It's a Creative World: SIMPLE THINGS PROJECT 2010

Last month we commenced our new project for 2010 - SIMPLE THINGS, see it here, and suggested the first word in the project - SIMPLICITY.

Here's how some of the girls here at IACW have interpreted this word.

Over to Dolly

I was planning on thinking long and hard about the words for this project .... and I did try .... but the first idea that popped into my head when I thought of the word 'simplicity' was a daisy. I kept trying to think of other ideas, but the daisy remained firmly implanted and so I went with that first instinctive reaction.

I love nature and find it is what inspires me more than anything. A lush landscape, flowers of all kinds, the ocean, creatures of the world .... all nature inspires me, so the daisy was very fitting. One of the simplest of flowers, needing no other decoration to complete its beauty.

The photo of the daisy was taken on a visit to Stapehill with my friend Jakki. We went to photograph all of the flowers in the gardens, but this simple little daisy stole the show.

I decided that I want to include dictionary definitions on all the pages for the project as well as trying to find meaningful quotes to support the page.

It is a digital page completed using PSE and then printed out on archival matt card. I plan to bind the book when I have completed all of the words.

Dolly x

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Hi Claire here with my Simplicity page ...

I had just finished knitting these mitts, which were a really simple easy pattern posted on here by Joy... I'm not very good at knitting so simple makes me happy, also toasty warm hands keep me happy, its simple.

I knitted the ribbon to go down the side in the same wool as the mitts & the journaling is hidden behind the photo (the knitting pattern is on the back of the journaling card) I'm also using the dictionary definitions heres a close up

This project is already raising some interesting points for me, such as, if I'm working in an album, everything must be contained inside the page protector yet when it comes to mini books the more sticky outy bits the better lol!

Let us know if you've been playing along & we'll come & say hi.

See you next month with more Simple Things

Claire xx

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Hey again. Mandy here.

For my 'SIMPLICITY' page in the fabric book I'm making, I decided to use a quote. It says...

"The ordinary acts we practice every day at home

are of more importance than their simplicity might suggest."

By Thomas More (English Author)

So I decided to use a photo of our home, which opens up with two flaps to reveal lots of little photos of my family doing everyday simple activities like baking, reading, playing and home-schooling. Here's the front on which I did some 'messy-doodling-kind-of-machine-stitching' for the first time...

...and this is the page with the flaps open to reveal all our simple everyday family activities...

I am enjoying doing something a bit different... sort of a fabric scrapbook with 'new to me' techniques. Oh and if anyone's wondering, I got the iron-on photo printer paper from The Range and it was really simple to use.

I'm so looking forward to the next word... 'TIME'

Bye for now, Mandy.

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Hi Debbie, with my front cover and my simplicity page.

I decided to keep my front cover very simple, but may add to it later on. I am going to bind my book once all the pages are complete.I have used chipboard vines cut with a die and painted dark green and plain white foam letters for the title.

When I thought of simplicity I thought of the beauty of nature and instantly wanted to use a picture I took last year of a dandelion clock.

I used very simple colours and pale colours as I wanted the photo to stand out. The text is from a french book I found in an old shop and the word has been cut using a dymo lable maker. Im really looking forward to seeing what other people come up with and the challenge of using a different word every month.

Debbie xx

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Hello, Eleanor here with simplicity represented in a quilt square.

Simplicity in the kitchen is a wholesome, hearty, homegrown vegetable soup. Five vegetables we grow at the allotment and which are regularly used for simple lunchtimes represent this month's word.

I pieced them with fabric from deep in my stash, and machined around each piece, with stalks, leaves and rooty bits. Finally I simply hand stitched soup.

Leek detail:

Onion detail:

Lunch anyone?

See you next time.

Eleanor

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Kel here, joining in a little late, as I hadn't chosen my Simple Things 'container' this time last month. I made this journal in a class (Julie Pritchard's Art Journal Super Nova - recommended!) last year and it is so luscious that it would be a shame not to use it. I love richly layered mixed media work, but I find it hard to do myself. It seems like I hate covering up the nice bits of the first few layers, so I never get to that rich, lush look that the layers bring.

The cover - I'll add the title later on, when I have a better sense of the feel of the journal. You can see that it's going to be a challenging shape to work with.

Collaged pages - all kinds of everything, glued down all over. It was really tough not to make them into layouts or arrange them all 'pretty'.

