Creative Crafty Friends Make Winter Warm!

I've been a VERY busy creative the last few weeks! First came CHA SHOW in January with all the prep, teaching and follow up from a zillion meetings. (Plus a nice break in warm southern Cali as a bonus!) Working on projects for magazine articles, new art collections for licensing and bring part of the Linnie Blooms Design team linnieblooms.blogspot.com has been more recently filling up my long and socially isolated winter days.

BUT..what has really filled me with energy has been chatting daily with so many of my creative peeps!

For people living in warm climates or who managed to escape to warm climates for winter, the past few months have been normal.  For the rest of us, however, they have been exhausting. Winter is so isolating. And it runs way too long.

Okay, the first snowfall or two may look all sparkly and magical...and add delightful ambience to seasonal holiday decorations and themes...but by the umpteenth storm warning, travel nightmare/flight cancellation or emergency rations run, snow totally loses its appeal.  At least for me it does. 

I haven't  gone for a walk outside for weeks.  No wait, make that months since the only place to walk would be in the street. For someone who normally walks daily, it's been an eternity. The dogs all feel the same way. The Arctic air mass has made it even harder to deal with. While I love to show off a cute new warm, snuggly sweater and finally get to wear my boots without stinky sweaty feet, subzero temps and Arctic air is just plain painful to breathe in anymore! Even if the sidewalks were clear, I just can't take the frozen air.

I'm SO ready for spring. Not ready for the allergies that accompany trees waking up and going a little wild in the pollen making department perhaps, but definitely ready for the dirty, crusty, condensed snow to melt and clean, non-slippery sidewalks to magically reappear!

From the dozens of conversations sparking back and forth on social media, it seems all my cold climate creative peeps feel pretty much the same. We are all ready to breathe in fresh air that doesn't burn our lungs and enjoy the outdoors once again with other people.  Yes! I cannot WAIT to emerge from this long isolation. Can't wait until the swans return.

But the one thing that has truly helped me make it through such a long and frigid season has been you, my creative friends.  Your funny jokes and comments on FB....those hour-long one-on-one chats on Messenger...surprise texts and emails...and lively group discussions...  This is what has made a very depressing few weeks inspiring ones instead! You all keep me creatively inspired and always ready to craft or draw or experiment with new products and techniques. And for that, I thank each one of you. I sincerely hope I brightened up at least one hour for every one of you! 

Looking forward now to a great year with you all...my creative friends... 

LET THE CREATIVE BEGIN!

My first Linnie Blooms Design Team Project is Live!

Yay! Go check out my first project and tutorial at www.linnieblooms.blogspot.com

Then return Monday to my blog for a new post...on the importance of having creative friends!

Doesn't this cute little hanging just make you think SPRING!?

Project Goes LIVE tomorrow! But first...BEAK FACE!

Tomorrow my FIRST project on the Linnie Blooms Design Team Blog goes LIVE!
Stay tuned...or go directly to http://linnieblooms.blogspot.com

A little more crafty parrot from tonight....this time is a crafty FOOD BEAK!
Can you guess what Ollie had for dessert tonight???

That's little Lacy Lulu peeking behind Ollie.  She's every watchful for the slightest morsel that might fall.  Sometimes, those food tidbits don't just accidentally fall.  Ollie LOVES to feed his puppy!  He'll give me the "stink eye", then literally just toss everything out of his bowl just to watch her gobble it all up.  They have already become friends in crime!

Ollie the Crafting Parrot

Many of us have family members that share our studio space with us--or at least visit us from time to time in our creative spaces.  I just happen to share my creative spaces with a parrot who LOVES crafting!

The past couple days have been spent in crafty bliss, creating projects for the Linnie Blooms Design Team ( www.linnieblooms.com ).  And Ollie the Monkeyman ha been hanging with me, quietly watching all the creative magic going on.  When I was properly covered from head to toe with ink and glue and couldn't find an extra square inch of table surface ANYWHERE, it was time to do a little cleaning up. My hands were so inky from sprays and sponging I couldn't have Ollie step up on my hand so I just walked about the room, cleaning up.  A couple times I had to leave to wash my hands in a sink in the adjacent room amidst Ollie's screams of protest.  Other than that, he hadn't made any sounds the entire time we were in the room working.  

