Lettergirl

15 on the 15th.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Wandering around the house with the Hipstamatic:

the photo wall I started last summer...and hope to continue until the whole wall is full :: my favorite buttons from Santa Fe (on Forest's duvet) :: my nightstand (can't quite get into No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency...my second try) :: an embarrassing richness of Legos :: we finally have a real bed (I love that it is so high off the ground) :: the hallway :: painted swatches last spring & still can't pick a color :: my favorite light fixture :: morning light :: painting in the dining room by an architect friend :: when Forest went through a drawbridge-spy-gadget phase, Pete installed a peephole in his bedroom door :: whenever there's a special vacation (summer, winter) Forest likes to decorate Juliet's room, including the doorway :: games :: Juliet's feet are almost my size...and  now I covet her shoes :: we used the photo board at Forest's carnival birthday party a few years ago, now it's a permanent fixture in the living room (I also want to make a giant fortune wheel for guests to spin)

Stitching Bee.

 
Last night a group of six women stitched their little hearts out in my dining room, courtesy of my cyberpal Rachel.  (Remember Rachel?)  I knew it was going to be a good evening.  And it was.

 
 
 
I envy Rachel's ability to collect interesting friends.  And I envied that all of these women could take an evening to try something new -- away from families and away from home on a blustery evening.  I need to get out more.

And I didn't even stay up late.

One of my strange little obsessions has been creating family stationery -- you know, a family logo that could be used on all of our correspondence.  Well, with that in mind, and Juliet's birthday thank you notes long overdue, I decided to start with a design just for her.  (It helps that she's also the easiest to design for.)

Yesterday I had the unexpected pleasure of a free hour in the evening -- the boys were gone at soccer and Juliet was having some downtime on her own.  I spent a few minutes creating some notes for her with the stamps I designed a couple of weeks ago.

After this, it's up to her.

I had time leftover to put the prints I ordered last week into our family album, and then I was so giddy with accomplishment that after the boys got home, I hauled out my box of Idea File items (from the last 8 months) and filed the lot.  And I didn't even stay up late.  

Next week, I'm starting some changes in my etsy shop; look for new designs in the next few weeks, including both everyday stamps & holiday motifs, as well as some brand spanking new digital options.  (Incidentally I am also featured in an interview here today.)  Happy Weekend.

15 minutes, revisited.

Remember this?

It really was a great idea at the time -- winter, kids in school, a little spare time.  I diligently tidied the linen closet and made an inventory of the freezer.  15 minutes made a difference.  Then:  some extra work, late night play rehearsals & early morning homework, and 15 minutes was hard to come by.  I still have the jar on my desk -- for next winter.

I've often wondered how much time I could reclaim by simply staying up later.  This is in direct contrast to The Happiness Project, where the author determines she'll have more energy by getting more sleep.  I'm pretty good already in the sleep department, maybe it's time to stay up late one night every week or two, just to give some order to my chaos. 

As soon as I had this revelation, I went to my scribbled list of things I want to get to -- things that fit with my overall priorities, that will help make the rest of my day flow more smoothly, but at the same time tasks I enjoy and wish I had time for:

Update my idea file

File recipes

Cut out & paint new reverse applique projects (so I'm all set for family movie night, when I can never keep my hands still)

Make school lunch desserts & freeze

Make gluten free treats to send my brothers (celiac disease runs in my family)

Make family stationery & pre-stamp some envelopes

Blogsurf (I need a couple of hours for The Happiness Project alone)

Create some new playlists

Most of these fit into my priorities in one way or another.

Do you have any systems that work for you?  Or blogs you turn to for advice?  My laundry system works (usually), my grocery system works (generally), my etsy system works (mostly).  I would love to know what brings order to your chaos. 

A week to revisit.

Lake Superior, on a foggy morning

This week I'd like to revisit some projects that have been in-process for awhile:  15 minutes, my kids' scrapbooks, postcard exchange, and recipe repertoire.

There's nothing like a week of vacation to reset your brain -- especially when it's a week away from everything in your house that's broken.  I usually bring a project with me, but panicked at the last minute that I was bringing too much, and left it behind, which meant a lot of leftover time for pondering.

First I thought about that project I wasn't working on.  And then I thought about all those other projects on my list. (Full confession: in addition to my Idea Journal, where I record would-be-projects, I also have a special binder for projects-in-process).  And then when I felt good and overwhelmed, I took a step back to think about my priorities.

Right now, I'm a mom, a wife, a keeper of the nest.  Earlier this summer I had a meeting for a committe I'm on, and after a five-minute recitation of why every night of my whole month was booked, the woman next to me -- older -- said just about any night would work for her.  I was struck with gratitude for my very full schedule -- lucky me to have baseball games and potluck nights and theatre auditions.  That solitude, that free evening I long for -- someday I'll have my share.  But right now, I'm a mom, a wife, a keeper of the nest -- and that comes first.

Second, I do have to earn my living.  (Again, so very lucky that I can earn it in such a joyful way.)

Third, growing.  I have learned a lot in my years as a Danish outlaw (i.e., married to a Dane) -- those Danish Lutherans love to learn.  Last month I attended a lecture on 14th century poetry with my octogenarian in-laws.  I also may have added this priority because I couldn't get this article out of my mind, or these two tidbits:

1. Set aside at least one designated time each week to think creatively, reflectively, strategically or long term. 
2. Take at least a half an hour in the evening to read something challenging and absorbing - an antidote to churning out emails, and racing between websites.

