shout out 4 an inspiring friend's blog

I had the pleasure of meeting C. McNair Wilson a couple years ago and I can honestly say he was memorable, charming and downright inspiring.  He's a corporate creativity coach and speaker who gives one heck of an entertaining presentation!  I like to check out what he's up to on his blog every so often and I'm sure you will too.   He has some incredible stuff up there currently for all us doodle lovers!  I got to peruse through one of his sketch/doodlebooks when I met him and it was FANTASTIC.  They should be published.  

Sneak a peek here!

Cheers to the creative inspiring souls in the world and all that they do!

michele.

dropcloth decor and do it yourself magazine

It's a colorful material that gets created randomly while you work. It's an unexpected, unplanned BONUS. The designs, the color combinations, the textures.....all created without purpose, without direction.

The dropcloths that lie beneath your work can be transformed into upholstery, throw pillows, paintings, purses and more.

Launder them.

Press.

And use as you would any other material from the fabric store. Work with the designs as they are or play them up further by embellishing.

I've loved this project for years, and I'm excited to learn if others out there share an enthusiasm for these dropcloth beauties. I shared some idea starters in the latest issue of the Do It Yourself Magazine (summer 2010). (An inspiring read that is filled with creative projects front to back..pick one up today or better yet, start your subscription and get it delivered right to your house every quarter!)

Cheers to the art of repurposing!

michele.

for no reason at all.

Ever feel like sitting down and doing something for no reason at all? Something that has no direction or purpose?  You just have an urge to go to your creative space and CREATE.  Doing something mindless ironically enough is a great exercise in helping me become more mindful. To recharge. 

One exercise I like to do every so often is to just sit down with:

• one canvas
  
• one tool (committing to only one brush or palette knife adds to the experience)
  
• a big pile of paint
  

and to just start moving it around.  

All mixing happens on the canvas. 

Rinsing or wiping your tool now and then is optional.

Just watching colors move, intertwine and blend is mesmerizing, inspiring and uplifting.

Witnessing the textures that erupt 'feels' GREAT.

Who knows what you'll come up with....and who cares.....it's the process that is the reward.  

BUT I'm willing to bet, 

you WILL end up with something that makes you smile..

you WILL end up with some sort of 'takeaway' that ends up in another project..be it a technique, color combination, etc.

and 

you WILL want to do this mindless, yet mindful exercise more often.  

I know I do.

Cheers!

michele.

 

too many ideas scattered about in too many books

Every one of you creative, idea-driven individuals can probably relate to this......I LOVE blank books...sketchbooks, notebooks, college ruled, no ruled, graph, spiral, hardback, large, small.......and I've developed a habit out of having a book with me at all times, to capture ideas as they happen.  (if you don't write them down as they appear, they're likely to be lost forever, you know!) :) The problem with that is that I have WAYYYYYY too many books going at any given time.   Sometimes if I'm traveling, I grab a smaller one to have with me;  if I'm in the studio, I love having the large ones nearby; If I'm in a hurry and can't find the one I was last using, I grab whatever's close by; if I'm bored and looking for a fresh start, I grab a shiny new one (whether I've filled the other ones or not)....cuz we all know the feeling that a brand new, crisp sketchbook can bring....I have no rhyme or reason to the books I use, to how the ideas get organized....so guess what?  Whenever I need to go back and find something, it's a daunting time-stealing task. Sometimes I end up actually leafing through ALL the books searching for something I KNOW I jotted down ideas for.......only to come up empty....SOOOOO frustrating.  (It is however always an inspiring exercise to go back and look through the pages of our idea books, so time spent is not a total loss)  

My question is this....how do you keep track of all your ideas so that you have quick reference to them?  To rip out the pages and do some sort of filing system would somehow KILL the whole idea capturing process for some reason...not to mention the comfort and excitement that comes from watching the books pile up, knowing that there are zillions of ideas, thoughts, doodles and drawings captured between the sheets.  On those 'blank' days, it's like having money in the bank!  Creating some sort of scribbled index in the beginning of each book would be a bit of an extra job, but maybe that's the route I need to go...... 

Do you have a method to your creative madness that you'd be willing to share?!  Would love to hear about it.

 

Cheers to blank books just waiting for us to grab hold and fill!

michele.

s.m.i. welcomes.....

