Imagine Creating...

a document that finally convinces people to stop over-fishing or hunting animals into extinction

Or the one that unites races?

Which would you rather create?

The Creative Playground: an e-course Beginning on April 14th!

Get up, do your work, go to bed. Get up, do your work, go to bed. Do you ever feel like a stale piece of bread, just sitting around waiting for something that will never happen? Do you ever long for the days where all you needed to do was wake up and play with your imagination?

Letting your inner wild child out to play can be a little unnerving. After all, we are supposed to be sophisticated, serious adults of the world, are we not? We get up, do our work and go to bed in a responsible fashion, only to get up and do it again the next day and the next day and the next. Well, do you know what Natasha and Amanda have to say to that? BOOOOO! Wouldn’t life be so much more fulfilling and fun if we were adults filled with childlike wonder and a desire for mini-adventures that feed our hearts, minds and imaginations?

Keeping your inner child alive and letting him or her play is the smartest thing you can do for yourself, both personally and professionally! Why, you ask? Well, aside from the fact that play leads to experimentation which leads to new, creative ideas, a good dose of playtime and fun does wonders for the body. Imagine tuning into your inner child, carving out some much needed personal playtime and immediately reducing the stress in your life. Imagine sharing your new discoveries with friends and family and inspiring them to play with you, thus deepening connections. Well, you don’t have to imagine anymore. That place exists. It’s called The Creative Playground.

The Creative Playground is a four-week e-course that invites you to play, create, dream and share with your fearless leaders, “Creative Nacho” Natasha and “Persistent Green” Amanda. Enjoy twenty daily exercises and eight videos that will spark your imagination. When you reconnect with your favorite childhood crafts, learn some inspiring new ones and then journal about your playtime experiences in your personal Playbook (a fabulous, scrapbook-like journal that will accompany you on this journey and remain with you long after, a treasured friend and keepsake), you will bring childlike wonder and free-spirited fun back into your daily life. You’ll also be able to gather with your Playground buddies at a private community space, where you can share photos of your creations and enjoy inspiring conversation. All of this, along with personal attention and encouraging feedback from both leaders, will enhance your relationships and add a new fire to every area of your life.

The cost of this course is $60 and it begins on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010. Enrollment is limited, so sign up soon. Come find your inner wild child at the Creative Playground!

About Natasha

Natasha, also known as “Creative Nacho,” has been writing since the day her mom put a journal in her hand at age four. She received her MFA in writing from the New School in New York City before spending time as Marketing and Development Director for a nonprofit and later as freelance writer, creating promotional materials for small businesses. Natasha assisted in creating original curriculum pieces for a private school in Manhattan before being invited to teach writing and editing workshops for some of the students. She has taught writing and photojournalism workshops for teenagers and written for publications such as Family Circle, Latina, Lifetips and MediaBistro. In addition, one of her pieces lives in the Library of Congress. In 2009, she made her dream come true of making a living doing both crafting and writing together when she opened DoodleStar, her personal creative playground. When she’s not playing professionally, she can be found playing at home with her mischievous husband and lovable daughter they like to call Doodle.

About Amanda

Amanda Fall, also known as “Persistent Green,” is only now letting her inner wild child come out and play. She was a serious and painfully shy little girl for the most part, except for the occasional eccentricity like refusing to take off her rainbow-colored swimsuit. She did, however, love to play games of imagination, along with reading anything she could get her hands on, writing, drawing, and creating elaborate doll-worlds. After sixteen years of homeschooling, Amanda graduated early and earned her GED. She discovered a passion for the visual arts at Black Hills State University, eventually graduating magna cum laude in 2007 with an art major and sociology minor. She is a long-time member of the nationally recognized writer’s group Bearlodge Writers, and her award-winning writing and artwork have appeared in numerous publications and exhibits. She lives with her husband and oddball cat in Spearfish, South Dakota, working full-time as artist and writer. Amanda owns and operates Persistent Green, a small business with big heart that offers wildly colorful handmade goods and artwork.

