Atiliay noun, a play off the French word “atelier”; a workshop/studio, esp of an artist or designer; my creative space

Notes plural noun, a brief record of facts, topics, thoughts written down as an aid to memory; a short informal letter

 

What have you been called to create lately and what projects are you working on? Here are a few updates on what's been on my desk and a preview for March's Creative Spark Club Mail! (If you want it to be a surprise, skip the last section of this email.)

 

It was finally time to fill out the January box of our Monthly Memories Print! For my first box, I wanted to create a collage of my trip to Taiwan. I had collected a bunch of stuff so I needed to figure out: how to add as much as I could and how to keep the section flat. I decided to make an accordion fold strip of paper as my base to increase the surface area and I used string to tie the collage down. It was a really nice way to remember my trip and I was able to include a decent amount! 

 

My take away: if we don't have enough space, make more! Add a flap, extra pages, a longer piece of paper, use both sides.

 

Below are some January boxes from club members! 1 & 2) Claire 3) i.g.stefansdottir 4) MadelineMadeThis 5) WaterHeart Musings 6) Mitzi 

February mail has been arriving at their destinations! Thank you for your patience as they work their way through the postal system. February's project is a cross between a collage and a scrapbook page, utilizing images, layers, patterns, and other paper goods to help us share stories of our culture, heritage, history, and traditions. If you're not a club member but would like this project or if you signed up later and want to catch up, you can learn more and find it here. 

March is National Craft Month! One of the definitions for “craft” is an “activity involving skill in making things by hand”. Paper weaving came to mind because we aren't using our hands to hold a tool, our hands are the tool! It's a manual process and there's something so satisfying about that--some people find it to be calming and meditative. There's also so much to explore from the type of paper to use to the width of the strips and cuts to the overall pattern and design.

 

Inside March's club mail will be 2 weaving templates and pre-cut strips for you to try a few designs. Instructions and grid paper will also be included so you can create your own designs. I'll also be sharing ideas on what to use them for, tips, and a 3D version of this project that can be used on your desk/around the house.

Here are a few examples of some weavings I've been playing around with and a sample of what the templates will look like--the lines indicate where to cut and the X's indicate where to weave the paper over or under. (These are examples only and don't reflect the final designs--those will be shared in the mail.)

 

I hope you are having a good start to your month and taking good care.

Talk to you soon,

 

 

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