writing & inspiration

5 creative ways to celebrate nature

April 22, 2014 by Angela

Happy Earth Day! Can’t believe April is almost over: National Poetry Month and Earth month, not to mention all our birthdays. Earth Day is one of the most underrated holidays. Hardly anyone I know celebrates it, except kids in school. Let’s be real: are you celebrating Earth Day? Besides just the general acknowledgement that we should all recycle more? I’m not better. I always want to celebrate it.

Earth Day falls in a category for some people similar to Friendship Day and Grandparents’ Day. They’re worthy of a day of recognition, but we take them for granted. Earth is amazing and we should be nice to it and be aware of the implications of our actions (I’m looking at you all, men that I see on the streets of LA daily, tossing trash onto the ground, as if it innocently slipped from your hands). And we need to take a step back and realize all that earth is offering us each and every day that we’re not seeing because we’re in homes and offices and in cars in traffic. Go on a walk. Head to the beach, even if it’s not hot out. Stop to listen to all the sounds you hear. Think about how many species of birds live in your neighborhood.

In the spirit of being creative on this wonderful day, here are crafty ways to celebrate nature:

5 Challenges to Celebrate Nature AND Creativity

1. Take a photo (outside) a day. Daily photo challenges instantly spark creativity. Head outside each morning or evening, and challenge yourself to see your neighborhood in a way you haven’t before.

2. Upcycle something you’d normally throw away. Before you throw that bottle into the recycling bin, think of how to give it a second life.

3. Package your gifts/orders without plastic. Once upon a time I bought from an amazing Etsy shop that boasted all their eco-friendly practices. I was very excited until it arrived in an excessive amount of plastic and packing materials. If you normally don’t use environmentally friendly materials, it can challenge you to think creatively in terms of packaging, using recycled or less wasteful materials, while maintaining the polished look you’re going for.

4. Do one thing/errand a week without a car. If you’re used to driving everywhere, it might seem like a challenge. But really, the most challenging part is changing your mind. Look up some of the regular errands you go on, you’d probably be surprised at how close they really are to you. You can take this time to enjoy the walk, think about projects, make plans, and think about how else to incorporate sustainable practices into your life. 🙂

5. Turn a Pinterest DIY eco-friendly. Take a DIY you’ve been really wanting to do, and challenge yourself to turn it into a totally waste-free project.

Happy Earth Day! Let me know if you take on any of these challenges! 🙂

On “doing it all”.

March 21, 2014 by Angela

How was your first day of spring? It was such a beautiful day yesterday that I thought I’d share a few of my recent instagrams. Last week in Seattle I visited my family and experienced 20-hour-straight rain before things cleared up a bit on my way back to LA (typical). Then I got to experience the official first day of spring here on a walk with the flowers sprouting all over the neighborhood.

Looking toward downtown Seattle on a very wet Sunday.

Exploring a bit of the east side with my family, near Snoqualmie, WA. After a weekend of rain, this view reminded me what I missed so much about the Northwest!

I’ve been walking around LA since I got back. It was 80 degrees the other day (so, summer?!).

After walking, I made a list of all the things I want to do and started planning how to get there. Right now–this year, this month–I have a major opportunity to actively grow my work, including crafting, blogging, and writing. It’s exciting and scary; the biggest thing is turning this inspiration into action.

I drew connections among my passions, finding common threads between seemingly unrelated things. I’ve started freelance writing this year, and building project after project truly excites me, but also forces me to think about how to continue to practice crochet, learn about my craft, and make that a viable source of income as well. I’ve always known that I’d be the type of person to sort of “do it all”, but I never knew I’d feel so all over the place, like I’m trying to make too many things work at once instead of just focusing on one (or two…). At the same time, I think some of us, usually creatives, are just that way. We just like to pursue our passions until they aren’t just hobbies anymore but are ways of life. We like to build upon one thing until it becomes another and another. I keep seeing women who write, design, sell clothes, take pictures, own a store, and countless other things all under this all-encompassing umbrella of “self-employment” or “business-owner” or “artist”, and it reminds me that it’s possible. Sometimes all the things I like to do don’t contain clear connections but I know that through experience, as my hobbies and career and art changes and evolves, I’ll forge a path that’s unique to me.

By working through this I realized a few things (that will hopefully help anyone who ever feels stuck between wanting to do it all but not knowing how to start, too—):

Even if you can’t do it all, you’ll find that the important things fall to the front.
Everything is connected in some small way, even if it’s just that they are equally important to you.
There are many people (just scroll through your bloglovin’ feed if you need a refresher) that look like they’re doing it all by themselves, but the truth is, it’s a combination of ridiculously hard work, aspiration, goals, planning, and support, all coming together to create that brand or career.

In what ways are you “doing it all”? What aspects of your life involve different paths?