Theme 50: Flowers for a Friend

How you choose to interpret the theme is completely up to you. It simply needs to be tasteful – no pornography or messages of hate here. When you sit down to create, you cannot think about how people will or will not receive your work. You are required to simply enjoy the act of creating.

And here is one of my favorite, favorite songs and videos. Please listen to it. It might seem more geared toward a couple in a relationship but truly it can be applied anyone. There's something about the idea of You and Me together that makes me fill with happiness and hope. We can make anything happen. What a great idea! Hug someone you love today.

Important Guidelines


The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, March 31st if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, April 1st. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.




With your response please include:

1. Your name - either first name, shop name or both.

2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one)

3. Something you'd like to share (process of creation, idea behind piece) if you'd like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences

4. The shop and/or blog links you'd like to include

5. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3x5 or 4x6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi - if you need any help with that please don't worry I'd be happy to help!)


Most importantly, celebrate the way flowers and friendships blossom!

Happiness, Color, Celebration - These Artist Works Have All of That and a Whole Lot More!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: When you have a moment, please visit Amanda's blog, Persistent Green, to hear more about an exciting project we have been working on! There will be more about it on this blog this weekend!

The works created for this theme will make you rejoice. It will make you lean into your computer screen to breathe in the colors. It will make you hug someone just a little tighter today. It will make you want to dance in the streets. This theme is love, color, Spring and celebration.

These artists created some of the most magnificent pieces. You will want to take them all home, to wear them, hang them and treasure them forever. A BIG thank you to these professional, talented artists. This work is simply fantastic.

Come bask in a bit of color and a whole lot of happiness....





Iris, creator of Iris O'Connor, created these delightful bits of beauty. (I'd also like to welcome Iris back! She was one of the first TST players when I started this and she's been very missed!)

"The houses are cut out of timber now so they are proper little houses with a nice little story to go with it," said Iris. "The houses in the photo need some minor details done to them - like 2 coats of varnish - but they will be available in my shop from early next week."

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=38943609
that's a link to one of the Ballinasnoot houses with the story in my Etsy shop :D

My blog:
http://www.irisoconnor.blogspot.com/












Maureen, a talented artist, created this truly stunning piece.

"Happiness is a . . . box (or two) of new markers. Results: 11 x 17 inches of pure joy," said Maureen.

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/















Jodi Horgan, creator of Beaded Art to Wear, created this magnificent piece.

"Happiness is SPRING," said Jodi. "I've been thinking a lot about flowers. Beautiful green shoots are starting to poke their heads out of the ground. I created this "flower" ring with silk soutache trim, crystals and beads."

http://www.jodihorgan.etsy.com/














Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this mixed media art journal page titled, "Happiness is Here."

"Happiness, for me, is remembering to be grateful for THIS moment--not always leaning into the future, or backwards to the past," said Amanda. "If onlys and someday-whens can destroy finding peace and joy right here, right now. So, happiness is here!"

http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistentGreen














Natasha, creator of Doodlestar, created this piece.

"I LOVE the way the background in this piece came out. The colors are what's within me - the longing and wish for Spring. But the people fell short LOL. I will be reworking but I had SUCH fun playing."

http://doodlestar.etsy.com/







Has viewing all these colorful treasures made you want to create something new??

Well, the next theme is.........."Flowers for a Friend". Celebrate the beauty and blossoming of flowers and friendship!

Imagine Gifts...

Would you rather receive a little present in the mail everyday from someone you like


OR



A big present once a year in the mail from someone you love?

Theme 49: Happiness is a ....

How you choose to interpret the theme is completely up to you. It simply needs to be tasteful – no pornography or messages of hate here. When you sit down to create, you cannot think about how people will or will not receive your work. You are required to simply enjoy the act of creating.

The only requirement within this theme is that you need to use an assortment of colors...think rainbows and happiness :)


Important Guidelines


The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, March 24th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, March 25th. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.




