New Year's Blog-o-Lutions

A few madcap ideas for my blog in 2008 have been dancing in my head, and after reading M5K's entry for the day, I've been inspired to follow through by making a bold public declaration to all three of you who read this.

They are my Blog-o-Lutions for 2008, my personal evolution in blogging, a solution for my annual ennui (cause I always feel better with a mission), a revolution in creative dedication, my New Year's Resolutions. All blatantly adapted from a lot of really great ideas other people have already come up with, hopefully all duly referenced in this post.

I only hope I'm not biting off more than I can chew. Here goes:

1. I will post every day in January, March, May, July, September, and November. This is more interesting than just doing it everyday in November as part of NaBloPoMo, but is less terrifying than the 366 leap year commitment. It gives me permission to have bursts of intensity while totally flaking out for half the year. Works for me.
   
2. I'll be aiming to get more art on the blog - I'm groovin' on the recipes and the DEMOS, so more of them. I'm still wondering if I want to dive into participating in any of the big inspiration sites like Illustration Friday or Self-Portrait Challenge, but for January, I'm going to post a drawing a day. Doesn't have to be complicated, can be on a post-it, whatever. I'm just going to draw something everyday.
   

Ok. That's it. Here's the first drawing. Quick sketch done from a picture I took of myself while I was on the phone. Colored with marker. Emphasis on rapid: note the remaining pencil lines. Not crazy about the yellow highlights on the face - think it looks like I have weird yellow pockets of puff under my chin and over my eyes - but it manages to capture my self-absorbed manner of multi-tasking and my secret desire to be interesting enough to be the topic of my own reality-based TV show or a photo spread in People Magazine. Hmmm. I can feel the ennui lifting already as I drift into fantasy land . . .

Fame in the Blogosphere, or, NaBloPoMo is Over - Now What?

Well, fame would be a bit exaggerating things a bit - I ran into Eyecon Arts at a gallery opening last week and she totally recognized me from my blog! Came up and said, "hi" and we got into a lovely conversation about teaching! Then, I got blogged . . . Alley Arts, a participant in Artmaking as Playful Prayer, blogged about the class! How cool is that?

NaBloPoMo is over - I did it! - I blogged every day during November, so I doubt I'll be blogging every day during the next few months - but it has been amazing to start really following a few blogs on an almost-daily basis. It's amazing the tidbits you can pick up! Thanks to MK5, I know what quilting gloves are and what it is to quilt in the ditch - and I got some great Scrabble tips!

So what happens after NaBloPoMo? I skip a day of blogging, and throw my annual Holiday Craft Party (which really needs a catchy new name, folks!). It was the first time I'd had a bunch of people over to play in my studio * - a converted two-car garage attached to my house - and so I finally christened it: The Hearth. (see how "art" appears in the middle of the word? feel the warmth?) This is the heart and home of Eyes Aflame . . . egads, I'm getting a little weepy! Time for pictures . . .

Believe it or not, these were taken as the party was winding down, and I finally remembered to pull out my camera . . . check out Susan in that amazing hat! Pele looks on in . . . well, Pele looks on. Michael is totally concentrating on getting his switchplate covers just right . . .


And here are the stars of Scarlet Star Studios . . .Gretchin and Sven! Gretchin made these amazing little snow folk (look close!) . . . and Sven crafted a creature with magnetically attached poseable - and removable - arms!

And this cute couple - Chama and Sandy - met at one of my Holiday Craft Parties - three years ago?! Four years ago?! My, how time flies . . . See how gettin' crafty and gettin' your art on just brings people together? And keeps them together? Ok, I'm getting weepy again!


On a groovy note, Sandy brought a really cool card idea to the party . . . I've got to figure out how to do a demo of it for you . . . but in the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for TWO great gifty demos this week . . . inspired by my Holiday Craft Parties!

* Added later: A month ago or so, for a Women's Networking Group meeting, I had six or seven folks over to the studio - and that felt like a warm-up.  The fifteen to twenty who showed up for the Holiday Craft Party?  That, well, that was a full-on christening! And yeah, I really think the space can work for classes . . . hmmm

Today, I'd Just Like to be Squirrel Girl

Either the one from Sweetie's online comic book, or the one that hangs upside down in the tree in my backyard in order to feed from the bird feeder. The first is sexy in a butch rodent kind of way, can kick butt and has a long fluffy tail. The other one is quite deliciously zaftig in a cuddly yet athletic way, can do 30 crunches while hanging upside down and has a long fluffy tail. (At first, Sweetie and I thought she might be pregnant, but we've been watching her for over a month now, and squirrels usually mate in December and June, with gestations in the 30-44 day range. So, unlikely.)

