Great News! You are Creative!

You hear things having a shop... Especially an art shop. There are lots of amazing people that walk through the doors over there. I am so delighted to meet them.
A topic that frequently comes up...


Creativity:
According to Webster:
1. the quality of being creative  2. the ability to create

Creative:
According to Webster:

: having or showing an ability to make new things or think of new ideas
: using the ability to make or think of new things : involving the process by which new ideas, stories, etc., are created

: done in an unusual and often dishonest way?? <----didn know="" p="" t="" this="">

You dear reader, have been given a gift of creativity. You were designed for a purpose, and part of it is to create. 

Pitfall thinking----> your art is supposed to like mine or Picasso, or Monet...

Truth-----> your "art" or projects do not need to look like something you have already seen or experienced

 

Pitfall thinking----> if you can't draw then you are not artistic

Truth----> many "artists" (including myself) have used light-boxes to trace, projectors, tracing paper or templates

Pitfall Thinking-----> If it isn't perfect it isn't beautiful or good.

Truth-----> If you shoot for excellence and NOT perfection you will have much more fun and enjoy what you have created without stress. 

What makes my heart sad is people telling me they aren't creative. You have the ability to create, whether it be as a programmer creating code or a sculptor creating a funny squirrel with clay. Maybe drawing isn't your thing... there are plenty of outlets to be creative. If you have tried it once and failed... give it another shot if you really want to do it. You are creative, dear reader... maybe it is with your words and poetry, maybe it is making music, metal art, baskets.
Try something new this week, pinterest has fantastic ideas=) It will bring joy to your heart to create something beautiful or funny=)

This year so far has included fantastic discoveries for me including watercolors, polymer clay, crayon melting art, and button trees. So much fun! Now go make something awesome and have fun doing it! You are creative! Yes you! Tell me what you have tried in the post below if you remember=) That's what I would love to hear.

Polymer Clay Mosaics

Polymer Clay Mosaic

This was a project we did at United Artisans Shop and Studio in downtown Fort Mill, SC during our Summer Art Camps with the 10-16 year old group. I think it would be fun to do at home or school, but it would be hard without a bunch of pasta machines=)

Necessary Tools:

• Polymer Clay - varying colors - Any
• Pasta Machine (To only be used for Polymer)
• Dull Knife
• Grout and Adhesive
• Surface to put the mosaic on
• non-food spoon
• gloves
• 2 Tiles (the size you want to make your design on) or Clean workspace and 1 Large Tile

Would be nice:

• Cookie Cutters (To only be used for Polymer or crafts)
• A pretty Frame and Backing to Seal it

To start have a clean workspace and tile, cleaned pasta machine


Make sure your hands are clean and warm up the clay in small increments and run through the pasta machine on "9". Ball up and run through again on "9".

Put your flattened sections on your workspace. Cut out squares, triangles, circles, etc...with your dull knife. If you have craft cookie cutters, those work great.

Carefully arrange the Clay cuts on your large tile, and Repeat steps for different colors. (It will be important to keep a paper towel on hand to wipe the pasta machine in between colors.)

Student keeps arranging until they are satisfied leaving about 2-3mm or 1/8" in between. Make sure they gently press the edges down so that the appearance is like flat tiles, don't press too hard to make it smash.
Note: In the design below some of her "tiles" were too close and did not fit into the final design... Make sure to leave space in between the clay pieces.

Rachel's finished design before grout=) 

 

Rachel's Finished Polymer Mosaic

Bake the Polymer Clay on the large tile in a normal oven what the directions tell you. It will vary in the type of Polymer you get. I like Sculpey premo myself. Do not over bake !!! Toxins released= bad times! Trust me!!!=) Make sure you have the right temperature too! =)

Let the hot clay sit for a half hour and cool.

Choose a surface: a pot, wood, glass- whatever the grout and adhesive will stick to=)
Get a spoon and gloves and spread across the surface.
Remove your gloves and place the Polymer Tiles( on the large tile) you have created on your surface=) Fun fun fun!

If you do this please, please please post pictures so I can see the beautiful things you have made!!!! Have a blast creating!

Also, if you have any suggestions or questions, don't hesitate to ask=) Thanks for reading!

Toddler's Cupcake Hat Pattern

I just started crocheting with my Baby Bee Yarn (so soft!) and this is what turned out. I had to go back to write the pattern. The Lord is my helper!! I am so excited about it. I have it for sale on my etsy store and zibbet store.  You can actually wear this hat 3 different ways! I'm going to work on writing out a pattern for adults to make it to!! Thank You Lord for helping me!

I recently watched a man on Sid Roth who had gone from below the poverty line to one of the richest men in America. And he said the verse in Malachi about tithing and the blessings of heaven being poured out can come in the form of an idea. Ever hear the expression "a million dollar idea"? Well he has gone from rags to riches in a very short time-span. So I can see how the Lord has given me many ideas, and yet I didn't do anything with them. All this time I thought it was a monetary only verse, but my mind has been expanded. I'm excited to create with our Creator! What is He showing you??=)