Inspiration is a funny thing

February 24, 2014 by Angela

Last night I had this conversation with my dad about starting a business. He used to own a business and we talked about the freedom + frustrations that come along with that. About organization and preparation, but also being able to just do what you want. His situation is very different from mine — he’s at a point where he’s deciding what he wants to do for the next few years. All inspired, he turned the spare bedroom into an office, like it used to be years ago. 1200 miles away, I’m thinking of what I want to do. Inspiration hits me the same way, even though it’s about art and crafting and writing. But freedom + frustration comes along the same way. The funny thing about inspiration is that once you have it, it can motivate you through to the next chapter — it’s kind of a breeze if you’re running entirely on inspiration too — but it usually fades when the harder things come along, that don’t take so much creativity, but just have to be done. The business of things.

I put together a quick collage of inspiring things because when I need creative energy, it helps to envision my space — whether it has elements of the now or is just future dreaming. Mint + lavender with hints of gray + pink is very calming. What kind of space inspires you?

How to get thrifty with your craft supplies

February 12, 2014 by Angela

Last week I wrote about my art wall and the 4 places I always go for art prints. One of those places is a thrift store and one of those prints is a 18×12″ map of the USA. When I headed to the the thrift store one afternoon, I knew I wanted a new book to reuse and a 1940s atlas was just the thing. Here’s the latest from my vintage maps, and a few tips on getting thrifty with your craft supplies:

1. Save all Scraps. You may think you’re doing this now–but you’re probably not. Just because you save large pieces of paper or a few yards of yarn doesn’t mean you’re doing all you can. Sure, when your friends come over you’ll probably have to explain your borderline hoarder lifestyle (or just learn how to organize craft supplies), but saving TINY pieces of scrap paper–like a fraction of business card size–and cut up scraps of fabrics not only save you major $$, but they force you to really get creative with your crafts.

Did you know that there are some pieces of paper too small to recycle? There goes years of filling up bags of unwanted scrap paper just for the recycle–that’s one reason I reuse it if I can.

2. The “misc.” section of your local thrift shop. When looking for beads, buttons, sewing supplies, paper or yarn, it’s usually tucked away in an obscure (and probably creepy) section of your local thrift store. Last summer, I entered the twilight zone of thrift shops–a literal hole in the wall in Reseda that had a dark, dimly lit upstairs lined with tall bookshelves. While I was pretty afraid to march up those creaky steps, I knew I couldn’t leave a thrift store without combing the whole place. It turned out there was a whole library of books priced $1-5 (sure, a bunch of them read L.A. County Library) for me to choose from. One book = many months of paper for crafting.

3. Go in with a list, then forget it. I always write lists when I’m going to the thrift store. If I don’t, I’ll forget the treasures I am on the hunt for–like vintage lace for a headband or a field guide for a photography backdrop. But a thrift store is a thrift store so by the end of my trip I usually have more to ADD than to cross off. That’s okay, but it’s good to keep in mind what you went in for, because you’ll probably still need it. If you don’t find it after searching a few shops, it’s probably time to head to the craft store.

4.Look in unlikely places. The cardstock in my gift tags is from an adorable paper pack I got for $1 at TJ Maxx. Don’t rule out discount stores, gift shops, or even hardware and specialty stores in your hunt for new supplies–you just might find something unique on the cheap.

I made these gift tags from just a couple pages of vintage maps and a pack of scrapbook paper, with left over yarn and lace trim. I also saved the confetti-sized circles from my hole punch and used it in a home décor project. I really do save everything, and it means far less trips to the store (as fun as that is).

Where do you find your craft supplies?

What to do when you’ve had a shitty day

September 26, 2013 by Angela

When I left work yesterday, I wasn’t feeling so hot. Physically, I was hot – my cheeks were red from sitting hunched over my desk all day, jaws dropped in awe at the problems popping up like ads on the computer screen. I like my job, but it was just one of those days. As I descended the (almost) million steps down from the office I thought to myself (or mumbled, whatever), what can I do to make this better?

The problems I was experiencing, and will continue to experience, were little specks upon a week, a month, a lifetime. Websites crashing. Low views. Emails not responded to. Ideas not coming together. Demanding clients. They’re so little. But like most of those little things, I felt that nagging feeling of them adding up – continuously piling high as the steps I climbed down from.

That’s when I thought I should of writing this: a step-by-step guide (because who doesn’t like those?) to follow when I’m having a bad day. And because we’re all different, you can read my tips and then swap them out for your own…

What to do when you’ve had a bad day:

Talk it out – but not too much. I share everything with my boyfriend. It calms me down to go through the day’s events – good or bad. But lately I’ve noticed that if I get it off my chest and then be done with it, I feel a lot better. Be as detailed with you need to be – with your friend, boyfriend, mom, whatever. But make the decision to tell your story and be done.

Brew a warm cup of whatever comforts you. Confession: Sometimes I drink coffee late. I tell myself it’s the warm, delicious beverage that lifts my spirits, not the extra dosage of caffeine. I know it’s not the healthiest, but having a little comfort food/drink will help pull you out of your slump. For me, a little coffee, some sugar, and a lot of cream, goes a long way. Then I can move on and focus on the night’s projects: the blog, shop, writing, reading, whatever – with a perkier outlook.

Instead of coffee you could choose a caffeine free tea, cider, or whatever else makes you happy, and just relax for a little bit. Consider it the in-between period as you rise to the surface of your shitty day and breathe in a different air.