With your response please include:

1. Your name - either first name, shop name or both.

2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one)

3. Something you'd like to share (process of creation, idea behind piece) if you'd like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences

4. The shop and/or blog links you'd like to include

5. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3x5 or 4x6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi - if you need any help with that please don't worry I'd be happy to help!)


Most importantly, color yourself happy!

The New Works of Talented, Exceptional Artists Make You Long to Lie Under Blue Skies and Dream

Each of these pieces made me want to jump out of my chair, run to the park, lay on a field of grass, close my eyes and let my imagination paint its own blue sky. These sensationally talented artists celebrate the blue sky that exists within their heart and mind.

Let us bask in the dreams created when we gaze upon a blue sky...


Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this magnificent untitled art journal collage.

"Wow, this week went by fast!" said Amanda. "I'm not too thrilled with my submission--can't expect much more, since I gave myself so little time to play. Oh well, it was still nice to take a few minutes (after a wonderful walk in the sunshine) and be grateful for blue blue sky."

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistentGreen
http://PersistentGreen.blogspot.com

Felicia, creator of Another Bright Idea, created this phenomenal piece titled, “Celebrate children”.

"While working on an assignment for Natasha’s writing course, I spent some time at a new children’s park in the city today," said Felicia. "I loved the park, but one thing that struck me was that on the list of donors plaque some families had included quotes or short phrases. So I pulled the phrases out and turned them into an imaginary signpost for the park, set against a blue sky, of course! (I wrote about the park in more detail on my blog: http://feliciakramer.blogspot.com/2010/03/wednesday-in-park.html)"

www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com












Maureen, a talented artist, created this wonderful piece.

"This week, my 'peaceful, bluesky, relaxed' piece started out because I was either really really mad or really really sad--can't remember which!! Wise daughter, aka Amanda/Persistent Green, told me to PAINT!" said Maureen. "I had only 5 minutes before I had to head out the door, so I scribbled with the wax resist crayon and literally slapped on paint. Later that night and the next day, I layered more paint. As soon as I scribbled the wax resist, I KNEW the final design would be pleasing. Something in my gut was saying that the mad/sad was NOT in charge, but my native love and joy WAS. Then, the last touch was adding the words. I wish these colors copied better, because the original has luscious islandly turquoises . . oh well."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com















Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry, created this unforgettable piece.

"Natasha, here's to your Spring!" said Trina. "I hope it comes soon, too. My contribution to the wish is a sterling silver flower that I hand formed from wire. I added blue and white dangles for color."

http://wovenchains.etsy.com












Natasha, creator of Doodlestar, created a new journal.

This journal is all about playing and daydreaming. It is not finished. I'm laying down the fabric later today but the inside is done and I wanted you to see the cover. Blue sky dreams :)

http://doodlestar.etsy.com




Has viewing all these blue sky wonders made you want to challenge yourself to create something new??

Well, the next theme is.........."Happiness is a ...". The only requirement within this theme is that you need to use an assortment of colors...think rainbows and happiness :)

Imagine One Year Where

you either had to skip your birthday

Too Nice to Slice


OR

skip your favorite holiday?

Which would you choose?

Phenomenal Artists Celebrate the Best of Dr. Seuss By Taking You to Their Own Magic Places

Please forgive my delay in getting this up. This week was one of the craziest, overwhelming weeks I've ever had! I didn't even get my piece finished and I know that several other artists didn't get a chance to finish for various reasons so you can expect to see a Mini-monthly soon with more Seuss.

This theme was inspired by the lovely and talented Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry. Thank you Trina for inviting all of these amazing, professional artists to share the incredible magic within them as they celebrate the best of Dr. Seuss.

Now, journey with me and wonders you will see...




Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea, created this gorgeous piece titled, “Finding time”.

