4 of 27 - Make a Piece of Art...

I'm not going to lie. I'm pretty impressed with my progress on my list so far.

I put "Make a Piece of Art" on my list this year because I don't challenge myself enough in traditional art.  It's where I started, it's why I do what I do, and I used to draw and create so much before I finished school.  I spend so much time on the computer, I forget what it's like to use my hands for things.  Heck, I even forgot how much it hurts your back to bend over a canvas for hours and hours.

My inspiration for this project was two-fold.  Number one: My friend just moved into a new condo and I haven't contributed to her walls yet. (Also, it was her birthday).  Number two: My friend and I saw this room featured in HGTV Magazine and were inspired by this painting:

The artist is Matthew Heller and his work is fantastic.  While I would have loved to give my friend one of his paintings...they are a little out of my price range.  So I figured, why not try it myself?

I decided to pick the lyrics from this song (from one of my HFF mixes) for my friend, since I knew it made her happy.  Now it was a matter of making it happen.

I gathered all of my supplies from Michael's with my 40% off coupon. (Win) A canvas, some acrylic paint, stenciling brushes, and a set of individual letter stencils from Martha Stewart in a font that I could tolerate. :)

My process for doing each line probably took twice as long as it should have, but I wanted to make sure I coud fit the words correctly in the space.  Initially, I thought I could fit the whole song, when in truth I could only fit one verse and the chorus.  To make sure I got the color blend right, I mocked up the words in Photoshop so I could focus on the color for each letter.

I was lucky enough to have two days off from work to be able to focus my efforts on making this piece.  It's far from perfect, but I think that makes it pretty great.  

Of course, the best part was making my friend happy on her birthday.  Truly the best. (That's her fantastic condo in the first photo, by the way.)

So now it's time for my "take a risk and DO IT" speech because I think everyone should take a risk on stuff like this.  Especially when it involves a little bit of paint, a wide-open canvas, and music that you love.  You are your own worst critic so...GET OUT AND CREATE!

And if you need inspiration to do it anyway, listen to this new song by Ben Folds Five...because it's called "Do It Anyway."

Happy creating!

Love,
M

3 of 27 - Crochet a Throw...

It's easy to start yarn projects and abandon them.  I've learned this over the 2+ years I've been crocheting.  Sometimes you come back to them, but most of the time you end up repurposing the yarn for something else.  In general, I finish most of my craft projects...eventually...but I have never yet been determined enough to finish a large-scale yarn project.  This is why I wanted to put it on my list this year.

I wanted to do it right this time.  I was browsing through Pitnerest for inspiration, as you do, and found a really simple and nice-looking granny square pattern.  In the blog post, she linked to what the finished project would look like to and I really liked the look.  I was going to do this one and I was going to do it right - buy nice yarn, plan a color palette and keep on keepin' on.

After skeins and SKEINS of yarn (and realizing it takes a TON of yarn to make a decent sized blanket) I had a rhythm going.  One of the best parts about this throw, aside from the square pattern (which was easy to memorize) was that I had to wing the rest.  ie. Figure out how to put them together, how to edge it, whether or not I wanted to felt it, etc.

Another blessing during this project was the Summer Olympics.  Talk about a way to pass the time.  I worked pretty much non-stop on this project during the 2 weeks of the Olympics and finished just in time.

I enjoyed every aspect of this piece.  The colors, the squares, the way I crocheted them together and the end product.

Also, I was working on it during a particularly stressful time, and it was the perfect escape for me.  I am so thankful was able to throw myself into this project and achieve something I'm really proud of.

So there you go.  A complete throw, lots of purple and work that I'm proud of.  I'm checking this one off my list with a heavy hand because it was so much fun.  I encourage all of you to not only try crocheting, but to take a risk in making something big.  The struggle is worth it.

<3>

2 of 27 Make a playlist every month...

Well, here's one of twelve.

I apologize for the title (actually, I don't) but I started this series after a particularly taxing week.  It has since stuck and for the foreseeable fute, I see this being my monthly album title unless I get more creative.

I've got some new artists on this list, and some from friends from all over the world.  The internet really is magic.  Please enjoy!!

1. Ho Hey - The Lumineers (Heard this song on Pandora the other day. It's peppy. I like peppy.)
2. London - Noonday Underground (I am OBSESSED with this song. Amanda Abbington turned me on to these guys)
3. In Your Atmosphere (Live) - John Mayer (Heard this on Pandora too. I really, really like this song. He's such a good guitar player)
4. Nothing to Remember -Neko Case (This is from the Hunger Games soundtrack. I miss Neko, I'm glad she's got a new-ish track)
5. Wildest Moments - Jessie Ware (a friend "gave" me this song for my birthday. I lurve it)
6. Ooh La La - Goldfrapp (This song isn't new by any means, but she's great.)
7. Airplanes - Local Natives (just downloaded this album. It's cool.)
8. All Fall Down - Shawn Colvin (New Shawn Colvin!! Aw yeah!!!)
9. The Ladder - Andrew Belle (I think I heard this song on Tumblr, then I heard it in Safeway one day? Yeah, my Safeway is with it.)
10. Paradise - Coldplay (What?)
11. Woman Scorned - Saint Saviour (I JUST found her yesterday and I am obsessed. Download ALL her songs)
12. Kingdom Come -The Civil Wars (Also from THG soundtrack. This song song is so pretty)
13. Roosevelt Blues - Lanu (From a dear friend)
14. Tidal Wave - Husky (fromt he same dear friend <3)
15. Better than Today - Kylie Minogue (I'm sorry. I just love her. And this song is all about positive attitude!)
16. Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema (upbeat. rad.)
17. Big Black Car - Gregory Alan Isakov (Heard this on Pandora too.  I liked the guitar melody)
18. Hard to Please (Demo) - The Weepies (I heard this version the other day and I just love it so much. LOVE THEM FOREVER)

Enjoy the music!  You can download HFF vol. 4 here!

Love,

M

1 of 27...

Go to the ocean.

Done!!

Popped down to Bodega Bay with my parents for a much-needed, relaxing trip.  More proof that I never, ever, ever want to leave California.  Even if it has $10 cups of coffee...

26 to go!