Fall Art Prints For Purchase At Society 6

Hi, Creative Friends-

Autumn is just around the corner. Did you know if you catch a falling leaf it’s good luck? It can be hard to find time to wait patiently for luck to fall into our lives and for joy to follow so…

This week, here are 3 creative ideas on how to joyfully catch an Autumn leaf and watch luck follow…

1. Get The Gold: Andrew Goldsworthy is a British-born artist who uses nature to sculpt works of art, including beautiful displays of perfectly arranged fall leaves. His work and story can be found in “Living Your Wild Creativity”, a short documentary on Youtube. It’s hard not to feel joyful when we take in his natural creations are try building something similar using the nature around us.

2. A Falling DIY: Finding Autumn’s joy was never more beautiful or easy with this DIY Falling Leaf Garland. Go out into nature, find a lovely tree branch, print the FREE Leaf Printable, and gather a few other supplies. This DIY easily comes together to bring joyful inspiration wherever it is displayed this Autumn.

3. Bathe Outside: A great way to create mental luck and joy is to get out and walk in nature. The term for just taking in the forest, through our senses, is called “Forest Bathing.” In Japan, it’s called shinrin-yoku or and it’s simply about being in and soaking up nature. Read more in this article from Time “The Benefits of ‘Forest Bathing’ How To Do It and It’s Great For Your Health.”

Drop me a message and let me know what you are working on or how you will catch some luck this fall.

Also, thanks for reading. This newsletter takes some time to pull together. Consider showing your support by forwarding it to someone who might need some inspiration or buying some of my artwork at INPRNT or Society 6.

If you are seeing this newsletter/blog for the first time and want to keep seeing content subscribe here.

Keep going, creative friends!

xoxo,

Andra

Fall Art Prints For Purchase At Society 6

Hi, Creative Friends-

Did you know if you catch a falling leaf it’s good luck? It can be hard to find time to wait patiently for luck to fall into our lives and for joy to follow so…

This week, here are 3 creative ideas on how to joyfully catch an Autumn leaf…

1. Get The Gold: Andrew Goldsworthy is a British-born artist who uses nature to sculpt works of art, including beautiful displays of perfectly arranged Autumn leaves. His work and story can be found at “Living Your Wild Creativity”, a short documentary on Youtube, or one of his books like “Andy Goldsworthy: Projects.” It’s hard not to feel the joy and luck when we realize his natural creations are purely temporary.

2. A Falling DIY: Finding Autumn’s joy was never more beautiful or easy with this DIY Falling Leaf Garland. Go out into nature, find a lovely tree branch, print the FREE Leaf Printable, and gather a few other supplies. This DIY easily comes together to bring joyful inspiration wherever it is displayed this Autumn.

3. Bathe Outside: A great way to create mental luck and joy is to get out and walk in nature. The term for just taking in the forest, through our senses, is called “Forest Bathing.” In Japan, it’s called shinrin-yoku or and it’s simply about being in and soaking up nature. Read more in this article from Time “The Benefits of ‘Forest Bathing’ How To Do It and It’s Great For Your Health.” Or pick up this book “Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Happiness” by Dr. Qing Li. Then go hug a tree, look for a falling leaf as joy and luck fall into your life.

Drop me a message and let me know what you are working on or what you are doing to celebrate Autumn.

Also, thanks for reading. This newsletter takes some time to pull together. Consider showing your support by forwarding it to someone who might need some inspiration or buying some of my artwork at INPRNT or Society 6.

If you are seeing this newsletter/blog for the first time and want to keep seeing content subscribe here.

Keep going, creative friends!

xoxo,

Andra

Happy Holidays, Friends!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right?

Maybe not for everyone.

While some love this time of the year it can be overwhelming for others. If you are a bit like me, the holidays bring on a laundry list of things to do and more stuff to manage. It can make even the brightest of moods not so merry.

This year, I tried something new. I looked out for 5 good things this last week in the news and around me. Funny enough, I started to feel less Bah Humbug.!

If you are feeling a bit of the Holiday Blues, take a look at the 5 things below that made this last week a little brighter.

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1) Hanukkah

The eighth day of Hanukkah was on December 18th. Do you know the story of Hanukkah? You can read all about the story of Hanukkah here. It’s a beautiful story full of determination and miracles. Plus menorahs are a wonderful way to light up the darkness of winter!

