CREATIVE: The sickness that I want to have

So you know I love anything upcycled........anything that was once destined for the trash that can be cleaned up & reused in a new way?  Yeah, that's what I'm all about!!

From turning old tyres into funky lamps

Old t-shirts into yarn & then into funky bowls

Even old bathtubs being transformed into day beds

I'm in awe of what can be done

You don't have to look for to find inspiration - all of these ideas were found on Pinterest - and there's a WHOLE WORLD of op shops (thrift shops) and recycling centres for you to fossick around.

It's just a matter of seeing something within something else.............which is the biggest challenge for me

How does someone see an old cupboard and think to themselves, "I'm going to turn that into an aviary!"

upcycled aviary

Who see's an old cup & saucer and think to transform it into a bird feeder!?!!

bird feeder

These people make me sick!!!  And I want their illness!!

I've started a board with a bit of inspiration on Pinterest - if you want to add to the list, why not join me down the rabbit hole!?!!

http://www.pinterest.com/vicki_sinclair/upcycling-love/

OPINION: #committobeingcreative

The Grammar Nazi in me is hating on the title of this blog.............just sayin'

A reintroduction if you will!

Hi, my name is Vicki, sometimes called Dotti - mostly called a busy girl who doesn't stick with one thing for very long.....as my blog page would attest!!!

This year (I know it's nearly 1/4 through, I'll explain about that later!) I'm going to get back to being creative, if only for 10 minutes a day, and keep the creative side of me happy!!!

Do you remember this blog post I did all those years ago!?!!  well it's all still true!!  And close to 3 years later, it's more important than ever!!

I'm not going to make this super long...........just want to put it out there again that I plan on doing something small every day to feed my creative heart, and PUT MYSELF FIRST, even if it's only for 10 minutes a day!!

Make sure you stay creative - do a big project over months with your ten minutes, or do something new every day - JUST DO IT IS WHAT I SAY!!

But don't let me talk you into it - here's Shia LaBeouf to get you inspired!!!

CREATIVE: 29 faces - days 4 to 12

Please don't say I'm slack, I have some wonderfully valid excuses!!

I've been getting used to the idea of closing down my shop :(  It was a gorgeous gallery in the heart of Fortitude Valley here in Brisbane, but sadly the last day was yesterday, and I closed the doors for the very last time..................I'm being very positive about the situation, so am looking at this as a door closing, but with many other opportunities opening up for me in the very near future!!

It's funny, once you've set your mind to something that has a creative bent, it just won't let you give up, will it!?!!

So if i may, I'm submitting my work on one blog, that shall cover a few times I had 10 minutes to sit and sketch.

I found a book on big eye art at the local Cystic Fibrosis Op Shop - and i knew I had to start making these whimsical girls!!!

 I think with each piece I do, my confidence grows, but I'm still not sure on the hair - but this is about faces, no!?!!

 I'm going to add that I had been watching Dami M (last years x-factor? winner) on the TV when this one was created (coloured in with oil pastels) her voice is amazing, my hubby texted me while he was in melbourne this week that she performed for his work colleagues - UNBELIEVABLE!!

 And this lovely lady was created from a canvas gone wrong - I tried mixing old lace with gesso, and the end result didn't work.  Luckily I had started making faces, which meant I could hide her in the back, but also make the flowers in her hair a feature - I have this one on display at home but I feel she may be a work in progress to add to as I get a little more fearless, and a litte less fearful!!!

So from now on I'll be more connected, i promise!!  sketch every night, and post every morning.  Not many more sleeps to go till the end of the month.............my days will be filled with moving out of the gallery and a bit of painting.................

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy - Anne Frank xxx

holidays = rest, reconnect, release

August was a break for me and my family - we haven't had a holiday since I opened up the shop over 3 years ago - so it was well overdue!!

We decided that it was time to go to the snow!!  Having had no experience myself (apart from a small toboggan ride on the side of the road during one of our many family car trips,) I haven't ever donned the boots & hit the slopes.  Turns out my years of ice skating held me in good stead, and I can proudly say that I was able to stay upright for most of the time!!

Let's not mention that the kids skiied virtual circles around me, and that they went up to the next level of slopes (I had to support the local bar at some point, it's my civic duty!)

It was a wonderful 10 days of skiing, resting, driving, sightseeing and basically reintroducing myself to my beautiful family.  While testosterone heavy at times, it was so nice to reconnect with my boys (all 3 of them,) and the scenery that NZ put on while we were away was simply breaktaking!!

My pledge for next month - to get a display of photos up on a wall somewhere, framed or blu tacked.............so long as they're not simply stuck in a kodak envelope for the rest of eternity.

Oh yeah, and the other pledge..............to make sure I reaquaint myself with these gorgeous but crazy guys I am proud to call my family xxx

commit to being creative

woo - time is a funny thing...............

You think of so many things you're going to do at the beginning of the day, and then BAM!!!  it's 5 o'clock and you have NOTHING TO SHOW for it!!

it's not always like that, but most days, if you're anything like me, you have grand plans of doing a heap of things, but then a little thing called life gets in the way, and you're lamenting at the end of the day for the rest of the world to stop, just so you can catch up on what you had planned.

