Hello! I was thinking about words today and particular the word "Hello." The word hello is a funny greeting. It's less casual than "Hi." but more formal than "Hey." When using a certain abrupt verbal tone it can infer annoyance or when used in gleeful tone happy exuberance. Words have a funny way of shaping our points-of-view and the world around us. The quotes of others can inspire us, push us in a certain direction or provide us relief. Today I picked a quote to set the tone for the day.

What are the words that will push you forward to tomorrow? Until then.

Hey. Who is in a panic today about starting goals for the new year? Yes, me too. It seems like everyone else has purchased a brand new fancy planner and it's proudly displayed out on their desk. They are filling their months with tasks, things that need attention and goals. It seems like everyone is thrilled to be starting 2017.

Well, there are the rest of us, including me, that are in a panic. To be honest, I have no idea where I am taking myself this year. I am still deciding where to place my energy and time. It might even be a while before I find an appropriate pad of paper in which to write down any goals. All this thinking makes me want to slink upstairs and go to bed. 

Who else is with me on the panic train? Shall we unite and create NO goals for the year?

Until tomorrow planners and slackers.

Hi. I had a revelation today. I never think about my handwriting. It's funny how we get in the mode of typing on a device, and the art of the handwritten word gets demoted. Remember when we were kids and had to practice how to write our letters? We had to sit and think about each line and curve and how it connected.

When I was in middle school, I remember my 7th-grade math teacher Ms. Quarsagrossa consistently made me write the number five over and over again. She stated my numbers were messy. She instructed that I correct each sloppy five on the blackboard while the whole 24 person class looked on. It was the last time I thought about my handwriting. Truthfully, I never wanted to think about it again. As we can all surmise, I learned a ton in math class.

Today, I sat down and focused my attention on my handwriting. With a brush, ink, and paper I selected the words "It Is Possible" to write by hand. Ok, that's a lie. I skipped the word "possible" because it was too long. I did focus on "it" and "is" which are way easier to write over and over again. However, even with the short words, there was a realization that handwriting says a lot about a person. When we type, we lose a sense of identity. Try it today. Pick up a pen, slow down each letter. Leave a note for someone in your handwriting. It's incredible how even in this digital world, it is possible to gain a sense of ourselves with pen and ink.

Until tomorrow may "the pen be mightier than the keyboard."

Hey. I bet we are all busy making lists, goals, and resolutions today. Like every year, we are listing out things that we want to achieve. I started my list today and then promptly threw it in the garbage. I decided that I'd give a "No Way!" list a try this year. I created mine today. It is possible to say no to something this year. What is on your "No Way!" list? 

Until tomorrow.

Day 31 - Hello friends. Goodbye January. Can you believe it? It has been one month and 31 posts on Create & Change. How do you feel? Do you feel like change is easier? Have you seen interesting posts? Do you want to see more?

From self-reflection, I told myself I would give it a month. A month to see if creating everyday would shift perspective. A month to feel different and approach problems differently. A month to just go and not think so much. Honestly, I can say I feel a shift. A shift in the direction of life. My landscape seems to be changing and my only hope is you are following along and the change is happening for you too. 

Today's assignment is to share one (1) project from your 31 days. Upload and share it to Instagram and tag "andrawebercreative." Here's to the next month of create and change! Cheers.

xoxo, 

Day 30 - Is this thing on? Tap. Tap. Tap the mic. Have you ever felt alone? As if no one is listening? Have you ever been in the middle of a project at work, home or school and thought, "Why am I doing this?" "Does anyone care?" "Am I doing this for nothing?" Yep, that is self-doubt creeping in like red wine on a cream carpet. It makes us panic. 

In these times of doubt, we need to look to others who have beaten down the path and created in spite of doubt. Take Twyla Tharp. A dancer, choreographer and creative leader who has written and lived the life of creating. "The Creative Habit - Learn It And Use It for Life" (affiliate link) is a  must read book for anyone looking to develop a creative process. This idea can be applied and transform the way you approach any project from school, home or work. "The Creative Habit" tells us that creating the life we want is a process. It requires dedication, practice and above all habit. Now, for today's assignment. Think about someone in your life that has defied the status quo and created. Write down their name and write about their habits in your LBNB. Then acquire this book. Happy thinking & reading!

Day 29 - Hey Folks! It's Friday. TGFMJ! In other words, Thank Goodness For Mom Jeans because it's time to pull them on and soak up Friday. Men, this post is for you too because there are some terrific Dad jeans out there. Where am I going with this post you ask?

We are going to fire up the creative juices by pulling out our LBNB and sketching something that makes us giggle. For some reason the phrase Mom or Dad jeans just gives me a good belly laugh. Try googling "Mom Jeans" or "Dad Jeans" adorable right? Now, take 7 min or so to think of something that makes you chuckle and draw it. Now let's hear from you. What gives you a Friday laugh?

