Tuesday, January 04, 2011

10 Creative Things

1. I bought this book by a friend, Noah Scalin, called 365: A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day And Change Your Life. I'm not making something every day and I've barely cracked the surface of what the book has to offer but I'm doing something creative nearly every day and these are some of the elements.

2. I bought yarn needles to finish a coin purse I knitted. Tonight I sewed the edges together.

3. I still need a button to make the closure. Wish I had glittery thread a la Lorelei Gilmore to put it on with.

4. I also bought circular needles because it seems that a lot of the projects I was intrigued by in the books I borrowed needed them. I have no idea if they're the right gauge. They're 5.5. Is that a good gauge?

5. Also bought stitch markers which I hear can be useful.

6. I did not buy a nice, basic set of acrylic paints because though I could find such a thing on the store's web site I could not find them in the physical store. That was disappointing.

7. I've arranged to borrow some brushes from Pony Express.

8. I just want to noodle around with the painting at first. It's been years and years since I did any painting at all. The last thing I painted was a freaking papier mache hard hat for my dog. So I'm actually thinking I'll paint on the insides of cereal boxes and whatnot until I get back in the swing or have any better ideas.

9. I bought reindeer antlers and a santa hat to put on my dog for a big idea I have. Very big. Perhaps I should also have bought myself some follow through.

10. I want to make a terrarium, too. Does anyone know if it's a problem for a terrarium if your cover is metal? I'm looking for the perfect, low cost receptacle to use for it. Has to be low cost because if living things don't make noise I tend to fail them. Probably this is something I should do in the spring.

14 comments:

  1. Go go go!

    re:#4, the answer is, "it depends." (That is almost always the answer, unless it is "I don't know.") re:#5, if you run out of stitch markers, an earring can be helpful.

    re:#6 - did you try the Pratt store?

    re: #10 - I have a Glass Thing you can use as a starter terrarium. You will eventually deserve something nicer - but it is big enough to give plants a chance. Also, stop saying that about your tendency to fail. Doesn't help you, sure doesn't help the plants. You just need a strategy you haven't thought of yet... and by the time you get that sucker planted, I'm guessing you'll be a strategic whiz.

    Oops, sorry - that was unsolicited advice. Another year, another failed resolution...

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  2. I was at the Pratt store, that's why I was so disappointed. Maybe I'll buy online.

    I will need all the strategies and advice you can give me. I have aggressively vegetarian cats, a stifling climate and a distinct fear of killing again.

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  3. I'd be happy if I could be creative even once a week.

    Buttons? I have a bucket of buttons. Well, not literally. But 6 Mason jars of buttons might equal a bucket. What are you looking for? Fake gold, fake silver? Or I've got a hot pink button off of one of my mother's old coats.

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  4. This is my favorite thing today. And I realize it's not even 10AM yet, but I have enough faith in this post that I'm calling it early.

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  5. smalltownmom, it needs to be a coat button, I think, but not a huge one, more of a medium coat button or a large pants button. 3/4" ish maybe? The coin purse is very small and it's a sort of smoky lavender so I'm kind of coveting that pink button you're talking about!

    Chrome, that's very kind of you. Now, do you have any leftover heavy duty fabric you want to get rid of? I have a hankering to make a shoulder bag for dog walking needs.

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  6. I have two very very large panels of a heavy duty khaki velour that were used as room divider curtains that I just put in the Salvation Army bag on Sunday. Still in my apartment. Get it before it's gone.

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  7. man...i'm no good at terrariums with live plants. i've only done "natural" settings for leopard geckos.

    try air plants for your first terrarium, maybe? you can always do a mesh metal cover for it - most fish/reptile stores will have them, but if you know someone with a little wood, some chicken wire, and a staple gun you could always make a lid.

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  8. lots o buttons over here thx to fynn's obsession, i'm sure he'd be glad to have you pick through them ... I have some flat green glitter thread too, might be kinda wide to sew a button on with, but if the holes are big enough? Love the idea of creativity every day, I keep trying to commit to it but any more than the current scenario is good.

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  9. Would Fynn really work with me to find the right button? That would be so nice. Yes please!

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  10. Anyone needing to dispose of buttons - I can help with that, once Fynn's gotten his share ;) Oh, and old, moth-eaten sweaters - I need 'em if you can spare 'em. Noah's book has awesome powers... my first cat-bed from old sweaters isn't even done, but it's been cat-claimed already!

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  11. Sara--I have sweaters in my donation bag as well. I'll dig them all out and arrange to get them to you. Kizz has my contact email.

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  12. Chrome, Sara lives right near me.

    Sara, Chrome is giving me some things from her donation bag as well.

    When Chrome and I get together (this weekend or next) to rearrange our donations and drop off the remainders to the Salvation Army I will take the sweaters as well and take care of getting them to Sara.

    I am so in love with how we're actually using stuff we said we'd make stuff with...or someone else said they'd make stuff with!

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  13. As long as we're requesting things:
    I need miniature flamingos and gnomes.
    Who's got the hook-up on that???

    Yeah...I didn't think so...

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  14. I would be honored to perform the Salvation Army run, as an expression of my gratitude - and Chrome, my gnome-seeking missiles are already in flight. I sense a great imbalance in the donation-bag emptying, which must be remedied...

    Kizz - I was at the Pratt store today on a play date with my gal Em. Saw a couple of sets of acrylics - maybe you are looking for something more/better/different/specific - but I think they were on a level with your posted link. (The selection of paints was insane, but the selection of sets was smaller by a lot.) I got art-store vertigo, so have forgotten the 2 brands I saw in sets. But I'm sure I could find them again.

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