creativity – Page 5 – Keeping it creative

Tips to Unlocking the Full Spectrum of Your Creativity – Guest post by Linda Chase

Posted on Mar 12, 2024 by Laura

Today, I’m sharing another guest post from Linda Chase where she considers ways in which you can unlock the full range of your creativity. I hope you find the tips useful and, as always, I would love to hear any feedback you have, which I will be sure to pass on to Linda.

Nowadays, maintaining a steady flow of creativity can be a challenge. However, rejuvenating your creative spirit is not only possible but crucial for personal growth. This article, courtesy of Keeping it Creative, offers practical advice to help you rediscover your creative spark so you can flourish in all your endeavors.

Seek Inspiration from the World

Observation is a powerful tool for creative inspiration. By paying close attention to your environment and experiences, you uncover unique insights and ideas that can transform your creative endeavors. The world around you is a constant source of inspiration, from the intricate patterns of nature to the dynamic expressions of urban life. Engaging with this diversity encourages you to see the ordinary in extraordinary ways, fueling your imagination and enriching your creative output.

Harness the Power of Photography

Expanding your creativity through photography opens new avenues for artistic expression, especially by colorizing your photos to breathe new life into them. Utilizing Photoshop allows for the meticulous editing of old black-and-white photographs, transforming them into vibrant pieces of art. Additionally, specialized tools that add color to black-and-white photos offer the ability to revive cherished family portraits or infuse them with artistic flair, featuring automatically selected colors and customizable settings for a personalized touch.

Foster a Curious Mind

Curiosity is the engine of creativity. By nurturing a constant desire to learn and understand the world in more profound ways, you uncover a wealth of new ideas and possibilities. This relentless pursuit of knowledge keeps your mind active and open to innovation, inspiring you to explore beyond the surface and discover the unseen connections that spark creative thought.

Cultivate a Rich Literary Palette

Broadening your literary horizons is a foundational step toward enriching your creative well. Exposure to a diverse array of genres and styles introduces you to new ideas, perspectives, and sources of inspiration. Each book, article, or poem you engage with adds depth to your understanding and appreciation of the world, thereby expanding your creative potential. This practice encourages you to draw from a vast pool of knowledge, fueling your imagination and pushing your creative boundaries.

Unleash Thoughts Through Writing

Setting aside time for unrestricted writing is a powerful technique to unlock your creative potential. This practice allows thoughts and ideas to flow freely, without judgment or restriction. By writing down whatever comes to mind, you tap into your subconscious, uncovering insights and perspectives that can inspire new creative projects. This unfiltered exploration of thoughts serves as a catalyst for innovation, encouraging you to think outside the box and approach challenges with fresh eyes.

Embrace the Art of Experimentation

Exploring the depths of creativity invites you to venture beyond familiar boundaries and immerse yourself in diverse artistic expressions, igniting a spark of innovation. Experimenting with various mediums is less about acquiring new skills and more about uncovering hidden talents and passions, awakening a sense of discovery. This journey, free from the pursuit of perfection, encourages the creation of unique and groundbreaking ideas, celebrating the freedom to innovate without constraints.

Embrace Unconventional Thinking

Taking risks is integral to the creative process. Stepping out of your comfort zone to explore unconventional ideas can lead to innovative solutions and artistic breakthroughs. The courage to pursue the path less traveled not only distinguishes your creative work but also propels you towards personal and professional growth. It’s in these moments of uncertainty and experimentation that true creativity flourishes, revealing new perspectives and challenging the status quo.

Design Your Creative Sanctuary

Creating a space dedicated to your artistic endeavors is crucial for achieving deep creative work. A focused environment, free from distractions, allows you to immerse yourself fully in the creative process. This sanctuary is not just a physical space but a mental one as well, where you can explore your thoughts and ideas without interruption. Such an environment fosters concentration, facilitating a flow state where creativity can thrive.

As you embark on this journey to rejuvenate your creativity, remember that every step you take is a move toward unlocking your full potential. Embrace the process with an open mind and a willing heart, knowing that creativity is not just a skill, but a way of life. Your renewed creative spirit will not only enrich your life but also inspire those around you.

