Inspiration Wednesday - The Road Home

My latest custom order was a labor of love.

Inspired by the classic tale The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.

The story simple, the inspiration timeless.

Dorothy and her dog Toto are caught in a tornado's path and somehow end up in the land of Oz. Here she meets some memorable friends and foes in her journey to meet the Wizard of Oz who everyone says can help her return home and possibly grant her new friends their goals of a brain, heart and courage.

10 Ways to Inspire Creativity

Everyone can get into a creative slump. Here are ten ways to stimulate your creative juices and generate fresh inspiration.

Create art in a new place
Grab your sketchbook and head to a part of town you usually don't visit and plop down on a curb, bench or car hood and start to draw what you see.

Try something new
Do you usually paint in oils? Try pastels. Draw anime? Try drawing flowers. Do you work with leather? try cotton or burlap.

Read
Try reading something totally different from what you usually do, even if it is just a magazine article on an unusual subject. Keep doing this at least once for several days. The new and different information will get your mind thinking about new subjects, unlocking new avenues for creativity.

Go back to your roots
Think about what you used to draw or create as a child. Try your hand at it again, using crayons, of course. This exercise moves your mind from the strain of "adult art" and allows it to be more creative in the process. All the while you are still creating art that may be used as preliminary sketches for something more grand.

Go Radical
Don't just try a different medium, try a virtual medium! If you've never dabbled in computer art of any kind, now is the time to give it a try. You don't need to buy fancy software.

Teach
We artists are so into learning new techniques that sometimes we forget it is also important to switch gears and teach. This will put your mind on a totally new track for a while. I'm not saying you have to go out and teach to a classroom of students. There are many sites on the internet with forums where artists can share their ideas and takes on techniques.

Get Chatty
Creating can be a lonely, solitary job sometimes. Get out and talk with others about your craft or join an online chat group. Your brain may be crying out for conversation

Rewind
Instead of trying to make something new, look at something old. Go through your old sketchbooks, portfolio, and finished art pieces. Maybe revisit and old piece and re-do it.

Take a mental break
Do something other than obsess about your creative block. Go for a walk, go eat lunch, get some errands done. The important point is to get your mind on something else to give your subconscious time to work on the problem. You may find an idea just comes to you while you're doing something else.


Give yourself a blank slate
Cleanse your mind by cleansing your mistakes. Erase a botched drawing. Paint over a fouled oil. Rip out and toss a fizzled sketch, tear apart that botched blouse.

Three Ways to Overcome Winter Blues

“Winter Blues”
The mere mention of it has me stirring in my seat today.
Have you ever met someone that has no idea what you're talking about when you rant about it? Its a very exclusive club. You know who they are. The people who don’t feel blue whatsoever during the winter months. You can easily recognize them.They’re the ones running around with their Starbucks, all bundled up and smiling when someone says there’s snow in the forecast. However, dealing with the “Winter Blues” is a very real problem for many people including me. So here are three suggestions that I have followed from time to time when I feel like driving off the road after two hours on that snowy road to work.

First and foremost here are three "DONTS" that will bring you way down.
1. Don't coop yourself up. If you pull the curtains, close the blinds and don’t get out of the house unless it’s an emergency....DONT!!
2. Don't dwell on warmer climates and warmer months. Stop setting beach scenes as your wallpaper and getting misty eyed each time you look at it. DONT!!
3.  Don't complain until your lungs give out. I'm not talking about the "baby its cold outside" phrases. Its winter and yes its cold. I'm talking about the full belly aches and nag attacks that you drop on your co-workers and friends until you feel like a big pity party complete with vodka! We all do it....I did my share 30 minutes ago. DONT!!

So here they are.

