Inspiration does not come "on demand."

Yesterday I spent about six hours in the studio with only three cards to show for it.  I just couldn't get inspired. It is not on my brain channel 1, like Movies on Demand. I had to surf my brain by straightening up, going through my paper stash and discarding what I know I will never use, and throwing in the "to be given away to a kindergarten teacher" or "what was I thinking when I bought these?" piles. Things bought when I was just getting started, thinking that surely I would need thousands of sequins, brads in the shape of dog bones, and stickers of all kinds.

Some stickers I kept: vellum butterflies, gold, silver, and copper filigree sayings from a store a stone's throw from my daughter's apartment near Granville Island in Vancouver. I use them sparingly because once they're gone, they're gone. They remind me of precious time we spent together.

I didn't know who I was artistically four years ago. I have since found that I have certain fallback designs like a signature scent. I've learned that I don't like to design for men or boys and rarely even new baby boys. I like tone-on-tone, color-blocking, flowers (obviously), rhinestones. I love squares.

And I want a Cricut after all.

When the creative well is dry, I punch flowers. I glue layers together. I put centers on them. Punch, glue, punch, glue.  I look through card stock. I look at photos of old cards. I surf the net.

And then something comes. What came to me yesterday:  flowerpots. And I know I'll design cards with flowerpots until I'm done.

The previous post shows phase one of my idea, and one photo shows three of the framed pots, to be used for birthday or thank you or just to say hi cards.

Making the flowers takes hours, but it is a satisfying task:  cultivate the soil + enrich it + plant seeds + water seedlings = flowers.  Boom.  In one afternoon and evening.

Inspiration on demand . . .

I love white-on-white. Flowers for summer weddings, and there will be snowflakes for the holidays. Having a problem with photographing them. How do I capture the layering?

Since I've already exercised, showered, visited my daughter Mara at work, grocery-shopped, stopped in at the library, and harvested and washed fresh basil for tonight's pesto, I feel free to enter my studio and see what I can come up with.

Butterfly kisses

My husband Chuck called me outside yesterday to see a beautiful butterfly on one of our bushes. I'd never seen one like that before; I looked online and found it: a Meadow Fritillary. That seems to be one of the great things about Chuck--he is always able to point out the beauty to be found in the things close at hand. Driving to Wisconsin he points out beautiful scenery--bucolic farm scenes, the Chicago skyline, the cloud formations above Lake Michigan.

So I decided to design a card around butterflies just for him.

Chuck, you still make my heart flutter.