Let the Year of Creativity begin!

I have decided to dedicate the coming year to living the most creative life I possibly can. This will not only pertain to the obvious...beading, fiber arts, cooking, decorating, etc........but also to things like finding a part time job, how to stay active and such....I have always been a relatively creative/think outside the box kind of person when it comes to arts and handcrafts and why not apply that to other areas of my life where I really could use some help? My grandmother Madeline comes to mind when I think of creativity....she was a fashion designer for a small firm back in the 50s-80s and she brought that creativity into every aspect of her life and home. She was re-purposing furniture way before it was the thing to do. I remember the huge round coffee table in the living room of her and my Grandfather's home on Linden Blvd. in Brooklyn circa 1965...the couch was one of those low slung sectionals

that had deep seat cushions that allowed you to sit comfortably with your legs curled up under you but were not easy to get up and out of if you were an adult of a certain age...and this couch needed a low and large coffee table! Of course they could not find a table that was large enough or low enough so Madeline found an old round kitchen table, sawed off the legs and did this Pollack-like paint technique and viola'...the perfect coffee table! She was so ahead of her time and I miss her terribly. So in her memory I am dedicating this year to creative living. One of the first things I have done is explore some free apps on my phone...the first one being PicStitch...it allows me to stitch together 2-6 pictures into a quiltlike collage.

I can see many ways to use this app very creatively!

Well the last weekend of 2012 is just about over and the new year will be upon us tomorrow evening...spent much of the past two days cleaning of my workspace and finishing up a few projects that were abandoned for one reason or another and tossing or recycling the things I knew would never get finished...it's a good feeling to have a fresh working area for the new year! I have made a commitment to myself to cleanup every time after finishing a piece...we'll see how long that lasts...... As I was saying in my last post....I am going to try and give an overview of my creative process from the beginnings of a piece to it's completion...today's picture is one that shows how The Lady of the Winter Solstice got her shape and her face attached...hmmmm...that sounds like I am a surgeon which could never have happened since I am squeamish around anything at all to do with blood (ask my husband...I even hide my eyes when they do fake operations on tv shows!!) and I also was never very good at following directions which I imagine you have to be to become a surgeon...but I am pretty wicked with a needle and thread if you add beads into the mix!!

I just love the way the face seems to glow and anyone who knows me well knows that those colors satisfy my soul. I am always searching for interesting faces or bits of jewelry, pottery, buttons & glass cabs that would work as a face for my Ladies/Goddesses. I am planning on really exploring this way of working in the coming year...I certainly have a really good selection of vintage rhinestone and crystal jewelry that I have collected over the past 6 or 7 months during the height of garage and estate sale season

Well that's all for 2012....sending out thoughts of joy, peace and creativity for the New Year....