Tag Archives: crafts

If This Was a Food Blog

19 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by in Kitchen Creations

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Kitchen Clock
If this was a food blog, which it isn’t, I would definitely use this little clock as the background, or the header, for the site. If I should ever write a cookbook, which isn’t likely, I would try to figure out how to use it on the cover. I love this clock, and yet, I have never actually used it for its intended purpose. I made it several years ago during a time when I was experimenting with clay and wood. And some other mixed-media stuff. If I must say so myself, it turned out rather nicely.

It was around the time that I seemed to be going through a phase where I made a lot of clocks. And not just any clocks, I made “unusual” clocks. There was one that was made using an old CD with bead trim, a wooden dowel, and pieces of leather. It looked like a giant flower. A giant ticking flower.

There was also my painted masterpiece that became a framed canvas collage clock covered with window screen – I’ll bet you can’t say that three times really fast without messing up. And I really liked the old copper teapot that found new life as a clock. I would love to post the pictures, but they have proved to be …elusive.

Of all the clocks I have ever made, this Kitchen Clock is my favorite. I especially love the poem, “A New Cook’s Prayer”, printed on the background, and you can read it below.

I briefly considered writing the design instructions, just in case somebody wanted to replicate this little darling. Unfortunately, instruction writing has always been my least favorite part of the design process. So I didn’t. I’m thrilled, however, that I happened to find this picture in my files, and I wanted to share it here. On my “not a food blog” blog.

A New Cook’s Prayer

I bought a spoon, I bought a book
But precious Lord, I still can’t cook

So bless Oh Lord, all who dare
Eat these meals that I prepare

And I pray that by and by
I’ll get better with each try
— by Lavette

Save the Stuff, Save the Planet

16 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in Creative Therapy

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

Recycle StashAt first glance, someone with an untrained eye would swear that I’m a hoarder. Technically, that is not the case. I readily admit that I am the proud owner of a growing collection of bits of “stuff” dotting the landscape of my studio. But, in my own defense, I have to tell you that I only keep it because I’m going to make something with it one day.

OK, so I started collecting stuff, and repeating this same mantra, back in the days of my youth. Again, in my defense, I have actually made a lot of things with a lot of my stuff.

That being said, I can actually empathize with those on the outside who view my stashes of empty bottles, stored next to bits and pieces of paper or fabric, and my assorted lengths of ribbon peeking out from the shadows of bagged wood chips and assorted vegetation in various stages of drying, and think, “Why would anybody in their right mind hold on to trash like that? Why not put all that junk in the refuse or recycle bin where it belongs?” I understand, but there’s the rub – I AM in my right mind. While I am perfectly capable of logical (left-brain) thinking, I tend to view my world from a right-brain perspective. I see craft projects.

A self-proclaimed non-creative once asked me, “How do you get all of those ideas for making so many different projects?”

My answer to her was something along the lines of, “I see visions in my head. I don’t see things just for what they are, but for what they could also become.” She looked puzzled, so I went on to explain, “When I see a piece of paper, it’s not just a piece of paper – it could be an accent piece to something, or even a purse. When I look at the packing materials from a new dresser I see a frame for a headboard, or the foundation for a piece of wall art. An empty soda bottle isn’t destined to be a permanent place holder in a land fill, it’s a purse just waiting to happen. For me, I see craft projects in the things around me.”

And yes, I have a thing for purses, so everything gets evaluated for its “pursability”, but that’s a story for another time.

One area that I like to explore for my stash of treasures is called “functional reassignment”. This is where an item may retain most, if not all, of its original form, but is given a new purpose in my life. Examples of this would be the clock I made using an old discarded teapot; and the comfy travel pillows made from old T-shirts. In my mind, an empty container that once held an assortment of bath oils could easily become a purse, and it did.

There is a relatively new term in the craft world now called “upcycling”. Simply put, it is recycling with a flair. A nip, a tuck, and a stitch turns an old button-up shirt into a spiffy new blouse. Old cereal boxes are transformed into an elegant frame for a mirror. Pages from magazines, or the Sunday comics, give new life to old bangle bracelets. A pair of cowboy boots languishing in the back of a closet become a chic leather bag…there’s no end to the potential for creativity, and the role creativity can play in saving planet Earth.

Well, my friends, I want to do my part, so I have decided that I will continue to save my “stuff” because I AM going to make something with it one day. I am on a quest to save the planet, one creative project at a time. I’m pretty sure a lot of them will be purses.