I am sure I am dreaming of picnics because it has been raining here for a long time and is going to continue to rain all week. Don’t get me wrong, I love the rain, but really I am a spring sort of girl, bright colours, west australian wild flowers, the first trips to the beach and….picnics.

A little while ago Gala (darling) wrote about making the perfect picnic. Love that post.

First things first, why not make yourself a quick picnic rug like this one at Simple Sparrow?

The Fine Line has a great list of what to take on a picnic. I have only taken a torch a few times on a picnic – when I have had midnight picnics – these are the best kind, of course. I used to have a favourite spot in the hills for a picnic, a friend and I would take a walk through the bush to a waterfall on a hill that overlooked the lights of perth, with a bar of chocolate, a bottle of red wine and a torch. For a daytime picnic, I love FineLines idea of taking a vase for fresh flowers. Lovely.

And. If it is cold and rainy like it is over here, why not have an inside picnic like Tiny Happy?

Really, for me the perfect picnic is a simple affair, delicious food, pates, cheeses, grapes, and wine. And there has to be a gorgeous view to inspire. And perfect weather. And great company. Picnics are the best. There is just nothing better than spending the afternoon with people you make you feel warm and accepted.

Bring on summer and perfect picnics!

Mia

PS I have decided to switch off comments for a while.  It is easier for me to answer queries and write to you via email.  Trackbacks are still welcome, though.

I am in love with this little project, being the hopeless romantic that I am. What better to way to decorate a pergola for an outdoor dinner party? Or to hang in the bathroom while you take a long bath? I was delighted to find this project in Marie Claire Idees and adapted it to come up with this tutorial.

I hope you enjoy making some of these along with me.

Materials

Cotton Fabric Scraps or Tissue Paper. Make sure that you use material which is quite thin. I love the lantern I made using Kaffe Fassett scraps.
A clean, empty glass jar. I used a small vegemite jar for mine.
18-guage wire. You can buy this from a hardware store. If you are using a bigger jar, then use a thicker wire to support it.
A sewing machine (the Maric Claire version was hand sewn with embroidery cotton which looked great but I decided to machine sew mine)
Cotton Thread
Scissors
Hot Glue Gun
Wire Cutters
Round-nosed pliers or square-nosed pliersInstructions
Step 1 Making a quick pattern.

(Photo above shows the jar and the finished pattern piece)

Firstly measure the circumference of the top of the jar. Divide this number (in my case it was 20cm around) into 4 because there are four pieces to the lantern = 5cm. Now add 3cm to this = 8cm. Now mark out a strip of paper which is 8cm wide. Take the paper and hold it up to the jar and cut it to the length of the jar + 8cm. Now you have a strip of paper the right size.
Now take the paper you have made and mark two points on either side about 5cm from the bottom. Fold the paper in half and draw a point in the middle. Now cut a rounded point to the middle of the paper. Here is your pattern piece.

Step 2 Cutting out and sewing together the lantern pieces

(First photo shows cut out pattern pieces, Second photo shows lantern pieces when they have been sewn together leaving the top open and seams on the outside)

Use your pattern piece to cut out four pieces of fabric or tissue paper. If you are using a thin cotton, iron on some interfacing to give it more structure.
Now pin together the pieces and sew them from the top to the bottom, leaving the seam on the outside. I left a 1.2cm seam allowance down the sides, then when I sewed the bottom I made the seam allowance about 0.5cm. When these are sew together you now have your lantern.

Step 3 Gluing the lantern to the jar

Now glue around the very top edge of your glass jar and slide the lantern into it. Stick the top opening of the lantern onto the line of glue around the jar.

Step 4 Wiring the lantern

Now cut a 30cm length of wire, find the centre and make one loop in it. Then bend the wire into a crescent shape. Take your pliers and bend each end of the wire upwards to make a little u-shape.
Now cut another 50cm length of wire. Hold the first piece of wire onto the top of the jar and wrap the second piece of wire around the jar and on the inside of each end, to keep it in place. When you reach the end of the wire twist the two end together to keep it in place.

