FaveCrafts

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Cre8ting Time for Creativity

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We are lucky here at FaveCrafts to work in an environment that allows us to be inspired by beautiful things on a daily basis. With Pinterest growing bigger and bigger, it’s become even easier for all of us to be inspired by beautiful images from all around the web. The problem comes in finding the time to take all that inspiration and turn it into something beautiful! With working full time, taking care of the house, and spending time with family it can be difficult to find the time for anything else. The Craft and Hobby Association understands this and they want to change it! That’s why they started the Cre8time movement, to encourage all of us crafty people to make that hour or even just half hour a day where we can make the most of our creativity.

Cre8time teamed up with Michaels and reached out to some creative bloggers to challenge them to set aside 1 hour a day (yes, 1 whole hour) and use it to make something creative. Michaels even offered a gift card to get us started so I took that challenge.

Cre8time MovementSo off to Michaels I went to pick up supplies for my 8 days of crafting – and oh did I ever stock up (really, who goes to Michaels and ever comes out with only what you intended to buy?). The receipt looks crazy, but really I bought a lot of little items to make some small projects, because I really wanted to complete a few projects in my one hour a day.

I only ended up finishing a couple projects and starting another. Or rather, I actually finished a couple projects and started another! At first I thought “One hour a day for eight days? Piece of cake.” But it actually did turn out to be kind of a challenge to always fit in one hour a day. Especially since some days are much busier than others. I have to admit to you guys (don’t tell anyone) I cheated a little. There were a couple days where an hour was just impossible. I did try to make up the time by crafting longer on other days and in the end I got a little jewelry making done and I started on that knit sweater I’ve always wanted to make!

Jewelry Making

Knitting

It was an interesting and completely rewarding challenge to actually make time to be creative. I’m going to take a real stab at keeping it up. Maybe not an hour every day, because trying to track that became a little stressful, but at least a little bit every day. Knitting before bed, a bracelet after dinner, or even just some doodling while watching T.V. – who knows how much my creativity could grow with these actions!

Tell us: How do you make time for creativity in your every day life?

Coloring Outside the Lines: 7 Kids Crafts that Unleash Creativity

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Summer is the perfect time for a child’s imagination to roam free and uninhibited, and kids crafts can help them express themselves. Ever since I witnessed a fellow teacher scolding a child for coloring outside the lines of a coloring page, I have been fiercely opposed to any limitations adults impose upon children’s creative expression. I’ve always felt that creativity with boundaries is hardly creativity at all because it does not allow for innovation and original creation.

I have always disliked the words “just” and “only” because they create boundaries where none should be. When someone says that a child’s creation is “only” a drawing or “just” a piece of paper, it removes the power of the work. In truth, that drawing may be a window into another world or the beginnings of some original invention that could solve a global issue.

I love the uncanny ability kids have that allows “just a box” or “only a sheet” to become a spaceship or a zoo full of dragons, and I believe that this creative exploration is the most crucial thing an adult can provide for a child.

I want to point out a few bloggers whose work on AllFreeKidsCrafts transcends the ordinary and the expected and opens up the potential for true innovation. All of these projects and activities remove creative limitations from children, including those nasty four-letter words “just” and “only” from the world.

Doodle Shoes

Doodle Shoes are a great way to incorporate a kid’s artwork into his or her wardrobe. Kids can make their own style by drawing and coloring patterns on a pair of white sneakers instead of the usual coloring book in this project by Kellie from Eclectic Chica.

Colored Pencil Beaded Jewelry

Kate from Mini-Eco transformed colored pencils into beads, which kids can use to create jewelry, patterns, and other interesting works of art. See her Colored Pencil Beaded Jewelry on AllFreeKidsCrafts, and click through for the tutorial.

Enchanted Acorn Toadstools

Maureen and Shanti from Twig and Toadstool make the most of the supplies in their back yards. I love their little fairy habitats, and these Enchanted Acorn Toadstools demonstrate the way they teach kids to see the magic in everyday items.

Log Totem Pole

I love reading Se7en because each of the kids in this incredibly creative family contributes to the craft project on the site. I’m especially a fan of this stackable, painted Log Totem Pole because each kid decorated a log, which they can then rearrange and put together in different shapes heights.