1. Fall in love with the season! Okay, if you’re feeling blue, this may seem like a stretch – but your happiness depends upon your open mindedness.  Remind yourself of the things that only come around when Mother Nature turns down the thermostat:  NFL, hockey, homemade soup, bread, chili, Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, college football, college basketball, prime time premieres, skiing, snowmen, sledding, apple cider, hot chocolate,  no yard work. Watch DVDs, play Scrabble, Uno, Life, Trivia Pursuit, or Monopoly.  Grab the most difficult looking jigsaw puzzle in town and set up a special table just for it.  My mom would do that every winter. In fact she's probably doing one now. 
2. Talk about it. Grab someone’s ears and talk through your feelings, even if it’s dog's ears.  I talk to myself on my two hour drive home. By the time I reach home I have exhausted those pent up emotions and feel less inclined to take it out on the ones I love. Sometimes, when we let our emotions have their say, we’ll find out what’s at the heart of the matter.  The root of the blues may be a case of grief.  Winter often brings a longing for people who have passed away. People make the mistake of thinking that talking about these loved ones makes the feelings worse. Au contraire!  Talking about loved ones we miss keeps them alive in our minds and hearts. Sometimes I pull out old recipes from my grandmother and bake, bake, bake! Why not? I'm certainly not going to turn that oven on in the summer months!
3. Get out of the house and, most definitely, get out of the office. Try to keep things as normal as possible.  If you enjoyed a daily walk at lunch time during the warm months, bundle up and waddle around the trail in the cold months.  The sunshine, such as it is, will do you as much good as the activity will.  Getting regular doses of both does a body good.. One of the many things I love about winter is the eagerness of the birds. Sometimes on a snowy Sunday morning I listen for the birds as they wake up. I revel when its time to walk to the mailbox and grab the Sunday paper. My little dog Jack waddles along side me and we both take in the world as it wakes up for the day...snow and all.

Also, change the way you look at things, if possible.  For example – it’s not cold, it’s  brisk!  You aren’t freezing your butts off, you’re being rejuvenated!  You don’t hate the frigid conditions, you embrace the wintriness! Okay, I hear your laughter and detect a frosty attitude. I just went outside to mail a package and I saw that it’s starting to snow again.  This calls for a celebratory cup of  tea! Now get out there and have fun with winter.

Studio News - March 3rd 2011

It's Friday and I'm already working on my weekend schedule in the studio.

Several wedding clutches and laptop bags just waiting to take a ride on my sewing machine.

I'm hoping the sun is good to me this weekend as I have many new bags to add to my lovely Etsy Store!

I was handed a wonderful opportunity to create a tote based on the characters from the Wizard of Oz.

I have been sketching and sketching and I think Ive come up with the right concept.

My thought is to have Dorothy and her trio of friends skipping down the yellow brick road on the front side.

On the back side have them heading toward the beautiful emerald city. I plan to hide little elements such as the witch, toto and the ruby slippers throughout the bag. This is a work in progress.Stay tuned.

Behind the Seams - Pincushions

How many of you have one of these in your sewing room or repair basket?

If you look around my design room you will see pincushions in various shapes, sizes and colors. I have been making and collecting them for as long as I can remember. For me they serve many uses. Opposite the obligatory pin catching, they can be quite whimsical and inventive. Many of us spend several hours a day in our sewing rooms. The subtle nuance of an interesting piece of art that you impale your pins into can be just the mental vacation one needs.

For me, it all started while working in a small alterations room many years ago.  I didn’t have a pincushion so I stuffed an old teddy bear face down into a coffee can with his legs and bottom hanging out. That poor creature suffered my wrath everyday for 3 years. It brought me many hours of joy when my 70 year old boss winced at each stabbing. I digress.

Pincushions have been a staple in sewing rooms everywhere for centuries. Their value serves in both function and art.

The first pincushions were first recorded in history during the Tudor reign in 15th century England. Metal pins were a very costly and precious item in those early days. Before the 15th century pins were kept in small cases made of bone, ivory, or silver.