And there you have it. Now put a tealight in the bottom of the jar, light it up and you have a very romantic one-of-a-kind lantern. These are so simple to make you could make thirty of them for a garden party.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think. I hope that you can work out the way it works even if you work in inches not cms.

Mia

Are you feeling like you are in a complete creative rut and have all your ideas dried up overnight? I found that when my creations first became more than just a hobby and turned into money earners, often it became a chore to create, particularly with frequent deadlines and too much to do. In the same way when I was studying jewellery design full-time, I found that the constant, huge demands of the course left me feeling creatively empty. If I had to design and submit a piece of jewellery within a few days I would often open my sketch book and draw a complete blank or go to the workshop and sit at my bench wishing it were time to go home.

Creativity takes a lot of energy. Producing something that is unique takes a lot of effort. I have now learnt how to keep myself going in times of pressure. Here are a list of my ways I give myself a creative kick up the behind. I find that different techniques work at different times and that it is usually a combination of these that keeps me going or gets me started on a project.

1. A good night’s sleep. There was a time last year when I was so burnt out after staying up for several weeks until 2am and working full-time during the day just to get a whole lot of bags made. Then I took my dad’s advice and started just going to bed at a decent hour every night. 10pm worked well and in a week I felt like my creativity and drive had returned.
2. Eat loads of fruit and vegies, avoid caffeine and drink plenty of water. I find that a week of getting into some good eating habits is a great way to get back creative energy. Sometimes in the past I have been so excited about things I am working on that I don’t eat for the whole day, because I don’t want to stop. Now I MAKE myself stop, even for a few minutes, and eat. I also find that days spent at home being creative are a whole better if I graze on healthy snacks all day rather than eating bigger meals.
3. Take time out. When I start a new project, I, like many creative types, am prone to being very obsessed. I put all my energy into it and forget to take time out to do nothing. When I started my first blog two years ago, it took so much time to set up (I am sure you know what I mean if you have a blog), that I did little else with my spare time for about a month.
4. Set achievable goals and don’t let anyone push you beyond your limits. One reason why I love this site is that it puts a time limit on your creativity. One hour a few times a week is achievable for creating things. I have been guilty of being in a relationship where the person was somewhat ignored for months on end while I spent all my time on one project after another. You just can’t do this to a relationship. They need time to grow too, away from your hobbies. I find that setting small goals and marking out distinct times to do those things means that you can keep creating without it taking over your entire life. When it takes over your life, things tend to explode! The last part of this strategy refers to creative deadlines. If you are a jeweller give a customer a realistic deadline. Don’t tell them that you can make a ring and set diamonds into it in four days if it will really take a week. This is a sure way to hit burn out really quickly. If someone desperately needs a necklace for a birthday (and it always seems to be desperate) don’t make doing these favours a regular occurrence if they eat into your personal or family time.
5. Exercise. For me there is simply nothing worse than being cooped up indoors all day. Exercise is the key for me to be able to keep creating and writing. An hour’s walk is a great way to clear my head. I also find that walking helps me sort out all kinds of design and technical problems. If I am making a pattern and have no idea how a certain part will work, I find that a walk often help me solve this problem. Don’t just go out on a walk though and think about what you are making. Forget it and enjoy the walk. Often when you let go, the answer will come.
6. Take little baby steps. If you have a deadline (real or imagined) to finish working on something but are overwhelmed by it, just start by taking little baby steps. Work out quickly what the first action is that needs to be done on the project and spend five minutes completing this. For example, if you are making a dress for someone but can’t start for some unknown reason, spend five minutes and set up the workspace, get your pattern pieces out, make a pile of the fabrics, cotton and anything you will need to make it. I have found that doing baby steps has two effects. Often when I take the first step I can then keep going until it is done. If this doesn’t work I schedule five minutes later in the day to take the next baby step needed, and just keep going like this.
7. Know that is ok when creating gets messy and goes wrong (and it will go wrong at times). Creating is always a messy process. Things don’t always go according to a plan. There is always a lot of problem solving involved and, even then, things can go terribly wrong. The first silver ring I carved and cast took me about thirty hours. I made about twenty attempts at the wax carving before it was successful. I kept carving one point of the ring too thin and the whole thing would crumple in my fingers, after three or more hours. Then I would try to melt it back together and it would crush again. Then when I had a great wax carving the casting didn’t work and I had to start all over again. After all this, I was feeling like a complete idiot and said to my lecturer something like “I may not be cut out for this after all”. He said to me, “Expect that creativity will be messy. If you expect it to be easy and linear you will not keep going on a project and you will never start another one”.
8. Be Kind to Yourself. With myself I find that creative blocks are usually just my inner critic working overtime. At the moment I have a project that I am finding really hard to work on because my inner critic has been awake all day and night, telling me that it will never be good enough. In the last few days I have been getting some work done just by being really kind to myself. My inner critic has said to me, “everyone will think you’re an idiot when you do this, no-one will like it”. Now I keep telling her, “I think it will be good enough, I know myself and I know that I put an enormous effort into the things I do.”
9. Read some excellent books. Reading books on creativity is one way I keep going and also a way that I sometimes get started. The latest book I love flicking through is “How to Have Kick Ass Ideas”, by Chris Barez-Brown. It is awesome and has loads of practical ideas for creative problem-solving. I also love Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” and have followed it from cover to back many times over the past five years. Sark always gets me fired up too.
10. Give UP! I can’t actually believe I am writing this. I am someone who tries to really focus on completion. If I leave things undone I lie awake at night stressing over them until they are finished. But recently I am learning to put some projects on hold and just toss others out all together. I have a play I have written which needs revising and workshopping before it is ready to be staged. I have had it on my to-do list for five years. I have now crossed it off my to-do list and put it on my ’sometime in the future’ list. I love this play passionately and the characters feel like family members, but I have other projects which are bigger priorities and I can’t do everything at once. I will be surprised if I don’t get back to it one day – but for now I have given up on it!