"I don’t know how many times a day I find myself saying, “I have to find the time to do that.” Sometimes the to-do list seems insurmountable, but I usually do find the time," said Felicia. "So I guess I share Dr. Suess’s “irrepressible belief in what is possible.”

www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
http://www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com/

Amanda, creator of Persistent Green, created this unforgettable mixed media art journal page, "Soul Traveler."

"Trina, thanks so much for this theme!" said Amanda. "Honestly, I was really stumped at first, until I decided to start playing with colors and shapes...then the phrase just popped into my head. I love the idea of traveling the roads of the soul, so thanks for helping me reach this destination!"

http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PersistentGreen













Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry, created this exceptional piece.

"First, thanks so much for letting me be the one to choose this weeks theme," said Trina. "What a pleasure! I am so totally excited to see what you all have come up with. I decided to "go" somewhere I've never gone with wire work...instead of manipulating rings, I bent wire into a spiral, and then textured it with a hammer (I never realized how satisfying all that pounding would be). Then I embellished the spiral with words that are meaningful to me -- Teach, Live, and Wish -- as well as a Dragonfly. There's just a bit of chainmaille hiding in there, too."

http://wovenchains.etsy.com/













Maureen, a talented artist, created this sensational 11x14 watercolor.

“AnnieMae is excited about the places she might go: toward radiant sunshine? an urban landscape? toward a brick wall which might be obstacle, or opportunity?" said Maureen. "This 11x14 watercolor is a page in the journal Maureen is using for the splendiferous on-line art course she is taking, taught by none other than the magnificent Miss TST herself, aka Natasha."

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/





After viewing this incredible, unique TST are you ready to challenge yourself to create something new??

Well, the next theme is.........."Blue Sky". In celebratin of blue skies that will be coming to us soon (please Spring!) this theme requires that you use some blue and maybe a few wisps of white. Imagine you are laying back looking up at the sky...relax, breathe and celebrate warmth and peace within :)

Important TST Update

If you haven't had a chance to weight in on the Imagine post below please take a peek. It's a fun one!

MOVE OVER

It appears that this Thursday I will be unable to be around to play BOOO!! But I will return on Friday as will the TST. So if you are currently making a piece for tomorrow you get 1 more day YAY!!!!!

Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. I will see you, the TST and the new theme on Friday, March 12th.

Happy Crafting Everyone!!

Imagine Being ...

in a Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus

Or would you rather be in Cirque du Soleil ?

Theme 48: "Oh the Places You'll Go" (Happy Birthday, Dr. Suess!)

How you choose to interpret the theme is completely up to you. It simply needs to be tasteful – no pornography or messages of hate here. When you sit down to create, you cannot think about how people will or will not receive your work. You are required to simply enjoy the act of creating.

This theme was submitted by one of our amazing TST participants, Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry. In honor of Dr. Suess and his March 2nd Birthday, Trina named this week's theme "Oh, the places you'll go."

"One of the reasons I have always loved Dr. Suess is his irrepressible belief in what is possible for each and every person (or Sneetch)," said Trina. "In his very famous words..."And will you succeed, yes you will indeed, 98 and 3/4% guaranteed". So, this week, find a way to visit some place in yourself that you've always wanted to go, then play and create and come back here to share with all of us."



Important Guidelines


The work submitted must be something you have created and/or worked on between the time the theme was revealed and the Thursday unveiling. Please submit your response to Natasha@creativenachos.com no later than end of day Wednesday, March 10th if you would like it to be posted on Thursday, March 11th. OR send me a link to your response to include in the comments section of the post.




With your response please include:

1. Your name - either first name, shop name or both.

2. The name of your piece (if you choose to give it one)

3. Something you'd like to share (process of creation, idea behind piece) if you'd like to share anything. Please limit this to 2-3 sentences

4. The shop and/or blog links you'd like to include

5. Two photos of your piece or of each of the pieces (3x5 or 4x6 and 72dpi or a max of 96dpi - if you need any help with that please don't worry I'd be happy to help!)


Most importantly, enjoy the places you go!

