Make Me

How I Do Color

I like seemingly random combinations of colors. I thought I'd try to show a bit of the process. Here is the latest card I've added to my Etsy shop.

I admit my color sense is not to everyone's taste, but I love how this turns out. And even though I made it as something to sell, I cannot make things I don't like. I have to have a "build it and they will come" approach to keep myself happy. When I attempt items that have a more "traditional" color sense, they are very dull and boring. Maybe this is because I haven't been true to myself.

1. I start with the flower photo.  I see the color fuchsia, but also the color green. In the center of the flower I notice a hint of it and decided that is my accent color. I don't know yet how it will play out, but I grab the speckled lilac cardstock that is my favorite, the stripe and the green that is marbled with silver.  Imagine that the trim in purple is not there yet.

2. I cut the pieces to what I think is the appropriate size. I know the card will look better in landscape and plan accordingly.  I think of colors as having weight. The busier or darker it is, the heavier. Heavy pieces will weigh the card down if not used sparingly.  I cut the striped paper into a thin strip, knowing which way I want the stripes to go. I think east to west has the movement the card needs. The green marble is serving as the anchor. It is the most medium weight of the papers. I cut it larger so it frames the stripes and holds down the photo. I use deep purple to frame the photo because it contrasts the photo and is opposite the green on the color wheel. As secondary colors, they sort of make each other pop. Not to mention it is one of my favorite color combos ever.

3. I experiment with placement.  I don't feel this layout is stable enough. The stripe piece becomes weak and unimportant. The marble isn't really holding the whole thing together. It just isn't cohesive; it lacks balance. The individual pieces take too much attention away from the focal point.

4. This is better. The green now anchors the photo and shows off the lilac and the stripe without taking over. However, that movement from the stripe isn't as apparent. It is just there.  I want more motion and vitality. I also think cutting the green paper in two with the striped piece doesn't give the card that impact.

For the final card I use the two patterned papers side by side. I like the tiny bit of narrow stripe that carries your eye to the right side of the page even though most of the action is on the left.  Actually, I ended up adjusting it just a squidge more for the final final.

I think it looks more polished and balanced here.

The thing about working with color is that it solely dependent on your own aesthetic. There are colors you like working with more than others and that will show up in your work.  The more you work with them, the more possibilities you will see and you will grow more comfortable AND more adventurous, the more you allow yourself to play.   Don't allow your brain to tell you certain colors don't "match". Get inspired from nature, buy yourself the big box of crayons and have at it. You're only making fun.

Fuchsia Flower Note Card listed in the Lazy Lima Bean.

Jump Start

I was reading an old Oprah magazine the other day. An article by a writer Martha Beck talks about jump starting her creativity with what she calls "The Kitchen Sink" method. If she's stuck and not producing quality work, she will stop, read short sections in several unrelated books, do a physical activity and come back refreshed with new ideas.

I think I kind of do a similar thing, it's just that I've never thought of it consciously enough to remember to do it when I am stuck! What I seem to do is take a sort of break. Do something restful, read a book or watch stupid television or clean off the table. Problem is that I just tend to get caught in the activity - I don't use the time constructively. When I clean the table, then I might start to reorganize the drawers. I can't usually read a short section of a book, I hunker down and read the whole thing. Next thing you know the whole weekend has gone by and I've forgotten all about the creative project I was working on!

The photo here is a close up from the Chihuly Exhibit at the Salk Institute a couple of months ago. There is a Flickr page containing more awesome photos than what I took. I forgot my camera and only had my phone. It was an early morning haze and we were rushed because they were trying to get an official photo on the last day of the outdoor exhibit. This piece is a large sun that looked as if it were setting on the horizon of the the Pacific. Wouldn't these colors make great yarn?! While I don't think the quality of my photos is necessarily stellar, I'm glad that I decided to work with what I had and get shots from different angles. It gave me a whole new perspective.

Sometimes I will just take my camera out and have a little fun. I've said before that I'm certainly not a contender for the world's best photographer, but I am finding that I have my own take on things. And sometimes I happen across an interesting shot, or something surprising happens that I wasn't expecting. The photography has been something that jolts my creative process in the arm. I look at my really bad, out of focus pictures and they teach me something - and not just to take a better photo next time! They show me something I didn't take the time to really see. Maybe that tile in the backsplash is cracked or the person that walked in front of the subject is crying. I like examining that frozen moment in time.

Let's all take time to examine what we do to excite our creativity into action. Maybe let me know what it is your doing!

Blog Neglect, Book Rec and A New Attitude

I've had the page open for a month. I've thought of a million different topics to post on, but I just haven't sat down to the computer with the mindset to get things done.