I hope this post is helpful to you.

This list is by no means exhaustive. What things do you do to re-light your creative fire?

Cheers to keeping your creative flame burning brightly for many years to come….

Mia

I am looking for an assistant to work with us for about five hours each Saturday on creative projects.  I am looking for an energetic, young, creative genius (or close enough) to help with some creative tutorials and projects.  Ideally the person would be very crafty, able to sew, take good photos and would be familiar with a lot of different crafting techniques such as beading, using clay, papercraft, using acrylics.   The ability to touch type would be a huge advantage.

So, if you fit into this category and are interested, please contact me at mariabinns@hotmail.com before this Friday.

Of course, you must also live in Perth and have your own transport.  This position would suit a design, textiles, jewellery or art student.  The applicant will be well-remunerated for their work.

So, come and join a fun, ideas-crazy environment and learn the ropes!

Mia

Yeah, I have also been bombarded with The Secret.  I have to say something.  You guys know I am on a roll and just can’t keep quiet at the mo anyway.  Firstly, I have read the book and there is nothing new about it.  It is your average new-age positive thinking wrapped in a tacky little book, sprinkled with some questionable scientific facts, not to mention being extremely repetitive.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for positive thinking.  Positive thinking can bring about amazing changes in your life.   Attitude is everything.  I notice in myself that if I am negative things tend to go wrong more often, but if I adopt a positive state of mind, things tend to run a lot more smoothly.

But, I seriously think I know a good secret too.   Here it is:  Life is not about always looking for what is better than you have now!  Life is about seeing the good and magical in today and what you have now.  I need to constantly remind myself of that so that I don’t forget to enjoy the moment.  There is a belief behind the book that if you obtain these goals, you will be happy.  And it just is not true.  Money, a nicer house, a better car, a partner with abs of steel, fame, just won’t do it.  Once you get there, you will probably be no happier or sadder than you are today!  Why not spend your thought life living a better today, noticing all the strawberries, the sunshine, the laughter, the warmth?

My other thought is something I struggle with, being a person who is driven towards accomplishment:  Life is not about just conquering one goal after another.  Life is for the living.  Life is about the process, enjoying every bit of it.  This is a concept that artists are continually reminding the world of, that art is precious for art’s sake, there is no goal more worthy than to just create.  So, I would encourage people, including myself to let go of the product more and just enjoy the process.  Enjoy the feel of clay oozing through your hands, the smell of the playdough cooking on the stove, the way the pink dye tangles its way into the melted soap mixture.  Enjoy it all!