Don’t miss out on the latest creative strategies. Join the Keeping It Creative community today and get inspired!

bullet journal, Bullet journaling, creativity, Cricut, Planning and journaling, sticker making

Setting up my Bullet Journal for March 2024: Spring / Easter theme

Posted on Mar 6, 2024Mar 6, 2024 by Laura

As Easter falls at the end of March this year, I decided to do an Easter theme for my bullet journal with some Spring elements. I made a list of words associated with both (decorated eggs, chicks, bunnies, tulips, daffodils etc.) and then searched for images on Design Space which I could use to decorate my spreads. I added lots of images to my canvas and used the sticker making function to create a set of kiss cut stickers on a transparent background. I hope you like my pages as much as I do.

Cover page

As I was searching Cricut Design Space for Easter bunnies to use as stickers, I found this cute cut file of a yellow rabbit with flowers and leaves cut from the body. I had some bright yellow cardstock which was perfect as it was relatively thin and wouldn’t add too much bulk in my BuJo. It took me four attempts to get it to work out well as it was quite delicate but I got there in the end! When I placed it on the page, I felt like something was missing so I experimented with placing different coloured papers behind the image and thought this pink colour created a nice contrast.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

The calendar pages

I had great fun making tons of stickers in Cricut Design Space but, unfortunately had lots of issues with the program printing a black line around each of the images. It was so frustrating and I ended up having to bin lots of transparent sticker papers which was costly and such a waste. I resorted to contacting Cricut about it who were very helpful but the problem hasn’t been fixed properly yet.

Anyway, I persevered and I love how the stickers and my pages turned out.

Finances pages

This is my usual income and expenditure record set up with a cute bit of decoration at the bottom. I’m enjoying using the transparent sticker paper but I have a feeling that Cricut are no longer making it as many of the branches of Hobbycraft are out of stock.

Weekly plans

Again, I’ve used a simple Dutch Door set up for my weeklies this month. I couldn’t resist adding more stickers to the days though! The decorative eggs along the top are actually a roll of sticker tape from Hobbycraft. Some of them have gold foil on them but the camera hasn’t picked it up.

I haven’t finished setting up the last two weeklies but I have added the stickers and used Easter chicks for the third week (some real photograph style and others cartoon style) and Easter baskets and Spring blooms for the final week.

Weekly running task list

I’m not sure if I’ve shared my running task lists before but it something I use each week. I add to the list daily and assign tasks to a day of the week or multiple days for longer tasks. This month, I’ve put all of the weekly calendars together and the task lists afterwards but sometimes I’ll put them together. I use the two ribbon bookmarks to mark the pages for easy access.

Final words…

That’s all of my pages for this month and I’m super happy with how they turned out. I’ve just signed up for another free trial of Canva Pro so I can’t wait to make more stickers using images on there. Although Cricut Design Space has some lovely images, there are some even nicer ones on Canva Pro.

Wishing you a wonderful March filled with lots of lovely Springtime activities,

art, bullet journal, Bullet journaling, creativity, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, watercolour painting

Setting up my Bullet Journal for February 2024: Valentine’s roses and hearts theme

Posted on Jan 25, 2024Jan 30, 2024 by Laura

For the month of February, I decided to do some more watercolour painting. There’s lots of tutorials online for loose watercolour roses, so I thought I’d give it a try and then use my new skill to create a front cover. I searched for easy and beginner tutorials but I used more than ten A5 sheets of watercolour paper developing my technique so it definately wasn’t a breeze for me and my perfectionist self!

For the rest of my spreads I made stickers using my Cricut Joy Xtra. I would love to turn my watercolour images into stickers but I’m not sure how easy it is to do, so, for now, I’m just using pictures from Cricut Design Studio which I subscribe to. I hope you like my finished pages and I look forward to seeing everyone else’s themes and approaches on WordPress, YouTube and Instagram.

Watercolour rose

My intention for the front cover was to paint three roses in different colours – pink, red and peach, and add leaves. However, every time I attempted the final piece, I would create two lovely roses that I was happy with and one which went completely wrong! In the end, I decided to do just one rose to place in the centre of my page. In a bid to save watercolour paper, I used a piece that I’d already practised on. Unfortunately, I didn’t watch where I was putting the leaves and had to fix my mistake with a carefully placed title on my cover page as you will see shortly!

