how to be a unique, one-of-a-kind creation

Something that has been weighing on me recently is the incredible commercialization of creativity -- the propaganda put out there that makes us feel that we need to use colour or pattern or designer fabrics in a certain way in order to make something beautiful. Having toyed with sponsorship last year, I've had my eyes opened to the business-side of this world, and the reality that lots of people receive all the new and trendy things for free, in return for selling them to the rest of us.

And while it can be a positive way to support small shops and designers, something about that role of advertiser makes me a little uncomfortable -- in general, but especially in the way that it affects how we express ourselves creatively.

I don't want to sell you "new and trendy".

I don't want to sell you the idea that you have to take one designer's fabric collection and plug it into another designer's pattern -- a sort of "paint-by-numbers" creativity. 

I don't want to sell you anything, other than the belief that you are a unique, one-of-a-kind creation, capable of creating beauty, and that you do not have to buy any specific product to make that true.

It's a real struggle for me to shake off that need to have whatever is new. I love buying fabric and love being inspired by what others are making. There's nothing wrong with either -- we all need to get our materials somewhere! When that translates to actual creating, though, I've started to ask myself, "Is this really me? Is this what I want to make, or an idea I'm being sold? Is it the compulsive-consumer in me who wants to do this, or the one-of-a-kind artist?"



And with all that in mind, I've been sewing with scraps this week -- putting fabrics together that may or may not go -- and finding that this is where my heart really is. In this sea of blue scraps, it's the moments when the vintage flowers of Flea Market Fancy fall next to the modern graph paper of Architextures that make me smile.

Does it go? I'm not sure. Do I like it? Yes.

And I remember that, in this life, we do not have to fit into a box. We do not have to be a poster-child for minimalism or romanticism or for anything. We certainly do not need to be somebody else's billboard. We can simple love what we love, without worrying about being consistent, and see what happens.

{for the love of burlap -- with m'lynn}

Here we are again with the last in our series of guest posts. Today, we're welcoming M'Lynn of The Creative Cup, who also writes a beautiful and thoughtful blog here. She has put together a

burlap wreath, made all the more perfect by the red flowers! Inspired? Yes, me too...

Burlap is my go to medium for most all of my home decor projects. I'm head-over-heels in love with this fabric because it is so inexpensive, it has wonderful texture & colors, and it helps fill my home with a rustic-country flare that suites our decor and agriculture lifestyle. My latest burlap project just happened to have a little touch of red to fit with Astrid's love of the color. Inspired by the wonderful wreaths I found and pinned on my Pinterest board HERE, I made this scrappy burlap (with red) wreath to welcome guests into our home.


I used exactly one yard of burlap, a heavy duty wire wreath frame, and fabric scraps left over from previous projects. No sewing was required, just knotting, tying, pinning, gluing, and twisting.
 
May this burlap (with red) wreath be a pleasant way of welcoming our friends and family into our burlap-filled home.

Thanks, M'Lynn. A lovely choice of colours, and what a brilliant way to use burlap! Thanks, again, to all our guest bloggers -- I'm on my way to England tomorrow, where we'll have Internet access, and we'll have some photos of Denmark up to show you very soon!