I have the usual excuses. Busy at work, trying to build up the Etsy store and trying to get my crafty mojo back. But frankly I've been bored. Bored with the blog, bored with knitting, stamping, collage, paper, yarn, beads - it's all blurred into one big Meh. 

I know it will all come back eventually. Perhaps I am going through a change. I did just before I really got into collage. I also think that part of it is trying to be creative, productive and make money at the same time doesn't jibe well with my aesthetic. I second guess myself a whole lot more - will this sell? Am I appealing to my customer?

It's been helpful in learning about the marketing side of selling handmade and it's presented in a way that does not make the process seem as overwhelming as other books have. 

I've broken my tasks down to manageable ones. Currently I'm creating my Facebook page for Lazy Lima Bean. It's only driven home what hopelessly crap photos I take, but I did find proof that they're better than they have been when I first started. That's something. The book includes online marketing, selling in boutiques and building a viable press kit. All good things, even if I can't comprehend them right at the moment. 

Ideally I will soon have figured out a kind of schedule that doesn't have me glued to the computer 24/7. Maybe I will be able to work out the promo portion to about 3 hours a week or something like that.  I did really work on the promo part in December and January and I did see a increase in sales. But it just took too much time - the Etsy forums, Twitter, Facebook - it seemed like it was taking over my life.

Another decision I've made is to revamp the shop eventually. I want to sell off everything and start doing the stuff I'm excited about. I'm also paring down the items I will list. Giving some thought to having seasonal offerings and a sale to clear out the current stock. It's all rather disjointed and doesn't present me as an artist at all, but as kind of all over the place. I need to work on my "brand" and what that means, exactly.

If you're having trouble with your Etsy store or want to start selling your crafts online and elsewhere, I highly recommend The Handmade Marketplace: How to Sell Your Crafts Locally, Globally, and On-Line. I think it's well written and offers great advice from several types of sellers who have made a success of the craft business.

Bag'n-telle

Just a quick post to say how much I love the Bag'n-telle site. There are great tutorials here and loads of information. He used to have the Weekend Designer blog, but is no longer posting there. Still there are great patterns, tutorials and tips to be found there.

Gotta run! Next stop: Stitches West!

Friday Like-Day

It was supposed to be an Etsy Friday today, but perhaps I over-excited myself thinking about finally seeing the new Harry Potter movie today.  I just plain forgot.  So instead I will share some of my new favorite crafty sites with you. Perhaps there will be one or two that are new to you.

Home Ec blog is fun and filled with loads of crafty goodness.

Orange Flower is two blogs - the sketchbook blog and the patterns/tutorial blog. The sketchbook blog offers the more journal type entries concerning knitting, cooking, sewing, crochet, embroidery and craftiness in general.  The patterns blog, well that's pretty self-explanatory, isn't it?

I haven't read to much of The Object Project, but I have enjoyed all the sewing goodness to be found there. The author has a new ebook out, Sew Expecting that looks like a lot of fun.

Barefoot Glamour is fellow Ravelry-an Alissa Hall's new fashion blog.  A little bit dishy and a lot a bit informative. 

Craftershock is "your source of all things crafty."  Make a pit stop there anytime you feel you've lost your mojo.  You will be inspired by all the things people can make!

I just found How About Orange yesterday and I've already downloaded a creation of hers.  The "Freakin' Never Ending To-Do List" is a winner in my book.

Also found yesterday was Twig & Thistle. Love the photography and love the ideas.

Makeunder My Life is also new to me. I've enjoyed reading it and think it will please some of you who, like me, are seeking something simpler. She doesn't really offer organization tips or talk overtly about getting rid of stuff, she just does it.  The author is also a jewelry designer with a cool little Etsy shop, Studio 1423.

Honorable mentions:

• LillyBonBon
• krank press
• Heirloom Paperie
• jars of cute
• simply designed

Click away and enjoy!

No Idle Hands

Here's my new tact - you know, the whole mojo thing - just do something. It doesn't matter what, or how good it is, just make something, get rid of something or learn something.

To that end, I've found some memory bracelet wire in my bead box and I have to say, string beads in front of the TV is very peacemaking. 
Here are two of the three I made. Clicky-go-biggy.

They'll go in my Etsy shop when I've exhausted my supply of wire. In rummaging around the drawers, I also found memory ring wire.  Don't even remember getting that!

Sometimes I get the beads on and they don't look right. That's okay. But rather than my usual remove-and-start-over tactic, I have diagnose what I think went wrong. This way I think I'm learning more about design and how it appeals to me. And that's a really good thing.

