ReMake It…. from books, of course!

Posted on September 28, 2011 by kmore

“Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a songbird will come.” –Chinese proverb

At The Creative Connection Event in St. Paul, I took a class from Tiffany Threadgould who just published a unique and thoroughly inspirational book published by Sterling called ReMake It! So, this post is part book-review, and part show-and-tell. In her class, Tiffany taught us how to do several of the simple crafts from her book, and we had a blast whipping up paper beads, envelopes, gift bows and coasters. All of the crafts were “green,” but they were much more than that…. they were cool! They had a hip graphic vibe and could be tailored to fit into any person’s design style. Personally, I am in love with words, letters, and anything that has to do with books. As a result, this book, and Tiffany’s ideas, really appeal to me, as many of them were made out of old magazines and book pages. I also have plans to try making a button bracelet, a case for my cell phone from a men’s necktie, and a t-shirt skirt – SO CUTE! Her book is full of great pictures and easy templates to follow, so many of these projects can be as sophisticated or a simple as you want them to be. I would definitely recommend picking up this book to use with children for school art activities or craft time!

So, after I returned from the Event, I decided to turn my inspiration from her class into my own unique art. I went to the local library’s book sale where they were selling thousands of used, donated books to raise money for the Friends of the Library group. (I brought home a LOT of books, which I have just decided is a sickness I will have to live with.) I took graphic images from these books, mostly used children’s stories, and cut them out to create note-cards. Then I went out to my stash of old Saturday Evening Post magazines in the garage (once again, thanks Grandma) and used some of the pages to create envelopes for the note-cards. (Both of these ideas are outlined in Tiffany’s book.) Together, the cards and envelopes are a visual delight of vintage images, type, words, and graphics. I’m going to fill them out and get them in the mail. I hope the recipients enjoy receiving them as much as I enjoyed making them!

The Creative Connection: Quotable Quotes

Posted on September 24, 2011 by kmore

“I just want to be on the adventure of my life.” Kelly Rae Roberts (at TCC 2011)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I attended the Creative Connection Event in St. Paul, Minnesota, last week, and had the most unbelievably rejuvenating time. It was a love-fest of crafty, creative women supporting each other,

Look at all of the fun stuff I had to try to fit into my suitcase!

and of course, connecting! I had so much fun touching base with many of the women that I had met last year such as….. Nicole McConville from Sterling Publishing. Check out her re-cap and amazing photos here.

I made two new friends the first night, April from Catching Fireflies and Michelle from Allen Designs, who let me tag along on a quick tour of some of the fun shops in St. Paul. They were so sweet that they bought me dinner and didn’t make me feel like a total shmuck for forgetting my wallet at the hotel.

I took a few hands-on classes, but my favorite was with Megan from Princess Lasertron. We made these super-cute felt ribbons. In fact, her post about TCC here includes pictures of me and some of the super cool ladies I met there. Just looking at it makes me wish next year were here already! I was so inspired by all of the keynotes, but especially by the wise words and insight of Holly Becker from Decor8 who was so down-to-earth, likeable, and funny. She’s the kind of person you wish you could go to coffee with and become BFF’s!

One thing I found myself doing throughout the weekend is jotting down all of the profound, witty, memorable quotes coming from the attendees, speakers, panelists, etc. Here are some of my favorites…. If they don’t make you want to attend TCC next year, I don’t know what will!

1. A representative from Sterling Publishing, one of the few males at the conference, (sorry…. didn’t get your name) said in reference to books….. “They are like bright, shiny objects… The physical book is here to stay.” (Amen, brother!!)

2. Jo Packham said about TCC, “It’s a place where we go from strangers to BFF’s in three and a half minutes.” (So true, Jo, so true!)

3. Christina Ferrare said, “Listen to the voice in your head speaking to you.” (Lump in the throat moment for me.)

4. Holly Becker wisely said, “If you’re saying ‘yes’ to something you really love, it’s the right ‘yes’.”

5. Jo Packham said, “If you haven’t made a friend, made a deal, gotten a new idea…. shame on you!” (This made me laugh outloud, but I couldn’t agree more. You have to take advantage of the environment of TCC, otherwise, what’s the point?)

6. “There really is room for all of us.” Kelly Rae Roberts (Hearing this gave me a little lift. It made me feel not so much like a little fish in the ocean.)

7. Karen Walrond from chookoloonks said, “When you realize that your difference is your superpower– it really is magical.”

8. “Sometimes you just need to get quiet and get simple.” Leigh Standley from Curly Girl Design. (I’m working on it, Leigh!)