When I'm tempted to start some new something, I have to ask myself first:  does engaging in this project further my biggest goal (which is to stick to my priorities...at least for now)?  I actually feel like I have more freedom with that purpose in mind -- freedom to make meaningful choices and freedom to say no.  Refraining from starting anything new also helped me remember a few ongoing projects that have fallen by the wayside.  I'll take some time each day this week to bring those back into focus.

I'd love to hear about your priorities, your strategies, your projects too.

Guest posts.

I'm taking a break from my creative manifesto today, to let you know about a couple of blogs where I'm guest posting this week:  today I'll be over at Giver's Log, and on Thursday you can find me at Bloom. I have used tips from both of these blogs in just the past week...and have been wishing for a late night to get caught up on all my blog reading.

I'll wrap up parts 5 & 6 of my manifesto over the next two days, then next week I'll share the guest posting love here with our old friends, Gisele, Melissa, Chel, Amelia, and Rachel.  I'm so excited.

I realized after writing the drafts of both of my guest posts that I had snuck in the words "treasure hunt" without even meaning to.  Part of my summer plans with the kids involve starting the season with a clean slate.  Clean your rooms = treasure hunt.  Put away your school supplies = treasure hunt.  Tidy up the craft shop = treasure hunt.  (The "craft shop" is the art area in our house...it's a long story...but we've been calling it that for so long I don't really think twice about it.)

Today feels a bit like January first; school finished up yesterday and today is the first day of summer vacation:  new schedule, new chores, new goals.  I'm pretty excited about summer too.

My creative manifesto, part 4.

My greatest inspiration is the work of other artists, always reinvented Gina-style.  When I attempt to "copy," it never works as well as when I put my own spin on it.  While I can simply admire what some artists do, others inspire me more directly.  A few of my greatest sources of practical inspiration, past and present:

Natalie Chanin

Ali Edwards

Kaffe Fassett

Rebecca Sower

Denyse Schmidt

Keri Smith

Then there are all the books, blogs, pictures, and quotations that inspire me...something I read in the newspaper, an interview with a novelist on public radio, a project on the cover of a magazine.  As Terry wrote so aptly the other day, "I never want the day to end, and wish that sleep were unnecessary."

And it's also nice to have something in common with Rodin.

My creative manifesto, part 2.

 

I can just hear the collective, "Huh?!"  In a nutshell, I'm a practical girl.  Although I haven't fully determined my Style Statement, the word pragmatic often comes to mind.  I like to make things that have purpose.  (This is probably why quilting is such a perfect hobby for me.)

Yesterday I simply stated that I love to create.  I love sewing, baking, keeping scrapbooks.  I could do it all day long, every single day.  The most important statement in my creative manifesto:  I create because I enjoy it, because it makes me feel alive.

Creating means keeping meaningful scrapbooks for my kids.  Not over-creating means not burdening my kids with a whole library full of scrapbooks to store and maintain.  I mentioned yesterday that I turned to my core set of beliefs in order to set parameters when I started Juliet's first scrapbook (almost 12 years ago, sniff sniff).  You can read more about the results here.  I choose to create...but I also want to choose what, when, why I create.

Creating means spending time on the crafts I love.  Not over-creating means not spending all my time crafting so that I forget about the rest of life.  Not to mention, the rest of life provides an awful lot of inspiration.  William Carlos Williams was a poet, but also a doctor.  I like to think the doctor part was a wellspring of inspiration for his creative life.

Creating means trying new techniques and projects.  Not over-creating means not using all the world's resources for my own individual pleasure.  Enter my idea journal.  And the recent revelation that just because I can make something doesn't mean I have to make it.  Supporting other artists feels just as good -- or even better -- as making it myself.  Sometimes I realize that the amount of time spent on a particular project might not be "worth it."

More than any other belief in my system, this is the one I revisit the most.  How will this notion change with experience?  I definitely should have asked Terry about it when I was in Alabama.

My creative manifesto.

These are my personal truths related to my creative process.  Ali Edwards

When I first read Ali's book Life Artist, the concept of developing my own creative manifesto was not really new to me.  I do have things I say in my head over and over.  I do tend to think a new project through before I begin, looking at the big picture.  And sometimes looking at my own big picture helps me figure out whether I should even start a project, or commit it to my idea journal for later, or just abandon it altogether.

For example, I have been keeping scrapbooks off & on since 1978.  Juliet was born in 1998 when the scrapbook industry was just getting revved up, so I knew it was time to take a step back and look at my intentions before I got in over my head.  Why did I want to spend my time on scrapbooks?  I put all my ideas on the table, and gave myself a fresh set of parameters.

A few weeks ago my head was getting so crowded with these very thoughts that I decided it was time to write down my creative manifesto.  I tried to distill those things I say over and over into some basic belief statements; so far I have six, but I am open to this being a work in progress (and to not taking myself too seriously).

 
(my two favorite words in the whole English language)

I love to create.  I had to start here with that simple statement, since it drives all the rest.  I like making things.  I am most alive when I'm in my creative world -- thinking about a new project, planning it, making it, cherishing it.

Tomorrow, #2.

Five things on my mind.

Designing my own fabric at Spoonflower.

Missing the International Quilt Market because I was frantically working/traveling to Alabama. (I chose this particular post because I have kimono-inspired drawings in my idea journal.)

Finding a kindred spirit.

Savoring the everyday.

Dreaming about summer.  Anyone else up for this?