2) DIY Holiday Sweater

This is such and easy and fun DIY! It solves the “I’ve got nothing fun or festive to wear for my holiday Zoom Call.”

3) Pay It Forward

A string of 900 cars at a Dairy Queen paid for each other’s meals! The Pay-It-Forward event lasted two days. Find the story here.

4) Sparkle Cookies

Sparkle your way right into the kitchen with this super easy holiday cookie recipe. It will be the one eaten first off any cookie plate. Find the recipe here.

5) A Snow Day

The biggest snowstorm In years hit the East Coast last week blanketing NYC in buckets of snow! Although, even the snowmen wore masks and social distanced. See amazing photos of the NYC storm here at Time Out New York.

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Well, friends, I hope these good stories bring you lots of cheer this week.

Stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful week!

// hello friends-

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 12th.

Yes, this Sunday.

It tiptoed up on us didn’t it?

Maybe we planning on whipping up a macaroni necklace to present to dear old mom? Scouring the internet for the perfect #momlife mug? Contemplating spending our entire life’s savings on a huge bouquet of flowers to make mom feel grand?

Here is the bad news.

Mom wants something different this year.

Yes, the macaroni necklace will warm mama’s heart but is sure to end up in the dark recesses of her dresser drawer. The #momlife mug will most likely “accidentally” slip off the counter or be left on a bench at soccer practice. As for the flowers, HELLO!, mom taught you to save your money for a rainy day.

What does mom want?

To be presented with a beautiful DIY project that is new, fresh, modern, easy on the pocket book, fun to display and is guaranteed to make Mom swoon.

Something that is petal perfect.

And lovely.

And beautiful.

Whip out the watercolors, rummage around the closet for some tissue paper and take a bit of time to create a DIY project that mom will absolutely love:

Hand Painted Giant Paper Flowers!

Giant Paper Flowers

• free flower petal template (download here)

• 1 - piece of card stock

• scissors

• 1 - sheet white tissue paper

• OOLY Watercolor Paint Pods {affiliate link} or non-toxic kid safe watercolors

• 1 - craft brush {affiliate link}

• jar or cup for water

• a multi-temp hot glue gun & hot glue

• 1 - 22 gauge flower wire {affiliate link}

Step 1: Print the free flower petal template on the card stock. With the scissors cut out the petal template and the circle shape.

Step 2: Fold the tissue paper in half lengthwise. Using the watercolors, paint the tissue paper and let dry.

Step 3: Cut a long 1.5 inch by 18 inch long rectangle from the long side of the tissue paper. Roll the rectangle into a tight tube shape. Make long incisions into the tissue tube on the short side. Do not cut all the way through the tissue. Leave a 1/4 space at the bottom of the tissue to hold the tube shape together. This will be the center of the flower. Set aside.

Step 4: Use the flower petal template as a guide and fold the remaining tissue paper under the petal template as many times as the tissue paper will allow. With the scissors, cut around the template. There should now be multiple petals. Make a 1 - inch incision in the middle of the petal base.

Step 5: Heat the hot glue gun on low. Place one dot of glue on the left side of the base of a flower petal. Pinch the right side over the left. Repeat until all the petals are complete. Using the circle card stock shape as a flower base, glue the tissue paper petals onto the circle base by overlapping the edge of each petal just a bit.

Step 6: Glue the center of the flower in the middle of the petals. Take one (1) flower wire and poke a small hole in the back of the flower. Remove the wire and add a dab of glue and then reinsert the wire.

So much love and fun went into making this DIY project, Mom is sure to feel overjoyed and very appreciated.

To all the wonderful Mamas, Happy Mother’s Day!

Until tomorrow creative friends! //

This post contains affiliate links.

// hello friends -

Spring has sprung! Our landscapes are coming alive with flowers blooming, little critters hatching and sunny days filled with glorious warm moments. Many of us may feel the impulse to do some spring cleaning or freshen up our home with a fresh coat of bright paint, a big flower bouquet or find just the right spot for a new plant. When I came across this DIY air plant string art project by ProFlowers, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to create a modern decor piece for my office!

