Pretty Sticky

I'd heard of Japanese washi tape before, but didn't really know what I'd do with it.  When Jessica posted a cute little project on How About Orange using this super-fancy masking tape to make little packages, I told myself there had to be some way to use it in making jewelry.

And after thinking a little while, I did come up with an idea.  But I'm not going to share it, because frankly, I don't want anyone to steal it before I can get something made! 

In addition to the sources Jessica listed, here are a few more:
TapeSwell
Kawaii Tape
Tinted Mint

Tape shown from Kawaii Tape

Is This Me?

I'm dangerously addicted to personality quizzes; I guess I'm always looking for something that's going to help me understand myself -- even though the rational part of me knows that answering a few questions on a Web site isn't exactly deep analysis.

Anyway -- I am trying to discover what creativity means for me, so I couldn't resist this quiz from Psychologies called "What's your creative style?"  Not sure that I agree with everything, but this seemed to ring true:

You like the attention and good opinion of others. When you show people what you’ve made — a birthday cake, or a piece of music you’ve written — it’s your baby, so you are very sensitive about any criticism. You need to be able to distance yourself from the result, and allow others to enjoy it and feel part of it, without it reflecting on you alone.

 Thanks to the wonderful Jessica at How About Orange for sharing another fun quiz.

Why I Read ...

Time for another "Why I Read..." post.  This is where I talk about one of my favorite blogs and why I read it.

I don't know how I found Alisa Burke's eponymous blog, but I'm glad I did.  Alisa is a painter and artist; she also writes books and offers several online classes.  What I like about Alisa's blog is that most of the stuff she talks about -- from sewing to cooking -- looks really easy and do-able.  She genuinely believes in the creative abilities of others and works hard to make sure everyone sees that possibility in themselves. 

One of Alisa's recent additions to her blog posts is talking about the creative process from inspiration to finished product.  Today she talked about something she saw at her local art museum and showed how that manifested itself in beautiful hand-painted mugs.  This kind of post really appeals to me because I'm still trying to find my creativity and what it means to be creative.  Right now, it's making jewelry.  But I'm also thinking about drawing and sewing -- two things I know nothing about but want to explore further.

Alisa's blog has quickly become one of my favorites.  Read her blog -- you'll be glad you did!