Cloudy with a Chance of Creativity

Today was a cloudy, cozy afternoon. We stayed inside and I made stuff. I had fun and found it rewarding. I know some of you make stuff all the time. I see it in your blogs, on Facebook, and on Pinterest. That is not me. But today I made stuff.

Setting aside the demands of the day, I decided to sit still long enough to finish a few projects in the creative realm. I went down the short flight of stairs to the basement. Yes, some of us living in Southern California have basements, as it were. Not a basement like out East and in the Midwest, but a bit of a cool storage space around our furnace. Some of my stuff for making things lives there undisturbed. But that all changed this afternoon.

I'd gotten a blank calendar from Paper Source, a favorite store of mine. www.paper-source.com

For the calendar, go to: http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/2012-Paper-Source-DIY-Calendar/3205.001/436909.html

By the way, Paper Source has a creed that does keep my heart beating for making something just for fun now and then. With their motto, "Do something creative everyday," I am reminded that joy is found there...in the creating. At least for many of us, including me. Even if we are flattering someone more genius than we are by copying their idea, and of course giving them credit, creating something gives a feeling of contribution.

I set aside perfection, got my little desk calendar desperate for design, spread out some materials for cards I'd recently been given, and gathered some tools and additional stamps from my basement goodies. And I dove in, throwing caution, expectations, and a sense of time to the wind. I needed to do January's design for my little DIY desk calendar. And what's the rush? Ha, ha. It is nearly mid-January, after all. Time to commit and just do it. Will I ever pick the perfect design? No. That is the pressure and the beauty of home made, and good enough is just that. Good enough.

January...hmmmm. What images came to mind? Of course. Snow. Especially since I don't encounter snow any more in my day-to-day. So why not honor it in a paper design? So I stamped some snow, a snowman, some mittens, and added some glitter. I do love me some glitter, friends! You are never too old for glitter in your day. Next I got out my color pencils and got in touch with my inner child by coloring the design. I circled the holiday, my January day off. And...done. January was done. So, with a little courage and more stamps, I went on to make my February calendar.

If you ask me, this one is a bit cluttered. Less is more, and I clearly ignored that. Anyway, I only have to use it and look at it for a month. There are some pretty elements and the little groundhog will make me smile all month, even though he only claims the one day for festivity. So, February is done and March is far away. I'll work on that one mid-February.

Next, I made some cards. I am not an avid card maker. I am an avid digital photo album maker. Not cards so much. But I do use cards and enjoy writing notes on pretty papers, so I have been known to make cards with others, copying designs and borrowing tools. Today, however, I was on my own. No designs to copy, and only what I had on the dining table to combine to create a card. So, adjusting my expectations accordingly, I went at it. I'm satisfied with my end results for two reasons: they are done and they are usable. And they are good enough. I've seem many beautiful hand made cards. These are not those. But they'll do, and I'll enjoy using them sending them. Good enough.