Phenomenal Artists Find Unique Ways to Make You Fall in Love with Orange

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Before we begin I have two important announcements -
1. If you have not had a chance to check out the fun, new e-course that begins on March 10th please do by clicking here.
2. Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry, submitted everything this week including a theme idea however she forgot to attach her image. She sent it along last night and I just loaded it in so please scroll down and take a peek.



Orange can be a challenging color to work with especially if it is something an artist does not use often. However, whether the artists represented here loved orange or not, each one rose to the challenge of using it by creating truly outstanding work. In some cases we are invited to simply enjoy the work while in others, the artists have a question and they'd love to hear from you. In all cases, you are invited to celebrate the lovely pieces these professional artists created.

I commend each and every artist for tackling this theme and creating works that are exceptional.

Please join me as we explore orange and a cirle or two :)





Maureen, a talented artist, created this beautiful piece.

"I didn't stray much from the 'orange blossom' prompt," said Maureen. "Something in me hungers so for flowery growing things. This 9x9 watercolor/wax resist just popped out on Friday and Saturday--the soonest I've ever done a TST after reading the prompt!!"

http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com/

Amanda,creator of Persistent Green, created this gorgeous mixed media collage titled, "Turn Back".

"I'm still working on this one--lots going on these days, so it was nice to take time out just to play with color and my favorite gel medium," said Amanda. "There are circles here, honest! Take a peek at the abstract flowers--they're built on circles."

http://persistentgreen.blogspot.com/
http://persistentgreen.etsy.com/















Felicia Kramer, created by Another Bright Idea, created this colorful, unforgettable Framed Collage titled, “Hello, Let’s Play.”

"I consider this a work in progress; I’m still not satisfied with it, but I haven’t put my finger on why, except that it seems just “too busy” – or maybe it’s all that orange!" said Felicia. "What do you think? I’m sending some detail pix because I’m not sure the dimensional pieces show up that well in the full piece."

www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
http://www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com/





















Teri, creator of Giraffelabel, created this stunning piece which has no name yet (not sure if it will make it into the shop), but it would have to be a girl name.

"So I went with the circle part, and the orange part ended up smaller that I expected. But, there is some orange in there...including the button that I couldn't resist. This shape is totally new for me, and I'm not totally sure how i feel about it...what do you think of the circular bag?"

http://www.giraffelabel.etsy.com/














Bird, creator of CrowTarotTours, created this fabulous piece.

"Orange ball of furr declaring a powerful point-of-blossoming - what could be better than this?" said Bird.

http://www.crowtarottours.com/ - In Progress
Talismans by CrowTarot - http://www.crowtarot.etsy.com/
Twitter: @CrowTarotTours









Trina, creator of Woven Chains Jewelry, created this sensational piece.

"When I hear "orange blossoms" I think of weddings, so I designed a wedding pendant for a bride," said Trina.

http://wovenchains.etsy.com/














Natasha, creator of DoodleStar, created this piece.

"I started to create this awhile ago and then abandoned it. I came back to play with the flowers - the circles that were originally bubbles turned into a flower and orange played a smaller role than I anticipated. I'm still not satisfied with it. All I know is that it has something to do with pleasant surprises."

http://doodlestar.etsy.com/




After viewing this inspiring, challenging TST are you ready to challenge yourself to create something new??

Well, the next theme was submitted by Trina. The theme is.........."Happy Birthday Dr. Suess". In honor of Dr. Suess and his March 2nd Birthday, this weeks theme is "Oh, the places you'll go."

"One of the reasons I have always loved Dr. Suess is his irrepressible belief in what is possible for each and every person (or Sneetch)," said Trina. "In his very famous words..."And will you succeed, yes you will indeed, 98 and 3/4% guaranteed". So, this week, find a way to visit some place in yourself that you've always wanted to go, then play and create and come back here to share with all of us."

Thank you for this theme, Trina! I'm looking forward to playing :)

If you have an idea for a theme that you'd love to share, please email me at Natasha@creativenachos.com.