Idea for Squares

Kudos to all of you who have already started, or finished, decorating for the holidays. Me, I'm still in the thinking, planning (and cleaning!) stage. I've got lots of ideas but nothing really concrete yet. I'm still looking through the scrap pile to see what kind of "goodies" I can find. Idea-wise, I'm hitting pay dirt. Thought I would share one with you. It's a neat use for those 6-inch square tiles left over from kitchen or bath projects. Check this out!




I used them as a decorative base to set candles on. They are perfect for votive and tea light candles, serving also to protect furniture from possible heat damage. To prevent the rough underside of the tiles from scratching the table, I used self-adhesive felt dots on each corner. As you can see in the next photo, I inset the dots roughly one-fourth of an inch so that the felt wouldn't show when I turned the tile over.


You can also use these squares as trivets to set hot food on. And they make cool coasters. Use them all year long for decorating, entertaining, or everyday enjoyment. I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of mine.

I have a some other projects I'm working on, too. Really staying busy, which is good. Until next time...have a Happy Thanksgiving! Stay Creative!

Note: Like this idea, but don't have any tiles? Check out the tile section at your local home store. You'll find a wonderful selection of stone and ceramic tiles. These small tiles are often used as samples by interior decorators, and are generally sold by the piece. I purchased these for a little less than a dollar each. Not bad for a basic square.

Got Scrap?...Get Creative!

Making beautiful, functional, and/or fun things for your home yields a great deal of joy and satisfaction. It also yields a bunch of left over material--scrap, if you will--much of which is just too good to throw away. So you keep it, just in case. At least I do. And so the pile grows, along with the premise that someday we'd find a use for it. Who are we kidding? We're really just pack-rats, right? Well, maybe you're not, but recovering pack-rat that I am, I still struggle with wanting to keep even the smallest sliver of wood or snippet of yarn--you guessed it--just in case.

Instead of beating myself up over that ever-growing heap of scrap in the storage room, I decided to take a more pro-active approach: designing things that can be made specifically with items from the scrap pile. In this way I can reduce the pile and create more cool things for my home. Don't you just love those win-win situations? I sure do.

To keep myself on track, I'm going to document each item created in a series of blog posts titled Got Scrap?... I'm really excited about this, and already have several ideas jotted down. The first item I'm creating will be perfect for holiday decorating and useful all year long. It's extremely simple to make and very Zen, so keep an eye on this blog for updates.

Gotta run now! The holidays are upon us...Get Creative!

A Table, or Two

After many months of designing and debating which design to use for the coffee table, I now have a solid structure on which to place a cup of coffee. It is still in the 'raw' stage, but when it gets sanded and a nice finish put on, I think it will be awesome. And such a simple thing. Check out the photo below:

And that isn't all I've accomplished in the last couple of weekends.

Work in Progress:
I've also started on the Breakfast Bar for the kitchen that will house my keyboard. The first photo shows how messy and cluttered that corner was. In the second photo, you can get an idea of how neat it's going to be once the bar is finished. Right now only the frame is secure and the front of the keyboard is visible. This will be covered completely when all is finished. A portion of the top will be hinged and can be flipped up whenever I want to play the keyboard, and down for use as a breakfast bar or buffet. Another cool thing (in my eyes) is that if I ever decide to remove the keyboard, I'll gain storage space in the unit. It's a win-win situation.



In another weekend or two, I think both of these units will be completely finished and ready for the holidays. And then on to the next project! What do you say we build a new entertainment center for the living room? Yeah, I like that idea! Until then, have a great weekend! Get creative!

Enhance Your Next Project

Designers often use them, you can, too.
If you've ever watched design shows on television, you may have noticed that the majority of interior designers will often incorporate some form of art into their design. Whether it's a painting, photograph, or sculpture, visual art adds texture, color, interest and balance to the design. While a few designers may create their own artwork, many utilize local artists to bring their visions to life. From paintings and sculptures to stained glass and furniture, whatever the designer can imagine, there is someone who can create it. In 'real' life, interior designers and stagers also form alliances with local artists and artisans.

As a D-I-Y'er, so can you. For instance: Perhaps you've designed a bookcase or a china cabinet with glass doors. Your mind's eye keeps seeing the design with beautiful stained glass as opposed to the plain glass that you will probably use. But you don't know how to do stained glass and might not be interested in learning how to do it. Now, I understand that one of the reasons we do things ourselves (other than for the pure pleasure of creating) is to save money. Having custom-made stained glass for your project will certainly add to the cost. The bookcase or cabinet you're building is likely to be used for a long period of time. By adding the stained glass doors, you easily change a well-loved and much used object into a well-loved heirloom that could be passed from generation to generation. This is just an example of one of the ways you can utilize an artist for your own projects.

How do you go about finding artists to work with on specific projects?