Today, I would like my mission to be simple: kick butt, eat seeds, fluff tail.

You notice blogging is not on the list.

You notice, too, that I resorted to listing seven random facts about myself yesterday instead of talking about any sort of creative enterprise. The creativity is definitely happening: I had a wonderful Playful Prayer class last night which resulted in a couple of great conversations about process, and how a piece will change as you work on it, how you can often spend a lifetime pursuing work that allows you to express a particular thing and still not quite get it, but revel in the process. I led the group in one of my favorite writing exercise (based on Pat Allen's Art is a Spiritual Path) where we engaged in a stream-of-consciousness dialog with our work. I also worked more on my fiber pieces about Nepal, and developed some new stamps using foam insulation tape that I can't wait to try out. Wonderful stuff.

In fact, that's been one of the great things about NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). I commit to posting every day. My blog is about creativity. And guess what? There really is something to write about every single day that relates to my creative journey. My creative life really is that fully integrated with my everyday life. Woo-Hoo!

It's just that some days, I'd rather not write about my creative process or the things that inspire it or feed it or result from it. I'd rather be Squirrel Girl. And Squirrel Girl doesn't blog. She gorges on seeds, then hides some away in secret stashes for a cold day. She incubates. She mates in December. And maybe June. She kicks butt. She fluffs her tail.

And I'm just betting she watches Project Runway.

DEMO: Moldable Foam Stamps

I decided to participate in NaBloPoMo 2007 - it's not a new Polish Dance Craze, nor is it a traditional Italian noodle dish. Heck, it's not even a neighborhood in New York. No, it's just my comittment to post on this here blog once a day during the month of November.

It is possible that I will end up resorting to recitations of what I ate during the day, but I am starting with a bang - my first on-line DEMO! A NaBloPoMo Demo! I'll also be putting these up on the website - part of a diabolical long-term plan to offer ideas for quick and easy Creativity Breaks at the rate of one a month.

We'll see.

But now, you get a DEMO! of my new favorite thing - moldable foam. I am making stamps out of anything that doesn't move. Actually, the keyboard might make for a cool effect . . .

1. Start with some Moldable Foam! 3" x 4" of foam. I get mine locally at Collage on Alberta (they sell them singly for $1.00 each , or in packs of 8 for, well, $8). If you're not local, good luck finding them on the manufacturer's website (www.clearsnap.com) or googling Magic Stamp Moldable Foam Stamps.

2. Arrange the items you want to use to make an impression with - here, it's clothespins.
3. Heat the foam with an embossing tool for 30 seconds - keep it moving. And yes, it needs to be something hotter than a hairdryer - sorry!

4. Press the foam firmly into the texture objects for 15 seconds. Release! The impression will stay in the foam until the foam is reheated. Reheat the foam, and the impressions are *mostly* erased. And you can use both sides of the foam . . . yes, you can buy one foamie, make two stamps, then erase and start all over again!!!

5. Ink your stamp. I used a rubber brayer and a water-based printing ink, but use your imagination! Experiment! Basically, you just don't want the ink to dry on the stamp - you can probably use stamp pad ink or fabric paints with some kind of extender . . . you get the idea. (Note: I later used fabric paints . . . I found that it was easier to ink the foam with a foam brayer because the consistency of the fabric paint was different. Still got cool prints!)

6. Print! Just press the inked surface into the paper or fabric using firm, even pressure. Here, I printed on smooth Bristol Board. Very nice impression.

You can make a stamp from almost anything . . . Buttons

Rubber Bands

Even Corn Cobs! In fact, once you get started, it's hard to identify something that WOULDN'T make a cool stamp.

Here are some sample prints that I turned into ATCs. Still very attached to these today, but will be ready to trade some soon, I'm sure! (The ATCs shown above also include homemade stamps made from Friendly Foam glued to bits of acrylic board, an idea I got from Wendy Huhn.)