What can half a pigeon tell you about the life you've created?

Hi, hi.

I've got a question for you ...

What does half a pigeon have in common with a 3rd year Psychology degree lecture I was note taking in last week?

[I'm just wondering here how long I should give you to answer this ... how about now? Are you finished? Any guesses?]

It's actually this quote:

A quote which, although blog layout and headers and colours have come and gone, has remained in my blog sidebar ever since I started a blog.

[Strangely enough last Thursday, 8th Nov 2012, was my 4 year blogging anniversary and also the very day I was note taking in that Psychology lecture ... but I digress ...]

Now, I'm not saying this is my personal creed or anything as strong as that, but the quote, credited to George Bernard Shaw, first appealed to me as it implies that we are in control of what we do and who we are. We get to create things for ourselves, rather than just hope that they were there all along.

Of course, I do also believe that we can 'find' ourselves ... and much of what we do need really is there ... it's just that we usually discover it after we've actively done something to find it and searched hard enough, with the right tools and the right experiences.

Anyway ... back to this lecture ... it was all about how, in the Facebook / social media / blogging age we're doing exactly like the quote says: we're creating ourselves.

With every photo, status update, tweet, list of interests, quotation, playlists that we share online we're actively creating the version of ourselves which we want others to believe that we are.

[It's during lectures such as these that I almost forget to take notes as I just want to sit back and absorb what's being said. Except I'm not paid to do that!]

Anyway ... while no doubt this act of creating our online persona can in some cases go wrong and take some people far off into a fictional life I think we can learn a lot about ourselves by reflecting on what we've chosen to share and how we've presented ourself online.

As every single thing we've shared online got there via a deliberate decision by us ... surely a close look at it all will reveal our priorities, our philosophies, our personalities?

Surely they can't help will bubble to the surface? We'll recognise what we feel is important [like me hanging on to my sidebar quotation for 4 years ... it must say something!]. We'll recognise those parts of us we were happy for others to know about us. We'll see the areas we wanted feedback, comments, sympathy, recognition form.

And, at the same time, we can also learn by realising the parts we didn't share! What do those say about us? Which status updates never reached your FB wall? What does that deleted tweet tell you about yourself? Why did you choose one photo over another?

A quick look at my 'created' online life might reveal:

• that I want to share interesting craft projects;
• that I want others to know there's no such thing as getting creativity wrong;
• that I'm happy to pass on tips, tricks and lessons I've learned;
• that I don't blog angry / upset / stressed but that I don't sugar coat everything either.
• that I listen in to other people's conversations. A lot.
• that I like to make people laugh;
• that I like to pause to notice and document the unexpected, everyday, 'found' joy / comedy / stories and treasures of life.

There's certainly more to my online life than those [a quick look at my Pinterest boards will reveal I also present my self as something of a clothes fiend] ... but they're pretty representative I think.  And, fortunately ... I don't think they're that far away from the 'real life' Julie either. But you'd have to ask someone who knows me for a more objective view!

And, as for that half a pigeon I mentioned at the beginning ... it was the bottom half to be precise ...

 

... it came from the reverse side of a page I'd chopped up and put into a Plundered Pages pack and, despite it being headless, I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. I just kept it in the box with all the other plundered pages I fall in love with and plan to use ... at some point.

 

And in this case, I did. I created a page especially for it in my newest journal ... and then ... rather than find it a new head  ...

 

... I created one for it instead:  

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Thanks for stopping by to read me today.

Have you ever thought about what it is you've created as your online persona? Or even the 'real life' you?

What do you give yourself credit for creating and making happen in your own life?

I'd love to know ....

Julie


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p.s: I originally made this page as a guest contribution to Bernice Hopper's 'Attitude of Gratitude' blog.

3D project: 'Creative Paperclay' long-legged robin

Hi, hi.

If you remember my Month in Numbers post from last week you might remember seeing the
rather unusual birds we roasted on our crafty weekend away. And now today, as promised, I'm sharing the end result ... a paperclay robin who did indeed begin life drying out in an electric oven on low with the door open!

As the paperclay is available here from 3DJean, this is also my 3DJean Design Team project and if you'd like to read more details of how he was made hop over to my post on the DT blog for that.

But for lots of pictures ... you can stick around here if you like.

Effie and Jean put the whole kit together for us to play with over two days while we were away. On the first day we made the basic structure by covering over a lightweight modelling ball with the paperclay and adding a ball of clay for the head:

We also wedged the wire legs into the body and smoothed the clay down from the body to create thighs and I also added a stubby little tail:

Then we left the whole thing to dry out - which was partly why they were in the oven ... not because they needed to be, the Creative Papaerclay actually air-dries ... but because we were impatient!  Eventually we gave in and had to wait until the next day to be able to sand and paint them in our own style.

