my personal creative challenge

i have instituted for myself a personal creative challenge starting this past week. i was originally going to photo-blog about it daily but then realized that that conflicted with my other goal to be on the computer less. instead, i bought myself a journal specifically for the purpose of recording my thoughts, ideas, and daily outworkings in regard to expressing more creativity in the everyday. it certainly has already done the job of getting my creative juices flowing! maybe once a week or so i will try to write a little summary of my/our latest projects, share interesting links i have come across, or whatever.

first off, if you haven't already been there, you need to visit Etsy. it is sort of like Ebay but all handmade. you can find just about anything handmade you could ever think of, as well as lots of things you would never dream of! :) i have thought of setting up my own shop there with my photos, but haven't gotten around to that yet. if you need a place to start, i know a woman from hamilton who is selling some great bags here.

i have had this needlework book sitting on our bookshelf for years but never look at it. so, i cracked it open friday night and realized that i learn much better from an actual person showing me than from trying to decipher pictures of yarn going this way and that and loads of letters and numbers that are supposed to direct my fingers... i did manage, however, to re-teach myself a basic crochet stitch, with a little help from matt. :) i also have now officially finished knitting two washclothes!

yesterday i discovered another new creative outlet -- thrift-shopping! i used to frequent these shops, especially while in college and while living in australia, but got sick of it and started shopping in real stores. :) i had no plans to go yesterday, but drove by one and thought i'd stop. i was there for at least an hour -- it was like treasure hunting! i left with a small vase (i have been needing one to hold all the little "treasures" the kids bring me in the warmer months), a dress-up hat for miriam, a couple of pretty scarves/sashes, a small wooden game for the kids, and my personal favorite, this little stained-glass owl candle holder (oh, how i love owls!), all for about six bucks.

another one of my favorite ideas from this week came from the soule mama blog, and is super doable for anyone. she said she keeps a bunch of little handmade books made up and in a spot where her kids can access them whenever they get inspired to create their own story. just fold some plain white paper inside a piece of cardstock for the cover and staple or tie at the crease in the center. think of the creative possiblities!

this week i will need to have birthday on the brain as we look forward to celebrating levi turning 5 on saturday!