Day 121 - gingersnaps

I like ginger. Ginger snaps. Ginger beer. Ginger shandy. Pickled ginger. Coconut rice with ginger. There is just something about it. When I lived in England, the ginger-nut cookies were what always called my name as I walked down the cookie aisle of the supermarket. I could burn through half a package of those things in one sitting. They had that gingery spiciness that just made me want more.

 So, when I recently spied this little canister of crystallized ginger chips at the local World Market store, I couldn't pass it up.

how can you say no to a cartoonized ginger-root chef?!

It even had a recipe on the back for "The Ultimate Chewy Ginger Snaps." I knew I would have to try that. So tonight I finally did. And, may I just say: oh.my.gosh. The crispiness, the chewiness, the buttery-ness, the deliciousness. They are actually not that spicy like I would prefer, but they are still great. The texture is amazing. Yum.

chomp.

Day 120 - straight lines

This is what it's like where I'm from:

 

Edit:

The drawing above was inspired by this photograph, which was taken on the property where I grew up:

Day 119 - peppermint bark

I made some peppermint bark.

peppermint bark

aaand, ready for gift-giving!

Day 118 - triangle

"Only work with triangle shapes today."

christmas lights on a sailboat in morro bay harbor.

Day 117 - featherweight

"Make something light seem heavy."

featherweight - light to some, heavy to others.

Day 116 - photos & haikus

I'm visiting the central California coast for a few days. Here are some photos I took today at Montana de Oro State Park, and some haikus inspired by the scenery.

 the shoreline stretches

endlessly, as it divides

the land from the sea

shoreline.

ocean waves crash in,

spray salt and foam in the air,

and return again.

waves.

on a bed of green,

the california poppies

smile up at the sky

california poppies.

Day 115 - merry & bright

I made a linocut and prints to give as Christmas greetings...

may your days be merry & bright

Day 112 - 114

Day 112:
Back on Day 56, I made some fused plastic. Now that I have a functional sewing machine, I decided to make a little pouch with it.

Day 113: "Find or buy a kit of some sort, get rid of the instructions, and make something that's not at all like the intended result."

What's the fun of throwing away the instructions?! Usually when I buy a kit of something, I actually want to do that thing. Like, for example, this Sunprint Kit that I got at the national gallery of art when I visited there this summer. So, I did follow the instructions. Here is what I made:

sunprints. buttons, owl, hope.

Day 114: "Take an existing postcard and alter it, then send it to a random address after documenting it."

I found some very special antique postcards at a vintage/antique market this weekend. The one that I bought is below. I didn't actually alter it, because I think to do so would be a travesty. It has a post-mark of 1910 on it. But, I did frame it to put on my wall.

Crazy vintage postcard of a giant rabbit, and a hunter throwing a jar of salt on the rabbit's tail. The text says: " 'Salted' So easy. Put salt on their tails."
WHAT?! 

The back of the postcard has a hand-written note that says:

 

"Fall River Aug 14 - 10

Am just having 

a fine time. Suppose 

you did too while

you were visiting.

Tell Esther I wish she

was here we would have

a time. I am going to 

church so must hurry.

Mrs. E.A.R."

Also, I like how, in 1910, you only had to write the name, city, and state of the person you were sending mail to. No street address. No zip code. In Pratt, Kansas, the postman knew how to get mail to Mrs. Austin Gebhart. I love it. How far we have come in 111 years. For better and for worse.

Day 111 - leftovers

"Make a facial expression from the leftovers of a meal today."

I don't usually leave too many leftovers. Especially when it's mac & cheese. Or shells & cheese, in this case.

an expression of...surprise?

Day 110 - ten-word autobiography

"Write a ten-word autobiography. Bonus: Illustrate it! Extra credit: Make a six-word version and share it at www.sixwordmemoirs.com."

Yesterday, I randomly got inspired to draw this:

sowing peace. (very rough draft...might turn into something else someday)

So, I sort of made an autobiography out of that. I wouldn't strictly describe it as an autobiography. But it works. What can you expect from only ten words anyway?

seeking peace - internally, externally - requires rootedness and countless tiny seeds

Also, I condensed it to "seeking peace requires rootedness, countless seeds", to post on sixwordmemoirs.com. Check out that website, it has some pretty cool stuff.

off the wagon...sort of...