9. The super-sweet Janine Vangool from a really cool magazine called Uppercase said, “Everyone here is really happy. It’s nice to come to an event where everybody is happy. Being creative makes us happy, but it’s difficult and hard work. But it’s also difficult and hard work to be happy.”

10. Melody Ross from Brave Girls’ Club said, “Decide what kind of life you want to have, and build your business around that.” (That rings true to me. If we go about it the opposite way, we may find that suddenly we don’t have the life we want!)

Okay, here’s the funny stuff…..

11. I think one of the event coordinators was overwhelmed and overworked when she jokingly said, “If anyone has any drugs…. I’ll take them.”

12. Princess Lasertron (aka Megan Hunt) said, slightly tongue in cheek, “I’m trying really hard to make my daughter goth, but my mother just wants her to be preppy.” (This cracked me up! Have you seen Megan? She’s a sweet as apple pie!)

13. One of the panelists, a successful artist said, “I think people would be surprised at how little I shower.” (The lack of time to shower became a joke of the day. Perhaps Jo should solicit sponsorship from a soap or shampoo company next year!!!!!)

Well, I could go on and on. I had such a great time at TCC, and I hope to bottle up some of the good vibes to get me through until next year. Thanks Jo for your hard work and hospitality!

“Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt” by Beth Hoffman: Book Review

Posted on September 20, 2011 by kmore

“I made a mental note that if I ever needed help from a man I would make him a pie.” – Cee Cee Honeycutt

I love reviewing all kinds of books: craft books, how-to books, memoirs, fiction, non-fiction, you name it! As part of the creative community, I find that the people I talk to seem to appreciate the same types of books, and Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt falls into a category that my “people” seem to appreciate. You know, that warm, fuzzy, feel-good kind of book that’s full of ups and downs but laced with quirky characters, life lessons and a dollop of sweetness. This is that kind of book – perfect for a sunny fall Saturday afternoon. (Picture Steel Magnolias meets The Help mingled with The Secret Life of Bees.)

I love the voice of narrator Cee Cee Honeycutt, a young adolescent girl who wise beyond her years. When Cee Cee moves to Savannah to live with an aunt she has never met, she meets a host of diverse women who teach her about love, friendship, and how to heal from the trauma of losing her mother and father, in very different ways.

One of my favorite passages is when Cee Cee happens upon a church festival and bake sale. Not having much experience with church functions, she is overcome by the sense of community and the warmth swirling around the bake-sale tables. She is certain that all of these good feelings are a result of….. pie! She says, “My first impression was that pies seemed to help people be kind to one another…”

Personally, I think Cee Cee’s on the right track. There’s nothing that brings people closer, and elicits more kindness, than food – especially pie, and the pie in the book that brings Ida Mae and Mr. Krick together to help each other is an elderberry pie. So, I thought I would share some of the “pie love,” and give you a recipe for a yummy elderberry pie. Make one up, and enjoy it with a friend!

This book will make you laugh; it will make you weep, and it will make you want to go out and give a copy to your best friend.

Ida Mae’s Elderberry Pie (Compliments of All Recipes.com)

Ingredients

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
4 cups elderberries
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Mix cornstarch in a little bit of water and add to berries and sugar. Cook, stirring constantly until desired thickness. Add more cornstarch if not thick enough. Add lemon juice.
Pour into bottom crust. Dot with butter. Put on top crust or make a lattice.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) until browned and berries are bubbling through holes in the crust, approximately 40 minutes.
Note: It is a good idea to put a pan or foil under the pie as it bakes since it might bubble over.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/elderberry-pie-ii/detail.aspx

“Creative is a Verb” by Patti Digh: Book Review

Posted on September 20, 2011 by kmore

“Listen to tiny fishies….” Patty Digh

If you’re like me, and you’ve been obsessing lately about how you want to spend more time being “creative,” but you are stuck trying to figure out what that really means for you, this is your guide. This book truly is a guide for unleashing the creativity you possess, but have repressed. I’m sure that each person will focus on different chapters and messages in the book, and each person is going to take something different from it, but that is the beauty of it. Patti Digh has given us a gift in this book – permission to not have to follow any rules, or complete any set schedule, on the way to a more creatively fulfilling life. The exercises are meant to inspire and motivate, but not to make people feel inadequate or frustrated. It encourages us to live our whole lives artistically, not just while were painting, singing or writing. Without a doubt, this gorgeous little manual gives us power, choice, and some really fun stories to enjoy and think about. Not to mention, the graphics are exquisite. The photographs, drawings and quotes make this book a work of art in itself.

