Hey! Here is a super easy project today; create oversized snowflakes. This idea comes from Oh Happy Day. Once I saw these big beauties, I had to grab my oversized poster paper, scissors and start snipping. These big monster flakes can dress up any window and bring big smiles to even the coldest at heart. They are so easy and fun to make. If you have the poster paper, they take under 5 minutes. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Gather oversized paper such as butcher or sign paper, scissors and a ruler.

Step 2: Measure a square piece of paper.

Step 3: Fold opposite corner to opposite corner to create a triangle.

Step 4: Repeat folding corner to corner to create a smaller triangle. 

Step 5: Fold the right corner to the center.

Step 6: Fold the left corner to the center.

Step 7: Cut off the bottom points.

Step 8: Start cutting your snowflake design at the folds.

Step 9: Unfold your snowflake.

Enjoy creating the magic stuff and see you tomorrow holiday heroes!

Hello. Today, I miss snow. No, not the black or yellow snow that occurs after months of winter weather or the slushy mess that it makes of life. I miss the moment of pulling on my boots, coat, hat and venturing out into a great white world on the first snow storm of the season. The crystals falling from the sky and the quite insulation the snow provides are otherworldly. In an instant, the world changes all around. Sounds are different; light is different, and even smells are different. However, my favorite thing about the first snowstorm of the season is how small it always makes me feel but how big it makes me think. Walking around in the snow has a way of providing a new perspective on life. Snow makes a quite change and provides a certain restlessness to being in a particular state of being.

Today, let's create that small feeling and big thinking. Use materials around you to pull together a winter wonderland. Use whatever you have on hand to create your own snow scene. I used moss, bottle brush trees, faux snow and an old glass container. As I put all the elements together I was reminded of all the times I traveled out into the snow and how tiny it made me feel. 

Until tomorrow snowflakes.

Hello, friends. Who needs a little extra holiday splendor in their lives? Yes, me too. Today, I'm over everything, including the holidays. You could even say I am a total Grinch. To pull us out of our grumpiness, we need a super cool, simple project that says "hello holidays!" Well, the good news is, I have painstakingly researched a terrific and straightforward project today. Sure, we could make it easy on ourselves and purchase a lovely evergreen wreath, secure it to our front door and drink down a glass of wine. That's way too simple!!! Where is the fun in just buying a wreath? Let's make ourselves a little crazy today and add one more thing to our holiday list. Let's create this simple $10 wreath. It's is going to add a little jingle to anyone's jangle.

Today's project is to create this nifty wreath. It's seriously simple, fun and maybe a little bit tacky. Here is the supply list:

• 10" white foam wreath 
• 2 strands of tinsel garland
• 6 ornament hooks 
• A bow

Step 1: Secure one end of the tinsel garland to the foam wreath by sticking one end of the ornament hook into the wreath and then the other end. The ornament hook should look like a giant staple holding the end of the garland to the foam wreath.

Step 2: Wind the tinsel garland around the wreath making sure to keep the tinsel compact and close together. Once one strand of tinsel garland is complete, secure with an ornament hook and start the next strand. 

Step 3: Once all the tinsel placed onto the foam wreath, add the bow. 

Now we all can do the holiday happy dance! See you tomorrow.

Hey. Are you as tired as I am today? The holiday season puts our bodies through the grind. We sometimes think it's better just to blast through feeling tired. We will guzzle caffeine, load up on sugar and prop our eyelids up with toothpicks to stay awake. In short, we will do anything to keep our bodies going, except for sleep.

However, we need our sleep more than ever. Our brains are always working, configuring and looking. A new study shows that when we sleep, our brain has time to get a special liquid bath that removes any toxins that have built up through the day. It's a pretty fascinating study. Read more here in Business Insider; "The First Reason We Need Sleep." 

In the meantime, today's project is to create some shut eye. Skip the stimulants today and go let your head hit the pillow. Let your brain recover from all we put it through including the holiday hustle.

Until tomorrow sleepy heads.

