231/365: A Friend of the Bees

Today I made:

time to stop and smell the flowers...

The delicate star flowers of this jade tree caught my eye today on my afternoon walk with the pup. I had to stop to photograph their blush and golden hues. Not long into my mini photo session,  I realized the flowers were swarming with busy little bees.











I have never been stung by a bee in my 33 years of life. I like to think that it's because I made friends with the bees when I was very small. My grandmother and I used to sit together in the garden on warm mornings and watch the little insects pollinating the flowers. Then we'd head inside to watch my favorite cartoon, Maya the Bee. Grandma gave me a little bee ring to remember her by when we were leaving Poland for the U.S.






From my earliest memories, I've had a thing for bees and whenever I am in their presence I am reminded of Babcia (pronounced Bobcha, Polish for grandma). While many people panic when a bee gets too close, I just smile and say hello to my grandma's spirit. She was a friend to all the little creatures and best friend to little me.

It turns out that jade flowers represent the joy of great friendship. The flowers and the bees carried the same message for me today.

Thank you, Babcia.

230/365: I Heart Metaphors

Today I made:

a handful of hearts...

My mama always says that hand sewing is a very meditative practice for her. If it weren't for tonight's tangled threads, I would have to agree. I remember many afternoons spent sewing doll clothes with her fabric remnants while she worked at her machine or did embroidery and hand stitching. She would tell me stories about my grandma and her childhood adventures. It was our time alone. This craft brings back such good memories.

These sweet little hearts are going to be part of a project for a friend who is much more talented with needle and thread than I am. I hope she doesn't mind the uneven stitches and frayed edges. I like to think it adds to the charm.

I wouldn't say hand sewing is my first creative passion, but it's definitely something I come back to when I feel like being quiet, and when I need a reminder of the importance of patience on the creative journey. One stitch at a time gets me there. Each stitch is an important part of the process. Tangled threads are part of it too. The creative process of sewing is such a lovely metaphor for life.

229/365: Love in Every Stitch, Part II

"Patience" the elephant

Today I made:

a wee elephant...

I finally had a chance to work some more on a craft project in progress, another gift for an inspiring friend.
I've made some revisions to the
elements of the design since the 
beginnings of this sewing project. 
This little guy is just a sneak peek 
at one piece. He's made of felt and fabric, blanket stitched with embroidery floss and stuffed with polyester fiber. I found the tiny pattern by Quex here. 

I totally channelled my mama in the hand stitching (and the patience).
I'm excited for the whole piece to be finished so I can mail it off to my friend, but it's taking longer than I thought. I'm definitely having to remind myself to enjoy the process and be patient for the end result to come together. I must say, I felt a total sense of pride when this little guy was born tonight. 

228/365: Photography & Creative Play

Today I made:
the game stand still...

I always wonder if my friends and family are annoyed by my constant picture taking. For me, capturing moments or noticing details through the lens of my camera (er, iPhone) is part of living a creative life. I just can't help myself. So maybe I have to stall a game of shuffle board because the colors of the pucks and the grains of wood catch my eye. At least I managed to squeeze in some creative time today, well outside of my art studio. iPhone-ography is my daily dose of creative play on the go. 

227/365: Bucket Lists & Creative Chicks

Today we created:

new friendships...

We had such a fun group of gals join us for the Creative Bucket List Meetup! The girls took my idea and ran with it, coming up with their own bucket themes and setting meaningful goals. Hearts and souls went into making these mixed media visual representations of our creative intentions. I love that each one was so unique.

G's bucket list in progress

I was especially delighted by how quickly we bonded over creative interests and how willing and supportive everyone was in sharing their goals with each other. The laughter and encouraging words could fill a dozen buckets! The creative community I've been needing in my life grew today and I'm so grateful for it.

"Create new friendships" was on everyone's bucket list. Clink!

each one as unique as the artist

226/365: The Edge of Your Comfort Zone

9"x12" mixed media on wood panel: plaster, acrylic, paper & beads
artwork copyright Mila Bowman 2013
quote: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." by Neale Donald Walsh

Today I made:

the finishing touches to a painting...

A darling friend of mine is embarking on her own creative journey. This is the quote that started her on a new path. These words resonate with me as well. I admire her courage as she toes the edges of the wild and beautiful unknown.

Erin, this is for you.

detail "The Edge of Your Comfort Zone"; I love the textures in the plaster!
I definitely explored the edge of my comfort zone with this new to me art medium.

225/365: Salvaging Inspiration

my obsesson- pretty colored and patterned things...
How could I resist this journal cover?
(I needed a new journal like I need a hole in the head.)

Today I made:
a purchase...

It was a rough day of substitute teaching, the kind that makes me grateful it's not my class. I'm sure they all have their redeeming qualities individually, but put a bunch of 5th graders in a room together on a rainy Friday and it's all sass and attitude. I was totally the bad guy. By the end of it I had a killer tension headache and my own bad attitude. So not how I wanted to start my weekend!

Deep in thought and frustration on the drive home, I took the wrong exit and somehow ended up in the parking lot of Michael's craft store. I have no idea how this happened.
Honest.

So under the pretense that I had to pick up supplies for our art Meetup this weekend, I allowed myself to enter. Such a bad (super, awesome, wonderful, perfect) idea! This is retail therapy for artists on a budget. (And today it was my form of self-care.) Something is always on sale, or is my favorite color of the week, or has a bird on it. I am charmed and helpless to resist. I get lost in this place like my husband gets lost at Home Depot or Guitar Center. It's the good kind of lost where you happily dream away an hour, and before you know it, it's dark outside and you're hungry and you wish you had chosen a cart instead of a basket. Hey, it happens.

Sometimes I wander aimlessly, letting inspiration find me. Other times I have a system, my perfect "cheer me right up" path through the store. First I hit up the dollar bins to search for treasures to use for collage. (A few new stamps and this cute journal became mine today.) Then I browse the scrapbook paper for whimsical patterns. I could probably wallpaper my house with all the decorative papers I own. Next I find my way to the beads. Those pretty little baubles always remind me of happy times. Eventually I make my way to the back of the store where they keep the artist's grade tools. I stare up at the big canvases that I haven't yet mustered the guts to purchase. (Someday I want to make BIG art!) Then I visit the brushes and get totally intimidated by all the different types for all the different painterly reasons that I have yet to discover. I usually walk out with a small addition to my creative tool collection, and a whole lot of enthusiasm.

So maybe I did't make a piece of art today, but I made myself happy by dreaming of  the ways I'd love to play with art.

I salvaged my inspiration.