I chose a homespun rustic style for mine complete with a big heart, heat embossed silver wings and white Posca pen faux-stitching:

And as for his patterned legs ... if only I could get away with wrapping my own legs with text print washi-tape!:

Oh and a quick tip for lovers of googly eyes [the crafty kind of googly eyes that is ... ]

I'm a big fan of adding googly eyes to things [I don't know why, maybe some therapy could reveal the answer ...] but I didn't have any with me at the cottage when I made my robin so ...

After painting the eyes on with acrylics I tried out a blob of Glossy Accents on top:

Granted they eyes don't actually wobble and 'google' about but I think they're a great alternative.

He [I want to call it 'he' even though I gave it little rouged cheeks ... maybe he's just been out in the early morning chilly November air] .. anyway

... he/she/it now lives with my parents as he was a birthday gift for my Mam who's fond of a robin or two ... even the ones with unspecified gender ... and ones with a slightly shrunken wing where someone [ahem] over enthusiastically weilded the heat embossing gun over them. Even those.

Thanks for dropping in on me today.

Julie :-)

My Month in Numbers 2012: October

Hello.

Well ... I promised I would be back blogging with my monthly round-up in numbers ... and here I am although, for a moment, I thought I wouldn't get the chance.

[That moment was the one on Monday evening during which I was travelling with someone in an ambulance. Long story. Everything's OK now. But still ...]

Anyway what counts is that I'm here now with my vital statistics for October. [Ha! What counts. Get it? Numbers? Counting? Ahem  ... moving swiftly on ...] 

As always, you can read the hows, whys and wherefores here if you'd like to join in too.

3 = the number of books I've [almost] read:

When I took this photo I had reckoned I'd have finished them all by now but I've been a lax reader!  

 

I can highly recommend Bears of England - a lovely mix of folklore and fact all wrapped up in Edward Gorey-esque storytelling and illustration.

 

7 = the number of us who packed up our stretchiest-waisted clothes and craftiest supplies for a weekend of eating and making in the countryside.

 

8 = the number of us who expected to go. Sidney GlitterPants ... your presence was missed!  

 

8 = the number of these fleecy beauties [spotted in an otherwise decent clothes shop] we'd need to have bought to form an official 'crafty weekend' regulation uniform:

We even discussed embroidering our cottage trip 'tour' dates on the back.

[We go twice a year and can never remember how many times our various group members have been to date. I have mooted the idea of us all getting a tally chart tattoo to save on arguments ... but so far no one's up for it.]

Anyway ...

While we were debating the merits of these breath-taking outfits ... we remembered that the focal point of the cottage is An. Open. Log. Fire.

And suddenly the idea of wrapping ourselves in 4 square metres of flammable neon fleece seemed less appealing ...

8 = the number birds we roasted over the weekend:

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted that these don't look especially edible. [Nothing gets past you does it?]

Rest assured they were not on the lunch menu, they were our paperclay bird project, [mine's at the front, second left] and we weren't actually baking them, just gently warming them, with the oven door open.

However ...

... over the course of the afternoon, as they dried out, the majority of the birds ended up headless as every few minutes a resounding 'thunk' rang out as clay head hit metal baking tray. And, one by one we'd have to poke our own heads around the kitchen door to peer in to identify and claim the remains.

But fear not, if you pop back here next Tuesday I'll show you the finished product - complete with head!

25 = the age we are when our bones stop growing according to a lecture I attended at work last week.

Why am I telling you this? Because if you joined in with, or simply remember, my 'Height of Summer' series you may recall:

• several of the contributors discussing having continued to grow well beyond teenage years, meanwhile...
• there were several others who hoped there was still time to gain a few centimetres!  

Well, now you know! If you're under 25 don't give up hope! If, like me, you're over 25 ... well, you'll be used to life disappointing you by now ... [joking!].

And, while I'm on the subject of work:

• 3 = the number of new students I'm assisting this term. Which currently involves ...
• 9 different lectures/classes covering 2 subjects;
• in 5 different buildings where ...
• 10 is the highest floor I [all be it slowly] walk up to each week to attend a lecture [it's the highest floor there is on campus so I can't really go any further!] here's one of the views from up there:

 and ...

• 1 = the number of pens which have so far run out of ink while I've been note-taking. Hazard of the job!