Boxy Cardboard Firetrucks

A box, as we all know, is never just a box, even once it has been painted like a firetruck… or a train, or a spaceship, or a cave. Providing kids with paint and a box like Brooke from Let Kids Create did is a great way to unleash an active imagination.

Painted Cape Canvas

Amy from Mamascout is excellent at providing her kids with open-ended creative lessons that allow their imaginations to run wild. This stunning Painted Cape Canvas is a beautiful creation her daughter made when Amy offered her a blank cape to use as a canvas.

Marble Run Painting Project

Teacher Tom‘s Marble Run Painting Project allowed preschoolers to pour paint over a marble run and watch the colors blend as an amazing active installation piece.

All of the bloggers whose work is featured on AllFreeKidsCrafts are phenomenal at inventing amazing ways for kids to color outside the lines and create something completely original. Explore more of the projects on the site for some great ideas that will promote inquisitive and innovative though for some incredibly creative creations.

Tell me about a time when a kid’s creativity surprised you!

 

Canada’s Top Creative Show – The Creativ Festival

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Canada's Top Consumer Creative Show

Creativ Festival - Canada's Top Creative Consumer Show of It's Kind.

Creativ Festival is back again on April 27 – 28th, 2012. Creativ is held twice a year, once in April and again in October. It is Canada’s top creative consumer show of its kind.

The April show is a two day event where consumers have an opportunity to attend and meet up to 20,000 guests that are creative individuals, businesses, instructors, celebrities and much more. It’s an interactive celebration where consumers can try before they buy.

They are all genres of creativity such as sewing, quilting, crocheting, knitting, scrap booking, needle arts and much more.

Creativ Festival has taken a leap and is introducing a strong social media wave for 2012. Stay tuned to their Facebook Fan Page for details. They are doing really good giveaways throughout the weeks leading up to the festival.

Mikey, from AllFreeCrochet’s YouTube Channel, is part of this lively show. Look for him at his Fiber Fantasy World. Look for his Hooker Alley Lamp Post at the show.

 

 

Southampton Ontario Artisan’s Walk Event

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Southampton Ontario

In Southampton Ontario Canada on July 2nd – 3rd, 2011 there will be a street sidewalk sale of artisan’s and creative individuals. The idea of this event is to showcase the talent of creativity for the locals. As you might know, Southampton is in the heart of tourist country for Ontario. Enjoy the warm waters crystal clear waters of Lake Huron and walk the main street filling your mind with creativity.

Mikey, from The Crochet Crowd will be joined with an array of local talent at this event. He will be having his classy crochet jewelry for sale. This event is from Saturday 9 – 5 pm and Sunday from Noon – 4pm. Bring your own tables, easels, and materials you need to provide for your set up.

This is being arranged by August Skies Home Decor. If you would like to display your products, contact Carol McKnight at augustskieshomedecor@gmail.com They are looking to make this a Sunday Event for the remainder of the summer if people are interested.

Hope to see you then!

FaveCrafts 365 Forget the Milk, Got Inspiration?

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We all hit dry spots in our creativity on occasion. There have been days when I knew I had to get something done, butthe creative mojo would not come. It can be frustrating. It can be upsetting. Yet, the best thing to do is just keep moving forward. Break it down into smaller tasks. Bribe yourself! Chin up as they say!

This video talks about a few ways to jump start your creativity. I try to have fun with it and I hope you will to! I’ve taken breaks in my work for many reasons and I’ve always found that there are so many ways to be creative. We can creatively inspire ourselves too. Check out the video!

Who Is Controlling Your Creativity?

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Setting Up My Story:I’ve got this brilliant idea that only I can pull off. A slip over jacket that is made just for me that goes with my stage costume. It’s got glitter coming out of the wahoo and complimentary colours to go with my look. It’s my world wide debut in 2 weeks and I have just summoned up this idea in my brain. Now the question is where to shop?

The obvious choice is the massive retailer because of its convenience. So off to the store I go and suddenly my brain is overwhelmed with colours that aren’t matching what I had in mind. Furthermore, I start getting disappointed with the colour schemes and suddenly when I think something is close… there’s clearly not enough on the shelf to pull off my idea.

I must have walked down the aisle 20 times. I was bad mouthing whom ever choose the colour schemes for the store thing nothing tends to match each other really well. I then start doing what the rest of us do… “I BEGIN TO SETTLE ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THEME!”