Hey, gift givers. It's the time of year when we find ourselves faced with a bunch of gifts to wrap. Sure, we could just drop the gift in the preverbal gift bag, add a few tufts of tissue paper and be done. However, there is something about a wrapped gift is that says this gift is special and so are you. After a few decades on this planet, I still can't properly wrap a gift. The corners are always crooked, there is too much tape on the seams and the ribbon I carefully tie, always falls off. Today, I did some research on how to wrap a perfect package. I looked all over the interweb and created steps to wrap the perfect gift. Here are the steps illustrated:

 Apparently, it's all about the crease! Today create the perfect wrapped gift. Take your time folding each corner and measuring each piece of tape perfectly. Notice if the gift feels even more special after the process.

I'm going to get back to wrapping my pile of gifts. See you tomorrow amazing gift givers!

Hey, Friends! The holidays are in full swing, and it's funny how the day never seems long enough this time of year. Not only are there fewer daylight hours but the obligations can turn anyone's calendar into a spaghetti bowl of commitments. This time of year can skyrocket expectations and stress. Let's keep today's project short and sweet. Draw a few holiday doodles as you sit with your lunch. See what kind of holiday drawings you can create to make your day merry and bright. 

That's it for today. Until tomorrow.

Hey, Friends. Let's start this Monday with a self-realization. I have been creating this blog now for 341 days. I am just 24 days away from meeting my goal of creating every day for a year. In just a few short weeks, I will be able to reflect on a year of building and learning. Stay tuned.

In the meantime,  I can tell you that by any measure, I am still doing it wrong. In all respects, I'm failing at the following: coercing followers, making revenue, telling the authentic daily story and most importantly making the change I want to see in the world.

However, it's important to note that when we stand back and look at the things we create in our lives, it's the process that is important. Maybe you know someone who is always successful. If we all could get a peek into their playback, they too had a lot of moments when they did it wrong. They failed, stumbled, and felt their way through the dark too. When we are failing, there is an opportunity to be better, different and more interesting. When are succeeding, we don't get a chance to transform. In short, failing leads to opportunity.

Today's project is to create opportunity today. Go start something on your bucket list and when you fail, keep going. Just remember if you are being yourself, no one can tell you, you are doing it wrong.

Until tomorrow.

Hello, and Holiday Greetings. We have been busy today putting up our holiday tree and decorating each branch with love and delight. One of my favorite things in the world are ornaments. Not only do they provide a twinkle and shine to each and every moment of the holiday season, but they also bring back memories. When I place each delightful ornament on the tree, my heart sings as I remember the moments that brought me to today. Ornaments are an album of the quite moments, people missed and milestones through life. 

Today we had a few casualties. That is to say; my kids broke two of my favorite ornaments, one which marked the jump into the millennium years ago. I was sad to sweep up the pieces and throw it away in the trash. However, we shook off the blues by coming together to make DIY ornaments. Today, let's all create a 2016 milestone and make DIY ornaments.

For the record, this project was somewhat of a fail. We found a DIY salt dough recipe that wasn't very smooth. I would use this recipe from The Imagination Tree.  It calls for corn starch which makes the dough smooth and white. Once you have selected a recipe and made the dough, follow these directions:

Step 1: Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper on a smooth surface. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with ultra fine glitter. Replace the parchment paper and roll a few times with a rolling pin. Flip the dough and repeat the glitter step.

Step 2: Using cookie cutters, cut out shapes in the dough. Place the cutouts on a baking sheet. Use a straw to punch a hole for the ribbon or string.

Step 3: Stamp or add texture to the dough and add the year 2016. Follow the recipe directions on how to dry the dough. 

Step 4: Add a ribbon or string and hang on the tree or add to a gift. 

Who doesn't want to sing while making these ornaments? Until tomorrow!