Air plant string art combines creative string art designs with air plant accents to create unique living art for your space. There are so many different styles that you can create with this concept, from bohemian to minimalist and everything in between. Check out these amazing design ideas from ProFlowers.

Image by ProFlowers

Image by ProFlowers

Image by ProFlowers

When I went to create my project, I kept it neutral. However, go ahead and feel inspired to paint the wood base with a bright coral or aqua for a fun pop of color on your wall. If you plan on painting your base, just give the surface time to dry before you start hammering the nails into the wood.

Let’s get started on this “DIY Air Plant String Art” by ProFlowers.

The materials you’ll need include:

• Wood base (board, plaque frame, etc.) {affiliate link}*

• Air Plants (like a Tillandsia)

• common nails {affiliate link}*

• String or jewelry cord {affiliate link}

• Hammer

• Scissors

• Pencil

• Eraser

• Paint or 10mm wooden craft beads {affiliate link} (optional)

To create your own personal air plant string art follow the instructions laid out below or check out the comprehensive “DIY Air Plant String Art Tutorial” at ProFlowers.

Step 1: In pencil, mark where your nails will go with light markings on your wood.

Step 2: Hammer in the nails on a protected/covered work surface. Make sure to leave at least half an inch exposed above the wood so you’ll have room to tie and cut your string.

Step 3: Tie your string onto the nail at your starting point and make sure it’s tied tight.

Step 4: Wrap your string around different nails, loop them twice for a better hold.

Step 5: Tie the string and cut off any loose ends, make sure the string is pulled tight so the air plants will stay put on in the string.

Step 6: Place the air plants in your string design and make sure they’re secure.

Step 7: Enjoy! Display your art by propping it up or hanging it on a wall and just your air plants regularly to keep them fresh.

* When purchasing the wood base, consider the thickness of the wood and the length of the nails needed for your project. For example, a 1/4 inch thick base would be too thin for a 1-inch nail.

Isn’t it lovely to have a little a creative spring refresh in our office? If you want to keep creating check out my “Create Everyday: How To Unlock Your Creative Magic Now!” class on Skillshare. It’s a great way to keep creating everyday.

Until, soon friends!

This post contains affiliate links.

Season’s Greetings, Friends,

What is it about the smell of evergreen that signals delightful and joyous holiday moments? There is something about bringing nature into our homes that feels celebratory and a wreath at our front door reveals our home is ready to soak in the happiness of now.

However, finding a wreath that does a job of shouting a warm holiday hello is hard to find.

Unless we create our own.

And it’s simple with just a few items. I call these my little minimal darlings as they are very easy to make with very few supplies.

The Minimalist Wreath

• Sprigs of evergreen and other various winter greens (I used greens I picked up at a local grocery store and snipped a few from my garden.)

• 26 gauge floral wire {affiliate link}

• 1 - 10”- 12” metal macrame ring or various sizes {affiliate link}

• gardening shears {affiliate link}

• decorative ribbon

Step 1: Place the macrame ring on a flat surface and plan out the floral design with the winter greens. Cut the greens as necessary to fit the design.

Step 2: Pick the greens that will go at the very back of the design and wind the floral wire around a bunch of greens. Place the bundle on the macrame ring and twist the wire around the ring securing the greens to the ring. Snip the wire when the bundle is secure.

Step 3: Bundle up the next group of greens and repeat until your wreath is complete.

Step 4: Tie a ribbon to the macrame ring and hang from the front door or wherever a little holiday spirit is needed.

Stand back and watch as your neighbors envy the beautiful, holiday hello adorning your front door or entryway.

Until tomorrow festive friends.

Oh hey. It's Friday and who here is feeling a little worn out from the week? Who out there is a parent? As a parent, there never seems to be enough time to do anything. We cart kids to school, usher them to soccer practice, set up playdates, feed them three, square, delicious meals low in sugar, take them to the birthday parties, cuddle them to doctors visits and generally try to figure out how to grow a productive and kind future member of society. Whew. Who's exhausted?

Surprisingly, today, the kids and I have some free time or rather quality time to spend together. There is a big initiative right now to develop S.T.E.A.M learning for kids. For those who are not familiar with the acronym S.T.E.A.M, you are not alone. I had to Google it and it stands for science, technology, engineering, art and math. Here it is in a nut shell: the 21st century is going to need to deliver more (a lot more) workers to drive innovation. The workers need a bigger understanding of science, technology, education and math. Art was added to provide the creative learning needed to make leaps forward in innovation. In short, this is the kind of education needed to drive and deliver a prosperous future society. Whew. No pressure parents and kids!

