This Is What I Do: Create

Disclaimer here: This blog started out as a creative blog, but once in a while, I have to just have a rant about something I hold in and need to let go of. Okay, here's the thing. This year my high school class is having our 55th reunion. I am not going (an am receiving a little "flak" about not attending from certain classmates that either I keep in touch with, or live close and think they need to "needle" me into going.The reasons I have chosen for NOT attending are as follows, and not necessarily in any order: A.  It's too darn expensive. I know that catering and renting a meeting place are expensive these days, but what would be wrong with a park pavillion and having a cook out, everybody bringing something to share? Even the people who are traveling, could bring something from a local grocery deli!! B.  I have nothing in common with any of my former classmates, other than the fact that we all graduated together. Ours was a unique class in the fact...

After doing much cleaning, then entertaining company for two weeks, I need to "get back at it." I need to get back on my exercise routine, back on my diet (I think all we did for 2 weeks was visit, eat, sleep, eat, sleep, visit...you get the idea!) and back to making art. I took two weeks off and now I have to get the creative juices flowing again. It is my goal beginning last month, to make a birthday card for each member of our church choir, of which I am a member. Our church publishes a newsletter each month with a list of that month's birthdays. This will be my source. I sent one last month, forgot to photograph it before it hit the mail. I have one ready for this month's birthday. I did photo it so you could see it. (Curley, I sorta stole your design idea!!) The recipient is a beautiful gal who's all girly, so I think this card will suffice. I found some new fun stamps on sale yesterday at Hobby Lobby, so of course I had to add some to my stash. Curley wa...

 My daughter has been art journaling for a while now. In fact, she's the one who got me started. She never showed much interest in art, or my kind of art, until recently. She was artistic, though. She was a beautiful ballerina and took various forms of dance growing up. She just didn't care for "art." Her mom and I did most of her 7th and 8th grade art projects for her, not because she couldn't, but because she would slap something together at the last moment and then "cry" because her grades weren't up to her usual "As" that she got in everything else. Here's a page from her art journal:

I have always operated on the theory that my house should be clean enough to be healthy, and messy enough to be comfortable.( No, my super clean fanatic late wife did NOT subscribe to this theory, but, alas, she's been gone 11 years and the house is mine.) That being said, company coming is always an incentive to deep clean. They don't really care, they are coming to see me, not my house. But I care, so I have been doing the deep stuff. This morning I tackled my kitchen floor. The usually applied Swiffer Wet  Jet wasn't cutting it, nor was my sponge mop and Spic n Span water. So, I resorted to the OTKs method.( On The Knees.) I tried various scrubbers and the best results was with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. OMG! I didn't realize just, well, fill in the blanks here! Holy crap! Needless to say, even though my knees are wrinkled and don't want to straighten out very well, my kitchen floor looks amazing! Except of course for the 26 years of wear and tear and the place...

Gotta share this! A local shop here in my town that sells local artists' work, ask me if I would create one-of-a-kind greeting cards and decorative gift tags to be sold in that shop. Of course, at first I panicked. Then, I thought, "why not?" My stuff is as good as anybody else's, so I have delivered my first 15 cards and have 6 gift tags ready to deliver. I am actually getting paid to create. No timeline, or stress involved. The owner is just interested in keeping a ongoing supply in her shop. So far, I have been able to create using what I have here in the studio available without buying extra supplies. Eventually, tho, I will have to restock some little detail stuff, stamps and stamp pads. Life is good. I will never get rich, but I made enough last week to pay for my haircut and a Frosty at Wendy's. Not bad for a couple of days work!! Until next time, Go, create something!! JF

Rain, thunder, lightening, staying in the house enjoying the warmer, though damp temps. It's been a lovely week in the Midwest, finally. But since it was inclimate today, I read, napped and made a couple of cards. A young man that I mentored during his HS years, helped move him into his first college dorm, and have stayed in contact with, is graduating with a degree in Engineering, with honors, on May 5th. I made him a card when he graduated from HS with the same compass on the front.   I decided to stick with a theme. He will go out and do great things, I am sure. The front says "Wherever You Go" and inside it says "enjoy the journey."  The globe on the front is a Tim Holtz design by Sissix. I cut two white, and one red, sandwiching the red one between the two white ones, offsetting each one just a little. I mounted it on some Ms Sparkle watercolor paper to resemble the earth's water. I embossed the word congratulations down the side. No idea ...

My friend Curley (her real name is Cheryl and when we met long ago, she had a "curly do" but she doesn't get perms anymore, but the name stuck!) had a birthday yesterday. I wanted to give her something reflecting my art and our friendship. Yeah. I could have just gotten her a gift card from Hobby Lobby, but that's not personally reflective, just easy. I had been watching my YouTube guy, Mike Deakin of Mike Deakin Art (suggest you all take a look at his stuff sometime) and he had been making a lapbook. I sorta followed his suggestions, adapted mine differently, and went with it. I am showing you pictures of the finished book I made for Curley for her birthday. This is the front and back cover. The ribbon is to tie it shut and is riveted on with a pink eyelet into the spine of the booklet. The charms at the top of the spine are attached to a piece of chain with removable jeweler's rings, and the chain is attached with a jeweled brad. I bought the charms at a loc...