All posts tagged: creativity

Why :: Write

I had a recent conversation with someone I love & respect, and in this conversation I was being prodded and challenged to consider why I write what I write. I was taken aback that my loved one didn’t understand the backbone of my writings. It was jarring to me and I’ve taken a backseat to think things through. Why DO I blog? What am I trying to convey to readers? What do I care about in my own life? Why do I verbalize the raw parts of my life? So, I’ll share my journal notes to myself about why I blog and then you can comment about what you think of it. How’s that? Discussion is good. Feedback is good. Sometimes I feel like I’m just blogging out into the void, but then some of you write to me privately about your own stories and your own inspirations. That means a lot to me. I think that most of the time I write for therapeutic reasons and as a form of artistic outlet, but I …

Clay :: Lessons

Winter is setting in and since I currently keep my kick wheel on the front porch I have fewer and fewer opportunities to throw. This makes me rather sad. Such is the plight of a small country homeowner and young mama. A)Tiny house + big wheel B)Busy mama + bustling baby. Both factors are limiting.  However, I try to throw and trim and glaze whenever I get the chance. I love working the craft. It’s a satisfying process for me.  Pottery has become a deeply spiritual experience for me. I ask God before I throw, “Show me yourself. Show me how you are the Potter and how I am the clay. Mold and shape my life.” This poor little pitcher was a flop. Chubby wubby was a pitcher, chubby wubby was its handle. If you ever make a handle, don’t do it like that. I keep pieces like this so that I can examine my mistakes and experiment with the firing process; on this pitcher I’ve experimented for the first time with my underglaze watercolors.  …

DIY: Baby Teepee

Maybe my life seems melancholy to my readers, and I don’t actually want my blog content to be so serious. (Hence, I wrote about my two loveable labs a bit ago “Lick, Love, and Learn” 😉 My life is not dull, in spite of my deeper thoughts, and I only need a mini farm to keep it lively around here.  I’m up at the crack of dawn just about every day for the gardening, chickens, and other animals. Shortly after I’m up so is the tiny two-legged one 😉 There’s lots of action here to be had. And I go to bed utterly exhausted.  However, last night I really wanted to finally complete this side project I’ve been working on. I’m not sure why I say “side” project because, the truth is, I am always making something. I see a picture or a design or hear something or think up something and I say to me, myself, and I, “We could make that ourselves!” Yes, it’s very silly. As if I didn’t already have so …

Painted: Blue Couch

Hello friends! Many of you have been asking about the infamous paint project – or otherwise known as “that damn couch” – which I have finally completed during my blogging hiatus (see my February post before the blog strike here). I had first shared about our crappy-looking but conveniently-free couch when I wrote about being uprooted and about replanting – Our Story: Uprooted to Grounded – after our daughter passed away. But today THIS post is dedicated to the story of: The Painted Couch. Beware, readers, of the deep dark pit of paint, the scary blue monster, the tiny sharp nails, and the twisted sense of creativity. Yes, it still has a happy ending 😉 PREFACE: I really love house projects. Not washing-dishes-by-hand, constant-loads-of-laundry, or grocery-shopping-in-costco projects (as afore mentioned in my post about having a daily routine). Those are boring necessary projects! I really love creative house projects – improving what I have or building something better or redesigning a functional space. So, sometimes I bite off more-than-I-can-chew projects… I’ll be honest with you, painting my …

DIY: Autumn Homemade

So Autumn is here and as my engineer astronomy-enthusiast father likes to remind me with the change of season, “The Autumnal Equinox will take place and then it will be officially Autumn. I will be happy to announce it to you the day it happens.” Thank you, Dad, for always staying in synch with the forces of nature, as it were. I am sort of “in touch” myself here on the other side of the mountain.

Clay: Sculpted for Purpose

“I am the clay and He is the Potter” … While in high school, I took local college courses; I was mostly focused on completing the fundamental first year academics before transferring to a small Christian liberal arts college, but I took a couple art classes, because I have always loved art and my brain spins creativity constantly. For some strange reason that I don’t remember, I hesitated to sign up for a sculpture class, but my designer/builder brother practically begged me to take the class, knowing that it would broaden my horizons and teach me skills that I didn’t have; I finally agreed within a couple weeks of the fall semester – a decision which merited me a huge brother hug, some of my most treasured “in-my-head” creative moments, and many life-lessons about the world and myself …  

DIY: Plywood Painting

Two years ago when we were planning our wedding, I really wanted to have a personal painting displayed for our guests to sign. My original intent was to paint this design. Alas, I ran out of time due to my bridal haze and due to investing more energy in preparing our new abode. But, several months later, the plywood board that I swiped at Lowes for $6 became the inspiration for another abode project. While staring at the wood square and trying to imagine other possible potentials, I noticed that the grains and shades formed a picture. My imagination is quite vivid, and it seems in my dreams that I am drawn to places. I am always drawn to calm, serene places. What I envisioned in the wood was the sunset over the ocean… I started messing around with acrylics and water to create a stain wash. I didn’t sand or prime this plywood piece; I just wiped and pressed the stain onto the raw wood grain, which required several coats. Great ideas come to …

DIY: Nature's Scraps

Project reveal! I mentioned the other day in this post that I’d finally completed one of my little crafty endeavors… It’s a winter wreath made up of “nature’s scraps”: I picked a bunch of pine branches from the backyard; stuck in craft feathers; wrapped the center in floral tape (left over from my wedding); and used craft wire to secure it. Since I already had most of the supplies, I think the total cost was $5. Voila!