During the Tudor era, simple stuffed shapes started to be used instead of the cases. Fabric too was highly valued. Scraps were used for both quilting and pincushions. They began by being made of colorful and elaborately decorated silks and linens, replete with tassels and laces. During the Victorian era there was a great deal of emphasis on the parlor room and it became the perfect place in which to display the novelty pincushions of the era. Pincushions were made in the shape of shoes, fans, dolls, teacups, umbrellas, fruits, and vegetables. They were hung on the walls or placed on occasional tables.

Today there are entire shops, blogs and books devoted to these whimsical and timeless treasures. Here are a few:

Softies Central - Blog

The Purl Bee - Blog

Details by Des - Etsy Store

Making Fabulous Pincushions - book by Jo Packham

What does all of this mean to you? How about a challenge? Send me your pictures and stories of your favorite pincushion. Where does it sit and where did it come from? Did you make it yourself? Be inventive! There is always a story behind the seams…

Choosing Your Wedding Colors

There's no question: choosing wedding colors is one of the earliest, trickiest tasks a bride has to cross off the list. You can't even talk to your florist until you've worked this out.
And even if you're getting the cake from Sylvia Weinstock, she's not going to ask you whether your wedding theme draws elements from a14th century Venetian Court dress ... she'll ask you about your colors.

Generations ago, planning a wedding was a lot easier. It expressed your social class, and your parents' tastes. Even if they had particular ideas, the market couldn't offer much in terms of individual design. But today your wedding expresses your personal style in a way it never has before. Translation? The pressure's on!!




Image from the Perfect Palette

 
Working out Your Style
Some brides can solve the color question without thinking too much about style. They might have a life-long love for purple. Or, their venue might have strong hues they need to coordinate with. Or, when they picture their wedding, they already see their bridesmaids in certain colors. Sometimes they already have a theme in mind.

For others, it's not that simple. Still, you can quickly pin down the styles that get your heart beating almost as fast as your fiancé does. Does Martha command your undying devotion? Do you pray you can someday actually subscribe to H&M magazine? Does Vera Wang's collection make you faint? This should give you some major clues.




Image from Wedding Rings Review


What is Your Personal Style?
Even if you don't consider yourself a fashionista or a Martha devotee, all's not lost. Instead, let's turn our eyes back to your personal style.

Many brides aren't just looking forward to a wedding, they're also buzzing with anticipation over the dream house or apartment they plan to share with their new partner. And in the process of hunting down this love nest, most spend alot of time mulling over their personal style. What did you picture in your mind's eye as the right setting for your new life together? A rangy colonial with a gabled roof? A warm, log-sided farmhouse with a wood stove in the kitchen? Or did you dream of finding a downtown loft bursting with recessed lighting and monochromatics, and flip through the new IKEA catalog to pick out your cabinets?
Do you dream of filling your home with antiques you can pass down to your children? Look to seasonal-inspired color schemes. A fairytale wedding drenched in candelabras, gold braid and gauzy swags might fit the bill. Collect exotic objects from all over the world? Try an art museum for your setting, and a sophisticated or daring palette.

Your Hidden Style
So, you know your domestic style is Contemporary. Congratulations: that means you're holding a black-and-white wedding with honeysuckle pink accents and ostrich feathers in a huge SoHo gallery, right?

Not Exactly. Why? Many brides, at least the ones I've met, have a hidden style that exists in a universe all by itself. You might be thrilled with picking out Art Deco style globes for your pendant lighting. And yet, when it comes to your wedding, you might picture something a lot more traditional.
So even if you're the most fashion-forward person on the block, take a moment to consider whether your wedding vision doesn't actually go back in time by a few hundred years. You might secretly harbor a special place in your heart for Fall, Victorian, English cottage style, or even fairy tales. And if that's true, you've got plenty of company. But here's a secret: go get your dress FIRST.

