Hats

I have been having a urge to create hats for over a year. I acknowledged the idea but haven't really done anything with it. It is so funny when I am really suppose to do a project it will hunt me down over and over until I just say yes to it.
Yesterday the urge hit me again and I said yes. This time I started looking at the project from my point of view instead of being scared off by the proper way of constructing a hat. You see I have been learning and teaching my self all about millinery work and actually have scared myself away from the project. But yesterday I had a moment that yes the hats can be made that way but what if I created/ built them my way. The energy of doing it my way gave me freedom and the courage to start this new project. Instead of being faced with how am I suppose to do that I now see the completed hat in my mind and will know exactly how to do it when I begin. The power of seeing the whole picture before you begin!!!

Memorial Day

I was thinking of my father yesterday. He spent two years in Vietnam. As a child I didn't really understand. As a young adult I don't think I really understood. Now that I am older, have my own family I understand just a little. All I can really say is he was a great man in more ways than I will ever know. I honor him.

Memorial Day also gave me a much needed day off. It gave me the opportunity to just play and even take a nap!!

Out of that relaxation a new idea emerged. So simple yet so eye catching!!!

Trying too Hard

I have a special project I am working on, it is a great idea but I haven't put my stamp on it. I keep twisting the idea in my mind then trying it and it just hasn't flowed. It might be one of those ideas that needs to age like wine and one day I will have all the answers. And then I will think to myself or even say out loud "How come I couldn't see that answer before." Maybe I just need to approach it from a different angle hhhhmmmm

This is how my creative mind works, non stop always going. There are times when I cannot sleep because the ideas are swimming everywhere or other times I sleep out of pure exhaustion .

But boy is it fun. It gives me so much life energy to be in the space of creation. I feel so blessed.

Twigs

I had an colleague yesterday suggest I go to the beach. My response was that I would rather be working on one of my projects. He said I was a "Driven Woman. After you make your first Million then go to the beach!!"

He was right on many levels. I love the beach, mountains and nature. But right now I find the most enjoyment making the ideas that are in my head or on scraps of paper. That brings me such joy to see if it is going to work and if not what can I do about. My dream would be to have a studio so I can see the mountains and the beach while I am solving these creative problems!!!

Sometimes I wear my creations while working. This is so comfortable that I forget that I am wearing it. Twigs in Buttercup

Bits and Pieces

I don't like to throw away bits and pieces. I am sure I will use it for something. This behavior confuses the people that live with me. They just don't understand why I would keep piles of little pieces that couldn't make anything.
Well those little pieces inspired this new Textile necklace. I decides to tie them together into a chain. I wasn't sure it going to work until it was complete. I think it is a fun and funky piece. A bit unexpected. Just a splash of color to brighten any outfit!!

Fierce

So this ruffle scarf was created this past fall and I have had so much fun wearing it and coming up with new versions of it. The responses are many. As funny as , "I wondered why you would want all that around your neck but wow I now know why!!" to "this is stunning and a show stopper".

Have you ever had an idea and then created it and was surprised by the final outcome was so much better that you envisioned?

Ideas

Most of my life I have had more ideas than I could create. I would start one idea then go on to the next, never staying with one thing too long. I never understood that part of me and many times judged it as bad.

Now that I am more mature/ older I am starting to see myself differently. Not judging my natural tendencies and accepting the way I am and just going with the flow of all my many ideas, creations and piles of messes.
The other day on one of my long commutes I started thinking about one of my destinies. I recently wrote a book STRANDS and had a time of my life creating that book. I had so much fun!!! Since then I have come up with enough ideas and already created to make two more books. That is when I started to really see why I have so many ideas. Wow I wished I had know this long time of go...

So here is to ideas and destiny!!!

Favorites

This is one of my favorites from Etsy

Vintage Ribbon

Recently I was a lucky girl and received a couple of boxes of vintage ribbon, net and such. After going through it like a kid on Christmas morning I put it all back in the boxes. Then went about my business of the day. Even when I have great supplies I need incubating time to allow my creative fairies to do their work. The other morning I woke up and went straight to the Rose ribbon. Well as all things vintage it had a smell. Not necessarily my favorite smell, so off the bathroom I go. The ribbon looks sorta paperly so I test it first to make sure it is even washable. It is. So as I am washing it I decide to spray it with some bleach. hmm what if?  I let it dry and now I have this most wonderful soft wrinkled and very vintage multi rose colored ribbon. 

Now play time.

After a bit of trial an error I came up with a cool circular weave.  So that is the center of this wonderful headband

always creating

I am always in the creating mode, even when I don't want to be. I  wake up and have a completed picture in my mind of the next project to do. Or even can be be in mid sentence and see something different and have another new idea for another projects. 

Here is one of those

This very cool and hip long textile necklace is created with small piece of fabric tied together to form a chain. The fabric has a stretch so it can be worn as a choker or looped loosely around your neck. The necklace measures 65" in length. It also can be worn as a belt or a headband. Very fun!!

STORY

So I never finished writing or even telling the story of how STRANDS came to life. Well as I said in the lat story the book Tonia and I were trying to create didn't happen. The finance department didn't feel it would make enough money. So I thanked her for her hard work and her belief in me and went on with my artistic life. 

Two years later I am in the process of moving from Minnesota to California. I am staying with my sister in law and have no art supplies but have free time. Well when that kind of thing happens to me I always find something  to work with. That is when I got out some tape. plastic wrap and thread. I started creating these sheets of "fabric" I would hang them all over the walls, one after another. When my family came home they were a bit surprised. 

Each day I work on these, changing the color of the thread or cutting wholes out or even sewing shapes on it. I started getting a special feeling. So I kept working. 

I then started to create some paper "fabric" with glue, tissue paper and thread. After working with it a bit I knew I had to contact Tonia. I sent her an email with some photos. She was intrigued with what she saw and wanted to see more.

Well that is the beginning of the book. 

I will see you later.=)

Time

Time is a funny thing, it slips by so quickly. I focus my time on certain things and other things get put on another shelf. My point is that I started a story and didn't finish. In fact just left you hanging. 

So I am making a commitment that I will come and share with you more often. I hope to be a bit entertaining, a little interesting, maybe a little funny. Any way I will be here more often to share a glimpse of how my creative world works!

Thanks for hanging in there and even having the desire to read past the first line!!

Till next time

j