This is another of the inside spread, covered in paint. Again, I find it so hard to start covering up the bits and pieces I've glued inside, you can see how tentative I've been.

I am really pleased with how it's turned out - I feel like it has the depth that I was looking for. I started by brushing gesso over the collaged, painted pages. I cut triangles out of magazine text, keeping it very simple, black and grey and white, but mixing up font size and style a bit. I stamped 'simplicity' in white (Making Memories - Philadelphia). Then highlighted the points and some random shading with teal and ochre water soluble crayons. The title wasn't showing up very well, so I shaded carefully around it with a pencil, trying to get it a bit rougher and subtler than straight outlining. The journalling is straight on the page, no draft, my handwriting - my thoughts on simplicity and how I search for it in my life.

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Alexa here, adding my page on Simplicity. I was going to say that's a concept I love, but it's developing into a way of life I love and which I am continually exploring. I am hoping this speaks for itself ...

Oh it does, Alexa, it really does.

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One of our readers, Cal, from Clearing the Brambles, has chosen a fun format for her project.

She says "I decided to follow the theme closely and am using a very simple thing as the basis for a tag book - the humble loo roll!!!!!

I have made loo roll tag books before since reading about the idea in a mag. They are fun to make and really lovely and tactile once completed!

Here is the cover. The down side of this format is that the book gets REALLY bulky - hence the huge amount of string I have left on the binding!!"

And here is her first entry:

As you can see, another completely different, equally special and personal interpretation.

Good to have you along Cal.

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And hi from Di sufferring from the heat and humidity in Durban but guess what this too will pass

My life has changed so dramatically in the past year and my maxim has been "Just for today". It makes like so much simpler if I do not focus on the past or anticipate the future.

This then is my interpretation of simplicity.

If I can focus on today my life is so much simpler -All I have to do is the next "right" thing.

And of course it would not be me if I did not have a little mini book:

may I leave you with a simple prayer

God

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change

the courage to change the things I can

and

the wisdom to know the difference.

Love always from Di

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Hi from Caz!

My aim for this project is to use the words as a prompt to how I feel now, today as I sit to create my page. And for me simplicity is being happy. To just be happy, and I feel happy when I feel the warm sun on my face and a gentle breeze blowing through my hair. And Sunshine reminds me of bunting and bright colours, and flowers and butterflies.

{ Please excuse the poopy scan but I can't find my camera! }

I hope to also use this year to learn to Art Journal. The idea of letting myself just play on the page scares me SO much. I need a plan I need to be in control and I really battle to write in pen without having a practice run in pencil first. I believe these 'fears' are all normal, lol.

Till next month :)
Caz
xx

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Hi all Michelle here. As I said when I introduced my 'vessel' for my simple things project (which I will now call my hope chest) I didn't really know how I would fill it. I think I've decided to make what feels right for each word so this month is a simple fold out mini book.

For those of you that don't know (if I haven't bored you to death already with my holiday tales) I have recently returned from a wonderful 3 weeks in Mexico. And that is what has inspired my take on the word Simplicity. Life seems oh so simple out there and me and hubby constantly said that as we sat and watched the world go by. The book opens up in a cross shape...

....so there's lots of room for adding pictures and journalling to remind me that when life gets 'complicated' it can actually be very simple! I will also add some collected bits and bobs to my hope chest like tickets and a shell or two so it will also be doubling up as a treasure chest!

I love all the different takes on the word this month from the IACW girls and we would all love to see yours so please share your 'simplicity' projects ..... now to find some TIME for next months project .... see you then!

Love M x

We hope you find lots of inspiration from our different interpretations of SIMPLICITY.

This coming month we will be working on our next word:

TIME

Do join us!

The girls

Comments

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You girls rock! Amazing, varied, and inspiring, every single one.
E
xx

Posted by: Eleanor | February 20, 2010 at 07:25 PM

wow, so many different projects from one word, they look amazing.

Posted by: claireliz | February 20, 2010 at 08:04 PM

Awesome post ladies - you are all very special.

Posted by: Diana | February 20, 2010 at 08:09 PM

WoW!!!! I can't believe how different all the projects are!! thanks so much for showing mine on here! I'm really honoured! I can't wait to get started on the new prompt!

Posted by: Cal | February 20, 2010 at 11:23 PM