Hello, Stylish. As I look around at my desk this Saturday morning, it's a mess. There are scattered receipts, pens rolling around, a stack of photos, unorganized books and a bunch of generic crap that I should sort. I really should sit down and clean my desk and also style my desk. However, who has time for anything these days? Well, some people do and it's their profession. Professional stylist, fuss and fluff to create the perfect living room, outfit or desk. Styling is a talent, and every time I go to snap a photo of a recipe or an object, I remind myself that creating a story or styling is hard.

Let's take a look today at some of the elements that go into styling. I selected the subject "Hot Chocolate Cookies" and I'll be showing a peek inside how I think through the styling process. If you are interested in the "Hot Chocolate Cookies" recipe, which I highly recommend, you can find the recipe here at Averie Cooks. Today, however, we are going to focus less on the recipe and more on the art of storytelling through styling.

Where do we begin to tell a story with visuals? First, it's important to decide the kind of message that needs to be said. For instance "Hot Chocolate Cookies" are fun, modern but they are chunky comfort food. Just as characters in a movie are important, finding props that communicate a particular persona are just as important. A shopping trip is often needed to find items that have a particular color, size, and texture so they can work together to unify a scene.

Next, is lighting. What kind of mood needs to be conveyed? How do we want the viewer to feel about what they are seeing? For the Hot Chocolate Cookies, I wanted the light to be fresh and modern since the cookie itself is already dark and cumbersome. The fresh light makes the cookie the hero of the story.

Lastly, positioning the camera in the way a viewer should see the cookies is important. Should the photo be shot at a bird's eye view? Or at a side angle? Perhaps from below? How does the story change when a hot cup of cocoa is added to the frame. How about a human hand? These perspectives all tell a different story. 

Today's project is to pick an object and try to style it based on the above. What's the story you want to tell? Pick props, light the object, position your camera and shoot photos. As you review the photos, what is the image saying to you? Is it the story you wanted to tell today?

I'm going to get back to eating, I mean styling these cookies. Until tomorrow great Stylists of the World.

Hello, All. I have nothing to write about today. Nothing comes to mind. Sure there are tons of things to discuss today. They are things that I feel passionate about today. Things are bothering me today. There are new creative skills that need effort. However, nothing sits right today. The question then becomes, if we don't feel creative, should we still create? The answer is yes. However, what do we do when we don't feel creative? The answer is, it doesn't matter. Creating is the catalyst for change. Sometimes we don't even know the change we need until we create. Sometimes we need to be spontaneous and just do something or anything for that matter.

Today's project is to create spontaneity. Take a photo on the spot. Draw something quick. Sing a little ditty. Dance across the living room. Write a note to someone you love. Make a phone call to a person who needs to hear you. Do anything to keep the creativity going.

Until tomorrow creative people!

Hello! It's just one of those days when I see red. I'm just downright mad today. I know all the phrases. Don't drive angry. Blow a gasket. Blow a fuse. Fit to be tied. The phrases are never ending and so is the anger today. Everyone I talk to says we shouldn't get mad. We should step back and take in the bigger view of life and see what is happening right now doesn't deserve our negative energy. So why do we get angry? Is it necessary?

Here is an excellent article in Psychology Today. "Go Forth In Anger" describes how getting angry is a positive emotion. It's often the catalyst for change. 

"Researchers are amassing evidence that anger is a potent form of social communication, a logical part of people’s emotional tool kit, an appetitive force that not only moves us toward what we want but fuels optimisum creative brainstorming, and problem solving by focusing mind and mood in highly refined ways. Brainwise, it is the polar opposite of fear, sadness, disgust, and anxiety—feelings that prompt avoidance and cause us to move away from what we deem unpleasant. When the gall rises, it propels the irate toward challenges they otherwise would flee and actions to get others to do what they, the angry, wish."

In short, anger has gotten a bad wrap over the years, and we shouldn't try to be apathetic to anger. We should ask, how do we harness the power of anger to produce something positive? Let's try drawing on anger. Today's project is to pull out a piece of paper, marker and draw out your anger. How does your anger look? What colors would depict rage? Is there a particular texture that evokes passion for you? Use the emotion to create something new.

I'm off to stew with my feelings and create a plan from my anger. Until tomorrow.