Creativity Control:

This is what prompts this story. I see myself on stage with a brilliant jacket… I’m so entranced with the idea of it. I realize my colours aren’t exactly what I wanted and I begin to reason with my subconscious that it’s okay if my shade isn’t exactly what I wanted or I have chosen a completely different colour scheme altogether.

Have you done this? You have an idea and then settle because the store didn’t have what you wanted. When you finished the project you are NOT delighted as you should be because you know in your heart you settled on submission that was 2nd choice. You know darn well what happens next. It will find its way to the very back of the closet never to see daylight until garbage day several years later!

Taking Control Back:

With a hand full of yarn retailing about $70.00 I decided that I am in control. I will not settle for 2nd Choice. I want what I want and I will have what I want! I put everything back down and out of the store I go and the retailer will never know why.

I drove nearly 2 hours to go to a store where I knew I won’t have to settle. http://www.lensmillstore.com Lens Mill Stores of Sourthern Ontario Canada. They have more yarn aisles than 8 massive retailers put together. Everything you could possibly need in quantities to successfully finish a project. For me the drive was worth saving my creativity. Lens Mill Stores was the very first business to ever support my dream in 2009 of The Crochet Crowd.

This is also a wonderful opportunity to check with smaller business owners who sell yarn. Maybe they can get you something special in quantities you need. It’s hard to stock everything due to so much selection. I was going to bug a stock person at the massive retailer but I figured I would get the “Line”, everything we have is put out.

So what do you do? Do you search online for Yarn? Do you check with smaller businesses? Or do you do what most of us do… SETTLE?

For more fabulous ideas on exploring your creativity, visit www.mikeyssmail.com.

Dismissing Your Crafting Compliments

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Are you the type of person who will receive a compliment for your work and you easily dismiss your project as being amateurish or easy to do? I would be broke if I had to give a dime for every time I receive a compliment and I just dismiss the compliment without accepting the praise at face value. For some reason, I feel anyone can do what I do which doesn’t make me special at all. Deep down I know that I have special gifts but in a way I feel I don’t deserve the recognition for my work.

If you have ever been to the Mikeyssmail Facebook Fan Page, you will see 100’s of people continually posting and sharing ideas. Most of what you will see will knock your socks off. Like me, many of the people feel amateurish because they thought to do something brilliant and just feel like a regular people willing to share.

On the flip side, a few designers may have never thought of what the regular crafting amateurs have done and accomplished. Or they have a team of people figuring out what the designer should do next to “WOW” the audience. It doesn’t take much for a designer to see an amateurish idea and give it a boost with the designers signature spin to it, add in mass media & television, and “presto” you have a designer launching a new product idea based in part of an amateurish idea. In many ways too… because a designer says it’s hot we tend to follow their trend and we are led to believe it’s hot.

Amateurs have an advantage. They are just crafty people willing to take a chance on a failed idea without many consequences. A person who reaches to a designer level has a reputation to uphold and can’t afford to have ideas to be just another project or worse… a failure.

Amateurs need to give themselves permission that they are artists too. They may not have cameras or media attention but they are just as vital to the world of creativity as a main stream designers. Without our amateurs trying new things… the designers wouldn’t be inspired by what they see or use parts of an idea for something greater. It’s like team work. It’s not about having the winning idea all the time, sometimes it’s about just being part of the brain power or a thought that contributed to the final idea.

Remember, when someone is complimenting you on your work… it was your hands or idea that made it possible and by all means that makes you a designer too! Accept the compliment and realize your ideas and work was appreciated.

To see some of the crochet videos check out AllFreeCrochet’s YouTube page.

Buying The Artist’s Vision and Stories

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Nearly 20 years ago I was an Artisan’s sections of the Canadian National Exibition where there was a couple of guys selling some “Self Made Jewelry”. The jewelry was unlike anything I had ever seen. One of the guys had a dentist friend… He was making some jewelry with false teeth. Before your cringe and think that’s pretty gross… there was something about the jewelry that was somewhat “goth”  but out right fascinating. It was undeniably the most unique thing I had ever seen. The stuff they were offering wasn’t for me… but their ideas for the jewelry was memorable.