So, just making conversation, I casually asked him if he liked watching Mama do crafts...and the clever boy immediately responded with a loud, emphatic "YEAH!"  And repeated his answer twice more for emphasis.  

Most people do not share their lives with parrots and think all talking birds do is  mimic what they hear.  That's not the case with all species.  Ollie is an Eclectus parrot, a species that is very intelligent and capable of much more than just imitating sounds.  He uses words and sounds appropriately and we have managed to form a great communication vocabulary.  He is definitely a thinker and will only respond to what makes sense to him.  For example, he understands what hurt and pain means and totally respects when I tell him an object or action will cause him pain.  Obviously I wouldn't allow him to just wander around a work table with craft tools and supplies but if he reaches for something that would be harmful for him to touch, I only have to say "don't touch" or "uh uh...scissors OW!" and he stops immediately and backs away. 

He is also a critic.  If he sees something he recognizes, like if I stamp an image of a bird, he'll say things like "Look!  Look at THAT!" He LOVES it when I stamp and is totally fascinated with the images that appear.  

Yes, he is a lot of work and yes, he needs lots of fresh food multiple times a day..and yes he also makes some high decibel sounds at times...but he is also a fascinating creature.  And the fact that he keeps me company in what can be a very isolating profession, is a blessing.  

More on being a CRAFTY GRANDMA....

Guess what the crafty project was?

Nothing fancy.  

Just an empty water bottle.  One that was heavy duty and whose cap sealed on super tight. (I used a Fuji Water Bottle...super sturdy)  I added a little water, a few drops of liquid dish detergent and voile!  A bottle of BUBBLES to shake and slosh!  And I have a TON of videos to prove how much fun we had playing bubble shake...for an hour.  

Next time, I'll add glitter and food coloring....jazz it up a bit.  

And that's how we introduce the little guy to Grandma Crafts...

Guide to Being a Crafty Grandma

When my kids were young and money was tight, I would make all kinds of fun toys and games with odds and ends of materials we had around the house. I made my daughter's first soft doll (the only doll she has to this very day) ...a special pillow with the face of the man-in-the-moon to help my son drift off to sleep. Pretty much everything my kids treasured were made from my heart instead of bought in stores.

That's what makes crafting special.  When we take the time to make a one-of-kind something for someone, it can mean more than just buying one of a thousand identical items made by a stranger and a machine.

And that's what my little grandson will experience.

I made his first craft item yesterday while I was visiting.  It is probably now his favorite.  I'm basing that on how much it entertained this 14 month old with the attention span of a gnat . He played with it with me for  over an hour...

More tomorrow on what it was...


Leave a comment if you feel so inclined...

Did you attend the CHA show last month in Anaheim?

If you were at the CHA show, could you please tell me what you saw!? 

Any new and exciting products? 

Trends? 

New creative directions? 

Did you get totally inspired to try something  new?

Did you order cool stuff for your store or score  learning new techniques?

Help!

I was there but I missed most of it. Nope, I wasn't sick. Didn't spend the time at Disneyland instead.  And, as tempting as it was, no, I didn't leave the convention center to wander around in the sunshine or go to the beach. 

Instead, I spent almost the entire show in meetings. LOTS of meeting. Taught a sold out workshop with some the most awesome workshop assistants anyone could dream of having! Exhibited in the Designers-in-Action Section.  Demoed. Attended several events and discussion groups, although I had to miss others because of conflicts with MORE  meetings.  

Did I forget to mention I spent a lot of the show in meetings?

Granted, I DID spend almost my entire day on Saturday networking, socializing and basically just enjoying the company of my creative peeps. Somehow I was lulled into a false sense that I actually had DAYS open to just wander the aisles.  Apparently I totally under-estimated reality. Over the following three days of the show, my meetings all seemed to mysteriously spontaneously schedule or reschedule in a way that made it impossible to ever stop for more than a moment on the way to the next meeting ...and weirdly I always seemed to walk down the same dozen aisles.   Which meant I totally missed most of the show. Bummer.

Fortunately I did meet some new vendors and have even just joined a Design Team! (More on that as soon as I can announce it...). I soaked in all the creative energy and radiated it back. Ran into old friends...and made several new ones. And I networked until the very, very end...and beyond. . 

Note to self: In 2016, make sure to set aside one full day to walk the aisles.  EVERY aisle.  Watch more demos. Play with more products. Do every Make 'n Take.  Celebrate CRAFTING!