creative

Illustration: Gustaf Fjaestad (artist), Miss Fjaestad (weaver). Below the Falls tapestry design, c1913. From The Textile Blog.

I don’t like it when people criticize needlepoint saying it’s like “painting by numbers.” Being the daughter and granddaughter of very creative women, I have always seen, as have they, needlepoint as a very artistic and creative process.

A blog post last week at The Textile Blog got me thinking about this again.

All art is a conversation. In it there are always two people: the artist and the person seeing the art. The artist has an idea and expresses it in a particular way. It may not be an idea you like and it may be expressed in a way you find ugly. But he began the conversation with his idea and its expression.

The second person in the conversation is the person viewing the art. By seeing the expression of the idea, you, even if it’s just mentally, react to it and comment back.

I never thought much about my part in the conversation since looking at art is almost as much of my life as breathing until I was in my 20′s and invited to a docent-led preview of an important modern art exhibit. I went through it and hated every piece, but I understood them. Without knowing it I took part in the conversation.

But in needlework there is always a third party — that’s you the stitcher. As The Textile Blog points out, often they are unknown. But always, always, we take part in the conversation. We do it through our choices of thread, through our stitches, and through our ideas on what the piece is about.

It may be not obvious at all, as is the case in the tapestries in the blog post. Or it may be very obvious, as is the case in how I personalized the baseball player pictured here. But as the maker we take the artist’s idea, add our own, and express that combination in the finished piece.

So go out, embrace your creativity and stand up to be part of the creative conversation.

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You Are a Part of the Creative Conversation!

Memory Book Paper

in Scrapbooking

While memory book paper has been previously rather basic, it is using other products such as embossing, glitter or metallic particulars to add enhancement to your pages. Each product for your page is easily obtainable in numerous finishes to meet your creative needs. Always consider the type of paper used for your scrapbook designs. Paper is the one thing that usually touches your photographs. It needs to be acidity-free and lignin-free. Scrapbook papers or memory book paper with these elements prevent your own pictures from quickly discoloring and disintegrating faster than normal.

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Memory Book Paper

Getting Creative With Rubber Stamping

in Craft Shopping

Rubber stamping is a great way to add a personalized touch to all of your creations and for many people makes a fantastic hobby. The options are endless when choosing the perfect place to use rubber stamping in your creative endeavors. Whether you are scrapbooking memories from the past or decorating a special thank you card for a friend, it is easy to get creative with rubber stamps. This article aims to share with you all my ideas on how you can add in the special touch to each and every project that you create.

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Getting Creative With Rubber Stamping

Getting Scrapbook Page Ideas From Literature and Fiction

in Scrapbooking

Looking for a few good scrapbook page ideas? Why not look to your favorite books for inspiration? Literature in its many forms provides the creative scrapbooker with a huge selection of colorful characters to base your next project on. If you want to go the full monty, why not create a scrapbook about the whole story instead? For example, you can create a page about Esmeralda, the hunchback, or about the story in the novel itself. Get the idea?

4 Arts and Crafts Projects That Can Be Made With Non-Toxic Supplies

in Craft Shopping

Making arts and crafts is one hobby that almost anyone can enjoy. It is a great way to release energy and create something beautiful at the same time. While making arts and crafts is an enjoyable experience, it is important to consider the materials that you are using to create. When making arts and crafts, it is as important to stay safe as it is to create something beautiful, so consider the following four activities with non-toxic supplies that will help you release your creative juices in a positive and safe way.

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4 Arts and Crafts Projects That Can Be Made With Non-Toxic Supplies

How to Protect Your Art Supplies

in Craft Shopping

Many artists find it difficult to maintain their art materials as they never know when and where the creative urge is going to strike. Artists can have a reputation for being scatty and unprepared but the best painters are often the most organised because they always know the location and supply levels of their art materials. Professional painters will never travel to a picturesque scene to commence the creation of a masterpiece only to realise that they have forgotten critical art supplies such as a specific paint or a certain type of brush.

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How to Protect Your Art Supplies

The Quick and Dirty Guide To Beginner Scrapbooking

in Scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is about personalized pages and beautiful layouts. It is about producing a different type of art. Handcrafted paper and recyclable materials are also important components in this creative idea, but as a beginner or enthusiast, you just have to learn how to play with the colors, decide on a theme and choose the right photographs.

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The Quick and Dirty Guide To Beginner Scrapbooking

Preserve Old Photos and Memoirs With Scrapbook Supplies

in Scrapbooking

Memories of our good old days can never be brought up again on the same way as it is before. As others will say that no two happenings are alike and that everything is unique. I mean your birthday last year will never be same as this year for some reasons. However, we can reminisce and present it with the creative album named scrapbooks. It will be pitiful if some old photographs will be kept in boxes at the attic. I think they need to be treasured because those things represent one of the best memories a person has in his entire life. Don’t let the rats and other insects eat it.

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Preserve Old Photos and Memoirs With Scrapbook Supplies

Beginners Guide to Card Blanks For Card Making

in Craft Shopping

A lot of people start card making for an easy hobby, not only does it let you show off your creative flare but many people find it very relaxing and rewarding too. The most important item for card making is the actual card blank itself. This will normally consist of a single piece of card which has a crease in the center which when it is folded gives you the blank greeting card base.

Continued here:
Beginners Guide to Card Blanks For Card Making

Simple Scrapbooking Tips

in Scrapbooking

Do you have plenty of unused photographs at home? Do you have the creative talent of creating things out of ribbons, art papers or recycled materials? If yes, then you can create your own memorabilia album out of photographs, art papers, ribbons and other decorating materials.

The rest is here:
Simple Scrapbooking Tips

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