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If you're joining in again this month I can't wait to pick out the common threads which are so often woven across all our posts!

If you're new to the idea:

•  there's a tutorial and some more info here.
• I pin all posts which contain at least one photo + which link back to me to the Month in Numbers Pinterest board which makes it quick and easy for others to see who's joined in and to visit a post to say hi. You do not need to have a Pinterest account to view the board or for me to pin your post.

And for old and new alike, a quick reminder ...

Here's the Month in Numbers 'etiquette':If you write a post and want to leave a link for myself and others to visit and/or pin please bear in mind that this part has a shared aspect to it.

• When you swing by my blog to drop off a link to your Month in Numbers post - please leave a comment for me while you're there. Not because I'm needy ... but because it feels fair. Reciprocal.
• Please link to my blog in your post. As much as I'd like to think that everyone who reads your blog already knows what 'My Month in Numbers' means... the truth is, they don't. So unless you explain where the idea comes from and how your readers can join you in doing the same next month, they are none the wiser.
• Please take time at some point in the month to visit and comment on a few of the other posts too.

Right then ... I'll step aside now so you can gently throw your numbers at me.

Happy counting!

Julie :-)

Art Journaling: Where's my head at?

Hello, hello.

The Making Spot, the umbrella site to a whole host of crafty magazines eg. Papercraft Inspirations, Mollie Makes and home to loads of crafty downloads, tutorials and more, are having a pre-Halloween Spooky Weekend ... and I've contributed my own small portion of spooky to it.

Here's a quick glimpse:

If you want to know how that sentence finishes ... and what it's got to do with both Halloween and the 'Where's my head at?' title of this blog post ... then visit my guest blog post here where I've got lots of suggestions on where to turn to create something similar in your own journal.

Plus, if you were interested in the style of my recent recipe card journal then I think you might like to see this slightly macabre adaptation!

As for where my own head's at ... well ... it's in a somewhat better place following a successful operation on a [very much] loved one this week. Who knows I may even feel like blogging again soon ... or even tackling the ironing ... no, wait ... that might be taking things a bit too far ... maybe not the ironing ...

But whatever the state of my creased clothing ... I'm aiming to definitely return next Wednesday with My Month in Numbers. See you there maybe?

Now, before it goes out of your head, go and hop to my Making Spot post here.

Julie :-)

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p.s: The Making Spot is somewhere you can find [and download] a selection of individual tutorials and articles, rather than buying the whole magazine and, if you're interested, all of mine which are currently available are here.  [fyi: I do not receive commission from these, so that's not why I'm pointing you there!]

Cardmaking with Plundered Pages: Fliptail the Otter

Hi, hi, hi. First things first, in relation to my previous post, I just thought you should know ...

My sister saw the post and my instructions for her not to read on any further as it contained photos of her birthday gift and ... she obeyed! I told you she didn't like spoiling surprises!

And now here I am today with my Mam's birthday card ... but it's OK, because at least this birthday has already happened!

As you've probably guessed it's another Plundered Pages card:

 

This time it's an image taken from a Fliptail the Otter story-strip in an old Playhour annual:

And I chose him for several reasons - she likes rainstorms and robins - but also because I thought it was a beautiful, Autumnal-coloured image just perfectly suited to an Autumnal birthday.

The 'of good things' half of the sentiment was cut from a 1970s comic book page:

 And the rest was stamped with my newest toy, an alphabet roller stamp:

 It's just like a rotating date stamp .. but with letters, how fabulous is that? It's tempting to stampeverything I own with it .. so don't be surprised if you see it cropping up on projects again and again:

Thanks for dropping by today. Just don't sit there too long ... I may just stamp you ...

 

Julie :-)

 

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Supplies used: 

• For similar vintage images visit the 'Vintage Paper Packs' section of the shop where there's all kinds of seasonal packs from 'A Turn in the Weather 2' to 'Wonderful Woodland 2' and 'In the Garden'.
• If it's specifically a Fliptail the Otter image you'd like .. I have a couple left which I could incorporate into a custom pack if you'd prefer.

Papers:

• American Crafts 'Ready Set Go'
• Studio Calico 'Take Note'
• Jillibean Soup 'Macho Nacho Soup'
• [I'll have to check later about the cloud design!]

 

Edger Punch: EK Success - Round Binding Edge

 

Stamp: English Alphabet/Number Rolling Decoration Stamp Vol.2 - I bought mine from here - on Ebay but please note I'm just sharing one place where they're available, it's not a sponsored link and I am not promoting the seller or their products. I'm just sharing stash-love!