Creative

Ways to Recycle Those Clothes That No Longer Fit

Okay, we all have them in our closet … those clothes we SWEAR we are going to get back into one day … and they are still collecting dust in the closet, on the shelf, in the boxes, etc. Whether they have sentimental value or you just can’t get yourself to pass them on to others; whatever your reasons are … it’s time to do something with them. Today, I’m going to give you some ideas.

  • Planted: 31st Jan

Home Improvements Impart EnLIGHTenment

The incident surrounding the construction of “The Door” proved to be an irreversible turning point in my partnership with Chef. I can say in hindsight that it proved to be substantially more divisive than the now infamous hair affair.

  • Planted: 1st Feb

Wordpress Wednesday - Using the Custom Menu Feature in Wordpress

A detailed tutorial on how to use and customize Wordpress' built in menu feature, along with your theme's menu CSS for page and category menus.

  • Planted: 1st Feb

One, Two, Three, What the Hell Do YOU See?

There's a large, pink, elephant in the middle of the room.  Am I the only one that sees it?  Shouldn't we DO something about it?  here, elephant, elephant, elephant...

  • Planted: 29th Jan

The Confession

"I stood before the one I loved. Tears had stained what I could see of their red puffy face. Their whole body was shaking. They were petrified to tell me this secret of theirs, this secret that was haunting them, weighing on them, crushing them...."

  • Planted: 26th Jan

Because--A New Poem

A poem cataloguing some of the reasons why I write; a poetic rumination and examination of my life; a litany of my inspirations and muses.

  • Planted: 29th Jan

BlogEngage – Free Blog Blasting, Link Building, Community Giveaway!

The BlogEngage blogging community - here's what it is, how it can help you build backlinks and traffic to your blog, and a chance to win free Gold and Regular membership!

  • Planted: 23rd Jan

Does your blog have a mission?

I'm embarking on the 52 Weeks of Blogging your Passion journey and the first step in the process is developing your blog's mission statement. The mission statement serves as the focal point of your blog and all posts should be written with the umbrella of the mission in mind.

So what's my mission? In a nutshell, to support, promote and spread the word about indie designers, handmade artisans and independently owned brick and mortar shops and businesses.

So, what's your mission? How do you carry it out in your blog?

  • Planted: 27th Feb
  • Buzzed: 17 times in 1 year 49 weeks
  • Invites: 3 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

What is your favourite quote from a novel of all time?

 A hard question to answer, I know!  But let’s get a collection going, I am eagerly anticipating to hear yours, and I think that this could make for a really amazing and original project - not your average " classic famous quotes collection", but an expression of our uniqueness as writers and readers.  If you’ve got a tie (or two, or three…) feel free to post them all!  If it's a success, other fabulous collections of lines from poetry or song lyrics could come next, on your blog or mine.

I'm starting things out with:

  • Planted: 6th Aug
  • Buzzed: 12 times in 1 year 26 weeks
  • Invites: 5 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Where does your Creativity come from?

What is creativity?  Where does its magical flow come from?  I think back to times in my life where I have felt the most creative.  Without blinking I know it is when I am driving. On a six hour drive from Midland to Ft. Worth streams of ideas flow through me.  By the end of the drive I am as exhausted from the creating that has consumed me.  For most of my life I believed it was the magic of Midland, or the west Texas roads that go on forever and take my mind with them. 

  • Planted: 26th Jun
  • Buzzed: 9 times in 1 year 32 weeks
  • Invites: 2 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

(Un)Social Networking

A review of the impact of social networking on communication and conversation between members of the general public. It considers the mass and wealth of information that is placed on websites such as Facebook and Twitter whilst it concedes the usefulness of the technology for promoting stronger relationships between distancing parties.

  • Planted: 9th Mar
  • Buzzed: 8 times in 1 year 47 weeks

Crafty Satisfaction: DIY Tea Cup Candles

2009 was definitely "Year of the Homemade" in the Craft Calendar - money was tight, spending was down, and everyone was looking for ways to reuse, re-gift, and reinvent. Magazines, TV shows, blogs, and books advocated homemade meals, furnishings, decor, entertainment, and gifts. 

It was wonderful... and overwhelming!

  • Planted: 28th Jan
  • Buzzed: 8 times in 2 years 1 week
  • Invites: 1 member is inviting Guest Posts on this seed

"The Flaws Are Fine."

Somebody once told me that in ancient Chinese art, the great artists almost always included a deliberate flaw in their work. It made it human, authentic. What if the same kind of thing applies to creative writing? Maybe a little "messiness" or something that is just a little "off" in our creative work is not a bad thing. Maybe it's a really beautiful thing. Maybe it's what makes it uniquely our own.

  • Planted: 28th Jan
  • Buzzed: 7 times in 1 year 1 week
  • Invites: 4 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Do Folks Not Read Anymore?