How do you work through your mental blocks?

Ennui + Me

So maybe it isn't just my crafty mojo I've lost. I've been a little half-assed in just about everything.  I'm slow in reading, getting stuff done around the house, making decisions, paperwork....It really all boils down to what I've been complaining about for months, maybe years. Too much clutter!

Today on PBS there was a special with Wayne Dyer and while he was yammering on about positive affirmations - not really a touchy-feely, airy-fairy kind a gal - I noticed a quote written in the background. Of course he didn't mention it, (or maybe he did while I wasn't listening) but it was something to the effect of clutter halts creativity. 

I used to think clutter was necessary to creativity. In fact,  I couldn't work on a totally clean desk.  But now (perhaps this comes with age) I find I need simpler solutions.  Meals, fashion, friendships - I can't do the high maintenance thing anymore. 

So, how to go about clearing out the clutter?  Here are some solutions I am pondering:

• Pay someone to do it
• Take a week off from work and just do it myself
• Throw it all away, don't look.
• Give it away
• Sell it and use the proceeds to by a laptop (inspiration and reward)
• ignore it all until the county comes with a big dumpster

The problem is, since I'm a bit of a clutter hider, I can look totally functional for a time. But then I start working on a project that needs 42 different items and I have to go through the closet and the boxes and the drawers. Then I don't finish the project right away (if at all) and the stuff all sits there.  Of course, a lot of you know the drill -- 15 other projects get started in the meantime and, BLAM! I gotta big mess on my hands in a month's time.

Maybe I should look for a 12 step program. 

Roses!

I spent Saturday with my friends Johanna and Karen. Big day. Loads o fun.  We went to Fairouz for Johanna's birthday lunch where I may have eaten my weight in carrots. OMG! The carrots were sooo yummy! I also made the pig of myself over all the different cabbage dishes. This is why I like to stay away from buffets. I'm bad news. There's probably a picture of me on the front door so they can be warned not to let me in next time.

Then we went to the NTC Promenade to the Visions Art Quilt Gallery where we drooled over all the quilts by Elizabeth Busch. Criminy! That woman is amazing. Probably a little OCD, but amazing nonetheless!

We also stopped by the Watercolor Society Gallery where I nearly went apoplectic because some of the watercolors look just like photographs. It's insane.

Outside the center is rose garden. Karen and I took loads of pictures.

Then I had some fun with Mac Comic LIfe.  Cool, huh?

Next we went to Ceramic Cafe.  Karen and Jo painted. I made jewelry.  All was well until we started feeling all depressed and moody. They were playing the most depressing music ever!  It was like the theme song to every Lifetime movie playlist. We asked them to please, please, please switch over to another station (it was the Sirius Coffee House mix) and they promised they would.  However, when we noticed the 2 girls were actually singing along to each and every song, we didn't hold our breaths.  Even the recognizable songs were all done in that sad, acoustic way. Music to slit your wrists by, I called it.  There was a little girl at the next table who said, "It's Corinne Bailey Rae, but it doesn't sound right."  When I pulled out all my black beads and contemplated bringing back mourning jewelry, I HAD to bring out the iPod.  Sorry girls, but I needed a happy place ASAP.  I did share though - I'm not that callous. 

Here's the earrings I made for Johanna. She picked the focal bead in the center and then we just played around with them until we came up with the final product. The outer circle is shell. They are really lightweight and I love how they feel.  I accented with tiny goldstone beads. They pick up light well and look really special. I don't know what the focal bead is - ceramic, maybe? At first glance they look black and grey, but when you look closely, you can see yellow and red and orange and even a little bit of bluish green.  Accented with gold, I think the end result is quite lovely.

I like these "fill-in" earrings, although I get a tad obsessive about filling in the center so none of the headpin shows. Hard to do with an organic material - they aren't the same exact circumference.

And it doesn't make me proud to say this, but I think these earrings may be my first complete item of 2009.  Ho hum.  Maybe I just need more inspirational trips?

If You've Had a Stinky Day....

Still no computer.

Still posting from the library.  This time with the added fragrance of - uh- fragrant neigbors. Yay.

As I was going through some email I found this site I mailed to myself back in November. I do that sometimes - so when I need a little blog help, there it is.

Anyway, I don't remember how I found Paper Cakes, but just clicking again made me forget the guy to my right who smelled like old socks and kid to my left who smelled like, well, kid. Such cuteness. Such talent. When I get it all together it will show up in the sidebar. Go fall in. It'll make you forget your bad, smelly day.

Post & Run

Here's a cool link to the Long Thread. She's summarized the top 100 tutorials of 2008.  I can't wait to go through them all.