Did I say the drawing for this would be on November 1st? I did, didn’t I? Well, today is only…let’s see…one, two, three, four….um..the 9th!

Have I mentioned that I get distracted by sparkly things?

This month’s Creativity Challenge prize-drawing winner is….Ren of Ren Knits. She finished a couple of pillows with one shared innard. See Squarey, the ultimate dominator on the battle for the stuffing, in our flickr pool.) Ren wins a $15 gift certificate to Green Prairie Fibers. Congrats Ren!

Green Prairie Fibers is the hand-dyed yarn wondershoppe of Kristin R., she of the darling Craft Leftover blog and shop, where she offers the world a new crafty pattern every saturday. I like Kristin’s “reduce, reuse, recycle” ethic, and I find her patterns to be sweet throw-backs to another era. I especially liked this knitting bag pattern, which I’m planning to make to honor my grandmother’s aluminum knitting needle collection. You should defintely stop by her pad if you are looking to make something out of your stash.

This month’s Creativity Challenge will be posted tomorrow as a Small is Beautiful post. It’s a super easy challenge, (we don’t want to overtax ourselves over the holidays, no?) and involves tips. Oooooh! I love tips! Stop by tommorow to find the challenge and the prize!

Yours in creativity,

Magpie Girl (a.k.a. Rachelle)

Some people are born finishers. They sew together the sweater pieces they’ve knitted, send their edited articles into magazines, and actually take their packages to the post office. Yes, some people are finishers.

But we don’t have to like them.

Thankfully this last creativity challenge got me moving and I finished some projects. I finished my second embroidered kid’s jacket, and for the first time I knitted something for myself – this pretty lacey scarf made out of Kid-Lin.

In spite of these finishes, the last few days have been slow and frustrating for me. I had four days of bad migraines, followed by one blissful pain-free day which left me in a state of mania as I tried to get a backlog of stuff done. Then the migraine came back so badly that I had to take every med in my arsenal and curl up in the fetal position so I wouldn’t start vomiting and end up in the ER. (Nothing keeps you from getting sick like the idea of spending the wee hours of the night in the ER.) Today Paul and I are both sick with head colds, and tomorrow I’ll spend most of the day freezing my scalp muscles at the neurologist. Then we leave mid-week for Texas and when we return the kids get out of school at noon for ten days. Sigh. On weeks like this I feel like I never finish anything. How’s a person supposed to work?

That’s when it’s helpful for Paul to sit me down and tell me everything I actually got done. This week’s list included cleaning most of the house, folding five baskets of laundry, making it to the post office, buying the dog his special food and shampoo, and making up some shrine kits for etsy. I also pulled apart the hat I finished knitting because it didn’t fit, and I’ve got it about half way knit again.

Because of the migraines, I didn’t get the next chapter of my manuscript written, which is my biggest disappointment. Nor did I clean out the kid’s room for the move, which is stressing me out considerably. Still, not bad for a ‘sick’ week.

What do you do when your time seems to get sucked away by “other “ stuff? What do you decide to finish..and how do you talk to yourself about your accomplishments–or lack thereof? Advice for the poor of finishing, please!

Okay, response to this current challenge has been a little lackluster. Methinks the general creative soul out there might be feeling a little hopeless. Be not swayed, all ye who craft! Finishing is possible.

You’ve still got a good two weeks to wrap up just one WIP (knitter’s slang for “work in progress). And here comes the weekend, ripe with opportunity. Why not finish it up and feel the soul-nourishing satisfaction of a job well done? (Or at least just “done.”)

There’s a flickr group to post your WIP and the final finish. Those who post a finished project by November 1st will be entered in the drawing for this week’s prize. (Maybe some lovely hand dyed yarn from Green Prairie Fibers? Or the latest copy of Craft magazine if someone other than a knitter takes home the gold…..) Go on! Post your pics!

P.s. Speaking of Craft Magazine and prizes, have you been over to Sk*rt lately? Why not skirt this (see the little button below) while you head on over there?

It’s time to end the Matchbox Shrine Creativity Challenge. Doesn’t the time just fly? Thanks to all who joined the pool and especially to Claire and Tess who carved out to the time to make a pocket-sized sacred space. You’ll both be getting a make-your-own-shrine kit with supplies from my magpie hord.

The next Creativity Challenge will run until the the last Friday in October, so you’ll have three weeks to work on your project. This will also double as this month’sHabitude because it’s doubles as tiny self improvement project. The next Creativity Challenge is…..drumroll please… Finishing! That’s right, let’s resolve to finish something we’ve already started. Now is the time to put that second coat of paint on the antique frame, get your ticket stubs into your scrapbook, put the backing on the quilt, or finish up the mittens you started last winter. I know it sounds a little daunting, but won’t if feel good to get something done?

Personally, I’m pledging to finish this:

This is the Gossamer Shell Scarf from One Skien Wonders knit on the very tangly Kid Lin. Only 40 more inches to go! (The gray lines are ’saftey nets’ so if I mess up the lacework I only have to unravel a few rows.)

So what are you pledging to finish this month? Do let us know…..

“Blessed is the one who shares
the power and your beauty.”

