Category Archives: Studio

Reuse inspires nostalgia

Monday, April 15, 2019

The other day a gentleman was walking past our studio and stopped to look in. Our reuse style seemed to inspire him. He looked around for a few minutes taking it in as he drew himself to the counter where we have our giant ball of masking tape on display.
He told me a story about being a boy in Los angeles during World War Two and how during that time there was a competition with the families in his neighborhood about who could make the biggest aluminum foil ball. They were all was saving every scrap of foil they could find to add to their balls, even gum wrappers. That memory brought a few more that he shared about that time so long ago. He said he hadn’t thought about any of those things so long. It was seeing the tape ball that brought it all back. We were both inspired by what seeing our tape ball triggered. Nostalgia is funny like that, it rides on the wings of subtle things like something baking in the oven a song that’s playing in a store. Even a funny tape ball can do it taking us both back to a moment in time where saving things was a thing.
I loved seeing his memories unfold. Hearing them was like going back in time.

Think Again.

Friday, April 5, 2019

Its #30daysofreuse day 4 and we reused plastic container lids as paint trays for our Messy Toddler Art morning. They were perfect for finger painting.They would even be great for water play!#thinkagain

Reuse is fun!

Monday, April 1, 2019

I am so excited to kick off April with our new CReATing at home Coloring page! You can download it here.
It’s just in time for Earth month. I have compiled 30+ idea sparks for easy creations kids and adults can make at home with everyday items found around the house! It’s right in line with our ongoing CReATing at home page and social media shares to inspire families to think about the things they recycle or throw away. I want to inspire fun new ways that instill new reuse habits and ways of viewing the packaging and parts that move through our homes, often be thought of as trash.
The coloring page itself is meant to be colored and doodled square by square to bring each creation image to life. When I was younger, I loved to make xerox copies of photographs then color them with colored pencils my own colorful way. I am sharing that inspiration here. I just love the way the artistic combination looks. Try it at home with the page when you print it. While Global Warming and Environmental Impact are huge issues to address we can all be a part of the change we need to see in the impact itself. By rethinking the often single use things you have around the house and using them in playful new ways you are doing something powerful to reduce the impact on our planet, one creation at a time.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said ” Nothing in nature is exhausted in it’s first use. When a thing has served an end to the uttermost, it is wholly new for an ulterior service.” I deeply believe in what Emerson had said. I have felt inspired to enter into my studio’s reuse odyssey to make the process of “uttermost use” inspiring and accessible for everyone through creativity. Come along in your own creative way.

Noticing Nature

Monday, March 25, 2019

I’ve written about nature’s awe before, but the beauty of it always bears repeating.  Today as I walked my dog Barley I spotted this little pine cone and I was awed by it. I marveled at its symmetry wrapped in its durable frame. It’s so even. That is what I am striving to be.
Albert Einstein once said, “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” I get that. The world can feel complicated and I can get caught up in it but nature and it’s evenness is a fresh breath I breath. The balance of things in nature, it’s all on time. Nothing is wrong or a mistake or too hard. It’s just even.
I found myself breathing deeply as I stood staring at it, this pinecone had sparked a zen moment for me and I wanted to relish it.
To keep my mind from running away in thought I have been trying to get outside and notice the nature around me in whatever I see, a blade of grass or a fallen leaf. There is always wisdom in what is before me. I think nearly time, I can learn so much from nature.

Happy St. Patty’s Day

Monday, March 18, 2019

I’m reminiscing over this little homage to my girls Irish Great Grandma who came to American through Ellis Island as the first in her family.
My daughter and I created her as part of a school assignment when she was in second grade.
Still today I love the versatility of wooden clothespins. They can do and be so many things, even an Irish Grandma.
Happy St. Patricks Day!

I’m in.

Monday, March 11, 2019

I think I first read this quote by John Wesley, English Clergyman as I was sorting through a bag of donations at the studio and the moment I read it I was in.
Ok, I thought. I can aim for that. It rumbled in me like a truth I was unlocking for mankind, a secret for how to get along in life. Originally written by the author sometime during the 1700’s it read to me as a modern day proclamation-maybe that was the typeface and the simple name noted. No matter, it is a timeless statement. It doesn’t matter who we are, what our beliefs, it’s message just fits. I mentioned in my last post that we are all stewards of the earth. This quote could weave into that idea, entwining the aspects of our lives – Do good no matter who we are.
There are two charities we support, Charity Water as Spring Members and Impact Club as Community Members. I believe they both model this quotes challenge. You can learn more about them through our e-newsletter. The older I get the better I want to do, the farther the reach I would like to make and the bigger connection that would come along. I am inspired by these organizations and the chain reaction of good they do.
So John Wesley, I am in.

Great idea!

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Loving this clear carry-all tote.
As Dr Wayne Dyer once said, “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change.”
I think that includes plastic bedding package sleeves.

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.