Creative Urges

Coaster Project

cre·ate

To cause to come into being,as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes

To evolve from one’s own thought or imagination ,as a work of art or an innovation

I don’t know what my brain is up to these days.

My schedule at  the office is hectic and I have a house that desperately needs attention , but I just keep thinking about doing crafty projects, and creating useless things. Well not totally useless…..I did make these coasters from our left over tile from the bathroom makeover, and we do use them . Going to try my hand at trading cards one of these days. I don’t know why , I just am

Another Day at the Arboretum

Going to the Mn Landscape Arboretum was so relaxing today . We left bright and early to beat the crowds. It was a bit on the chilly side , and

very windy! Pictures were hard to take. The tulips were all swaying in the breeze.

But I love love love the crabapple tress in full bloom today . Sarah and I  made a point to get off the beaten path and walk up  the hill into the grove of trees . It was like walking in a dream land. I never get tired of visiting this place …I’m learning the secret hiding spots of the Lady Slippers( thought they weren’t in bloom yet   )  I f ever in Minneapolis- I hjighly recommend a stop – it is an awe inspiring place.

Getting started – again

Why  is it that we procrastinate – even on things that we like to do ?  Take my crafts for instance. I love to make “stuff”  . The kind of stuff that I think is pretty, not necessarily useful …..well ,sometimes it’s useful, and  then that’s a bonus.

I save jars, buttons, paper,fabrics, and anything that glitters. I get excited thinking and imagining what I can make with these lovelies…… and then I stall.

I might stall be because deep down I am a perfectionist and am afraid that my creation will be a big old flop.I don’t know. Other times I think I procrastinate because  there are so many things that I want to do at any given time, and I can’t really decide on anything at all.

Then I procrastinate  by having a handful of potato chips while I think about what to do next. Water follows chips, then restroom, and before you know it , it’s too late to start anything but dinner.

As a matter of fact,  I don’t have time to write my blog now.  Darn! I need to figure out what we’re having for dinner tonight.

Staying Motivated

I’m ot quite sure about this blogging thing. I really don’t have anything to say .  My head seems to be spinning with thoughts and ideas, but when I sit in front of the computer here looking at the Add New Post page, I freeze.  So Im thinking about the reasons to do this. I do want to improve my creative writing skills,….utilize  the photos that I take , and to ….well, let face it …….to jump on the bandwagon with other bloggers.

Many of the blogs that I read through are inspirational . Either by the pictures, or by the content. Say I’m reading about a mom who does it all, beautiful home, blogs about  lots of activities with her kids, and then posts pictures of recent crafts . Also beautiful. I read those and say to myself …wow … I better step up my game.

Am I competitive?  Is it wrong to always try to improve things?  I never seem to be happy with things as they are….I’m not unhappy, but the urge to create, improve,and make something better ( even me) than I found it is always with me.

So maybe one thing I can do with this blog is to communicate my gratitude for the things in my life just as they are, and then when I want to change these same things, I won’t feel bad.

Today I”m grateful  for family.  I probably have the best family….not a lot of drama,  great health  , happiness ,getting together  ( with good food), and love is a way of life, here….. . We meet most Sundays as a family for our Sunday Fundays…. and for that I’m grateful.

My new favorite

Do you ever  all of the sudden see something  that you’ve seen many times before , only this time it looks brand new?  That’s how I found my new favorite spring plant- the forsythia shrub. (say that 5 times  as fast as you can.)

For some reason , this spring , the forsythia has jumped out at me where ever I go – and now I want one really bad for our backyard.  The bright yellow buds are simply beautiful in the starkness of everything else in early spring. Take a look . beautiful right?  Weird how this has gotten my attention .  Move over daffodils, we have some competition.

Love it !

Antiquing and stuff

Had a great time this morning , heading out early with coffee in hand.  It must have been about 8:20 am when I picked up my daughter and we went to the Bachman,s Antique  here in Mpls. And of course I wasn’t going to buy anything…uh huh.. it’s not that I really need anything at home , but I haven’t gone antique shopping in quite a while , so it was  fun. Came home with a vintage watering  can ( I couldn’t resist) and lots of good photos to use for my home and garden website .

We rambled around the antique show for a while taking pictures of the “stuff” and then walked through the greenhouse and took some pictures in there. It smelled sooooo good !   We treated ourselves and bought  some spring  potted flowers on our way out.    I came straight home and planted them in a glass trifle bowl . I copied  that idea from the greenhouse. Their container gardens were absolutely beautiful  but I liked how mine  turned out too.

Where do you start?

Ok – let’s give this blogging stuff a whirl .
Really the reason that I”m here is that I see so many beautiful blogs out there that I love to look at and read.  Some seem to be works of art in a funny kind of way. I picked up a book  Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey  and  was so excited to see other blog examples and photographs.

Blogging  looks like a great way to express life through photographs and writing. Might be fun. I might take better pictures with more practice?

Well, anyway….My blog  won’t be anything too fancy, but I ‘m excited to develop a style and rhythm and see what happens.

OK – So do I begin now?

Well, maybe I should start tomorrow .