Here’s another little matchbox shrine for the current Creativity Challenge. This fun project is perfect if you only have a little time to be your creative self. I made this ode to Mary in a half hour, while the kids ate afer school snacks at the kitchen table.

I’ve been carrying this vintage enamel token in my pocket for a couple of months, ever since I found it at our local flea market. I’m constantly afraid I’ve lost it, until I dig through the pile of dirty clothes to find her resting serenely in some pocket or another. I’ve been yearning the past few years for more feminine images of the Divine. The BVM, or Blessed Virgin Mary, is a good stand in. While while Mary doesn’t quite fit the bill for me in that regard, (DaVinci code conspiracy theories aside), I do find it comforting to have a nurturing mother figure at my side.

I’m having fun putting together a nice little ephemera package for making tin-box shrines. It will be the prize in the matchbook shrine drawing on October 5th. Carve out a little time for yourself this weekend and indulge in some mucking about with tiny things — make a matchbook shrine. There’s plenty of room in the pool!

P.s. Do you remember this song? Sometimes it gets stuck in my head when I’m wishing for Mary…

“So if I say save me, save me
Be the light in my eyes
And if I say ten Hail Mary’s
Leave a light on heaven for me …”

-Mary’s Prayer
Danny Wilson

The announcement for the next Creativity Challenge got a little lost in all the praise and prizes for the last one. So here’s the info again. (Scroll down to the previous post to see the winning photo and the sweet little prize.)

Our new Creativity Challenge is Matchbox Shrines. So cheap! So fun! Such great presents! Look here and here for some ideas, or order this great book to get into the Latina spirit of it all.

I can’t wait to see your creations…mine’s already in the pool! Let’s see how many we can craft between now and the October 4th deadline, shall we? Maybe we can do and exchange of our own, eh? Oh, and next week, I’ll let you know what the prize will be. (Ooooooo…I love surprises.)

Happy matchbooking!

A big Magpie Girl “Thank You” to all you creative trailblazers who participated in the first Creative Challenge. (See all the results here!)

I was pleased to read the comments on each submission and see how many of you tried your hand at altering a photo for the very first time. It can be so intimidating to sort through the help files of the new photoshop program, or to figure out what the heck gel medium is! But once you do….how fun! A whole new pond to play in!

Today my teacup was filled with all of your names and with one quick pick, the winner of the Altered Photo drawing is: Krystyn Heide.

I’ve seen Krystyn take great photos with nothing but the camera feature on her cell phone, and I think we can all agree that her judicious use of digital effects make her well composed pictures really pop. Krysytn wins….

two vintage sparkle-goth roses from the fantastic antique mall next door to my studio. Maybe we can tempt her into tucking one behind her ear and showing us those new yummy his-and-hers haircuts…..

Our new Creativity Challenge is Matchbox Shrines. So cheap! So fun! Such great presents! Look here and here for some ideas, or order this great book to get into the Latina spirit of it all. I can’t wait to see your creations…mine’s already in the pool! Let’s see how many we can craft between now and the October 4th deadline, shall we? Maybe we can do and exchange of our own, eh? Oh, and next week, I’ll let you know what the prize will be. (Ooooooo…I love surprises.) Happy matchbooking!

The Crafty Chica Collection: Beautiful Ideas for Crafts, Home Decorations and Shrines from the Queen of Latina Style
Kathy Cano Murilla

This week’s suggestion is the ever-useable The Crafty Chica Collection. This is a fun and fabulous ode to all things red, yellow, and glittery. I met Kathy at BlogHer 07, where she was on the arts and crafts panel. Her effervesant personality lit up the room as she encouraged us to go beyond the pink-and-chocolate-brown color combo trend and play with the colors of Latin heat. The general feel behind everything that Kathy creates is “have fun” and “use what you love.”

In the The Crafty Chica Collection, I especially like her idea for outdoor candle lanterns using tins from imported stewed tomatoes and Guatamala wedding beads. (I wear the set I found at a garage sale with some outfit almost every week – I’d have to hunt up more to make patio lights!) The crafty Chica Collection, or Kathy’s new book Crafty Chica’s Art de la Soul will give you lots of visual ideas for our next Creativity Challenge – matchbox shrines! You can find lots of free project ideas at Kathy’s super helpful website.

Hmm….I think I need to go buy the Mexican Folk Art Coloring Book and some glitter….

Do you ever want to try a new art-y technique, but never quite get around to playing with it? Does if feel like you shouldn’t do anything until you can do it “right”? Do you have lots of art supplies, but not many finished projects?

My friends, now is the time to break through some blocks and learn to move and breathe and have our being in the world of creativity.

Here’s what I’m thinking, twice a month we should all try something new together. We can submitt pictures of our attempts, be okay with first-tries, and just generally get ourselves inspired. One lucky person from each challenge will win something nice from my collection of small-but-beautiful things.

Your first assignment? Alter a photograph. Do it digitally, attack it with markers, or scratch the hell out of it….whatever works for you. Then let us see how it went. Here’s something that can help you, and there’s some fun toys in the pool already – go take a peek!

What do you say? Wanna play……?