Tarah Sissing to 408 Grant...she's a long way from home (Holland.....Michigan) and joining us for an adventurous internship this summer. Whoo! Hoo! Welcome to the team, my friend! (look at her....she's already taking a project and running with it...love that!)

Cheers to creative interns everywhere!

michele.

my new love for barbed wire

I have about 1 hour of time and Zero dollars invested in a couple of pretty sweet sculptures we just created for the front yard.  

A friend of mine told me she had some barbed wire by her dumpster, thought maybe I could do something with it and when I went to check it out....it was love at first sight.   I took one look and knew what I wanted to do.

The combination of rock and rusty metal is a nice contrast to the plants and they should easily stand the test of outdoor time.  Once I got going I had all kinds of ideas for them, so I'll be keeping my eyes wide open!  I quickly used up all the balls I had and am now hoping I stumble upon a few more down the road. 

 

If someone offers you barbed wire...TAKE IT!  Roll it up in a ball and get creative.  We simply drilled some holes in the limestone rocks using a hammer drill (surprisingly very easy tool to use and drilling through limestone is a cinch) and used rebar to hold things in place.  

SUPER, SUPER easy and FAST!  

 

Cheers to my friend Misty for having such great stuff sitting by her dumpster!

michele.

yard games

I've always enjoyed creating games. It just naturally makes the project that much more playful. Thought I'd share one that I created several years ago so all of you could have some fun with it, too!  Having an arsenal of yard games at your disposal makes your outdoor parties that much more ENTERTAINING.

OVERSIZED PICKUP STICKS:

(You can adjust to make various sizes simply by using different dowel diameters and lengths....A small scale set out of bamboo skewers is another option!)  

• For my set, I used 36" wooden dowels that are a quarter-inch in diameter. 
  
• You’ll need 30 for a full set.
• Sand down the ends so they taper to a blunt point.  If you have access to a bench sander, it will make the job even easier.  Another option is to simply whittle down the end first to shape and then hand sand. 

• Measure up about 8 inches on each end and paint them in the appropriate colors.  To define the painted ends, go around the dowel with a woodburner. 
  

You’ll need:
(1)  Black
(8) Green
(7) Red
(7) Yellow
(7) Blue

• For the storage container, I took a piece of heavy cardboard tubing, capped off the bottom with a piece of wood and decked out with visible scoring info and a playful comic strip collage!
  

Easy and FUN!

Cheers, and as I like to say with all game projects... "Let the Games Begin!"

michele.

colorful, creative snack for the day

Serve up your art mediums in something new, my friends!

Old snack trays are a good choice. Their built in dividers and companion cups for rinse water or other additives make these vintage housewares a wonderful addition to the art studio that can get reused time and time again.

Worn out cookie sheets. Place a wet sponge at one end and your paints/mediums at the other. Work off the cookie sheet itself or line it with waxed paper. A convenient way to mix things, moisten your brushes and it too is a paint palette that can be used over and over again.

Divided storage containers with lids. These little plastic beauties are a better environment for my art supplies than my food, so I like to use them for mixing paints/mediums when I know I'm going to be working on something for an extended period of time. The airtight lids make it a cinch to store things for a few days without drying out.

Cheers to creating...and, to taking time for a colorful snack now and then!

michele.

mystery additions

Yes, I have a fascination with "character" decor, let's call it.  Portraits, mannequins, heads.....creepy to some...... personable, quirky and fun to others like myself.  I have them grouped together in various places and I've started to notice 'new additions' that I did NOT add.   For instance, this little bust of JFK (I think that's who it's supposed to be) suddenly appeared on the mantel.  

Not sure how long he's been there, or who the character is that made the contribution. Have to admit...very funny....and even though he's not exactly something I would've necessarily picked to add to the collection, I'm considering letting him hang around just because it makes me laugh.  I obviously need to keep a closer eye on my visitors not for fear of what they'll 'take', but rather what they're leaving behind. The things that make you go hmmmmmmmm?!

Anything showing up unannounced at your place?

Cheers to the unexpected.

michele.

do it yourself magazine

Celebrate summer with our friends over at the Do It Yourself Magazine.   They've put together another fun spread of ideas that are yours for the taking.  

They shared our toolbench vanity project in this one and we just wrapped up another colorful shoot for their fall issue the first part of the week.  

They 'work it up' over at that magazine compiling ideas from one end of the country to the other just for YOU...Pick one up, give it a read, get inspired and then take your own creative action, my friends!   

Cheers to the excitement new reading material brings!

michele.