Books are my passion….

Posted on August 29, 2011 by kmore

A beautiful book by Terry Taylor

“A dream collage is pictures of your goals. It is like your future photo album.” Bo Bennett

What is my dream “gig”? It’s writing book reviews. For magazines, blogs, books, you name it! I want to write about fiction, non-fiction, how to, memoir… no genre is off limits. So, I grabbed a book off the shelf, and want to share it with you.

It’s not a brand new, hot-off-the-press book, but it’s a classic. I fell in love with Terry Taylor’s Altered Art the first time I thumbed through it. The layout is simple …. easy to take-in. The pictures are stunning, and there is a perfect balance between images and text. “Altered art is simply the result of taking a found object and changing it in some intriguing or surprising way to make an artistic statement of your own.”

Because I’m a librarian, I was drawn to the chapter about altered books. I am constantly stashing aside books that no longer have an audience. It’s just too hard to throw them out, when you’ve been trained to buy and promote them! I am dying to create a “niche.” By carefully cutting away the center of the book, Terry shows me how I could display a three-dimensional object inside. Such a simple idea, but so, so, so, so creative! I’m picturing a book with a travel theme, holding a small object that’s been sitting in a box in my craft room – a tin globe toy that I found in my grandmother’s “junk.”

I am drooling over the creative tag ideas. They could be attached to gifts…. worn as jewelry…. hung as artwork. I am dreaming of ways to use old photographs that have been hidden away. The shoebox of old postcards I inherited from my grandmother? Oh there are so many things they could become.

Find a copy of this beautiful book and add it to your collection. You will be inspired.

Everyday Creativity

Posted on August 25, 2011 by kmore

“Creativity is the ability to look at the ordinary and see the extraordinary.” –Dewitt Jones

Well, it’s back to school time, and one of the themes my school is adopting this year is one based on creativity! Of course this is right up my alley! Our principal showed us a short film narrated by National Geographic photographer and motivational speaker, Dewitt Jones. I found this film to be incredibly inspiring and motivating. I tried to see if it was available for online viewing, but it looks as if it has to be purchased. However, there are a couple videos by him that I found on You Tube. If you can take a look at his films especially “Everyday Creativity” and “Celebrate What’s Right With the World,” you will find a fresh, new way of approaching your creativity each day. One of the quotes that stood out to me was: “Creativity is the ability to look at the ordinary and see the extraordinary.” – Dewitt Jones

I also loved his comments on the idea that creativity is simply “falling in love with the world.” Wow!

I am inspired to infuse more creativity into my job as a teacher, as well as my every day interactions with others. Making a cute necklace, or crocheting a hat is obvious creativity, but how nice is it that we can enhance each day with a creative spark.

Uff da… Lefse time!

Posted on August 15, 2011 by kmore

“In Norway, Charlie Brown says, ‘uff da!’ instead of ‘Good grief!.’ ”

My heritage is distinctly Norwegian. My grandmother’s parents came to America from Norway, and she grew up speaking Norwegian as a little girl. One of the main traditions we still carry on from that heritage is LEFSE! Each holiday season, Grandma would fill her kitchen with potatoes, flour, hot pans and lots of relatives. Lefse is a flat potato bread much like a tortilla. We like to eat it in a number of ways…. butter and sugar, jam, honey, turkey and mayo, the possibilities are endless. Making lefse is not a quick, easy process, but my mom, aunts, and cousins gather together each fall to make huge batches so everyone can take some home for the holidays. There’s flour everywhere, rolling, hot pans, flipping, gabbing, laughing, bonding. What could be more fun? We are getting ready to schedule our annual fall lefse making extravaganza and I am also penciling in my calendar to attend Libby Montana’s annual Nordicfest celebration (my hometown, I’m so proud!) There is bound to be lots of lefse there to enjoy (along with some lutefisk, but I might be too full from the lefse to eat any.) (Technical note: I am scheduled to take blogging class very soon from Holly Becker from Decor8 and Leslie Shewring from A Creative Mint. These lovely ladies have assured me that my photography is going to be divine! These photos were shot by someone else, and I have very high standards for the works of art that will be shown after this year’s event coming up….)

Yummy, lefse

Sorry about this picture quality. This year, I will get better shots!

Buckle Up!

Posted on August 13, 2011 by kmore

Collecting has been my great extravagance. It’s a way of being. I collect for the same reason that I eat too much-I’m one of nature’s shoppers. Howard Hodgkin

I was scrounging through my messy garage for some wrapping paper when I stumbled upon a box of “goodies” that I gathered from my grandmother’s attic. Yes, I have one of “those” grandmothers. Even though she is no longer alive, she has left us with a treasure-trove of STUFF. Ever the pack-rat, she filled her house and attic to the brim with what many considered to be…. junk. I, however, have a fondness for junk, and am loving the fact that she couldn’t throw anything away. I found an old coffee can full of cast-off belt-buckles. No doubt, she was planning to do something with these. She was one of the original recyclers. I just thought they looked cool lying together – like a picture. I’m brainstorming a way to display these properly. Ideas are welcome….

Opening Doors.

Posted on August 11, 2011 by kmore

All doors open to courtesy. Thomas Fuller

Figuratively speaking, the goal of this blog is to help me exercise my writing skills – informally of course, as well as to possibly “open some doors” in the line of writing and presenting for the “artsy-craftsy” community. So, I’m sharing a hodge-podge of my creativeness for those who want to check-out my catalog of creations.

