Category: Creative Life

  • How to Make Ocean-themed Hoop Art

    How to Make Ocean-themed Hoop Art

    Growing up in a little town in Southern California meant we spent many Saturday afternoons at the beach. My mom would pack a lunch and the quintessential bags of beach towels, extra clothes, and plastic buckets for sand castle making. It’s funny because I’ve never really enjoyed swimming out in the ocean but being at…

  • Make Letter-writing Fun With These Tips

    Make Letter-writing Fun With These Tips

    As I have been writing letters for the Bring Back Snail Mail challenge this month, it’s been so encouraging to come across more and more people who are creating snail mail in super creative ways. I started a letter-writing Pinterest board to collect ideas for my own letter-writing last summer, and it has been incredibly…

  • This Was October

    This Was October

    Hi everyone. This post is going to be a little different from my typical monthly recap post. Usually I recount the projects I’ve been working on throughout the month but today I’m going to share some recent scenery pictures as well as thoughts I had from attending The Hello Sessions this month (a workshop-based conference…

  • How to Make Name Cards (With a Secret Message)

    How to Make Name Cards (With a Secret Message)

    For as long as I can remember, my mom has made name cards for holiday dinners. Sometimes she paints our names, sometimes they are written in her beautiful handwriting, and there have definitely been times when she’s pulled out her calligraphy pen and made the name cards extra fancy. In light of this, as I…

  • Art Books You and Your Kids Will Love – Lab Series

    Art Books You and Your Kids Will Love – Lab Series

    One of my favorite places to frequent at a book store is the crafting/art section. I’m sure you guessed that, right? I love pulling out the tomes on specific subject matter and learning new techniques. In the world of crafting, much of what I’ve learned has been through reading tutorials and carefully following the directions…

  • Kid’s Table Craft: Table Runner

    Kid’s Table Craft: Table Runner

    After I made napkin rings for the kid’s table, I had an entire cereal box that was crying out to be used. And since we were so busy decorating the kid’s table, I figured a table runner was definitely in order. You mean, your kid’s table doesn’t have a table runner? Oh well, I still…

  • Kid’s Table Craft: Napkin Rings

    Kid’s Table Craft: Napkin Rings

    The kid’s table. In some families, it’s a thing of legend. The tables off to the side covered in paper so the kids can draw on the “tablecloth”, the paper plates in bright, festive colors at each setting, and the centerpiece that ends up being a source of entertainment for the little ones. Whether or…

  • Make a List of Happy Things

    Make a List of Happy Things

    Many years ago I drew a “Whenever You Need a Smile” postcard for a friend to give her some happy things to think about if she started to feel down. We had lived through a few years of our early twenties together, and that card reflected our humor at the time. If I remember correctly,…

  • Lovely Fall Crafts to Make This Year

    Lovely Fall Crafts to Make This Year

    Fall is in the air here in the Pacific Northwest. Seemingly overnight, we went from wearing shorts to searching for our sweatshirts. The leaves have burst into color and are fluttering to the ground, and I’m sipping extra cups of tea because it just feels fitting to drink tea when it’s raining and cool outside.…

  • When (and Why) to Silence Your Inner Critic

    When (and Why) to Silence Your Inner Critic

    If you’ve stumbled upon this article, I’d venture to guess that, like many of us creative types, you struggle with your inner critic. I received an email from a reader recently who asked about this subject and since have heard from several more readers who wonder if it’s a good idea to silence your inner…