Day 14 – I Will Get Creative With My Hands I must say this nearly every single time I’m on TV: getting creative with my hands is how I switch off my head. And for me, that really is the crux of everything. I have never been very good at doing nothing. My brain simply doesn’t stop. It thinks, plans, worries, works things out, jumps ahead, goes backwards — you know the drill! But give my hands something creative to…
Day 13 – Every Day Is A Chance To Create Hi there. Day 13 already! And today’s affirmation really does sum up what this August Arty Challenge is all about: Every Day Is A Chance To Create. You don’t need a whole free afternoon, a perfectly tidy craft room or some brilliant idea before you begin. Sometimes twenty minutes is enough. Sit down, pick up a pen, a stamp, a brush – whatever takes your fancy – and just make…
Day 12 – I Am Proud Of Myself Hi there. Today’s affirmation might feel a little uncomfortable to some of us: I am proud of myself. But being proud of yourself isn’t about being big headed, showing off or thinking you’re better than anybody else. Not at all. It’s simply about acknowledging how far you’ve come, what you’ve achieved, what you’ve overcome – and perhaps giving yourself a little credit for once! We’re often very quick to praise other people…
Small Ideas Can Grow Into Wonderful Things. Isn’t that so often how creativity works? You start with the tiniest idea – a colour, a shape, a stamp, perhaps something you’ve spotted while you’re out and about – and before you know it, one thought has led to another and you’ve created something you never planned at all. That’s why it’s so important to simply start. Don’t wait for the big idea or the perfect plan. Put something down on the…
Good morning and Happy Monday! Here we are on Day 10 of August already! Where does the time go? I overdid it a bit yesterday, (laughed too much maybe!), so I am stepping back from the SHAC this morning. Apologies for cancelling at the last minute. I already knew last night that I had overdone it, but decided to “sleep on it”. Verdict still the same this morning. Thing is, the next fortnight is going to be full on, with…
Happy Sunday! Now, that might sound a bit big-headed at first, but it really isn’t intended to. I’m not saying, “Look at me, aren’t I clever?” Far from it. I think this is something we can ALL do. Give us a scrap of paper, a stamp, a pencil, a bit of ink, an old book page or even something destined for the bin, and we have the ability to see beyond what it is and imagine what it could become….
Hi there. Hi there. Yep. That’s the whole point of this August Arty Challenge – TO MAKE ART EVERY DAY. It doesn’t have to be complicated, it doesn’t have to take hours, and it certainly doesn’t have to be perfect. The important thing is that we actually sit down and make something. Because the more we do it, the easier it becomes to get into that creative groove – and one idea so often leads to another. And talking of…
Hi there, A big shout out to our dear friend Elizabeth, who once told me how much she loved our Groovi parchment system because, for the very first time in her life, it enabled her to create art completely independently, with no help from anyone else. I’ll never forget that conversation. Most of us take for granted the simple joy of sitting down and crafting on our own, but for Elizabeth that freedom was something she’d never experienced before. Watching…
Hi there, How many times have you heard me say this ? I’m not a tattoo girl, but I reckon this one would feature somewhere! I rather like today’s affirmation because it perfectly describes the way this project evolved. I honestly had no fixed plan when I started. I simply began with the first layer, then stopped and looked at what was in front of me. That told me what to do next. Another layer, another pause, another decision. That’s…
Hi there Thanks for popping in! Today’s affirmation reminds us that inspiration doesn’t always arrive with a fanfare. More often than not, it’s found in the little things we notice every day. This simple stamping project shows just how much you can achieve with one of our Mixed Impressions texture stamps. Sometimes all it takes is a single interesting pattern, a splash of colour and a willingness to play. Keep your eyes open today—you never know where your next creative…