On creativity and the impulse to "make something"

"I just want to make pretty things even if nobody cares".
Many of us have pinned that pictogram onto our boards or put them on our Facebook page.
It captures how we feel when people question our paper crafts hobby.

I've always felt this saying was a tad on the defensive side.
I make things that are pretty and I make things that are... complicated.
I'm proud of both.
I'm also proud to say I am creative- even if no one cares. Laughing!

When fellow scrapper Laura swung by my blog on Moday and commented she wished she could think outside the box more often I wanted to think about my reply.
Mostly I wanted to give encouragement.
And I wanted to say something that would help us both because many times I feel like I lack the creativity gene that so many scrap happy women seem to share.

This page marked a huge departure from the "norm" for me. I'm using pink.
I'm trying to keep things simple and the page thin enough to fit in my 12x12 scrapbook album
I haven't used since 2009. (!!!)  So while this isn' going to win any innovative design awards I love
 it and it's actually hanging over my desk as a reminder that I can and should stop using brown
and black in my pages so much! Plus? HELLO GREEN RIBBON! LOVE!
Materials: Cocoa Daisy September Kit, May arts Ribbon, Pink Paislee wood letters,
October Afternoon and Echo Park papers.

As I told Laura- the act of waking up in the morning and breathing can seem like a crazy out of the box act of pure creativity some days- especially when everything is going pear shape.
So the question is this:
Are you ready to own it?
Your creative talent and unique voice, I mean.
Can you, will you, stand by your impulses when everyone else is insisting "NOPE! That's not how you do that!"
It's a hard road to take.
If you have a lot of friends who also scrap or sew or share your creative pursuit, it can be even harder to stick to your very specific and interesting story.
But I happen to think it's the road you take- the trip- the adventure-
THE RIDE
that actually matters.
So here is the advice I have Laura (who's blog: Who's This Chick? is CRAZY FULL of gorgeous scrapbook pages! Laura you OOZE creativity!)
I changed some parts up because I wrote it so fast I made a bunch of grammatical errors but it's basically the same thing.

I believe everyone is creative! Living life is a series of problems posed and overcome- how you solve that problem and how happy you are with your solution? THAT'S creativity!
I believe the key to personal creative development is being committed to your story. 
That doesn't mean spending thousands of dollars on scrap stuff. 
It doesn't mean taking tons of classes (although education is key).
It means constantly looking at the visual problems your pages pose and saying to yourself- how can I do this differently? 
How can I tell my unique story? 
Stick to scrapping exactly what you know, feel and love and TRUST me- you'll start seeing how creative you actually are.
I'm by no means an expert but I feel like I've come pretty far considering I stared scrapping in late 2009. I've never taken a class. I have no scrappy local friends- everything I do I learned from reading blogs online and thinking "What if I do THIS instead?"
I think my "creativity" isn't a talent but simply not being satisfied with my work and trying out new things.
What I try to do- even when I use sketches- is tell an authentically "me" story and try to do at least 2 things differently with each page- placing the elements of the sketch in different places, using colors I normally wouldn't use or materials I love that the sketch artist omitted.
Lastly, I think you could improve your feelings of creativity by just keeping a running journal of things you tried that you loved. Just noticing things like "I love this ribbon" or "I love pink and light blue together."  can lead to further exploration and a development of a unique style.
Do the same for things you love in other people's pages and you'll see how you'll develop your own "visual language" and start getting all kinds of ideas about what you want to do in your own work.
Swing back and lemme know if it worked!

So with that I'll share this weeks "Photo Inspiration":

A pattern on an "Old Navy" t-shirt- LOVE! Actually scrapping this now!

This is someone's front door! It's welded iron! LOVE the layering!
Will be trying this  (on paper) soon!

Magazines are a great source of inspiration!
Subscribe to at least 1 that isn't scrap or craft related. You don't  have to read it-
just look at the pretty pretty layouts!

I got in some trouble for taking this photo of the Muccia Prada exhibit at the
Metropolitan Museum- don't care- those colors and pattern combos are FABULOUS!
There are museums in your state- visit them!

What do you think makes for a creative person?
What do you do to spark your creativity?
Write it up below- I can always use more tips!!!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Truly beautiful things are wild and free- a watercolor page

Somewhere in Greenpoint, Brooklyn a storefront bears that title across it's window
I will seek out find this store.
I will stand in front of this window and take an ironically posed photo.
I love the poetry of it.