Front cover

After my painting session, I scanned my artwork and printed it using my Canon Pixma printer. The colours aren’t quite the same but they look okay. I added the image to a page in MS Publisher and hid the top part of the other rose by adding a title using a text box with white background. As I eventually opted for just one rose and some leaf decoration, I had some space at the top and bottom of the page. I found a washi tape that worked perfectly. This one is from MT which are always superb quality.

The monthly calendar

When I popped to Hobbycraft the other week, they were having a 20% off Cricut consumables sale so I treated myself to some transparent sticker paper to use with my Cricut Joy Xtra. Unfortunately, when I got to the till, I discovered that the product I had chosen was one of the only items that wasn’t part of the offer – typically eh! Needless to say, I bought it anyway. I love how bright and colourful this double page turned out and it was super quick to create all of the stickers as both the roses and the hearts had a white border offset on them already!

Finances record

I absolutely loved the watercolour heart envelope so I made it into a large sticker. Of course, it means that I’ll have to try not to have too many expenses for February or I’ll run out of room to record them!

Weeklies

I opted for a Dutch door layout again this month but there was still plenty of room for the stickers I created. My daily events are recorded in the boxes on this double page and then overleaf, I have a running task list.

A Valentine’s mood board

This is another decorative spread which I think turned out really nice. I found the middle image on Cricut Design Space but when I’d printed and cut it, I had no idea what do do with it! Then I though, I know, I’ll make a kind of mood board which makes me smile every time I see it.

Final words…

Thank you for taking the time to look at my bullet journal spreads for February. The pages took me quite a while to create, but I’m pleased with how they all turned out. I hope you like them too and they’ve given you some inspiration for your own BuJo.

Wishing you a happy and healthy February and a month filled with self love and kindness,

art, bullet journal, Bullet journaling, creativity, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, watercolour painting

Setting up my Bullet Journal for January 2024: Watercolour winter scene and snowflakes theme

Posted on Jan 5, 2024Jan 5, 2024 by Laura

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re all having a good 2024 so far. I’m very late sharing my bullet journal spreads for this month for several reasons – one, we were away for Christmas and so I didn’t get out my paints until NYE, and two, the print and cut hack for making stickers using the Cricut Joy doesn’t work anymore and so I’ve resorted to purchasing the Cricut Xtra which is due to arrive today, the 4th January, with a view to creating some text stickers for my spreads.

Anyway, I hope you like the theme and the watercolour bits and pieces which I had great fun creating. On to the pages…

Front cover

Having chosen the theme, I did a bit of Googling, looking for winter scene watercolour painting and I found this gorgeous design on a blog post from way back in 2014. This inspired my front cover but I changed the colours up a bit. The trees were painted first using Intense Green (AKA phthalo green) mixed with a small amount of Payne’s Grey and Vandyke brown and a tiny bit of grey. When that was completely dry, I created the snowy ground using very watered down grey. Then, after drying, I mixed a range of blues for the sky. Whilst still wet, I used coarse salt sprinkles to create the snowy effect. Finally, I used white gouache for the snow on the trees and then paint flicks to give the idea of falling snow.

The original watercolour was then scanned in using my printer and I pasted it into an MS Publisher A5 page and added the January 2024 title. The colours never look the same as the original, but I’m still happy with how it turned out.

The calendar

My husband and I had a go at creating a blue background with salt sprinkles on New Years Eve! We enjoyed experimenting, and it was a great, relaxing activity to do in the evening and helped us to stay awake to see in the new year. Again, the piece was scanned in and this time, it was used to cover the whole page. I then cut out the calendar shape using some dot grid paper which I then positioned in a location on the pages which was close to where it would have been if I could see the dot grid. The titles were created using Cricut Design Space and printed when my machine eventually arrived!

When I’d finished it, I felt like something was missing so I used Design Space again to make lots of snowflake stickers in different sizes. I’ve done a snowflake theme in January previously, but this one looks very different so I don’t feel like I’m repeating designs.

Finances spread

My finances record is still working really well so I’ve kept to the same layout but changed the decor to go with my theme for January. I love the little watercolour scene I found on Design Space to make into a sticker!

