Entries from: January 2013
Creative Every Day Theme for February: Light
January 29th, 2013, Comments (16)
At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. For the month of February 2013, the theme will be Light.
As always, this month's theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is totally optional. Use it if it inspires you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between. You can sign up for the 2013 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime. More info can be found here and the sign-up page is here.
I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:
- *Get out in the sunshine. I know it may be cold in your world, but the sunshine is good for you. Let it inspire your work.
- *Write about how light or lack there of impacts you.
- *Fill your space with different kinds of light as you create. Light some scented candles. Let the atmosphere inspire you.
- *Paint with the colors of the sun.
- *Draw and/or doodle with a light-hearted attitude. Have some fun!
- *Create something that will light up someone else's day. A special meal, a sweet valentine, a bunch of gerber daisies?
- What makes you feel lighter? Movement, releasing your thoughts through words, painting, talking to someone? Add more of what makes you feel light this month.
How to use the CED themes:
If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.
Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.
And have fun with it!
People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within. ~Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
p.s. The art above is adapted from Spring Thaw. Prints are available here.
Creative Every Day Check-In: January 28 – February 3
January 28th, 2013, Comments (16)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign-up for the 2013 Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 1/28/13 - 2/3/13.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2013!
Theme: January's totally optional theme is Dark, which you read more about here. February's theme will be up tomorrow (Tuesday)!
Happy Creating!
Projects done in the dark of night
January 25th, 2013, Comments (8)
Going along with the dark theme, here are some projects I've been working on in the dark of the evening and a project I want to start bringing to light!
We did a very late Christmas celebration at my house this year with my family. I'd been wanting to make wreaths for the first time this year and I'm so glad I gave it a go! The first one, I'm so excited about. It was kind of tediious, but I didn't mind it at all. It was kind of relaxing tying all those ribbon bows to fill up this wreath for our front door. I ended up using a lot more ribbon than the instructions suggested, but that may have been because I just eyed the length of the ribbon for each bow.
The second was a simple cardboard frame with paper layered on top to create a pattern. I used it to decorate our wall of holiday cards.
This was a gift made for my step-mother, who likes my Itty Bitty Kitty paintings and once owned a Himalayan cat. It's just 4"x4" on panel. I've got other Itty Bitty Kitties for sale here.
And this...was my childhood dollhouse build by my grandpa for my third birthday. It is in rough shape. I'm hoping to clean it up and have the beginnings of decoration in place for Annabelle's 2nd birthday in May.
Creative Every Day Check-In: 21 – 27
January 21st, 2013, Comments (19)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign-up for the 2013 Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 1/21/13 - 1/27/13.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2013!
Theme: January's totally optional theme is Dark, which you read more about here.
Happy Creating!
Linky Love
January 15th, 2013, Comments (5)
Things to share today!
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1. The amazing Leonie Dawson invited me to do a guest post over at her blog about my work with her 2013 Create Your Incredible Life Workbook. Thank you, Leonie. You rock!
2. I have an interview and some art in the latest issue of Sprout Online Magazine that is being released today! It's an issue all about inspiration! Perfect if you're needing a little pick-me-up this month.
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3. I got the Traveling Waves CD in the mail (with my painting Whale Dreams on the cover.) How cool!
4. That's all I've got for today. We had the most amazing weather yesterday. Felt like Spring. Ahhh, l love a little breather in the middle of winter! Annabelle enjoyed it too!
Creative Every Day Check-In: January 14 – 20
January 14th, 2013, Comments (23)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign-up for the 2013 Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 1/14/13 - 1/20/13.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2013!
Theme: January's totally optional theme is Dark, which you read more about here.
Happy Creating!
She Dreamed of the Sea
January 11th, 2013, Comments (12)
Another feature of the Dark, is a time to dream. I think I was inspired to create this dreaming piece in part because I wonder about what my little girl is dreaming about. I pictured her soft blankets, that she's become so attached to, like a landscape/dreamscape for her imagined worlds.
This piece is 6"x6" on panel. The blanket was created with collage first, then the entire piece is worked into with acrylic paint and ink.
She Cast a Colorful Shadow
January 9th, 2013, Comments (12)
I haven't painted since I painted the 20 Little Lights piece the evening of the Sandy Hook shooting. I think I poured a lot of myself into that piece and the printing of prints of it as I've been raising funds. It took a lot out of me. Plus, it's holiday season and the darkest time of the year. This is definitely not my favorite time of year. I want to hibernate. But, I'm glad I have the Challenge to remind me to be creative in all the little ways (like the cardboard forts I've been making, new recipes, holiday decorations, and silly dances with my daughter.) And I'm also glad I got back to making some art.
I know some people were scared or even turned off a bit by the dark theme. I get it, I do! But the dark also has beauty. In the darkest places, the stars are brightest! The darker times of year are wonderful for hot chocolate, warm blankets, snuggling with cats, and cozy slippers. Dark times are a good time to go within, to dig deep. One of my favorite quotes is: In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer. -Albert Camus.
The piece above is acrylic and ink on watercolor paper. It was inspired in part by the quote above and in part by all the potential that is quiet and underground, but still pulsing and ready to transform once Spring arrives.
Creative Every Day Check-In: January 7 – 13
January 7th, 2013, Comments (26)
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign-up for the 2013 Challenge here!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 1/7/13 - 1/13/13.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter or Instagram you can use the hashtag #CED2013!
Theme: January's totally optional theme is Dark, which you read more about here.
Happy Creating!
The Mister Linky widget was down last night for maintenance, so I'll have it up as soon as possible. In the meantime, feel free to leave links in the comments! And it's back! Sorry for the delay!
Giveaway! Hooray!
January 4th, 2013, Comments (66)
I love a good giveaway, don't you? And this one is fantastic. Leonie just contacted me to ask if I'd like to give away a combo-pack of her Create Your Incredible Business and Life Workbook to a Creative Every Day reader!! So you'd get both the Life and Business editions! Wowza!
To win, leave a comment below (by Monday at noon EST) with one hope you have for the New Year. I'll randomly select the winner from your entries! Good luck!
Thank you to all who entered!! The randomly selected winner was entry #52, Nandita! I will be contacting you shortly!