It's freaking 100 degrees out here- hold on- it's been 100 degrees across most of the US this week!  l
Let's all take a collective chill pill.
chillin,' chillin', chilliiiiiin'

I want to go to the newly opened McCarren pool but apparently there was a huge brawl between a bunch of teenagers and the entire lifeguard staff? Like ALL of the life guards.
So yeah, a pass on THAT idea.

A quick page:

Loving those Studio AE stamps. I also used Gauche Alchemy washi tape and rectangle grid punchinella here.
The polka dot border is unnecessary- I was trying to distract you from the uneven borders caused by warping.
I really need to find a way to use water color without having the page that looks like a wet rag!
Plus I love this page. A lot. One of the few I can say that with ZERO caveats.

Some detail shots:

Those Pink Paislee celebration banners are finally used.
I was having a hard time incorporating them- hello- random!
I would like 4 more of the sunburst pieces please- they are so cute!

Awesome handwriting- wish I had it. Apparently copying a page out my
favorite book over and over again will help me develop it.

GRATUITOUS TODDLER SHOT!!!

On the way to the park- new walls went up on Wythe and North 3rd- if you are into street art
I would suggest you take the L train and check it out. Lemme know so we can meet up at my
fave Thai restaurant and chat- I promise I am SO NOT an internet killer.

MuChOS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Kick up your heels with Punky Scraps

Hello there!
It's friday and that means it's time for a new Punky Scraps challenge!
Here is this week's photo inspiration challenge:

Roses, skullies and acid green? YES PLEASE!

Earlier this week I wrote in an "About Me" post that I can't wear heels.
I used to think I just "needed to get used to it".
By "it" I mean the wretched sharp Kudzu KNIVES that LEAP up my instep when I try to wear anything over an inch tall.
So like Peter Jackson- I gleefully sport Birkenstock (but not the cargo shorts- I'm not an Auteur).
It's not hip but HIP can go jump in a hot fuming lake of lava and take it's numerous medieval torture devices with it.
But not THOSE (pointing up). I can look at those foreverrrrrr.
And so I came up with this page (in less than 30 minutes- you can TOTALLY tell right???):

Core Impressions paper is the BOMB!!! Chevron embossing!!! This one is a rather sickly shade of mint green but look what happens when you sand it down a bit and shoot it in open shade! LOVE! There is also light beige one which is incredibly beautiful but only comes in the Pink Paislee Core Impressions Pack (linked- click away). Get the pack, say I.
Materials: Core Impressions Pink Paislee paper, Studio Calico exclusive script alphas, Jenni Bowlin flying bird punch, Basic Grey brads, Making Memories metal ampersand (LOOOOVE!!), Martha Stewart doily and multi butterfly punches, Doodlebug chunky glitter in white and white acrylic paint.

That shoe photo makes me sigh with unrequited materialistic love.
I would get them in Canary Yellow and wear them with snazzy dark wash jeans rolled up to show my fabulous calves.
I have awesome calves.
My ankles are fat though.
But lemme be positive. I have awesome calves.

Not a picture of my calves- that would be weird.
That rules is a sticker from the Dear Lizzy Neopolitan collection.
I wish they would include multiples of some of those designs-
they are so beautiful!!!!

I have 12 pairs of shoes in my closet- a very large collection if you saw how big our apartment was.
I wear TWO pairs.
My Birks from April till November 1st.
My Nike street kicks for the horrible months.
Here is how I look. ALWAYS.

ZOMG! I just love them!!!!

The other pairs are all event related and never see the light of day.
I prefer "events" that don't require I wear inflexible shoes- call me crazy.
If I hear one more fashionista declare that comfortable is ugly I will be very indignant.
Comfortable can be awesome.
Just layer the color and try to stay away from the cheap and stretchy stuff.
Enough said on the subject of "fashion".

GRATUITOUS CUTE TODDLER SHOT!!!!

Can you guess which apartment contains 1 little girl?
The  lobby of fill in the address here. :)

Join us this week over at Punky Scraps- we'd love to see what you come up with.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

December Daily- getting into the ZONE!!!

So I'm groovin' along the December Daily project- it's been great at keeping me in the spirit of the holiday even though I'm not actually making any Christmas presents (like I said I would).
I have to keep in mind that:
1. This is totally voluntary.
2. I don't have to break literary ground with my journaling or take a splendiferous image every single time.
3. I don't have to work in sequence! Just break the rules.

Day 5and 6- I'm finally using some American Crafts glitter paper I loved but was too thick for punching stars from. The small alphas are from Lily Bee- I should have bought 3 pages of the Memorandum ones! Slowly using up my Studio Calico woodgrain Thickers- I really need to get those from the shop before they sell out forever.