Day 28 - It's day 28! Holy moly. Where did the day go? Is it just me or do we get caught up in the everyday. We rush from place to place. We put on our shoes, catch up on e-mails and wash the dishes. We get so many things accomplished but how many of us stop and ask if we have a motto? A set of words that defines us? Maybe drives us? 

Today, take 5 min to reflect on a phrase that can become your personal motto. Pull out that LBNB and write down the words. Tear out the sheet and slip the words under your pillow. Does it feel right? Do the words feel like something that you can live by? If so, share here in the comments section. My motto is still a work in progress but in the meantime, here is personal motto from a close friend and very funny lady. It's a reminder that our mottos don't have to be completely serious. Ha!

Day 27 - Ciao Bella! Who loves holidays? Well, I LOVE holidays. Mostly, my love for holidays comes from a deep seated need to decorate my life in glitter. That's a post for another day. 

Let's talk about this new holiday darling in town, Galentine's Day. It's on Feb 13th and it's a day dedicated to the ladies to celebrate the ladies. In other words, it honors friends between women. So cue up Steel Magnolias (affiliate link), get the Jeni's ice cream ordered and invite your estrogen posse over a day of gossip and celebration.

In the meantime, let's whip up something glittery and girly. Today's project is Galentine's Day Poppers. Who doesn't need to use the paper rolls found inside paper towels? Hello easy! Hello fun! And Free popper wraps! Print them from here. Happy Galentine's Day Girlfriends!!!

All The Junk You Will Need: Free Printable Popper Wraps (see above link), Heart Confetti, Scotch®brand tape, 3M Masking tape, Hershey®Kisses,Crinkle Cut Paper, Ribbon, Gold Heart Tissue Paper, Sissors

You Go Girl!

Day 26 - Hello. Alone today? Whew. One is hard number. Hear me out. Today, I had to sit with some numbers and it got me to thinking how hard it must be to be a number. Take the number one for example. One is a hard number. It has such pressure to preform, to make things begin. For example, first birthdays, the animosity for 1% and phrases like 1 in a million really cause a stir. One is the start of everything and at times the end everything. However, if you are the number 43,234, you most likely don't get much love. If you are the number 1,000,000 then songs are written about you. Numbers crowd our lives and yet we don't give them thought unless it's tax season, the Powerball or a sale at Nordstroms.

Today's assignment is to notice numbers. Take a look around you. Numbers are everywhere! Be aware how often the certain numbers appear in life. Go A Beautiful Mind intense today. Write the numbers in your LBNB. Take photos of house numbers, keyboard or anything that contains numbers. Why do certain numbers appeal to us? Why do they occur in our lives? What value do they bring to life? This blog post would not occur without binary numbers. Right? Crazy!

Day 25 - Hey. Somedays are just crap. It just happens. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, the cold that has been circulating catches up with the old bod and creating anything today just seems pointless. Trust me. It has been that kind of day here. Today, I wanted to just throw in the towel and say forget it. I quit.

Wait just a minute. This is when you need to pull out your LBNB and get to work. This is the right time to see what you can muster in the dark times. Maybe whip up some dark lines to help things feel better? Today, with all the effort you can summon grab a pen or marker and your notebook. Think about the person you want to be today. Draw yourself as a simple line art. Take 5 min to sketch yourself. The idea is to create the person you want to be and take time to know yourself. 

Here's mine. As you can see, I'd like to be a fully functioning adult and wear adult clothes. My hair would always look like a Parisian woman who is walking down the Rue Saint Honoré and I would be wearing the perfect shade of lipstick. Ooh la la. I feel a little better. How about you? Did creating a new you help you feel different?

Ooh la la. Look at that handbag!

Day 24 - Oh, there you are. Hey, how was your weekend? We stretched our legs this weekend with a walk-a-bout and ended up at the local market. Just when you think I'm getting fancy, when I say local market, I mean the grocery store because who has time to go to the farmers market for crying out loud? Either way, look at these 3 gorgeous ladies. Hello Beets!

Ok. Yes. I know what you are saying. You hate beets. Go ahead and recoil. Stick your tongue out and cross your arms in disgust. I hear you pouting "I HATE Beets."

Or maybe you are the opposite. You LOVE beets. You dream about them. Every chance you get you order them off the menu. You put them in your smoothie. Frankly, you would marry them if it was legal.

Well, I have good news for both the haters and the lovers. Today's project is to create a Farro & Beet salad that will knock everyone's socks off. In other words, Farro & Away you can't beet this salad! But the project doesn't end at the recipe. Look at the end of this post for more creative juiciness.