Start with the Dress
For many brides, The Dress is a journey that starts with many preconceptions, but ends in the unexpected. Finding the dress is usually a case of recognizing it once you've tried it on, not knowing ahead of time what you'll wear.
And once you've found it, the dress will offer some big clues about your Romantic style. Raptured by a demure ivory gown covered in Alençon lace, with a button-back closure? Start your search with pastels and neutrals that suit a 1930's vintage or feminine garden wedding. Did you fall hard for a sleek, diamond white v-neck that's all about curves? Investigate the crisper, more playful palettes we see today, such as black and white, aqua, bright pinks, lime green and corals.




Image from Weddings in Hawaii


Logistics, Logistics, Logistics
Now that you've unearthed your personal style, it's time to look Forward. If your style's traditional, for example, start with a hotel ballroom. If you want a strong seasonal feel for fall, try a rustic barn. Cultivated gardens go well with traditional, Martha-esque tints. Tents weddings are a blank slate: you can make them as classic or brazenly modern as your heart desires.

Location, too, plays a role in your colors. Tropical affairs in the blinding sun are often showcases for the brightest hues of all: coral and orchid, for example, or aqua and orange. Evening white-tie affairs in New York City? Not so much.
Many brides are in the middle, and want to weave in at least a seasonal hint. Fortunately for them, most seasons have palettes both traditional and modern. For example, a classic summer wedding might feature cornflower blue or sage, where a modern one draws on fuchsia and lime green, or orange, pink and black.
Even flowers help set the style. For example, a profusion of pinks in a bouquet of roses and peonies says English cottage. Mini-sunflowers and chrysanthemums says New England country. On the other hand, the color blocking in a hand-tied bouquet of purple callas is strongly modern.

Color Tools
Now that you've got a style in mind, let's get to the art of actually picking colors. Here are a few can't-miss tools:

Color Schemer. You'll need to create a free account, but this wonderful site has user-created palettes aplenty that you can search by keyword. Once you've registered, hit the "search schemes" button and enter words that fit your vision, like "fall,""garden," "sunset," "winter." Or free-associate with adjectives like "nautical," "peaceful," "modern," "preppy" or even "trendy." I promise, you'll be hooked.
Sherwin-Williams Color Generator. Hit their site, and choose "FIND COLOR." Click on any color that draws you, and you'll automatically pull up two accent colors that complement it. Cool.
Big Huge Labs Palette Generator. Have a photo on your hard drive that seems to capture your wedding's heart and soul? Upload it to a palette generator, which will kick out most of the main hues involved. Unless you're on the beach, use one of the more neutral, calming colors as a primary (e.g., use it for bridesmaids or table linens), and the more nervous, high-energy colors as accents (use these in table napkins, chair sashes, ribbons, and some of your flowers.)
Make an Idea Board. Once you've narrowed down some favorites, start grabbing photos (for your own personal use, of course). Make a special folder on your hard drive, and save photos that seem to fit the colors, setting and season you're going for. If you've got any photo editing software, start putting them together in one big image. This will tell you more than thousands of words how your look will play out.

Tighten Your Choices
Now that you've got your colors, how can you really make them shine? A problem that plagues some brides is an oversized fear of chaos. Although it's simple, most weddings aren't at their best when the groomsmen's vests and ties exactly match the bridesmaids' gowns, which in turn match the bride's sash.

So, choose your colors wisely and stick with them, but strive for designing more than matching. Brown and ivory are neutrals when chosen thoughtfully, so use their many shades for a sophisticated, monochromatic look. If the bridesmaids wear mocha or persimmon, the men will look great in chocolate brown. And even if the flowers call for a palette of orange and yellow, let a little green or cream sneak in for dimension. Check for too much of a good thing: when the entire wedding party wears matching brown or black, the effect can be overpowering.

Being Happily Ever After

Picking your colors is a journey, just like finding the dress, or working all those planning items off your checklist. But finding the right colors, theme and setting for the ultimate expression of your own Romantic style? That can be the pleasure of a lifetime.