On my grandmother’s rambling, mountain property, lie numerous “treasures” including…. old rusty cars, abandoned sheds, barns, outhouses, etc. When my husband and I built our small cabin nearby, we were not impressed at the glaring white sight of the side of the refrigerator staring out at us in the kitchen. So, when we were wandering Grandma’s junk yard this spring, we decided to take the door off of an old shed sitting in the trees. It has already been overtaken by small animals and pine-needles, so we didn’t feel too guilty. We took it home, dusted it off, and retro-fitted the doorknob, so it only protrudes on one side (so it will fit). Then we cut a piece of wood t fit where the window sat and painted it with chalkboard paint. We didn’t have any chalk yet, when I snapped this picture, but now we do, and the message says, “The Huck’s are here. Gone to Miller Creek!” This was such a fun project, and it barely cost anything. Re-purposing old items and taking finds from trash-to-treasure is one of my favorite hobbies. Thanks for letting me share!

Clownin’ Around!

Posted on August 10, 2011 by kmore

“Dare to wear the foolish clown face.” Frank Sinatra

My college roommate and I have stayed close for the past 20-some years, and after marriages, children, and all sorts of life-experiences together, she is getting ready to turn the big 4-0. She epitomizes the phrase “forty and fabulous.” One thing that she has always loved is clowns. Some people hate them, but she used to dress up as a clown to entertain children in hospitals, and the interest became a collection. I used to always look for cute clowns in second-hand stores and antique shops. Last summer I found this great antique clown cookie jar in a dusty little shop in my home town of Libby, Montana. However, someone and painted it with a hideous gold paint. I though, “I’ll just strip the paint, and it will be fit for display.” Well, the paint removal became a huge task. I thought it would scrape right off, but I didn’t want to scratch the ceramic, nor did I want to remove the shiny glaze. I finally found a trick on e-how (http://www.ehow.com/how_5561574_remove-paint-ceramic.html). I had to go to my local health food store to find the whiting material, and it required several applications, but I finally got the paint off. I love the way it turned out, there are some flaws that show its age, but give it character. I guess you could say the same for us 40-somethings!!

Oh, Baby!

Posted on August 9, 2011 by kmore

Babies are such a sweet and nice way to start people.

Two of my cousin’s, and their wives are gearing up to become parents. This is no ordinary “gearing-up,” however, as one couple is preparing for three, count-them, THREE, little boys! Oh, baby! So, I decided to get myself together and throw a baby shower for the parents-to-be. All the new babies in my sphere lately are getting hats made from this great pattern I found on a blog called Neanners Shop. (http://neannersshop.blogspot.com/2010/10/ez-earflaps-pattern.html.) I left off the braids, and added the pom-pom at the top. I also made one for the other couple who is expecting a little girl, so I added the flower. These are so easy to whip up! I also found lots of inspiration online to make a diaper cake, so I made up a “boy” one for the triplets. It’s so much fun to make things for Baby!

The Huck’s are Here!

Posted on August 8, 2011 by kmore

“I’m your huckleberry…” Doc Holliday

In Northwest Montana, there are few things as exciting as the first huckleberries of the season. The husband, dogs and I headed out to find some of these delectable treats this weekend. We went too high in the mountains at first where we usually like to go, and they weren’t quite ready yet. So, we decided to head lower to see what we could find, and we stumbled upon a “honey-hole” of berries. We picked all day in a a dream location – flat, open and shaded. The reason huckleberries are so coveted is that you really do have to work for them. The picking is slow, and you have to have just the right “feel” when you’re picking, so you don’t get the ones that aren’t quite ripe. These berries were to die for, and when I would reward myself with a taste, it felt like a burst of sunshine in my mouth. I love that huckleberries haven’t been domesticated. It adds to the mystery, when you know that the only berries out there are ones that have to be picked on a mountaintop. What a reward, what a treat! We had huckleberry pancakes for breakfast on Sunday, and sprinkled some on homeade ice cream last night. I will post my aunt Shelly’s huckleberry cake recipe soon, and will be freezing some of these for huckleberry cream cheese pie. I delivered a cup to my uncle who stopped by the cabin for a visit, and took some over to the neighbor to add to her oatmeal for breakfast. When you are a huckleberry picker, you don’t just hand out these treasures to anybody, so if you have been given huckleberries by a friend, you should know that you are very special, indeed.

The Creative Connection

Posted on August 3, 2011 by kmore

Me, in green, with my new friends at the Creative Connection Event last year!

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw

Without a doubt, one of the main reasons that I have even started this blog in the first place is because of “The Creative Connection Event”. Last year, I was fortunate enough to attend this amazing conference, and it has opened up so many creative doors for me. I have been inspired to explore my creativity and to visit the online resources of all of the many amazing Crafty Goddesses out there sharing their artistic-ness. I have so many ideas because of this event. I highly encourage anyone to attend who wants to network and connect with other like-minded women who live for creating. You have nothing to lose, and your eyes will be opened to the possibilities. A big thank you to Jo Packham and Nancy Soriano for creating this event and giving a forum for so many talented ladies. Bravo! Some of these very talented ladies are pictured here: Jill, Me, Suzanne and Erin. Suzanne has her own blog, bebehblog, and was so excited last year to meet some of the celebrities of blog-land. Erin had won a contest to attend the conference last year by creating the most unique boy’s backpack for her son. She was featured in the February 2011 issue of “Where Women Create.” Check out her website at: 123 Cute as Can Be. If you want to try to win a free trip for you and a friend to this festival of craftiness, there is an unbelieveable giveaway on their website!

Here goes….