Just an Update

  As I said in previous posts, I spend more than one day on my projects so I am actually doing something creative each day even if I am not posting daily.  I believe I also mentioned I wasn't happy with all of the projects listed in 365 Days A Creative Journal.  Several of them were redundant and I felt as if they were making me feel as if I am going backwards or doing children's craft projects.  That being said, I did some more reading and found Caffeine for the Creative Mind by Stefan Mawmaw. It has exercises to wake up your creativity but they are much different that Noah Scalin's book.  In addition, I will be doing projects as that is the whole point!
  Recently, I was inspired by my sister-in-law, Reg.  She posted a watercolor landscape that she painted on her FB page.  Although I have only attempted watercolors once before, it motivated me to give it another shot.  My painting is not finished, as it is taking me several days. 
  There are a few other exercises I was able to complete from Caffeine for the Creative Mind while I was on break at work but that was mainly because they involved words.

Project 17

Directions:  Create something with yarn.  I read this and I started it but I knew there was no way I'd finish in a single day.  I am working on a scarf.  So it's going to be awhile.  So on those days I'm not posting anything, it doesn't mean I'm not working on something.

Project 16

Directions:  Create alphabet for a non-existant culture.  I used one shape throughout each character.  One change within the characters is used to express opposing ideas, such as yes, no, full, empty etc.

Project 15

Directions:  Create an invitation for an everyday event.  I decided to create an invitation to an event that no one would want to attend.

Project 14 Somewhat Amusing Result.

 Directions:  Create a portmanteau.  A portmanteau is a new word that is created by taking parts of two existing words and blending them together, such as "spork" or "skort". 
  
My word came about accidentally and it actually is part of a name and part of a word.  Fran was looking for on of his sneakers the other day.  I meant to say  "I think Sookie took it."  However it came out Stooken.  Now, whenever we believe that Sookie took something, (or one of the dogs) it is called Stooken! 

Project 13

The directions:  Make an anagram for your name. (It didn't say anything about it making sense!)

So here it is.

Jeanette Hildwine  ---  Detain in the jewel.    Maybe if I have time I will illustrate it.

Project 12

Have you ever been really hungry but you don't know what you want to eat?  I had that happen to me just recently.  As many of you know I am a picky eater, although you wouldn't know it to look at me.  I don't like fast food.  I will go to McD's or Wendy's for ice tea but I prefer to limit it to that.  Not that I don't eat out, I DO but I like well made food with fresh ingredients.  I usually prefer my own cooking to take out.  But it just so happened, I couldn't figure out what to make.  So, I decided to make French Toast but to do something completely different.  I created coconut macaroon French Toast.  It wasn't bad.  I over did it on the coconut but other than that it was pretty good.  It tasted better than it looks.

Project 11

The only instructions for this project were to work with pens in any way I wish.  So I decided to do this activity that a middle school art teacher I worked with used to assign to her students in the beginning of the year.  I think it's fun to do try every once in a while.

Project 10 (Goofy)

  Noah Scalin, the author of 365, wrote the book after he decided to create one skull per day for a year.  He created them out of match sticks, food, sugar cubes, push pins and leaves.  He posted these on his blog and it was so well received that he appeared on Martha Stewart.  He has a book out with his skulls pictured.  (Some are pretty interesting.)  His book mentions that bloggers decided to chose an object and continue in the same venue as Scalin.  I brainstormed a list of things around which I might want to create 365 projects, a claddagh, stars, flowers, etc.  However, there was only one thing of which I would chose to create, sketch, mold etc that many, a dog.  That seemed pretty daunting to me so as you know I didn't take that on as a part of this journey. 
   However, after knocking over Hagrid's food, I suddenly decided to give it a shot.  I made a dog with dogfood.

Reading Update

  I don't think I will reach my reading goal with all of the creativity projects I'm doing but that's alright.  The books I have read thus far:
1. Storm Front -Jim Butcher
2. Distant Echoes - Val McDermid
3. 356 Daily Creativity - Noah Scalin
4. House Rules - Jodi Picolt  (This was horrible.  She completely screwed up Asperger's & Autism.)
5. The Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

My other problem, I am always reading several books at once, so it's difficult to gauge when exactly I will finish one. ;)

Project 9

  I didn't realize I met the requirements to another project.  While rereading through the book I realized that one of the projects stated to create something with all black materials.  (There is another one that says to sew but I have a sewing class coming up soon in which I will be learning new type of quilting.)  As I mentioned in my last blog, I made an apron for work.  Although it is extraordinarly simple, I designed this on my own.  I didn't use a pattern of any kind.  If you look closely you'll see that it's dirty as I have already worn it to work.  Several people have asked me to make them one. HA

One Day Project Turning into Week

  These projects are supposed to be one day projects.  I don't believe the author intended an entire day spent on the project, as most people could not spend that much time everyday for a year on projects unless it was of course their occupation.  Well, the shoe project has definitely taken more than a single day, partly due to my screw up.  I included pictures of my first attempt at decorating the $3 Wal-Mart shoes which resulted in a mawkish design.  The next project is not officially finished.  I spray painted the shoes with a single coat, then taped a design and sprayed them with another color.  It didn't turn out.  So, I sprayed them over again with the origninal color.  They are better but not great.  I still have embellishements to sew on by hand, however, I feel as if I am falling behind.  Do I continue to work on the same project that was only supposed to take one day?  Am I spending too much time?  Should I move on and try something else?  I don't like leaving these unfinished.  I was going to try to start something else while the shoes are drying.   (I actually made a black apron for work while I was waiting before.)  I know I won't leave them unfinished, I just don't think I can but should I continue to let these projects take up more than one day?