This isn’t about book sales or publicity; it’s a legitimate concern—one I’ve had for quite some time. What happened to the days when you looked forward to the book fair coming to your school? What happened to the days when a library card was protected like a credit card?

  • Planted: 23rd Apr
  • Buzzed: 7 times in 1 year 41 weeks
  • Invites: 1 member is inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Thou shalt not swear, or do you?

Swearing on blogs, do you or don't you? I was curious on the subject myself, since being a ''Mom Blogger'' I was supposed to adhere to a whole set of standards. Which I pretty much disregard anyway. My post was entitled Thou shalt not swear and was aimed at the Mom blogging community in general about the standards we are sometimes expected to meet.

  • Planted: 11th Feb
  • Buzzed: 7 times in 1 year 51 weeks
  • Invites: 13 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

When Books Are Better Than the Movies!

My new favorite book of the moment is by Philippa Gregory, and is "The Boleyn Inheritance". Correlations are made to Gregory's other novel, "The Other Boleyn Girl", with characters reappearing from the first novel. It's a walk back into time where one person holds the power of life and death over not just a set group of people, but all subjects of England. This is definitely a story that is better as a read than as a movie shrunk into two or two and a half movies (much like "The Other Boleyn Girl")

  • Planted: 26th Jan
  • Buzzed: 7 times in 2 years 1 week
  • Invites: 5 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Blogging Tips

I have had so many people ask me for blog tips, or how to do stuff on blogs, and I am by no means an expert, but I wanted to have one post where I show and tell everyone how I do what I do! These are just some tips I have learned along the way of my one year of blogging. Feel free to use the button below to share these tips with others!

  • Planted: 16th Feb
  • Buzzed: 6 times in 50 weeks 4 days
  • Invites: 2 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Why do you write?

Why do you write?  What is it that inspires you, that drives you to put pen to paper, finger to keyboard and pour out your words?  Is it a choice, or are you compelled by something deep inside to capture your words for posterity?

  • Planted: 7th Dec
  • Buzzed: 6 times in 1 year 8 weeks
  • Invites: 2 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Celebrate Earth Day with a FREE Recycled Crafts eBook!

The 40th anniversary of Earth Day is coming up on April 22. If you're looking for a crafty way to celebrate, download the FREE "42 Ways to Recycle" Craft eBook from FaveCrafts.

  • Planted: 13th Apr
  • Buzzed: 6 times in 1 year 42 weeks
  • Invites: 1 member is inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Writing on Taboo Topics; How to Be Fearless

There are many reasons writers will edit/censor their work, and I am guilty of doing the same… For example Fear of being politically incorrect Personal issues that may be too clear and might expose something you’re unwilling to share Worry of what someone might think; touching on sensitive subjects or it just makes you uncomfortable And the worst mistake any writer can make… Trying to appeal to everyone; Playing it safe Are you guilty of censoring your pen for the sake of status, personal opinion and/or judgment?

  • Planted: 6th Oct
  • Buzzed: 5 times in 17 weeks 2 days

Why You Blog

I recently blogged about the benefits of blogging and how it has helped my writing and my aspirations to become published. Why do you blog and how does it help you?

  • Planted: 2nd Oct
  • Buzzed: 5 times in 17 weeks 6 days
  • Invites: 4 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Give Yourself Permission to Fail, by The Illustrator's Wife

This is a guest post written by Meagan, of The Illustrator's Wife, about the creative process and the obstacles every artist may face . . . with the following encouraging advice:

So don’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to fail. And don’t be ashamed if your stuff really, really sucks at first. You’ll get there. Just keep swimming… Just keep swimming…

 

Want to share your creative experiences?

  • Planted: 10th Apr
  • Buzzed: 5 times in 42 weeks 6 days
  • Invites: 5 members are inviting Guest Posts on this seed

You Are Not A Tree (Memorable Quotes)

normally i don't like this kind of thing,but since joining pinterest i've found several lovable quotes and thought i'd pin them into a blog post.. : happy reading : . 

  • Planted: 27th Jan
  • Buzzed: 5 times in 1 year 1 week

What inspired us to write

As children, we all had those favorite books or movies, characters or stories that inspired us to write. These are the things that stick with us even as adults, and the things we look back to when we need encourgement or a reminder as to why we write what we write. Mine was comic books. What about yours?

  • Planted: 2nd Jan
  • Buzzed: 5 times in 1 year 4 weeks
  • Invites: 1 member is inviting Guest Posts on this seed

Tag, Anyone?

This is just a blogger game of tag - great way to have some fun and get links back to your blog. 

Okay, these are the rules -

(a bit generic  - I borrowed them from an old game of tag and then just tweaked them a bit):

  • Planted: 4th Nov
  • Buzzed: 5 times in 1 year 13 weeks