Creative Hop - What Makes My Creativity Tick

Good morning lovely readers! I was tagged by the wonderful Boni Montano to participate in this Creative Hop. The idea is to answer five questions so everyone can learn a little bit more about the person behind the blog pages and pretty pictures.

What am I working on now?

Way too many things! I think I have crafting ADD. There is no point in time where I have just one thing I am working on. I like to hop from one to another to another. Especially when I have to wait for things like paint or glue to dry...

So here is a little bit of what I have going on at the moment. I've been working on a couple of quilts. One is nearly finished. I just have to finish up the quilting stitches and add the binding. The other the top is done and I just have to baste, quilt, and bind it. But here is a pic of the blocks. This is going to be a baby quilt for my new little nephew for his first Christmas!

I recently started a knitting class and a landscape painting class on Craftsy. The Knit Lab class makes it really easy to learn to knit and get the hang of the stitches. The Imagined Landscapes class was so much fun! I never knew I could paint anything even remotely close to this! (These are not sponsored links, I just love to share awesome things). 

The class really was amazing! I have come to the conclusion that you are not an artist because you are naturally born knowing how to paint beautiful things, but rather that you have the courage to keep going and keep adding and changing things until you end up with something beautiful. How else could you turn this , which looks like a child's finger painting, into the beautiful picture above? Yep, that is where it started.  

I am also working on updating my craft room and getting things better organized. So I can try to prevent having piles like this one... However, you can spot the two quilts I'm working on.  I hope to have a whole post series on this in the new year.

How does my work differ than others in my genre?

This is a tough one to answer... My work differs because I like to do such a large variety of crafting things. I have been crafting ever since I was very little and haven't stopped. I truly enjoy trying new things and I like to share how I make things so others can learn too. Maybe one of my tutorials or experiences will help someone else learn the easy way to do something. Or that way the instructions and steps are already there for someone who wants to follow along. Its also totally and completely me and my style. There is no way to replicate that.

Why do I create what I do?

I just love to make things! I love learning new crafts and giving my family handmade gifts. I hope they never get tired of getting them. Otherwise I wouldn't know what to do with all my crafted goodies. It is always fun to try using a different technique or medium and seeing your results. Sometimes the results aren't that great and it was a learning experience. Other times the results are fabulous and you are really proud of the piece.

It's also my escape from a busy hard day at work where I can turn up some tunes and just relax while having fun and making something pretty.

Besides... I have to justify having this huge space that is jam packed with all sorts of supplies and tools. This is a slightly outdated picture. I will have to do an update post when I get things finished a bit more.





How does my creative process work?

I usually see something either on someone else's blog, or on Pinterest, or even just out in nature that inspires me. Like a specific project, or a color combo, or a pattern. Anything can strike up inspiration. So I try to make sure that when I see these things I write them down either in my phone's note pad or in an actual note book that I keep in my purse. Sometimes my sister or mom gives me suggestions and it starts from there. Sometimes someone in my family will make a specific request.

Sometimes I just decide that I want to work on something. If I actually take the time to sit and really think about coming up with new projects that are entirely my own I find I can come up with lots of ideas. Some don't end up coming to fruition, but others are a complete masterpiece that I'm very proud of. Preferably that thinking time involves sitting outside or near a window with a glass of wine. I really do draw a lot of inspiration from nature. I love getting to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine, or curling up under a blanket near the window and looking out at the snow if it's too cold to sit outside.

Once I have the inspiration I take the time to think up the details and make notes. You will find all sorts of scraps of paper all over my craft room with notes and project ideas. I like to think about size, what colors will I use, what patterns should I use or look for, what supplies can I use that I already have. Basically I try to come up with a plan before I head down to the craft room so I have a clear idea of the direction I want to take. That makes it easier to have some of the thinking done ahead of time so I can work more on the actual putting together of the project.  

Most projects I also try to take photos and write down measurements along the way so I can share the how to with you! I'm also trying to think up more fun ways to photograph my projects other than just in front of a white board.

Tag… you’re it!

I'm not sure if I can tag multiple people or not, but I'm going to anyway. I would like to tag Jacque Craig at Stamp With Jacque. She is the brains behind Craft Project Central  and I think it would be fun to see what makes her creativity tick.

I would also like to tag my sweet sister Kelly at Kelly's Pages.

Here is the challenge! You have just one week to answer the same questions above so your readers can get to know a little bit more about what goes on behind the scenes.