Today is actually the 114th day since I started this project. 

Lately I've been finding it hard to do a project every day. As evidenced by my lack of posting. Between my full time job, some other activities I'm involved in, and taking some time to mentally process some things that have been going on in my life, it's been hard to find the space (both head space and time space, if I can say it like that), to think about this or have time to do a project each day. Also, my internet has been a bit wonky lately. Hence, the sporadic posting.

I'm not quitting, though. I think it's important to be creative in some way, or, at the very least, to think about some type of creative project, each day. Some days the inspiration flows like a waterfall; some days it's like a slowly dripping faucet. Other days it's like I'm in the middle of a desert and I'm just trying to crawl to shelter.

I'm going to give myself a bit more liberty with what I do each day. I've been following the book that inspired this project since the beginning, 365: A Daily Creativity Journal, although I have been skipping around in it some. I might go off the wagon, though, and open it up a bit more to other ideas or things that come my way.

Onward to the next 252 days! Including Leap Day, of course...which will actually make this a 366-day project!

Days 105 - 109

Day 105: "Go to a thrift store and buy something to work with today."

I got a vintage grater from a vintage/antique market, and a few eating utensils from a thrift store. Add some wire, and it makes for a lovely windchime. This will be a gift for someone!

vintage grater & cutlery windchime.

Day 106: "Work as if you were a young child or baby. Use the materials they might have access to and/or with only the skills and abilities they have at that age."

It seems like art projects for kids often involve their hand prints. So, here is my non-child-sized hand print, made into a flower:

hand print flower.

Day 107: "Work with mistakes. Spill some ink, milk, or other liquid and then go from there."

from this...

...to this.

Day 108: "Work only with red materials today. Try working on a red surface for a real challenge."

red flower on red.

Day 109: "Do something with only tinfoil today."

foil flower.

Days 100 - 104

Day 100: "Create something with the napkin that you use at a meal today."

cloth napkin folding.

Day 101: "Create something in the steam on a bathroom mirror or other steamed-up surface."

steam drawing.

Day 102: "Make something out of toast or bread. You can even make your bread from scratch."

Thanksgiving dinner rolls

Day 103: "Make something out of a ball or make a new ball out of something else and then play with it."

too tired to play with a new toy.

Day 104: "Work with a few free paint swatch samples found at most hardware stores and use them to create something new."

paint samples

My favorite thing about paint samples is the names. This flower consists of, clockwise from top: caramel toffee, burnt brick, tiger orange, marigold, shop 'til you drop, and copper glow. The stem and leaves are "bay leaf."

Day 97 - 99

Day 97: "Walk through an alley or along a small road and pick up discarded materials to work with."

I walked around my neighborhood. I didn't find much in the way of discarded materials, but there were lots of fallen leaves. So, I did this:

leaf + paint = colorful leaf/tree print

I got this idea from a link that I found on Pinterest a while back. I like how they kind of look like little trees.


Day 98: "Work backward. Work in front of a mirror, looking at what you're crating only in the mirror until you're finished."

This was harder than it seems. I think working with my non-dominant hand was actually easier than this.

Day 99: "Make something new out of an old t-shirt."

I finally got my sewing machine figured out. I cut up an old t-shirt and made this infinity scarf:

Day 95 & 96 - paperclips and beehives

Day 95: "Make something only using stuff from your workplace or office."

paperclips

Day 96: "Use the world of insects as your inspiration today."

inspired by bees and their hives

Day 93 & 94 - book selection and a palindrome

Day 93: "Flip to a random page in a book at hand and make something inspired by the first sentence you read."

I picked up 1984, one of my favorites. The first sentence I read was, "'It's real tea. Not blackberry leaves.'" The sentence is said by the character Winston. So, I made a flower from real tea leaves.

Day 94: "Write a palindrome."

Dang, I used to love palindromes back in high school. I'm kind of stuck on this one, though. All I can think of is the word, "racecar." I wish I could think of some of the ones we used to come up with on newspaper staff in high school.

Day 92 - invitation

"Make an invitation to an everyday event you wouldn't normally invite people to."