A story that particularly stands out to me is one where the author describes a dream that her young daughter had while she was away on business. The daughter tells her mommy that she had a dream that she was a little fish in a big ocean, and couldn’t find her mommy. This story was a wake-up call to Patti. She realized that she need to listen to her heart and follow a new path, and it took her daughter’s dream to send her this message. So, she tells us, “Listen to tiny fishies.” It’s her way of encouraging us to listen to the messages life is trying to tell us – the messages that beg to be listened to. The exercises that follow this story were particularly profound to me personally. Maybe you will gain something from what they are trying to tell you, too.

WHAT WOMEN READ…

Posted on September 18, 2011 by kmore

(Photo credit: http://pinkparis1233.deviantart.com/art/Books-and-Tea-128879024)

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.“ C.S. Lewis

I’ve just spent the last few days with some of the most brilliant, beautiful, creative women in the world at The Creative Connection Event. (More detailed post to follow soon!) I participated in a “Pitch Slam,” and I told some very smart women in publishing about my desire to write book reviews for creative publications. My opinion is that creative people are also readers. I think the two passions seem to go hand in hand for many. In fact, when I told some of the women about my pitch, they chimed in, “Yes!” I love to read. Here’s my theory…. women who are part of the creative community are just as anxious to tell me about the latest book they’ve read, as they are to tell me about their favorite recipe, or craft supply. I think it’s a shared gene. I think the crafty “lifestyle” publications that we’re reading from Stampington, Mary Jane’s Farm, Uppercase, Inspired Ideas, Matthew Mead etc. (See links in my sidebar) should think outside the box (here’s where I come in) and publish reviews for such genres as fiction, biography, memoir, as well as “how-to.” I am the perfect person to write such reviews. I am a member of the creative community. I am passionate about books. I know the kinds of books creative women like to read. I’m a LIBRARIAN for heaven’s sake!” I want to come up with interesting collections of books to recommend around themes and topics. Food fiction? You’ve got it. Farming memoirs, no problem. Biographies about artists? Coming up! Oh, my creative juices are flowing, and I must go. I’ve got books to read! WHAT WOMEN READ…. has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

My Sheldon Rose

Posted on September 12, 2011 by kmore

“All my life I’ve looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time.”

Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961) American Writer.

I was poking around in one of my favorite consignment/antique shops…. The Barn in Bigfork, MT, when I saw……THIS. My Sheldon Rose. It’s huge, it’s amazing, it weighs a ton, and I had to have it. This is a large piece of art made of typography letters arranged in this cool shape. I chatted with the seller, and she said that she was selling it for her aunt, who was elderly, but had purchased it with her husband when they were young and living in Seattle. Apparently it was a gallery purchase, and she was always particularly fond of it, but now had to downsize to move. I have been trying very hard to find out more about the artist, Sheldon Rose. It’s been difficult thus far, but I am determined. I found some auctions sites who have a few of his other pieces for sale. They’re quite pricy, so I’m thinking that I got a fair deal on my piece. I’ve also determined that he was likely a German artist, as the auction sites I saw were in Germany. If anyone knows anything about this artist, please fill me in. Whatever the case, I get happy every time I look at this above my couch. It’s full of letters, my favorite thing, because letters make words, and words make stories, and what could be better than that?!

Craft Shack Saturday!

Posted on September 9, 2011 by kmore

“It’s the national addiction: warmth on chilly winter nights, innocence on Saturday afternoons, the essence of hearth, home and blissful abandon.” Patricia Linden

I am lucky enough to be able to spend my weekends up in the mountains of northwest Montana at a little getaway called “Camp More.” My crafty BFF, E., has the lot next to us, and we often spend Saturday afternoons spreading out the craft supplies in her camper and letting inspiration reign. Her camper, aka. “Craft Shack” was strewn with beads last weekend, and I finally put together something pretty from the beautiful coral rose I found at a bead shop in Whitefish this spring. I love the way it turned out, and I’m thinking it will look good with black, or brown, or blue, or gray, or denim, or…. (Technical note. I need to get one of those cute little “forms” or “mannequin type sculptures to better display my jewelry. This is not up to par. Just wanted to let you know…)

Cherry, Cherry!

Posted on September 8, 2011 by kmore

“We’ll take the cake with the red cherry on top.” Navjot Singh Sighu

One of the (many) things I love about living in Northwest Montana are the cherries. Around Flathead Lake, there are oodles of cherry orchards, and the locals are always waiting for the cherries to be ready for pickin’! This year’s crop was sweet, juicy and delicious. I think cherries are such a happy fruit, and these sweet ones are perfect right out of the bowl. It’s a quick season, and now I’m resigned to the reality that it will be one more year until I see the roadside stands with cherries spilling from the bins. (The story of the Flathead Cherry would be a good one….. maybe I should do some research and write an article?)

Monthly Archives: September 2011