Creativity

I think creativity is something most people have.  I'm not saying that we all use our creativity because that would not be true.  But creativity does not mean that you are going to paint a masterpiece or that you can design a formal gown for your next event.  Creativity is all around us!  It is in taking the leftovers in your fridge and making a new meal.  It is swapping up the clothes in your closet to create a new outfit with different accessories.  Creativity is rearranging the furniture in your living room, hanging pictures on the wall.

So why do we hesitate to be creative?  There are some places where creativity is not really needed.  I certainly do not want my accountant using creative math on my balance sheet, nor would I want the driver beside me to decide that she needed to choreograph her next stunt on the highway.  But sometimes, creativity is just what we need to solve problems, to think outside our little boxes.

Do you have ways of fostering that sort of creative problem solving?  What about ways to foster creativity in your arts and crafts endeavors?  How do you learn to trust what your creativity is telling you?  Are you afraid of failing?  When it comes to arts, I don't believe that we truly have failures.  I think of those things are learning experiences and teaching tools to share with others.  Sometimes they are happy accidents that lead me down a path to new explorations.  If I hadn't tried to do something new, I wouldn't be where I am now.

Sometimes, we just need to let that creative voice loose and let it try something new.  It may not work, but it might be something even better.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation!

With the kids going back to school tomorrow, I thought it might be appropriate to review my summer crafting.  I am surprised by how much actually got done.  I do not have pictures of everything so I need to remedy that!  This has certainly been one of my favorite tools this summer!

Singer, a photo by theresplendentbeauty on Flickr.

I made a skirt for my younder DD which is chronicled here.  This helped me develop some ruffling skills which will be important going into the fall season.  Next I made a pleated skirt for my older DD.  I do not have a picture or blog post about this one but will try to rectify later.  Again, pleating skills may be necessary for this fall.

I took a break from sewing and crocheted three hats for Uganda as part of a mission project at my church.  These were fun to do and I hope to make another 3 or 4 later this fall.  It turned into a family affair and my aunt joined in the project too.



I found a great tutorial for Tunisian crochet and taught myself how to do that!  It turned out to be simple and fun.  It just required a special crochet hook.  It was quick to do too.  I blogged it here.

I took a break from crocheting and made some fun jewelry for the girls which is blogged here.  These were so fun to make!  I made another one this past weekend for my youngest DD to give as a birthday present.

I discovered that my die cut machine (lever type) would actually cut fabric this summer.  I put this information into practice to make this!  I need to explore this idea further.

Then somewhere in the midst of the other things, I found my old quilting project and finished up an applique square.  My bad quilt flashback was blogged here.  You never know when that applique skill might come in handy.

Then I started back to sewing with phone covers.  These things are so fun to make!  I blogged about them here and here.

Then, because I needed the skill, I made a zipper case for my youngest DD.  I need to photograph it for the blog still.  I am going to make one (hopefully tonight) for my oldest DD.   Putting in zippers has been a sticking point for me when sewing but no more!  Not that 2 zippers makes me an expert in any way, shape or form!

When I look back at this list, I am amazed!  I am so glad that I have blogged most of it to help me remember so much of what has been done!  I don't think I have ever gotten so much done in a summer!
I will be armed with all kinds of new sewing skills for this fall!  Why is that so important?  I can answer that easily!  My youngest DD should be a clown this year (if auditions go well!) and the costumes are so (and sew!) important.  In years past, I have relied on friends to help.  This year, one of them is moving to Phoenix for at least a year.  The move is our loss and Phoenix's gain.  There are others who will step up and help but I really want to try to do as much of it as I can myself.

So what's next?  Well besides the zipper case, I have an apron in the works, more phone covers planned and some more quilting to do with a more modern color scheme.  I cannot wait!