TV watched record

I create one of these every quarter or so to record the series that I’ve watched on TV. This time, I’ve added a date column so I can see, at a glance, when we started watching each series. There’s already some great stuff on TV for January and we’re loving the black comedy / drama of season 2 of The Tourist. The genres are taken from IMDB.

Weekly Plans

I went for another Dutch door layout this month and used a second print out of my watercolour background to create page borders to either side. I couldn’t resist adding some more snowflake stickers.

Veganuary meal planning

My husband and I have been doing Veganuary, where you go vegan for the month of January for quite a few years now. We try to create a meal plan each week as this helps when we go shopping. We also try to do more homemade meals which are packed with nutritious veggies.

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at my spreads for this month. At the moment, January is proving to be more wet than snowy and our little garden is looking a bit soggy and flooded. I must say, I love pretty winter scenes with snow and sparkling frost but it’s not so much fun trying to drive in such conditions so I have mixed feelings about the weather at this time of year.

Wishing you a fantastic 2024,

crafting, creativity, lifestyle, Mindfulness

Monday Matters: 5 mindful creative activities to try this winter

Posted on Dec 4, 2023Dec 4, 2023 by Laura

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that I love doing a range of creative arts and crafts and find them really beneficial for my mental health due to the mindfulness aspect of the activities. So, today, I’m sharing 5 quick and easy ways to get creative during the winter season. Let me know which one you fancy giving a try.

Mini cross stitch

Doing a large cross stitch can be a very time-consuming activity and generally takes months to complete. However, if you’re new to counted cross stitch or want something that you can make in a short time frame, I recommend the mini kits that you can pick up in places like Hobbycraft. This winter fox design, which is just 3×3 inches, is perfect for the season. They also offer plenty of other more Christmassy ones too. If you’re a complete beginner, I highly recommend Mouseloft kits as they’re great quality and have a decent set of instructions on how to get started.

Festive biscuits

Homemade biscuits are fun to do and make your kitchen smell delicious. I’m planning on creating some snowflake and Christmassy shapes using cookie cutters and I’ll be personalising them with icing patterns, edible bits and pieces such as metallic balls and tiny shapes like holly and stars. If you want to make the activity even easier and would like to avoid having to purchase lots of different ingredients, there are plenty of kits on offer in the supermarkets or places like Lakeland. I’ve also seen DIY gingerbread houses whilst out shopping too.

Dried orange slices

I’ve seen dried orange slices in various festive decorations for sale in garden centres and you can buy packets of pre-made ones in craft shops but I think it would be much more fun and rewarding to make your own. I’m going to put mine with all of the pine cones I’ve collected and add fragrance to create my own winter pot pourri. There are lots of tutorials on You Tube and various ideas on how to display your dried oranges such as hanging them from your Christmas tree branches, stringing them as a simple garland attaching to a branch of fir or, making pot pourri. These instructions show how to dehydrate them and string them but there are many more helpful videos around.

Holly felt garland

I found a lovely online tutorial for making a holly garland out of felt which doesn’t involve any sewing and simply uses a hot glue gun to attach the pieces. As well as the glue, you need two shades of green felt (preferably as A4 sheets), plus some red pompoms. Again, you can buy pre-made but some I’ve seen to purchase online are in the region of £30-£50! If you create your own, you can enjoy the benefits of mindful activity as you cut and glue, plus you can see the fruits of your hard work for the whole of the winter period, not just for Christmas.

Paper snowflakes

I used to make these as a child and I also taught the kids in my classes when I was teaching. This YouTube tutorial from Martha Stewart, shows a version where you fold a square diagonally twice and then fold into thirds for a six pointed snowflake. Once you get the hang of them you can make more intricate designs and even use sparkly paper or add glitter to the edges after you open out your flake.

Final words…

I hope these ideas for crafting projects have inspired you and you’ll give at least one of them a go over the winter period. I’ve already started my fox cross stitch (which I purchased last year and didn’t get around to due to December Daily taking up so much of my time) and I have two cute Christmas Mouseloft designs on display in my living room already. My oranges are purchased too and I can’t wait to give the pot pourri a go when I’ve found a suitable fragrance for it. I’ll be sure to let you know how it turns out if it’s a success.

Happy crafting!