10 years later. As I scanned across a table at another Artisan’s Festival, the jewelry on the table was indexing my brain from a memory of the work that I had seen before. When I looked up, it was the same two guys. This time, they had developed interpretive passion about their jewelry. By now, their collection was enormous. They were busy with people standing 2 or 3 people back from the table just to get a look and listen to the stories about the ideas they had. In the 10 year span since my last visit to their table… their passion was being incorporated into their work… it wasn’t just jewelry anymore… it was wearable artwork. You knew when you bought a peice that you were buying into their creativity.

From that moment and the last time I seen them nearly 10 years ago… I was so drawn to the ideas I had seen on the table. Not so much the “Goth” but the idea that something can be created to have emotional creative energy which is captured inside the artwork. The artwork tells its own story, but now the jewelry has a second story by the actual designers.

When someone is buying creativity… it’s not just the colour and shape. Its the emotional connection and meaning associated with whatever you are producing. If your a designer… or wannabe designer… it’s important to think about who is your purchaser and what would draw the type of customer you are looking for.

After all, they are not just buying some fabric, metal, or plastic… they are buying into the creative dream of the designer.

The Cost of Creativity – Creating Your Own Online Store

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A very common question I receive is about the amount to charge for crafting goods. I specialize in teaching Crochet & Loom Knitting. New enthusiastic people come on board and learn with my “How To” tutorials and then get all rev’d up on the excitment. While sitting there, they get thinking big about creating their own home based businesses. They see people selling stuff all over the internet and then they start seeing themselves as a business owner and marketing their goods.

Realistically, what something is worth is up to the person who wants it. If you are creating something that can be found all over the internet, “How is your product any different?” Are you doing something, a stitch, an emblishment, or a style that is unsually pleasing to the creative beings of your purchasers?

The question answer is, “I have no idea what something is worth, that’s up your purchasers?”

Many websites have great Create Your Own Online Stores with service fees attached to it. Then companies like EBAY or PAYPAL also take a small percentage of your purchase price. Have you thought about shipping and the level of services required to ship your item. Just ensure you factor in the costs of all the service fees that make a transaction possible.

We are in a society where “OUR WORK” aka Creative Designs is heavily discounted due to mass production of stuff available to the general public. We are very used to big box stores clearing creative things at bargain prices. So when you go to price your item, you need to think about your material costs, and then time involved. For some strange reason, “Time” in “OUR WORK” seems to be heavily discounted as its perceived as a pass time hobby. However, you are still an artist regardless.

I know myself… people have offered prices for blankets that have taken 40 + hours and the rate they want to pay is less than the material costs of the yarn. The big box stores have made it harder for real people who have creative abilities to be recognized because they can buy something that looks half creative at a fraction of the price. Creative to many people these days is a really cool idea that has been mass produced a million times over that would look great and can be made cheap due to the mass production involved. People perceive seeing something in your project that they seen at the local store for merely pennies… and take that in account when offering a price.

“The Presentation Of Your Goods is everything and you only get one opportunity to impress…” Follow some simple tips as follows below:

  • Great photographs. Don’t show pictures of your goods with an untidy house or something in the background that is a turn off.
  • Be careful of showing pets. Pet hair perception on items is possible and a turn off to some people.
  • Do great write ups about what they are purchasing.
  • Tell a story… give your items some meaning. The inspiration or thought behind your item.
  • Tell the realistic time on how long it took to make.
  • Don’t expose your raw material costs, but focus on the emotional satisfaction of what it was like to create it.
  • Don’t be too specific on the materials used or the methods on how you got your item to the way it did. There are many people out there who may be asking questions but getting you to reveal your trade secrets so they can mimic or duplicate it for themselves.
  • If you are customizing… say what options are available.
  • Tell how you are shipping it and maybe communicate tracking numbers and when you shipped it to the buyer.
  • There will be people that will bargain with you and will try to get your price to near costs if not below costs. Remember, those customers aren’t doing you any favors. Those are the type of people taking advantage of artists creativity for their own personal gain.
  • If you are using Facebook or social networks to sell your goods, be careful what you post and the comments you decide to make. If you are a negative commenter about your own life or personal circumstances, it may be best to keep potential buyers from seeing your Facebook. Reading negative comments or life’s sad stories really don’t get a buyer to be sympathetic to purchase… they are silent deterents.

There’s lots to think about… and many people can benefit from making a few extra dollars off their creativity. Just be mindful and think about all avenues before getting the itch to buy a skid of raw materials.

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