Sunshine and coffee

The two things that can inspire and artist greatly. Sunshine. and a good pot of coffee.

It’s a chilly Sunday morning in Channahon. But while my husband works, and my two children play, I sit in the front living room. In the morning, when we first wake up we come down the stairs to open the front door and pull open the shades to let in the sunshine!

We eat breakfast, and Sophie who is KNOWN for being Solar Sophie, goes from her spot at the end of the king size bed, to eating her breakfast, and then to the oh so wonderful sunshine.

I choose the big brown leather couch. Never the brown leather recliner, while it’s nice and comfortable, it’s because it rocks. (I get motion sick in it. Yes I’m that sensitive)

Some days I like to curl up in the small green chair, with embroidered gold swirls. While cleaning out my Grandma’s home, my cousin and I both said we would like that chair, so she challenged me to a game of Rock Paper Scissors my paper beat her rock!

I love the front living room this time of day, it has no tv, radio, game systems. It’s books, puzzles, books and magazines… and more books. It’s a room to visit, to unwind from a day, or rest before a day. So in comes the flood of sunshine this morning!

I curl up on the couch, Sophie on her favorite dog bed (thanks neighbor Jill!)  My big cup of Starbucks (this week is Espresso Roast)

What am I reading this morning? Well SO glad you asked, for Valentines my mom bought me the February/March/April issue of Where Women Create. I LOVE to read on other artists, their stories, their form of art. Anything from knitting, sewers, jewelry makers, photographers, mixed media artists, fabric creators, drawers… all in one fantastic book. It’s more of a book, it’s big, it’s beautiful on my coffee table, it’s got the best cover, not glossy, more with a texture. Oh and yes I love it so, that I wrote this post back in August about it… which makes me want to go reread that copy! And yes it’s probably my best form of inspiration, this week I also got my copy of Scrapbook Etc., and Creating Keepsakes, but the best was this one! Talk about inspiration all at once!

It’s the reminder I need. To go create, to make things from shrinky dinks, to paper mache, make my ugly dolls. To create with paper, and glue and glitter, and draw, ALL the time.

It’s a good combination. It’s the coffee, the sunshine, a squishy couch or a green and gold chair won by chance, the company of a beautiful boxer, of an inspirational magazine.

What’s your combination to be inspired?

JCat McGack

Green with Inspiration.

Creating Spaces? Where Women Create? Creating Keepsakes? ALL too much inspiration for me!

I LOVE the new Creating Spaces magazine. It’s an annual issue by Creating Keepsakes that covers 146 Inspiring Rooms, Ideas and Projects. From people who craft in a closet, to a studio size space. LOVE it. It was $14.99 but SO worth it.

Always an issue of Creating Keepsakes nearby, love scrapbook layouts and tons of inspiration there too.

Where Women Create… OMG. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE it. It’s not so much a magazine, it’s like an artist book, it’s a $14.99 a copy. It’s published 4 times a year. I JUST picked up the Aug/Sept/Oct 2011 issue. A girl named Heather Bailey is on the cover and she just SCREAMS creative! Susan Branch is in there, LOVE it. AND they started a Man page, and who else besides the talented Tim Holtz to have in it? The whole thing is PACKED with great artist, you just have to go get your own to read them all.

I have to say sure the fact that it’s $15 a book is a lot of money. BUT if you want to be inspired. And NOT just for how to set up a space, but there are quotes, and ideas, and how they started, and what inspires them to keep creating. How they had regular jobs and just did what they loved. Then I say it’s SO worth the money to just stir up some creativity in you.

I try to use their inspiring stories, pictures, quotes and ideas and use them in my art room, designs, and everyday use.

Amazing how one grows as an artist. From cutting and pasting my Sesame Street magazine at the age of 4, to paint by numbers. 4 years of art classes in High School. And 6 years of independent demonstrating for Stampin’ Up! (stampinup.com it wouldn’t let me link?!)

I’ve grown to love sewing, even though I often stab myself with the needles. I’m a rubber stamp hoarder. Scrapbook almost daily. And JUST reminding myself that painting, sketching, clay, and paper Mache’ need to be part of my routine too.

I have to say, I once was jealous of all these people in the magazines, some my age or younger who have LINES of their own, IN stores, or have their OWN stores like I want. So instead of being jealous, I’ve turned to them to help me create my own. My own every day art. My own thing. Do me.

So today I’m just playing in my room. May sound pointless to some. Why not create something you ask? Well I may, or not. I did cover a notebook for my best friend. Just for fun.

Thinking about moving my ribbon out of the drawer its in and hang it over my ceiling… we shall see! Until next time I leave you with this quote from Tim Holtz’s teacher…

“Class- Art is everywhere. Remember you can always create something from what at first you may see as nothing…”

JCat McGack

Where do you find inspiration? Leave me a comment and tell me!