and cover up any pencil marks.

I painted all the sides one color and then flipped everything over to paint another picture on the other side (after I sketched it all out of course!)

I love how these turned out! They have my creative wheels turning and I have a few ideas for other block projects. I might need to take some time and let the skin on my fingers grow back before I get started on a new adventure!

p.s. I’ve linked up over here. Go take a look!

Draw String Bags

As promised….bags for your Story Time Stones, or whatever you want to hold in them.

I’m still no expert at sewing…I think I could barely be considered a beginner…but if you can sew a decently straight line, you can make these. 

What you’ll want to do is cut out a random (or not so random…that’s all up to you) shape from some muslin. Or you can use any other kind of fabric you want. I chose muslin because its pretty cheap.

(If you do use muslin, double it up because it can be pretty see through)

I wanted my bag to be about 10in by 10in. So I cut out a piece of fabric that was 10in by 20in, because I was going to fold it in half so I didn’t have to sew up the bottom.

Before I sewed the bag together, I stitched on my muslin shape to the front.

Once the shape is stitched on, I folded the fabric in half, so it was inside out, then I sewed up one side.

Before sewing up the other side, I wanted to make make an opening for my drawstring. I folded over the top part of the bag about an inch, pinned it down and sewed my opening. It’s basically like you’re making a hem, but the both ends are left open so you can put your drawstring in later.

I sewed up the other side and turned it right side out.

Looking pretty good, huh!?

This bag kind of reminds me of an apple.

To finish it up, I took a piece of drawstring…I used this shoelace thing, but you could use ribbon or rope…

And voilà, you have your very own bag! 

Hopefully I can pass my beginning sewing level once I make a few more of these and can actually sew a straight line…or maybe I’ll have to wait until I can sew something other than a square.

Either way, I think I’m slowly getting the hang of this sewing stuff.

P.S. I brought the Story Time Stones game to play with my Activity Day girls last Tuesday and they LOVED it. We played about three rounds and came up with some amazing stories, but this one in particular I thought was hilarious:

Stormy Night

One night there was a terrible storm with thunder and lightening. Sheep lived up in the clouds with the moon and the stars. It rained so hard in the clouds that night that Bob floated on his ship over to the mountain clouds where Sheep lived. All of the sudden, a giant monster came from behind the clouds to eat Bob and the sheep but noticed some fancy balloons that he grabbed on to. He floated up out of the clouds into outer space, all the way to Jupiter where he found Susie, Bob’s soulmate. It started to rain on Jupiter so the monster ran away, but all the water flushed Susie back down to the clouds on earth where she found Bob. They lived happily in the mountain clouds with their pet owl and their neighbor, Sheep.

The End

A Little Bit Behind the Other Blogger…

Hey guys! My name is Chelsea and I’m the other blogger!

I’m from San Francisco. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and will always consider it home. I have a BA in Art Education and I teach high school art–drawing, painting, ceramics…the usual. Right now, though, I’m currently working a couple part-time jobs while I look for another teaching position. 

Things You Never Thought You Wanted to Know About Me:

1. I was born bald, like most babies, but remained that way until I was three years old. Then my hair grew in super choppy and I looked like an alien. 
2. People said I looked like Popeye when I was a baby.
3. I had to wear an eye patch through first and second grade because I had a weak eye. (basically what I’m getting at, is I was a very attractive child!)
4. I’m missing my two incisors and looked like the Easter Bunny for 10 years until I got dental implants. (I also wore braces for five years…so I was also an attractive teenager!)
5. Even with all my dental issues, I still LOVE going to the dentist. If I could go every day, I would. I’m a little OCD when it comes to my teeth. 
6. I could eat cereal for every meal.
7. I’m constantly reading books, and am always looking for something else to read.
8. I’m horrible at math. Awful. Terrible. I don’t know all my multiplication tables…it’s that bad.
9. I own four Snuggies.
10. I hate jeans and I wish it more publicly acceptable to wear sweat pants everywhere.  

Mostly, I love being creative and making things with my hands. I also love being able to share what I know with others, and helping them create something of their very own. So I’m excited that I get to share things that I learn as I work on different projects with all of you! I’m going to let you all know right now that I’m not a super expert, and I can guarantee that I will make mistakes during these projects. A part of learning is making mistakes…and to me, that’s the fun part!

A little bit behind the blogger…

Hi everyone! My name is Alix Anderson and I love being crafty! This blog is a way for me to share all sorts of things, from sewing, crochet, paper crafts, printables, and a whole bunch more! I’ve lived in a few states but I claim Spokane, Washington as home. I am absolutely in love with the Pacific Northwest and could spend the rest of my life there, and die happy. I currently live in Southeast Idaho where my husband and I met in college at Brigham Young University- Idaho.

I got married in August 2008 to an amazing man, Dave. He is my everything. And as we grow, we learn more about each other, our relationship, and just being happy together. Say hi to Dave! He hates having his picture taken so I don’t have one of just him 😦

Then on October 11, 2012 (10-11-12), we welcomed our first bundle of joy, Vylette Raine. She has already taught me so much about myself this last year and its fun to watch her grown up fast!

And ten random things about me… 

1. I LOVE dark chocolate, the darker the better. And in turn I have the biggest sweet tooth ever. 

2. I played the clarinet for 6 years in elementary, middle school, and high school and I was AWFUL! No joke just plain awful!

3. I’m a HUGE daddy’s girl. Growing up my parents never really had to give me any punishments, they just had to give me a little guilt trip about what I did wrong or whatever and that was bad enough. What my dad thinks of me is HUGE deal to me.

3. I’ve lived in Utah, New York, Colorado, Washington, and Idaho. And I hope to add to that list, I love moving new places, meeting new people and having new experiences.

4. I have 3 awesome sisters, and 2 amazing brothers. I wish I was more like each of them in different ways, they are my role models. (I’m the 4th kid in the lineup.)

5. I secretly consider myself a little nerdy. I know more about Star Wars and Lord of the Rings than the average person. I also love all the comicbook movies that have been coming out the last few years.

6. I tend to know a lot of useless randoms facts. I can’t think of any right now but I have a thing for remembering random tidbits of information.

7. 9 times out of 10 I will have toenail polish on. I love having my toes painted BUT I can’t stand acrylic nails on my fingers, I feel like they are smothering. I like how they look but I can’t stand the feeling. I’ve had them probably 3 times in my life and I only keep them on for a day or two.

8. I am a Math Ed major. I love numbers and anything to do with patterns and sequences.

9. I am also a Art Ed Minor, having that combo with Math is pretty unheard of but I love math and I love art!

10. I love anything mini. I just bought some mini rubber spatulas and I use them for everything. I also always wanted an Easy-Bake oven when I was younger but I never got one. I STILL ask for one every year for Christmas. I think my husband thinks I’m joking but I’m not.