Edit: 

I just realized that I should have chosen a different everyday event. I do a creative project every day (as evidenced through this blog...although "every day" has taken on a looser definition lately). That's an everyday event for me, which I don't usually invite people to. So, I would like to extend an actual invitation for others to join me in this endeavor. If you feel so inclined, I invite you to embark on your own creative journey. Check out the book I am following, or the blog of the book's author, which highlights projects that other people are doing. Just let me know so I can be sure to follow your project!

day 91 - letter

"Write a letter to yourself at another time in your life (past or future)."

Day 90 - orange

"Work only with orange materials today."

orange collage.

Don't read too much into this. It's just random orange images and words that I cut out of some magazines. However, the words are somewhat fitting, in a way. "Fusion." "Rewards." If you fuse things, you can be rewarded with the result. You fuse sounds together, and are rewarded with beautiful music. You infuse tea leaves (like the submarine tea infuser at the top right - so cute!) and are rewarded with a delicious beverage. That's all I've got. It's orange. The end.

Day 89 - story

"Make up a name and write a back story for a stranger you see today."

I didn't exactly make up a story about a stranger, per se. But, I did make up a story for someone who I know, but is unable to communicate her story to me. My cat went missing for almost a week recently. She is now back at home, safe and sound, but it made me wonder what she had gotten up to in the meantime. So, here is her story.

The Misadventures of Penelope Pepper Pennyworth*

My name is Penelope Pepper Pennyworth. I am an independent feline. I live in a house, which I also allow 3 humans to inhabit (they do give me food and cuddles every day, so I let them stay around), but I also like to run around the neighborhood during the days. I cannot be confined to human-made structures. I am a free spirit.

One day recently, I went outside in the morning to see what kind of shenanigans I could get into. I noticed it was a bit colder than it had been the day before, but my fur coat usually keeps me warm. I chased a squirrel for a little while. Then I got tired and wanted to take a nap. It also started raining really hard. I went to the porch at my house, but none of the humans were home to open the door for me. Useless humans – never there when you want them, and always trying to smother you when you don’t want them!

I tried to curl up on the porch chair, but I just couldn’t get warm enough to feel comfortable. I decided to see where else I could find protection from the elements, so I walked down the street a little way. I saw a building that some people were going into, and thought that looked like a good place to try. The building had big windows and the word “Starbucks” written on it. The people inside looked warm and cozy. The door shut before I got there, so I put on my sad face and cried while pawing at the door. Someone inside saw me and opened the door and I ran in. They thought I was really cute, and everyone wanted to cuddle with me. One of the humans working there poured some warm milk into a bowl for me. She must have thought I was a homeless cat who doesn’t have humans to feed me. What she doesn’t know doesn’t hurt. Except that later on, she took me to her house! I liked it there, with so many new things to explore and a small human to play with. But, I also missed my humans and my house.

I stayed at the new house for a few days. They didn’t let me go outside and run around at all, so I didn’t know how I would escape or if I would ever get to go home and see my humans again. Then, one day I was sitting at the front screen door, looking outside, and I saw my human walking up to the door! She had come to take me home! I said goodbye to the new human, and went inside my basket that I have to ride in when we go in the car. My human took me back to my house. I was happy to see my humans and my toys again. Everything seemed weird though; I felt like I had been away for a long time, and I had to get used to my house again. I sniffed everything to make sure all was ok, and then, as I do to celebrate any accomplishment, I took a really long nap.

*based on a true story

 

Day 83 - 88: a little of this, a little of that

Catch-up time! 

Day 83: "Make a visual pun."

butter. cup. buttercup.

Day 84: "Decorate a cake, pie, or cookie. ... Document it being eaten."

gingerbread cake.

ready to eat.

chomp.

Day 85: "What can you do with a candle?"

i drew a flower with a candle, then painted over it.

Day 86: "Work only with bubble wrap or any other packing materials you have on hand."

tiny tulip made from a packing peanut & a pipe-cleaner

Day 87: "Use dry coffee beans, dry or wet coffee grounds, or even liquid coffee to create something today."

used coffee grounds from my toddy maker.

Day 88: "Make something with any nuts, bolts, screws, or nails you have lying around."

nails.