Today, to get my kids excited about this new S.T.E.A.M learning and fill our quality time, we pulled some recycled materials from the recycle bin. After thinking and planning, we came up with a process to create a kaleidoscope. We used engineering to insure the kaleidoscope worked (for the record it doesn't) but more importantly we used creative reasoning to make the idea whole.

It was a fun process and some interesting observations were, the kids decided to use coffee filters as a drawing surface. They reasoned the color would create an cool effect once the filter was paper punched. We decided together that the hole we made in the cup bottom was too small for the straw but the kaleidoscope wouldn't turn but that was ok. Most importantly, the kids had a blast staring into the kaleidoscope and seeing the way light reflected through the cup bottoms.  

Today's project is to create something from recycled materials and innovate the materials into something exciting. If you would like to make a kaleidoscope, here is the supply list

• 1 empty recycled paper towel roll
• washi tape
• paper punch
• an old magazine or decorated coffee filter 
• scissors
• 2 empty recycled clear plastic cups
• 1 recycled straw

Step 1: Cut the bottoms out of both cups. Use the paper punch to punch a hole in both plastic cup bottoms about 1/4" away from the edge. Tape the straw to the paper towel roll so 1/2" of the straw sticks out from the end of the paper towel roll.

Step 2: Use the hole punch to punch holes in the decorated coffee filter or an old magazine cover. Empty the paper punch reservoir into the bottom of one of the plastic cup bottoms. Tape the bottoms together on the edges.

Step 3: Place the taped bottoms on the end of the straw and look through the end of the paper towel roll.

It's pretty cool that learning can be hands on and provide a great platform for quality time with kids and adults alike. 

I'm off to drum up another creative project and spend a little more quality time with the kids. See you tomorrow innovators!

Oh hey there feline friends. It's Saturday and the weeks are flying by. We are getting closer and closer to that spooky holiday, Halloween. If you haven't noticed we are 100% Halloween crazy around here on this blog. To continue the nuttiness, today we are going to create a $10 DIY project that is going to bring a lot of back luck to anyone crossing our path. Since it's Saturday let's leap and get down to some spooky business.

We all know the superstition. Black cats are bad luck and what is more terrifying than a string of bad luck? Maybe stepping over so many black cats that otherworldly bad luck is sure to follow. Head down to IKEA and pick up a Trampa door mat. Grab some black craft paint, a medium size firm paint brush, 1 piece of cardstock and this free black cat template. Now, let's create some bad mojo spooky enough to scare away any unwanted visitors.

Step 1: With a craft blade cut out the black cat template on a self healing mat or piece of cardboard.

Step 2: Use the cat template to create a pattern on the doormat. The tip here is to quickly dab the paint on with the paint brush and make sure to touch even the very tip of the ears on the cat.

Step 3: Let dry and enjoy as visitors tremble in fear or at least step around the mat.

Off to brew up tomorrow's project. See you tomorrow, superstitious!

Hello Frilly Friday! Yep, we are going to go DIY all the way today. Let's create something soooo cute even the tired and grumpy will feel a burst of happy today. A few years back I started to learn to knit. Like every hobby I have ever started and stopped, somewhere in a dark corner there are supplies lurking. What is it about hobbies? We start them and then the yogurt maker or table saw gets pushed further and further back in the garage to the land of the lost. Well, I say dig up those supplies today, dust them off and let's create something fun.

As I mentioned previously, I learned to knit a while back. The box with beautiful yarn calls to me often from the dark recess of my closet. Today, I pulled the yarn and consulted Pinterest. DIY pom pom bookmarks are pretty adorable and easy. It's like having a pint size cheerleader hovering over each page. Perfect.

Today's project is to create a pom pom bookmark. If DIY, pom pom bookmarks just seem silly to you, it's because they are ridiculous. If they are a complete turn off, it's ok. Drag out that beer making gear and start brewing. Or pull out the dusty old bowling ball and head to the lanes. Dust off your magician gear. We start a hobbies for a reasons that are sometimes unclear to us and we often abandon them in the same way. Let's create time to get passionate again about something we once loved. After all, every serious book needs a pom pom.