Farro & Away The Best Beet Salad - Makes about 6 cups

• 3 medium sized beets diced oven roasted or precooked/store bought beets
• 1-8.8oz bag Farro 
• 2 cups chicken stock or water
• 8oz feta cheese
• 2 cups washed baby spinach
• 1/2 cup red onion diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 fresh lemon squeezed
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• salt to taste
• baking pan
• aluminum foil

Step 1: Skip this step if you bought precooked store beets. Just dice the precooked beets and set aside. For those of you using fresh beets, pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the beet tops. Wash throughly. Keep skins on. Place aluminum foil on baking sheet. Place beets on baking sheet. Cover beets with another sheet of aluminum foil. Roast for1 hour and keep roasting in 15 intervals until beets are tender. Remove from oven and let cook. Once cool, remove skins and dice.

Step 2: While the beets are cooking, place farrow in a medium sized pot with chicken broth or water and cook according to the package simmer directions. Let cool to room temp.

Step 3: Crumble feta cheese and place in a large bowl. Add baby spinach, diced red onion, apple cider vinegar and lemon. Combine.

Step 4: Add beets and farro to the feta cheese mixture and combine. Salt to taste.
 

Now, here is the true project for the day. Pull out your notebook and write down 1 sentence about how much you love or hate this beet salad. Lovers, is creating something you love fun & energizing? Haters, is creating something you hate interesting and surprising? 

Day 23 - Listen up boys. This post is for you. Do you have a goddess in your life? Maybe a bright shinning little girl who lights up your life? A hip teenage chic that rocks your world? Or a woman that puts the "Whoa!man" in woman? 

Well, Valentine's Day is only a few weeks away, let's make her feel like Channing Tatum just popped over to do her laundry. In other words, extra special! Do you need some help getting started on making Valentine's Day amazing? Sure. Got it. It's hard to to know what we want and how to make a woman happy but today's project is made to help.

Today, create a sweet Valentine's gift list for the special lady or ladies in your life. Pull out your notebooks and get thinking. To help you get started, below are suggestions to guarantee you will look better than Chris Hemsworth dressed in a suit, holding a furry kitten and a chocolate heart. Ladies, if you are reading this, what's your Valentine's wish?

1 - Bando Fries Before Guys Pin, 2 - Hello Kitty Headphones, 3 - Gap Multi-Heart Pajamas, 4 - Cotton Undies By American Eagle, 5 - Toyota Sienna Mini Van, 6 - Lorac Eye & Cheek Pallet, 7 - Baublebar Excelsior Pendant, 8 - Bando After This We Are Getting Pizza Waterbottle, 9 - The Boqus Co Flower Delivery

Day 22 - Hi again. Whew. We made it to the weekend! Today's project is special and dedicated to the big & little boys in our lives. I was thinking we might have some free time this weekend? Maybe 10 min or so to search the internet for some smoochable gifts for those lover boys?  Cupids arrow seems far away but February 14th is right around the corner. Yep, that's right folks. We are two weeks away from being knee deep in conversation and chocolate hearts.

While I usually make homemade Valentine's for the boys in my life and call Valentine's day complete, I thought it might be fun to create a list of gifts that are dapper, fun and super cool. Take the suggestions below as a starting point for your list.  Oh boy, bring on Valentine's Day!

1 - Heart Shaped Headphone Splitter, 2 - Carter's Valentine's Day Pullover & Pant Set , 3 - Nixon Watch, 4 - Theo Chocolate "My Cherry Chocolate Bar", 5 - Onitsuka Tiger Serrano Sneaker, 6 - Fragonard Eau de Hongrie Cologne, 7 - Pair of Thieves Dad + Kids Socks Pops Mike, 8 - Ray Ban® Caravan 58mm Aviators, 9 - Bruder MAN Fire Engine

Day 21 - Whew. Is it me or do we need the weekend? Hello Friday! Today's project is going to be fast but fabulous. Here goes nothing:  

Grab your Little Black Moleskine® Note Book (or equivalent) and a Sharpie® marker. If your notebook cover is black, consider using these Metallic Sharpie® markers purchased at Target®. They are fabulous! Otherwise, pick whatever color tickles your fancy or you have on hand.

Now go CRAZY. Graffiti the crap out of that front cover. Don't think too much. Fill it with circles, lines and hearts. Dream back to your teenager years. How much fun it was to draw on the front of  a notebook? Awe. A + A forever. Teenage Dream complete.

Moleskine®, Sharpie® Metalic

Day 20 - Hey. Nice to see you are back! We chatted a little yesterday about Color Love. Have you been thinking about your favorite color all day? Are you obsessed yet? Today we are going to apply the brain storming on today's project. What's that? You haven't done yesterday's project!? Gasp. Ok, your are forgiven. Go back to Day 19 and meet back here in a bit.