1) Ask your friends. They may know of someone who is or knows an artist.

2) Contact your local Chamber of Commerce. Ask them about artists in your area. They can point you to the local art guild or artist group.

3) Visit an art gallery. Few artists actually have their own galleries. Most work from home studios that aren't open to the general public. However, gallery owners often display works of other artists and can help you find one with the expertise you need.

4) Ditto for the local art museum (if your town has one). The curator also knows many of the local artists. While you're there, take the time to browse through the museum. You may get a jolt of inspiration along with the enjoyment of the exhibits.

Like professional hair stylists, professional artists charge top dollar for their expertise. If you're looking to save a few greenbacks, contact the art department of your local college or high school. Ask about contracting a student for your project. You'll help the student, too, by giving her/him something to add to her/his portfolio.

Artists are everywhere. Even the sleepy little southern town I live in has a surprising number of artists and artisans. And yeah, I'm one of them!

So the next time you've got a project in mind that you'd like to take to another level, consider doing what the professionals do...calling in someone to help you get there. Support your local artists.

Hope everyone has a good week! Stay Creative!

Painting Photos

Well, you asked for it....




This is a commissioned painting I did last fall of a country store that is slated to be torn down so that the road can be widened. It has been closed for some time and the gas pumps long gone, but my client wanted to remember the store as it looked when her relatives operated it. She had it framed and presented it to them for Christmas. What a thoughtful gift.




The above painting is one of my forays into a more impressionistic style. It turned out well, I thought. As I tend to paint tight, my instructor occassionally throws one of these challenges at me to get me to loosen up. We have loads of fun on those days. But then, we have loads of fun no matter what we are painting.

So, what'cha think? Which style do you like better? Come on, let me know!

The Edge of Summer

Teetering on the edge of summer, I've decided it's time to go...cordless! Today I wandered over to our local Home Depot and looked around. Came out with a beautiful piece of 2ft. x 4ft. 3/4 in. plywood for my coffee table. You remember, the one I've been trying to get built since...forever? And I splurged on a Ryobi starter kit consisting of a cordless drill and a cordless skill saw. Fortunately it was on sale this weekend, so I didn't feel too badly about spending the money. It's been awhile since I made any major purchases and I know I'll get my money's worth out of this one. I haven't opened the box yet, but I'm really excited. We used a cordless skill saw at a former job and I liked the smaller size. Since I won't be cutting large amounts of wood, I feel the cordless saw is all I'll need for most of my projects.

I have three designs worked out for the coffee table, but can't decide which one I want to build. That's what I get for taking so long to get the thing built. I keep re-thinking the design. This could get interesting. In the meantime, I'll keep stock-piling wood for the blessed event. I'll probably have another design in the mix by then!

As I stated in my last post. the goal for this year is to Focus on my art. While I have yet to sell anything (can I blame the economy?) I have been working hard to improve my painting skills. For a number of months I've been under the instruction of a wonderful local artist and even I can see the improvement. You can visit his websites through the ancientofdays link in the list at the top right of this blog. His work is simply awesome and we have a couple of collaborations posted there as well. If you visit, look for the painting of the cows. I'll be posting photos here of some paintings for you to check out real soon.

It feels good to be back online at home and not have to travel across town for only an hour's worth of internet. Just got to get back into the groove of posting. So until later, have a creative weekend, everyone!

New Year

Okay, so the title of this post is a little blah...about like I've been feeling since Christmas. Wandering around in the dark world, pondering art and life and wondering if it's all really worth the struggle. I think this is something all creative people go through and more than just once in a while. But even when all the lights seem to be going out, I'll chance to glance up...

The sun is still shining and beauty still abounds in this barren winter land. We don't have snow like my Northern friends do, but the slant of the early morning and late evening sun with the golden rays striking the naked treetops stirs something inside me, lifts me up from the cold darkness, and restores my faith in myself and my art. And so I begin again.

It is now the end of January and I've made my resolution for this year. In a word, it is "Focus" as in focus on art/creativity. I think I might even get the new coffee table built by spring...ha, ha! But I'm going to focus alot on my art (the two-dimensional stuff) and see where that takes me this year. I've done a lot of sitting around, trying to keep warm, crochetting and thinking. Where do I want to go this year? Life is not all hopeless when we remember that we have the power to shape our lives even if sometimes we don't have the monetary means. I'm probably a bit too idealistic, but one has to have some hope to float or else just go down the drain. So I hope for this new year to be able to see a dream or two come to fruitation and to get that dratted coffee table built (along with matching end tables)!!! Wish me luck on that.

Well, time is short here at the library, so I'd better close this post before the two-minute warning. Sorta feel like I've just wasted space (and your time having to read this) with this post, but wanted to write something. Must keep moving along.

Stay Positive...Stay Creative!