I came across the Craft: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 a few weeks ago on the Craft blog and was intrigued by the questions. They were thought provoking and interesting. So I set out to answer them, learning a little about myself in the process! Here are the answers I came up with.
One Project You Are Particularly Proud Of | My Recycled Magazine Frame
I created the project as a challenge to myself to use my stacks and stacks of magazines for something good. Not only did the frame turn out well, it was the first project of mine to ever be published in a magazine (Simply Handmade April/May 2011). How fitting that a project made from magazines be published in a magazine!
Two Mistakes You've Made in the Past | While I’ve certainly made many mistakes, these are the two I’ve learned the most from and, at the same time, need to work on improving more so than any.
- Over-committing & setting unrealistic deadlines for myself. There are simply too many ideas running amuck in my head. Too many things I want to explore, try out and accomplish. I set my sights high, usually unrealistically high, and often find myself overwhelmed and even stressed because of the expectations I set for myself. In recent months, I’ve forced myself to cut back and slow down in a lot of areas, including my creative endeavors. While this is a difficult thing to do, I’m much more at peace which, surprisingly in the end, allows me to be even more creative. Who knew?
- Being a perfectionist. That darn perfectionist in me just won’t stop rearing its ugly head. It’s one of those traits that can be both my best and worst, often at the same time. Because of it, I strive do always do my best in everything, which is usually a good thing. Unfortunately, even when I’ve done my best, I have a hard time accepting that. When I complete a project I always find myself looking back and finding flaws - little details that could be better. I have to work very hard to accept things for what they are, and see the beauty in the imperfection.
Three Things That Make Your Work Unique | We all like to think we’re unique and many of us are lucky enough to be told our work is unique. Even with that, it’s difficult to narrow down the traits and characteristics that truly make your work “your own”. After questioning a few people and looking through my blog, this is what I came up with.
- Use of bright, bold colors. No matter what type of craft I’m creating, I tend to lean toward bright, bold colors. Many of the compliments I receive regarding my projects are directed toward my choice and use of color.
- Avoiding “trends”. While trends certainly make their way into my work, or at least influence it, I strive to stick with my personal style and create pieces that are more “timeless” as opposed to “trendy”.
- Keep it simple. For the most part, my style is somewhat simple. When you look at my work, it may not appear to be that way at first glance, because the simple designs are brought to life with color and small details.
Four Tools You Love to Use | While I’m not certain all of these qualify as “tools”, these are my favorite “go to” items in my craft studio.
- My Macbook. While it’s nearly four years old, and my digital files long ago filled it’s poor memory to the brim (and overflowed to an external hard drive), this has been the best computer I’ve ever owned - hands down. I use it daily to make digital creations, edit photos and search for inspiration. I couldn’t live without it.
- Adobe CS5 Design Suite. I couldn’t do what I do without Photoshop and Illustrator. Love, love, love.
- Hot Glue Gun. Seriously, what can’t hot glue hold together?
- Scissors, rotary cutters and paper trimmers. I probably own at least 10 pairs of scissors, each with its own unique use. I have two handheld rotary cutters (one always has a straight blade the other a scallop) and six different paper cutters. I’m almost embarrassed to admit I own that many cutting tools!
Five Inspirations | It’s very hard to narrow my choices down to just five, because in reality, inspiration is everywhere and the sources for it are endless.
- Pinterest. What a wondrous site it is! I know I have been guilty of getting lost there for hours upon end.
- Blogs. I subscribe to hundreds of blogs through Google Reader. I start each day with a cup of tea and a screen full of inspiration.
- Color & pattern. Just a glance at a wonderful pallet or pretty pattern can ignite my creative fire. I love to peruse fabric stores, scrapbook stores, clothing stores and home design stores for inspiration.
- Magazines. From crafts to food to design, I find inspiration by simply flipping the pages of a magazine. You never know when a project, article, or even an ad will trigger your creativity.
- The world around me. There is inspiration in everything, you just have to know where to look.
And that is the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 of my crafting life! Hopefully you learned a little bit about me too! Thanks for stopping by :)