Here's my goal- capture the emotion of each day and be present in the moment. I'm usually the kind of Mom who's like "WHAT? Lola can count to 10? Who taught her THAT????" (The answer is ME- I taught her that- but not on purpose)
Yup- disconnected.
So these days I'm paying more attention- not just reading the book aloud but pointing to the pictures and asking "What's that?" Wouldn't you know it- she has all the answers!

Day 7 & 8- you seen page 7 already. I added page 8 and I'm STILL loving those Ormolu tags!!! The 8 is a 99 cent store yellow kraft paper stencil set I LOVE.

Lola is counting to 20 on her own- it's easy to learn when you have 3 flights of stairs to climb each day.
She also knows the basic colors and has favorite shapes! (red square- blue circle- she's not loving hexagons... YET)
She's finally understood the concept of "me". Now it's all "ME ME MEE!!!" when she wants something or "I'm tired!" when she wants attention.
I'm trying to get her to say "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" but she just yells "Me CHICKEN!" or "Me JUICE!" at random moments- it makes for some seriously funny pauses while my brain plays catch up.

Love page 11 where I CHEATED and used a photo from day 5. I hated the whole lot of day 11 photos! Also page 12 is blank because I messed up and made 13 first- oops!

Page 13 and journaling envelope. I haven't written anything in the journaling page yet. I want to come up with something meaningful. Page 13 is my reaction to the current meme on real versus manufactured trees.

The other day Dave and I took her to the park. Out of nowhere Lola says "DID YOU SEE THAT?" Nope! We missed whatever it was.
She says "COOL!"
We say "AWESOME!"
Then I try to get funny and say "RADICAL!" and Lola responds with "BITCHIN'!!!"
Dave and I (and half of the park goers that day) all GASP in unison.
Where did she learn to say "bitchin"??? I've never said that- ever! Plus how did she know it goes with awesome and radical???
A mystery!!!
Then it hit me- what happens at Grandma's STAYS at Grandma's. I KNOW Mom has a copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!! I've seen it!!!
No wonder she's been jumping on the couch so much- she better not try to use my cooking spoons as nunchucks!

Some photos for a Light Challenge over at One Story Down:

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

A Thankful page- Daily Grace Project

This week has been a little crazy schedule-wise. I've been trying to avoid Facebook (and more importantly- Pinterest!) so I can concentrate but like Al Pacino in take-your-pick gangster flick- I keep getting drawn in!

I managed to make a page:

2011 Daily Grace (Project) It's like a December daily but without the STRESS!
MATERIALS: Sassafras Lass paper, Pink Paislee Nantucket die cuts, Smooch Spritz in magenta, green and dark blue, American Crafts Elf woodgrain and Sunrise magenta alphas (MUST HAVE MOOOORE!) and kraft butterflies (ditto!!!) K and Co alphas.

Fave scrapper Sasha Farina posted this Pinterest image in her blog as part of a mini hop she participated in. I gladly surfed along since I will do anything Ms. Sasha suggests (fangirl!! stalker!!!)

Why not try it? LOVE the modern typographic design.

I suggest you swing by- the work by fellow fave bloggers Diane Paine, Emily Pitts and Kimberly Neddo is not to be missed. 

And I found a new (to me) fave- Mandie of http://lemonstolimes.blogspot.com/

Mandie is hosting a give-away with some great scrap goodies if you make a page using the illustration above.

Oh MAN!!! I really wish I had used an AC Slick Writer from the start!

How does my page relate to the illustration? I should've had the writing crawl down to each image... oh well. I'm not gonna front- it's far from the original but I credit the vaguely triangular placement of each photo to the illustration- I was going to make a simple grid layout but it just didn't seem "me"- I liked it messy and random. ;)

The Daily Grace project is now back in gear. Here are some recent additions. Another page is soon to follow.

11/13/11 Grateful for: getting to live this... 

11/14/11 ... AND this.

11/15/11 Grateful for: Apples in general

Before I forget- I've had 3 images published over at Scrapbook News and Reviews Magazine. If you have a moment swing by to check it out (you need to subscribe to see the magazine I believe) Here's a link:SNR Travel and Vacation and here: SNR Fall and Thanksgiving.
What do you give thanks for?

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

I am a Gauche Grrrl!

GAUCHE- adjective. lacking social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkward; crude; tactless.