For all of those interested in making fluffy, soft and joyful pom poms, here are the steps.

See you tomorrow hobby enthusiast!

Hello there. It's me again. Where does the time go? Each day is approximately 24 hours long but some days feel like they are filled to the brim with "Alice In Wonderland" moments. As in, I'm always late for a very important date! When I am rushing all day, it can feel like there isn't time for anything else, especially fun. Today, let's create something that will pass on a different type of "Alice In Wonderland" nonsense, the open me bottle.

You will need the following:

• A small bottle or vessel
• 2 - $1 bills
• glitter or confetti 
• A note (you can find a free printable here)

Step 1: Create a wacky note or print one here. Add glitter or confetti to the bottle.

Step 2: Wrap the $1 bills in the note. Stuff the roll in the bottle or vessel. Attach an "open me" note.

Step 3: Now hide the bottle. Imagine the nonsense feeling someone will have when the bottle is found. What kind of crazy story will they create about the open me bottle? Will they hesitate to open the bottle? How will they get the note out? Will they think it's trash or treasure? Will the pass it along or throw it away?

I hid this in the park tonight for me little ones. We had such nonsense fun hiding and looking for this tiny bottle of magic. They were thrilled to see what was inside and somewhat confused. In the end, having this nonsense fun was much better than rushing all day. Until tomorrow Mad Hatters!

Hey kids! We are knee deep in scouting out the best back-to-school supplies. I have been trying to locate the finest backpacks, leak proof water bottles and lunch bags/boxes. When I was a kid, taking lunch to school consisted of sliding random food into a brown paper bag. I would then pray the bag wouldn't rip as I tripped off the school bus. Flash forward twenty some years later and lunch boxes have come a long way. There are insulated coolers, bento boxes, bags, vintage tins, lunch bags, stainless steel boxes and the list goes on.

However, we didn't find a customizable lunch box or bag.  My little five year old and I, put our large and small brains together and said, how could we make an existing lunch bag one-of-a-kind?  With the help of my 5 year old and this plain lunch bag from Old Navy we created a semi-bespoke lunch bag. You can see the video here.

Today, take something and make it your own. Doodle on your notebook cover, draw a design on a t-shirt with Sharpie markers or create your own smart phone cover at Case App. The goal is to create an object that can be yours and yours only. 

My kindergartner is thrilled with her one of a kind lunch bag. Making something unique can create a great sense of empowerment and thrill.

Well, off to shop for more school supplies. Tomorrow kids!

This post contains affiliate links.

Hey everyone. It's Friday day and it's back-to-school time. Actually, in our house, it's first time school for almost everyone. There are a lot of emotions swirling. Each of us is shrinking from telling each other just how we feel about this transition. Perhaps it's a good time to create something that helps us wear our emotions on our sleeve or at least our backpacks. Who doesn't love a good emoji to communicate what's bubbling up inside?

Remember Shrinky Dink plastic fun? Today, let's combine our emotions and shrink them into a pint sized activity that will make everyone feel good about the change ahead. Today's project is to create DIY Emoji keyrings. 

• #6 plastic take out container {must be #6 plastic. The number 6 will be on the takeout container. DO NOT use any other plastic} or Shrinky Dink plastic {affiliate link}.
• Sharpie permanent markers {affiliate link}
• Hole punch
• 1" keyrings {affiliate link}
• Scissors
• Free emoji template found here.
• Aluminum foil
• Baking sheet

Step one: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Print out free emoji template. Cut out the flat piece of #6 plastic or use a Shrinky Dink kit. Trace the emojis on to the plastic with a black Sharpie marker.

Step 2: Add color to the emojis. Cut out the emoji artwork as circles. Punch a hole in each piece. Place the emoji artwork on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet.

Step 3: Once oven is at 350 degrees. Place the emoji artwork in the oven for 1-2 minutes. It will be begin to curl dramatically but then will begin to flatten. Remove baking sheet from the oven with oven mitts.

Step 4: Let the plastic emojis cool. Insert the keyring on each emoji. Place on a backpack or lunch box.

What a fun and easy way to show emotion. See you tomorrow Grumpy Gus!