For the rest of us, let's get started on today's project. The color that went to the the top of my list was Agave Green. It's cool, simple and honestly, the tube of watercolor that most closely matched Agave Green was on sale today at the art store. This project should take about 10 min or less but you need the following supplies:

• paint brush
• watercolor or gouache* in your selected color
• 1 thick sheet of paper such as cardstock, watercolor or printmaking paper
• 1 straw
• old glass
• drop cloth/large sheet of throw away paper like newsprint

* gouache is opaque water color. It is a little more impactful and less runny than watercolor and can be found at most art supply stores.

Once the supply list is collected, settle in a quite area and spread out a drop cloth. Place a small amount of the paint on the paper. First dip the brush in the water and then dip the brush in the watercolor/gouache. Wash all around the page. Take some time to make strokes, circles and lines. Let the paint settle into places so there are dense and light spots. Take your straw and add paint to the end of the straw. Dip the straw slightly in the water. Now splatter the paint all around. Let dry overnight. 

We have now created original artwork in a color that brings us joy. Maybe add some text, some pencil lines and frame it. Then hang it in a special spot. Mine is going in my office. Where will you hang yours?

Day 19 - Well, hello. Here we are again. Isn't funny how we don't notice things around us? For instance, color. It's everywhere. It effects what we eat, what we buy and our mood. We don't give it much thought unless we try to pick paint, a perfect gift or ripe fruit. Sometimes we love one particular color. It weaves it self up in our house, our clothes and our daily lives. Which brings me to our project today - to think about your favorite color. Take out your camera and LBNB. Snap a picture of any object that contains your favorite color. Study it. Zoom in on the photo. Look at all the colors that make up your favorite color. Then make note how the color makes you feel. How would you use the color? This should take less than 10 min and you are creating a fast and simple way to decide colors in the future. Heck, who doesn't need help picking paint colors or a new pair of socks?

Here is mine:

Strawberry Red - Wear it. It would make me feel powerful to wear it.  I wouldn't put in my house. Thinking about sitting in a room with red walls makes me think of the movie Carey. Eeek.

Agave Green - Use it as an accent in my bedroom. I makes me feel modern, fresh and calm. Holy moly, do I need calm in my life.

Butter Yellow - Dream of using it. It makes me feel light and ethereal. Where would I use it? Still TBD.

What's your favorite color? Why?

Day 18 - Time makes us do funny things. Like collect lots of stuff. Stuff hangs out in corners. Things overwhelm cabinets. Clothes sit in closets. Books are still & unopened. Socks with no elastic crowd drawers. Yet, we can't make space. We can't get the garbage bag and just toss it away. However, when we create space, it frees us up to see what is really important to us. It gives us room to think & create. 

So Let's create some space. 

Today, try Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" method. Take an item that you want to toss. Maybe it's a dodad? Or a pen from a business trip? Or a cow shaped creamer that is a family heirloom? (yes I have one) Place it in your hand and ask yourself "Does This Spark Joy?" If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, toss it.

Check out this video where Marie Kondo shows us how to fold a perfect pair of socks. Gosh, let's get folding and create some space!

Day 17 - Hum, it is one of those days. It's grey outside. It's cold outside. It's a day that we need a hot beverage. @Starbucks anyone? Ah, Starbucks or any premium coffee equivalent is such a lovely treat but who else has guilt about the waste one cup of take-a-way hot beverage can produce? Well, what can we do but create treasure from our trash. Here is one idea, a coffee cup flower.  

Step 1: Rinse and dry out the paper coffee cup.

Step 2: At the top of the cup, cut a straight vertical line until there is 1 inch left between the bottom of the cup and the end of the cut. Continue to make straight vertical line cuts half-inch (1/2) apart all the way around the cup to make the strips.

Step 3: Take the first strip and tuck it under the base of the neighbor strip. Use the fold at the top of the cup to anchor the strip. Repeat.

Step 4: Enjoy your flower. You can use it as a candy dish, small shallow planter, paper clip holder or just a flower!

Hum. Now what can we make from the plastic coffee cup top and paper sleeve? Any thoughts?

Day 16 - Oh hey again. Anyone have a new years resolution to sneak more greens into their diet? I for one need to stop eating so much sweet, luscious candy and create some balance in my body. The Big Green Monster smoothie might not be perfect but it's a start. Yum! 

The Big Green Monster Smoothie - Makes 5 cups

• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• 3/4 cup frozen peaches
• 16oz coconut water
• 8oz Ginger Beer (non alcoholic)
• 1 cup baby kale (you can use regular kale but it needs to be de-stemmed and who wants to do that?)
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 medium ripe banana

Wash baby kale and spinach. Add all ingredients to blender. Place the blender lid on tight. Pulse a few times. Then blend the mixture for 1-2 min or until the greens are super smooth. Pour smoothie into a few glasses, hand one to a friend and enjoy! Greens done.