Oh MY GOSH!!! That's ME!!!  Someone to say exactly the wrong thing at the right time? ME ME MEEEE! Blurting embarrassing medical details in the exact moment the crowded room goes quiet? OH I can do THAT!
Involuntary cries of "WHO? HIM/HER?" when your were telling me some juicy gossip near the target? Long boring stories that have everyone's eyes rolling? Angry rants about politics when things were supposed to be "light" at the family dinner table? Inappropriate Halloween costumes for work? All me. yay.


You can walk away shaking your head and muttering "FOOL!" but I have to live with me so I am SO HAPPY that I found Gauche Alchemy. I am now a writer for their blog and can use all my awkward quirks for entertainment purposes. My latest page for their newsletter (run along now and sign up!)

You are
Materials: Gauche Alchemy mixed puchinella kit, coffee filter, silver slide holder and stud brads from Gauche Alchemy Wedding Night White kit, Pink Paislee Office Lingo Cublicle paper,  Maya Road Calendar tranny and star pins, MMBI "You" and circles die cuts, Smash tape.

I got my kit the day before we were to leave Salt Lake City and managed to bang together this page in about 45 minutes. I was thrilled I got a spark of mojo but mostly it's the great funky stuff I find in their kits- swing by and check them out- they are DEFINITELY not the usual cup of cutesy paper tea (which is FANTASTIC!!!).

I'm so tired from my red eye flight with a fussy baby I will now fall asleep but I want to post something as I feel completely out of the loop. Our last minute unplanned visit to Salt Lake City was AMAZING! I never saw so many fantastic scrapbook stores together in one place! My favorite so far was Archivers over in Orem but I also scored MAJOR at Tuesday Morning with entire collection kits from Girl's Paperie going for 20 bucks! FABULOUS! I'm back now and plan to post like crazy so keep coming back! Thanks for your support!!!

Open Road!

MuChos SmOoChEs!
Michelle

When the going gets tough

I've started to write and have deleted this entry 3 times already. My goal to be light and entertaining is failing miserably.  But, YOINKS! This weather! The playground equipment is actually dangerous. We are just as shut in as we were in the winter- that's so WHACK!

I just learned that I did not make the Elle's Studio DT. I am bummed out but when I go through the new line up it's easy to see they were looking for expert level designers already associated with other brands who produced consistently innovative work. I think I'm getting better but consistent is SO not a term I could add to my work- yet. Oh ok... I am consistently trying to get better. :)
Here is my last submitted project:

Fearless Explorer
Materials: Pink Paislee Daily Junque Maps, Sassafras Lass Sweetly Smitten stickers,  Studio Calico swallow stamp, K & Co Amy Butler Mod Alpha stamps (2 bucks at Marshall's!!!) and Elle's Studio journaling tags

For this page I wanted to document that Lola was actually scared of the tunnel at the playground. One day she just decided to try it. I was worried she would fall out but I stood back and took a few shots. This page is to remind myself of 2 things:
1- Kids change and grow so YOU need to change as well.
2- Letting Lola explore on her own without me hovering is best- even if it means a skinned knee. BACK! Helicopter parent, BACK I say!

It is incredibly hard to take a photo of Lola on a sunny day.
She simply REFUSES to look up- not even a balloon helps!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

FINALLY! Sun. Happy Dance! Happy daaance!

Oh. My. Gooodness! IS that sun? Actual- no joke- 80 degree sunny weather? I can't believe it! YAY! Time to go out and shoot shoot SHOOT! New York City in the summer is just the greatest- so much to do- most of it free- ya'll get on out there and enjoy!

Just Because card using  Punky Scraps Sketch by Camilla Dahlstrom
Materials: Bazzill Kraft paper, Memo and Summer Memories journaling tags, packaging from Elle's Studio, Studio Calico and Pink Paisley, Pink Paisley washi tape, Sassafras Lass alphas, Fiskars Abstract flower punch, My Little Showbox paper, Studio Calico Mister Huey "Piglet", Uniball white gel pen 

Here is a quick card using Elle's Studio. I just got their Savoring Summer kit- it's SO beautiful! Need to get started on the mini ASAP.

Here's a card interior view- now I need to find someone to give this to. :)

Yes I know it's crooked- that's on purpose- it's Punky!

Happy Memorial Day weekend. 

I am honoring my Brother Guarionex, my cousin Juan (Junior) and His Father Juan, my Uncle and his son Roberto, my cousin Rolando, my Uncle Nelson and Miss Claudia (can't forget you girlie!). Thank you guys- for keeping us safe, for putting your life on the line and for serving this country well. I am very proud to call you familia- hugs to all of you. I am so grateful you are all back home.

Memorial Day 2011- For those who didn't make it home.

MUCHOS SMOOCHES!!!!!!

Michelle