Simply scissors. That's all.

You never know when you'll have an epiphany.

Mine happened years ago, sitting in a rowboat.

I picked up my husband's Swiss army knife scissors and snipped up the lunch bags to tell my bored children a story, and never looked back.

Ever since, I've been obsessed with cutting paper.

All I need is an ordinary pair of scissors and a piece of paper...

sometimes only a small scrap tucked into a pocket and a child's scissors.

So much of my art is all about how much I can do with how little.

A simple pair of ordinary scissors and a common piece of paper.

How intricate can it be? How much life and love and feeling can be shown with only the simplest materials?

 

Just scissors and paper combined with an overactive imagination and lots of happy practice!

Yellow.

Spring in our beautiful valley begins with splashes of unbelievable yellow.

It's so bright it looks almost artificial.

But it's not.

It's as if nature is shouting, "WAKE UP!!!"

We come out of hibernation, stealing hours to cycle, to garden, to sketch and picnic and photograph for hours.

I'm intrigued with the reflections...

Flowers and sky in the puddles between the rows.

The addictive scent of spring is so strong I can smell it calling me from inside.

The tiny violets, flowering trees, forsythia and all the rest mingle in that signature smell of springtime.

It's like walking in a storybook here in the Skagit Valley when spring arrives.

Garden Party collection... fast and so beautiful

Delinda had never gotten into crafting. 

She's more the hands-in-the-soil kind of friend, the generous neighbor who sends me home with a head of lettuce that looks like a giant bouquet or some fantastic heirloom kale.

 

Until now. 

Delinda's mom is having a milestone birthday and the entire family wanted to gather for a big hee-haw of a birthday party. No cheap ordinary party goods would do.

Delinda's mom must have the best. 

But what would it be?

And then she saw the samples for my Garden Party Collection from Sizzix.

It looks so intricate Delinda initially thought it would be too complicated,

but I kept telling her, "it's so easy! You can do this!"

And WOW. Just WOW.

Aren't her invitations beautiful?

I can hardly wait to see what she's making for the party itself!

Stay tuned... I'm going to show you lots more fun with these dies.

The Garden Party collection of crafting dies will ship to stores near you in late March or early April...

WOOHOO!

Fresh art

There have not been enough hours in the day for all the ideas demanding to be made.

Art is emerging in our little house early in the morning... 

fresh inspiration shines through the lit up windows of my tiny studio in the garden.

I've been cutting paper and lettering and painting for hours,
and enjoying every moment again.

As always, the cut paper starts with a sheet of plain black,
which I cut with scissors and scan, then I often spray paint the original.

You can see how I snip the paper freehand above, and below the way it looks when layered into a final design.

And coming soon, an Etsy shop where you can get my original cut paper and calligraphy and prints, too!

Inspiration and exhaustion

 "Where does your inspiration come from?" she asked.

I get asked that a lot.

"Everywhere!" I told my new friend. "Inspiration is all around us. Just take a quick walk and open your eyes and you will awaken more ideas than you can use up in a month!"

But that was before exhaustion hit me, and dried up my creativity.

FATIGUE.

 It's modern society's big killer of creativity and confidence.

And I've been dealing with it.

After running day and night and coping with a number of unavoidable crises, I found myself bone tired, utterly exhausted.

And I am so very, very grateful to have been forced to learn from it.

The answer is REST

(and yes, you really can climb off the merry-go-round of busy-ness. You can stop.)

Sometimes we have to stop. 

For plenty of sleep, 

for allowing ourselves not to be productive all the time,

for long hours of quiet without guilt.

Let's admit it: it's hard to stop.  

But I am so grateful I was forced to rest.

I am finally recharged and rested.

Ideas have flooded back.

Creativity is surging again like a river of joy.

The first hints of spring are emerging in our little valley and with them a fresh wave of joyful inspiration is filling my heart and studio!

If you are feeling sucked dry, bone tired... if you are feeling exhausted and wishing the creative fountain would flow freely again, gift yourself with grace and simply stop. Rest. Wait patiently as long as it takes for your body and spirit to be revived.

You'll love what happens when the exhaustion subsides and a short walk again brings more creativity than you can handle.

Where does inspiration come from?

A rested place that enables you to look around you and enjoy the world around you.

Work. Life. Rest. Balance.

Who has ever found the perfect balance of work and rest?

Certainly not me!

Between deadlines, holidays, trade shows and (let's be honest) exhaustion, I've been running so fast that my blog has languished... Just too much goodness to cram into 24 short hours a day.

But yipee, I'm refreshed again and can't wait to share some of what I've been up to!

One of the most fun events was the annual Craft and Hobby Show in California, where my new Garden Party line of crafting dies launched.

Maybe I shouldn't admit it, but I think this is my favorite line ever.

So dainty and feminine, and so celebratory.

Never has it been so easy to go over the top for a beautiful party!

 

The dies are so intricate, they do all the work for you.

 

With just the crank of a handle you can turn out beautiful invitations, name tags, napkin rings, and loads of other party goods almost instantly!

 

It seems like just yesterday I was snipping the originals in my tiny cottage studio, with the rose petals falling down in the doorway as if to cheer me on.

 

Next I'll show you a peek at some of what you can make, and how my neighbor, who is a first time crafter just dipping her toe in the water, is using the dies. 

And how you can get them too as soon as they ship in late March, yipee!

Just a peek at my work table. Nothing nicer than a good messy afternoon!

For me all the leftover snips are like paper confetti...