Category Archives: Studio

We’re 10!

Monday, March 4, 2019

WOW! We’re 10 this month!
Tuesday, March 6th was our opening day back in 2009. What a journey it’s been so far. I started building the studio with an inspired Idea that I actually followed through on (not my usual m.o. back then). I worked to create the studio using some hard learned lessons from having a tiny quilt company of fun and funky children’s quilts called, “Story Quilts”. I did that with my friend Roberta Durra, a fellow Costumer I got to know in the early 90’s. Our ;little company’s rise and fall centered around our artful blankets and, a super tough Rep at the Mart that all met it’s end when Barney’s went Bankrupt! Basically Roberta and I quit that business after the Barney situation and went on to start families, never looking back. Years later when I had the idea to create CReATE I found myself drifting back to our Story Quits saga and realized we had quite before we really saw where it could go. This time I wouldn’t quit. That gave me the steam I have needed to keep on trucking through these last ten years of creativity, reuse, business and tons of donations! I am so happy I have. At year 10 I am stepping into some bigger environmentally sustainability shoes as we deal with material donations way outside my comfort zone in terms of quantity and variety. It gets me thinking, how can we reuse these things and who can we share them with? Landfill is not an option.

It’s a good thing we’re here. Reusing is a cohesive and practical way to keep post-use items and materials out of land fills. Reusing them is our fun. Thinking back to the beginning I knew that using recycled materials was the way I wanted to create freedom in art but what has unfolded is just sheer creativity. The exciting challenge that comes with exploring concepts and ideas with the materials all around us sparks joy and creates a shift in how we see the everyday things that are donated to us. I think we are creating change if even just a little. To me a cracker box will never be just a cracker box again. It has becomes limitless possibilities for me and I hope it does the same for others too. We are all the stewards of this planet, as they say, there is no planet B.
Year 10 is marking the next wave of creativity for CReATE and how we make reuse THE way.
Though we don’t have that little quilt company anymore I see it’s lessons unfold for me all the time. Stay with it they say. The best is yet to come.

It’s March!

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Happy March!
We’ve got lots of free style fun to share with you through drop-in creating, machine sewing, Pinspired crafting for adults, messy toddler art fun, free community crafting with the City of Malibu, school field trip explorations and leprechaun trap supplying.
We also turn 10 this month-woo-hoo. To celebrate we’ll be talking a trip down memory lane and sharing some good vibes with you. Let’s create together.

Cross Stitch Fun

Thursday, February 21, 2019

The kids had a good time learning cross stitch during our sewing enrichment class Yerba Buena Elementary School today.
Building skills is so fun and empowering!

Cross Stitch Design inspired by Peacock and Fig 🙂

The Kindness wall Says it all!

Monday, February 18, 2019

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day!
While our Kindness Wall is not random, the date does seem a fitting occasion to establish it at a school. That’s what Troop 61133 thought. Here’s a little backstory; They knew they wanted to do something to support kindness at their school, White Oak Elementary in Simi Valley and they knew they wanted it to be sustainable. They reached out to me about our Kindness Wall project at Agoura High School and in the studio. It took time to get the wheels of approval turning for the project on their campus but they stuck with it.
Finally, last week the troop and I got to work together to create our wall format. We painted and planned and then when it was made they had it mounted it in their schools cafeteria. They had a ceremony for the school to showcase this kindness legacy they would be leaving at White Oak as 5th graders nearing the end of their time there.
They have created a place and space where everyone at school can participate in sharing kindness year round. They have become the change they wish to see and see it they will through the words that are shared on the wall and the attitudes that are sparked in the day to day of their school community that will ripple outward in a pay-it-forward way.
Working with Girl Scout troops to create positivity is a huge win/win for all.
I hope this campus collaboration the beginning. Working with other troops at other schools to spread kindness throughout our community and beyond is in line with the leadership of scouting and the positivity the organization strives for .

Let’s Share Kindness

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Today is National Random Acts of Kindness Day!
Stop by CReATE STUDIO for a free workshop between 1-3pm today to make “Kindness Clips”- clothespins with kind words and messages to leave at the places you go!
Your act of kindness is sure to spark kindness in others too.

Love

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Happy Valentine’s Day from CReATE. May you see love everywhere.

Pinspiration

Monday, February 11, 2019

I have recently been inspired to reconfigure our Pinterest account to align with our Spotlight attention on twelve different material genres each month that focus on we have and use at the studio.
Pinterest is a fantastic resource tool I find myself turning to often. As a virtual “pin board” it allows me to keep a paperless connection to all of what would otherwise be “tear sheets” (as my dad used to call them during his Illustrating days). My dad had a huge collection of magazine and book page inspiration that he used as a go-to resource library of sorts which is exactly what Pinterest is!
Our spotlighted boards allow us to collect and share ideas and ways to reuse things that would otherwise be thought of as cast-offs by many.
This month we are Spotlighting Yarn and String at the studio. Check out our Pinterest Board of the same name to see what we make with yarn at the studio, what artists make with yarn, how it is being “recycled”, as well as where it comes from and other interesting things to know about yarn and string. As the month wares on our board will surely grow with ideas galore about this creative medium and it’s extensive reuse options. I am so excited!

Spotlighting Yarns

Thursday, February 7, 2019

As we Spotlight Yarns (and String) this month we wonder, Is yarn or string recyclable?
When we searched, we found that there is awareness about yarn and the concept of recycling with websites that sell recycled yarn , we haven’t found current information that yarn can be recycled at a recycling plant so lets keep re-creating with it at the studio! We’ve also got a fun resource of ways to reuse yarn on our Pinterest account. Check out our Spotlight on Yarn page for inspirations.

#createhearts

Monday, February 4, 2019

I love February and all the love that floats around. It’s the perfect time to put a spin on love with simply noticing whats around us in every moment.
When I am present, in the now, I see the most profoundly captivating things-hearts. The more I look, the more I notice, the more I notice, the more I see. Hearts are everywhere in all kinds of things, and all over the place. Look for them, notice whats around you just for today and you’ll see, hearts surround us and the ground us in good.
In support of this phenomenon I’ll be sharing hearts in all varieties in daily posts on instagram all February long as part of our annual #createhearts campaign and hope to catch some from others too. Follow along and get inspired to notice the hearts around you.
It is always about love.h