Category Archives: Studio

A Darling Women

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

When asked about a women I admire or feel influenced by I go to my grandmother, Aleen Snyder, who I affectionately named Darling.

Growing up in the 70’s, I had heard about women gaining powerful stances through commercials, advertisements and television shows but men were still very much in the lead in everything from my view.

Early on, Darling was my power source for creativity. She taught me how to sew on machine, follow a pattern, doodle an impressive swan from the letter L and sing a round of “Mares Eat Oats” so fast, no one knew what the words were. She was a master of reuse in the most subtle ways, keeping and displaying the broken and chipped things she loved the most. She was accepting. She let me be me.

I had other important women influencing me, my mom and my aunt, both birthed by Darling. They were and are artsy and creative in their own unique ways but she was our source.

I have thought of Darling often over the years with CReATE STUDIO. I see her touch in so much of what I do with it.

Today is International Women’s Day, this month is Women in History month. If I am asked about who inspires me, who I look up to? It’s my Darling. She paved the way for my creativity to shine.

Jemma W.
Owner/Founder- CReATE STUDIO

Spotlight On Wood

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Each month we focus on one of our more commonly reused materials.
This month we spotlight wood and many of the forms we see at CReATE.

Throughout the month we’ll explore where wood comes from, how materials are made, how it’s recycled, what we are creating with it on YouTube, and what artists are making with it too.

All the materials we focus on have a back story. They came from the earth somehow. Our Spotlight program is our way of honoring them, where they began and all they become along the way, even when they are aligned for single use.



Let’s Take A Trip

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Have you been to Watts Towers? I have lived in Los Angeles nearly all my life and I still have yet to go. It’s an iconic Los Angeles Landmark location that is all about art. Its 17 Tower structures speak to my “use what you have to create” nature.

Since the Pandemic started I have had more time to think about the places I have long wanted to visit in So Cal but, many are closed, including Watts Towers. I visited the Watts Towers website and got an idea, they offer a virtual tour! Now, I can go, at least in part, so why not invite you to come along. It’s an opportunity to explore some LA culture and history with a peek into their arts community.

Let’s go! Click here to go to the Watts Towers virtual tour page on their website. Click here to learn the history of the Tower’s creations. Let’s saunter through the Towers and take it all in. I think we’ll feel refreshed, a little more curious, and a lot more creative.

See you there,
Jemma W.
Owner/ Founder

*Photo credit Watts Towers

It’s The Little Things

Monday, January 25, 2021

I find it’s the little things that make a space feel good. Sure, the furniture is an anchor to a space but “God is in the details” as the saying goes. That is to say, the good is in the details.

Since deciding to transition CReATE to a mobile pop-up format I have been thinking of details and how I could bring them to a new outdoor version of the studio. It’s the little things that made the indoor studio space special. It’s the little things, the details that will do the same for our pop-up studio too. For practical reasons these details also need to be easy to include as each event is a set-up and tear-down process.

This is where I get to explore my creativity, in the little things. I love to marry the practical needs of something with fun. With CReATE the task is creating the feeling and spirit of the studio in various outdoor settings. As my daughter Maisy says, I am looking for casual magic.

Every time I bring CReATE to a home and pop-up the studio, I am excited to explore how this casual magic works now and how it can grow. We are out not just thinking outside the box here, we are physically of the box now too.

I’ve always known that boxes were created to be temporary.



Here’s to Art Journaling

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Art Journaling with CMATO yesterday was so rewarding to be a part of. As a Family Art Day session on Zoom we had a wide range of ages participating from our own backyard here in the Conejo as well as back East and beyond.

Art journaling offered us all place to connect with one another and explore it’s concept. We talked about feelings and fears, doodles and Joy’s along with our hands on making. It bonded us. Here, I share a simple way to make a journal-ette from folded copy paper. I appear alone though thanks to zoom I am with many friends.

Talking candidly while making was cathartic. I think the process left us all feeling a little lighter.

We’re excited to offer a second Art Journaling session for the next Famliy Art Day in February.

Mark your calendars and save the date for Saturday, February 20th at 2pm pst. This is a free event to attend on zoom. If you weren’t able to join us this month we hope to see you in February. The sign-up link coming soon and will be posted on our Happenings Page. When you sigh up we’ll provide a list of recyclable materials and supplies to collect at home for our additional Art Journaling time together.

I am really looking forward to it.

Jemma W.
Owner/ Founder

Life Inspiration

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

How have you been impacted by Covid 19? No doubt the changes you’ve experienced have been life changing in surprising ways and in a full range of emotion.

We can help.

Join me this Sunday, January 17th at 2pm for a Virtual Family Art Day in partnership with California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks (CMATO). Here’s the link https://bit.ly/3mt82j4

We’ll be making Art Journals inspired by CMATO’S current online exhibit, Life Interupted- a virtual collection of student works expressing how their lives have been impacted by Covid 19.

Art heals. We see that first hand through the exhibit. Taking a page from that process we’ll explore art journaling and it’s natural process of expression through writing, doodling, collating and painting. There are no rules to follow and no experience required to make an art journal. Join us this Sunday to as Madonna once said , Epress Yourself.

The student works includes here include Bleeding Heart by Dexter Guiellmot, Somethings’ Missing by Madison Moc, and Vibing by Hana Ryan.

Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 25, 2020

No matter what you celebrate we hope you enjoy love, joy, peace and creativity this holiday season.

Holiday Wishes

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Happy Everything!
Wishing you a happy, merry, joyous, peaceful, creative season.
I am excited for the fresh new year that lays ahead and, look forward to sharing continued creativity through reuse with you as we flow through 2021.

Visit our Happenings page for upcoming creative opportunities.
See you in 2021!

Warm Regards,
Jemma W.
Founder & Owner

The Gift of Creativity

Monday, December 7, 2020

What could be better than the gift of creativity!
That’s what we say about giving our Eco Craft Kits. We have boxed up a collection of our go-to recycled, reusable materials for the creators on your list. Hand packed and local, we assemble each box with care.

Explore our Eco Craft Kits page to learn more about what goes into each box with young thinkers in mind. Just perfect for holiday giving to your curious and creative. Let them explore the wonders of the creative process of making, enjoying their kits for days and days.

Hand-Packed Eco Craft Kits $20 plus tax with delivery locally.
Contact us to order yours!

Curious About Plastics

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

This month we cast our proverbial Spotlight on Plastics and some of the various forms they comes to us in. Plastics, in their unending variety of forms make’s them a popular material source in our reuse line-up.

We’ll spend the month exploring plastics, how they are made, how they are recycled, what we are making with them, what artists make and their history too.
You can follow along our curious journey through our weekly newsletter, which you can sign up for on our contact page.

I love learning about new things, or leaning new details about common things. Just today I learned that plastics have been around a lot longer that I realized in manmade forms like bakelite jewelry from the early 1900’s. Plastics were drawn from nature years earlier from the sappy gum of Rubber Trees in the Rain Forest.

Plastics have been a means to do good in the world of product making. Durability and reuse have been focuses as our world has expanded, so have it’s uses. Many plastic uses have leaned toward convenience, take the plastic water bottle for example. Convenience items tend to be more lightweight, single use and disposable. That’s where the value of plastic gets difficult, and how plastic litter pollutes our oceans. This awareness is inspiring and demanding change. We’ll explore that too.

I look forward to sharing creative projects and interesting discoveries with you this month. Let’s get this plastic journey started, learning something new with National Geographic’s Plastics 101.

Regards,
Jemma W.
CReATE STUDIO
Founder & Owner