For February I’ve used the word “Heart” and tried out some fun new techniques to make my card. Although February is traditionally the month of the heart, I’ve used it in a slightly different context for my card; more as a way to remind myself that everything I do, whether in my personal life or in my business life, should be approached with an attitude of love and gratitude. It’s easy to forget that when you find yourself doing stuff that isn’t quite so much fun but still a necessary part of life and business like taxes and housework.

I remember as a child I used to love playing with paper dolls and would spend hours carefully cutting out the doll and all the little pieces of clothing that came with it. Then more hours of playing with the doll and imagining a life where I got to wear all those beautiful paper clothes in the far away places of my imagination.

Well, this paper doll is nothing like those of my youth but I’m enjoying the experience of learning to color “outside the lines” and work from a place of artful interpretation. In some ways this reality is much better than those of my childish imagination.

You can see my other Vision Cards for the year here and here, and more about The Creative Explorer’s Club here.

I love to get your questions, comments and feedback! Leave them in the comments section here: Living and working from the heart

I’ve always loved using thread in interesting ways and you can see the many ways I use it by browsing through my online photo gallery.

As an interesting sidenote, about ten years ago when I first discovered art quilting, one of the textile artists I admired most was Ellen Anne Eddy who does incredibly detailed thread painted work. So it was an honor to be mentioned alongside her in this article. If you’d like to see some of her incredible work, you can find her website here.

And if you’re into sashiko, stop by Susan Briscoe’s website for some Japanese inspiration.

I’m not sure if this issue is available yet, but add it to your shopping list!

I love to get your questions, comments and feedback! Leave them in the comments section here: The Art of Thread

Downloadable Tutorial – Exploring Fabric Paper

Fabric Paper is a fun and creative mixed media technique that allows you to make a fusion of fabric and paper that has a unique combination of surface texture, design and color which can be sewn. It can be used for backgrounds, cut up and used as appliqué pieces or structured into three dimensional art.

Click here to see all the different ways I use fabric paper

The downloadable tutorials are free for members of The Creative Explorer’s Club, and if you’re not a member yet you can find membership details here, otherwise you can find pricing and additional details for the tutorial here in the store.

Bargain Books

I’m cleaning out my quilting and craft book library so grab a bargain while they last!

All books are in perfect or near perfect condition, and best of all you can save on shipping costs by selecting the “Media Mail” option at checkout (US customers only).

You can find all the listings here in the store.

I love to get your questions, comments and feedback! Leave them in the comments section here: New in the Store: Downloadable Tutorials and Bargain Books

Exploring some photoshopping
The February tutorial being presented in The Creative Explorer’s Club is all about using photoshop elements so I thought I’d get a little practice in ahead of time. This image was manipulated in photoshop elements to enhance the figure of the statue and replace the background. I then printed it onto some paper and glued it to a canvas background. I think I did a pretty good job of blending the edges even though most of the background got covered up anyway.

Exploring some sewing
This year I’m allowing myself the freedom of exploring sewing that is less structured and more free form. I’m also beginning to enjoy working with raw edges which is not something I usually work with.

Exploring some mixed media
I’m madly trying to get some new textured surface work done in anticipation of my upcoming workshop. I’m really enjoying working with mixed media applications for creating textured surfaces on fabric, and some of these techniques will also be included in an upcoming tutorial for my Creative Explorers.

Blue Angel is my new notebook cover.

I love to get your questions, comments and feedback! Leave them in the comments section here: Exploring mixed media

My weekly outings often involve a visit to the craft store for a few creative supplies because, honestly, in what world is that not fun?

But this week also included breakfast at Panera Bread. I recently began a practice of mindful eating which means I don’t count calories or points or portion sizes; instead I stay mindful about my food choices and what my body needs to stay healthy. I must admit that this isn’t as easy as it sounds and I fall off the mindful eating wagon every now and then, but it is getting easier with time.

On the plus side, it means I can eat things like this delicious Cobblestone for breakfast – without a side order of guilt.

I don’t know why they give you a fork; it’s impossible to eat with anything but fingers.

Mmmm, delicious.

I like Panera Bread and not just for the creative energy they use to make their delicious breads and sandwiches and pastries, or their social philosophy. I also love the little creative surprises I often find there.

Like this banner which was hanging right in front of me as I ate my Cobblestone.

If you can’t quite read the main question, it says – How our guests say they make today better. Which of course started me thinking – “How could I make today better?”.

This is probably not a question that immediately comes to my mind each morning when we wake up; I know it’s not something I generally ask myself. But what if it was? How would that make a difference to your day? Would it change the way you approached your day? Looking for something positive to add to your day instead of just taking from it as a way to get through it? And at the end of the day, how would it feel to know that you did one small simple thing that made your day, or someone else’s day, better? I think that’s pretty powerful stuff.

I’m thinking that this question would make a big difference to my day so I’ve decided it’s important enough to include in my morning ritual. The morning ritual is a topic that we’re discussing this week in The Creative Explorer’s Club and it’s all about beginning your day in a positive way with a strong focus and guided energy. It’s used as a way to avoid the many distractions that can get in our way during the course of the day that stop us from achieving our creative dreams and our goals.

The question “How could I make today better?” is a perfect way to end that ritual. And traveling through the day looking for ways to make things better also serves to keep us in the present moment which is where our creative energy is most powerful.

So … what are you doing to make today better?

I love to get your questions, comments and feedback! Leave them in the comments section here: Make today better