Go on a walk. I love to walk. I feel antsy when I don’t walk at least one place everyday. If you work in an office all day, sitting at home at your desk will feel like an imitation of the days’ events. Even if you’re active all day, going on a leisurely walk around your ‘hood will feel like…a walk in the park, so to speak. When I was younger, I walked everywhere alone (thinking back, I don’t know that that was the smartest choice), I loved being on my own to clear my head. I find that when I’m walking I don’t think of my day so negatively, I think of solutions, of new ideas, and new ways to execute them.

Clean it up. Even if you can’t control the circumstances that created the bad day, you can often control your surroundings. Falling asleep surrounded by a mess of laundry and cat toys (those kittens are way messier than I expected) always spells bad news come 6am. When you’ve had a bad day, follow steps 1-3 and then get to tidying things up. It will make for a more relaxing night ahead and a better morning.

Get a good night’s sleep – or try to. I get so worked up when I’ve had a bad day that I start to panic about how the night’s going to go, how my sleep will be disrupted, how the next morning I have to get up and do it all again. Talk about pessimistic. When I’ve actually given myself time to get over it, go on that walk, and hop into bed at a normal hour, things start to fall into place. It’s nice if I can dim the lights a bit and get a good few minutes of reading in, too.

Luckily for me, my bad day ended just in time for me to follow my own advice – but this doesn’t happen all the time. To that I say, pick the option most important to you (and it’s not cleaning) and use it to relax, refresh, and get ready for a better tomorrow. Here’s to doing bad days, better.

10 ways to be a more eco-friendly crafter

April 22, 2013 by Angela

Happy Earth Day, friends! Earth Day is a time to reflect on one’s lifestyle, choices, and commitments. Let me begin by saying that I’m from a very environmentally considerate part of the world – the PNW – and while I’ve always celebrated nature – it wasn’t until college that I saw my role in protecting and maintaining the awe-inspiring planet we live on.

What’s not to love about a day to take a look at the beautiful natural world around us and think about what an awesome time we have taking walks on sunny days, going on hikes under a dome of trees, learning about our favorite animals, or photographing our adventures and travels?

When I think of the words that define me, it’s sometimes hard to consider them in terms of the Earth. I am a writer and crafter – and both can means lots of consumption and waste. I can’t imagine how many notebooks I’ve wasted writing a few words and thinking no, this isn’t what I want to say, and scrapping the whole page for the next. Going to college really got me thinking about my ecological footprint though, and now Earth is on my mind nonstop. It’s almost annoying, actually! I can’t help but critique a product’s packaging or take note when someone trashes something when a recycle bin is nearby. But I try not to judge.

Anyway, I thought all us crafters could use a handy list of tips for being more eco-friendly. We’re all making beautiful art, gifts, and products for others to treasure so we’re a step ahead of pack. We know that handmade trumps mass produced. But we can do better, too.

1. Consider the source.

Although so many inspiring designers are behind the supplies at the craft store, we should still read the label and find out where/who produces them, just like we would our food or clothes.

2. Don’t scrap the scraps.

When scrapbooking I can’t stand letting extra paper, ribbon, or yarn go to waste. There’s always something that can be made with it. The art journal in the background of the above photo is how I reused much of the scraps collected for years. It’s made up of book pages, old stickers, used packaging, and more.

3. Buy in Bulk.

This is hard for the indecisive crafter, but buying in bulk cuts down on packaging big time. Plus it usually saves on shipping, drives prices down, etc.

4. Don’t buy what you can make.

Being cheap is how I started making my own crafty embellishments. Then I realized it’s a lot more fun. I also no longer buy supplies like inkpads – I can just use washable markers I already own for stamping.

5. Know that secondhand doesn’t always mean used, and, vintage is in.

You can find a ton of craft supplies – including paper – new or lightly used at thrift shops. Not only are they cheap, but why create an unnecessary demand for NEW supplies?

See how artists combine handmade and secondhand on Etsy.

6. Get organized.

Things I buy because I always lose them: sewing needles, threads, glue, tape, etc. If I’d just get organized I would eliminate this need.

7. You just made a gift, why not the packaging?

It’s half the fun and can probably be made with scraps from other projects. There are tutorials all over Pinterest for spicing up gift wrap and making creative packaging.

8. Find your way around plastic.

Plastic never dies and there are often great alternatives for its use.

9. Two words: small business.

Just recently I started crocheting with handspun yarn (from an Etsy shop). I know that if I swap the items in my shop for only sustainable, locally made, I’ll have to increase my prices a lot. But it’s something to consider in order to be a more sustainable crafter and have higher quality goods in the long run. Peruse the internet or your local farmers/craft markets for materials.

10. If your craft is sustainable, promote it.

Eco-friendly is marketable. People want others to know when they’re doing something good. And buying handmade, natural, secondhand, and sustainable – that’s good. Why not let people know?

Of course, this is just my take on eco-friendly crafting – if you have ideas, PLEASE share them in the comments! This whole week is Earth week, so don’t forget to celebrate!