WELL STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!!!

You are not going to get everything ticked off your to-do list - so stop beating yourself up about it!

You are going to look at a million things every day (thanks Pinterest) that you want to do, but you JUST CAN'T!!

You are going to struggle each & every day to find some time to release that creative monster in you.............I know this................it eats me up each & every day too!!

BUT....................YOU CAN #committobeingcreative!!

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT!?!!

With life being so busy these days, it's almost impossible to find time for YOU!!  Husbands, wives, jobs, kids, pets, family, friends, businesses, volunteering, sports, groups, etc.  WHEN DID WE GET SO BUSY!?!!

My new mantra is commit to being creative - simply find 10 MINUTES EVERY DAY to do something that you LOVE!!

It doesn't have to be crafty - you can cook, sing, read, make chutney, declutter, clean, scream, laugh, listen to music, watch a recorded show, hell.........you can even sleep if you want!!

The secret is to do it EVERY DAY,  for a minimum of 10 minutes..............that's all!!!

It's damn near impossible to find a half hour each day - and don't even TRY for a full hour to yourself.............but 10 minutes..........hey, that just might work!!!

SOME SUGGESTIONS TO HELP YOU FIND 10 MINUTES

Get up 10 minutes earlier than you usually do
put your hair in a bun instead of drying it for the day
put on lippy & mascara and forego the spakfilla makeup (you are beautiful enough!)
put the cereals & milk out for the kids and tell them to make their own (they can do it, believe me!)
reward your kids with tv time if they get ready early, then you can all start the day relaxed
get the train and use that time to do your thang
at work, during your lunch break (you know you're entitled to one!)
set an alarm for the same time every day so you don't forget
at night send the kids to bed and stay up 10 minutes later (if you can make it only 10 minutes!)

Now I'm not saying that it's going to be easy to find that time..........every day is different, and every situation is more challenging than the last...........and you'll probably find yourself spending more than 10 minutes a day doing it sometimes............but that's not a bad thing, is it!?!!

Before you give me your pity stories about how busy you are.....................I run a small business in a retail space that is open 6 days a week............I have to do the business work behind the scenes to make sure the business is running professionally after hours too (that BAS isn't going to do itself)..............I have a second job helping a friend two days a week (work that out!!)...........I have two school aged children who i need to care for and spend time with, who also play sports on weekends and train after school twice a week................I have a husband who is away more than he is at home (luckily he's also willing to give me time away when he gets back on weekends)................and I have no family members nearby that I rely on.

So................your excuses won't work here!!

Find 10 minutes a day to do something you love - YOU KNOW YOU DESERVE IT!!

I've already started the promotion on instagram last month, and we've already had nearly 700 posts from all over the globe!!

So why don't you join the party and #committobeingcreative...............starting TODAY!!!!

finished #2 - chalkboard blocks

they said it couldn't be done



Who are THEY anyway!?!!  THEY sure have alot to answer for!!

the other day I found an old piece of wood in the garage - made sure hubby wasn't planning on using it for anything special (after ignoring his eye rolling and his statement, "you're making WHAT now!?!!")  and I had a post on pinterest (http://pinterest.com/pin/234468724319494394/) that I'd always wanted to try - PLUS i had all the required materials, and a few spare hours (just kidding, i fed the kids toasted sandwiches that night!)

it's like all the planets aligned!!

Chalkboard blocks

Materials
length of timber (i prefer to buy my wood from recycle centres & tip shops, just sayin)
acrylic paint in the colour of your choice
superfine white grout (THIS you have to find at a hardware store, unless you have a tiler friend and know that it's the super fine stuff) the other tutorial mentioned non-sanded grout, so check the packet for that too.

What to do
Cut your wood into block size pieces - I am lucky enough to have a husband with a drop saw, so i just get out there and cut cut cut...........others could probably go to a hardware store and get them to do it (for a fee I'd suspect,) or find a decent neighbour with a power tool collection, because doing each one with a handsaw is a MUGS GAME.

once you're all cut up - you simply need to sand the blocks so they're all lovely & smooth.....too easy!

now you're ready to paint - the quantities are a bit like making icing - you want it to be a gloopy consistency but not too hard and not too runny - if it's a bit grainy it might need a little more paint or a dribble of water.  I tend to use 2 level tbsp of grout to 1/4 cup of paint - have a play with it!

paint 3 sides of your blocks with the paint and set them out to dry - give it at least an hour and then paint the other 3 sides.  If you want to make it a proper professional job (ie if you're selling them,) then do them again, but it's up to the consistency of the paint & your decision to see if it's ok with just one coat)

Once they're dry you're ready to rock & roll - you can use your chalk on them straight away and put on heaps of messages - I have some that I use for christmas time, and then other times of the year they sit on the cupboard in the boys rooms - when it's time for their birthdays they'll come out again so we can share the love with any visitors.

i put some in the shop on Friday, and sold all but the display pieces on the Saturday - so i'd be get back to making more!!