And.  Now.  I step off my soap box to go and make some more soap!

Mia

I was just wondering what you are all up to at the moment? What are you creating? Any tutorials I really should know about? Please leave a comment and let me know .

Mia

PS I am up to a lot as usual. At the moment I am machine felting three sweaters, designing a pattern for a bag, trying to work out how to make soap without using lye or melt and pour. Well I would use Melt and Pour except that I can’t find it anywhere in Perth. Any ideas would be very welcome. Also this week I am going to start to make some baby stuff – we have one new delicious baby in the family and Em is about to have one any day now…

• Shoulder bag tutorial at U-Handblog.  This ROCKS!
• Shirred dress tutorial at Kuky Ideas.  Perfect summer dress for a little girl.
• Knitted headband at Oeillet
• Book Cover Tutorial at Moonstitches.
• Gocco Tutorial at Crafttutorials.  I still haven’t even used mine and I bought it for myself for my Christmas present.  Well I tried, twice.  But I will try again thanks to this little tutorial.

Enjoy!

Mia

I know, I know, it is hard to stop me talking at the mo. Must be holidays. I am all relaxed and have free time on my hands which is usually my scarcest commodity.

Recently, I have been asking for all sorts of things from grants for creative projects I am involved with, to programs to go and study overseas, and lots more in-between. And because I have been putting myself ‘out there’ a lot, I have been hearing the word ‘NO’ a lot. No matter if it is said bluntly, matter-of-factly or kindly, “No” is still a blow to the ego. Often it has the force of a sharp slap in the face.

But, I have realised in the last few days that the word ‘No’ rarely means ‘No’. Instead, it can mean all sorts of things. There is usually an unspoken clause which goes with it. It may be “No, until you have the qualifications we are looking for”, or “No, until you can write an application with a lot more evidence to back up your ideas”, or “No, not this year, but please apply next year. In fact, we usually only accept people who have applied two or three times”. So, the word “No”, can in many cases mean “Yes, if you do this or that or jump through these hoops for me”.

This realisation has helped to boost my confidence. In fact I would guess that hearing “No” a lot is par for the course in the beginning stages of trying to eke out a a living from your art. I have a suspicion that the people who hear “No” as “No” are the ones who quit before they earn enough money to make their art their career.

Well, I am one of the people who doesn’t hear “No” as just “No”. If you say “No” to me I hear also many ways that the “No” can be a “Yes”. Then I don’t feel so bad and I know that I will just keep going until I fulfil all my creative goals fulfilled and until I am earning enough money so that people know, once and for all, that I have chosen my path. Or maybe it has chosen me.

Have a good one!

Mia

PS There have also been some wonderful and astounding, unqualified “Yes’s” amidst the “No’s”. I am sure that I will be talking about these when I can.  

mariabinns@hotmail.com

or emma_binns@hotmail.com

I am a lover of creative sites with extreme personality, conceived and pieced together by ladies with flair and attitude. I have a keen adoration of blogs which are character driven affairs. Come and meet some of these ladies….

Pink of Perfection. Sarah’s blog is so awesome. She was so kind as to send me fan mail a while ago and it was then that I realised my instant mutual adoration for what she does.

Icing.  Gala is completely awesome, outrageous, colourful and supercool.  And a fellow Aussie.  She is like a rainbow on a grey, dreary day.

Sark.  Who doesn’t love her.  With her latest book making it to the top of Best Seller lists everywhere, I just adore her take on life.  Who doesn’t need to be wooed into living more passionately, dangerously, gorgeously.   She is a wicked, wild woman and the person who has most inspired me to live a creative life.  While you are there sign up for her scrumptious e-letters.

Crazy Aunt Purl – Read it, read it, then I won’t have to rave about how funny she is. How anyone can make growing a sprout on an old onion interesting I will never know. But Laurie does.

Any others?

Mia