You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.
/Elizabeth Gilbert

Lately I have been thinking about this new category of films that are coming up in the cinemas. I would like to call them Empowering Women Films for women of Today. They are the movies where we meet Strong Women, movies where Creativity and Girl Power intermingle into something that I want to see more of on the big screen. So many movies these days are about a woman character living an unreal fairy tale life where they still need a guy to be happy or to rescue them from themselves. The movies I am talking about are portraying creative women who start projects on their own and are successful in what they do. I will list a few new (and older) below, feel free to add your own favorite titles in the comments!

Coco

It was when I saw the movie about Coco Chanel’s life that I started to think about the need for these kinds of movies, showing real women who make something of their life. I love this movie and the story of how Coco invented herself as a brand and found success through persistence, ingenuity and creativity. Watching it made me wish I could have a whole library of movies just like it to watch when I need girl power infusion. I also came to think about another quite new movie…

Julie and Julia

A move about a woman, Julie, who decides to cook her way through Julia Child’s famous cook book full of French recipes and do all of them in one year while blogging about her experience. In the movie we get to follow these two very different but also very determined and creative women through the ups and downs of their projects. One writing a cook book of thousands of pages, the other cooking her way through these pages many years later and sharing her experiences on the internet. I would not have thought I would like such a food filled movie much, but I loved it! It makes me think of my own definition of “projects” and creativity, and how important it all is in my life.

Frida

Frida is not a new movie, but still a favorite to me. It is not strange that so many artists use portraits of Frida Kahlo in their artwork; she is a modern icon worthy of our admiration. We can look up to Frida because she was an ordinary woman with many problems both in her marriage and her hurting body, still she is an icon of bravery, artistic skill and girl power. She expresses all her feelings and thoughts in her art. The movie about Frida Kahlo (played by beautiful Salma Hayeck) is a colorful and beautiful portrait of a very inspirational woman. Last summer I read (and browsed through) her published diaries, filled with ink stains, sketches and word collections. The movie is a must-see to every female artist.

More Creative Women

Every film on my list of Empowering Women Movies is based on true stories, did you notice? Scriptwriters tell us these stories of modern myths over and over again, and forget that real people have more perks, blood, passions and warmth than a simple made-up movie character can ever hold. Real people also have more than one goal in life. I think that should tell producers and directors where to look next for new manuscripts… In real life! The stories from life are more complex and interesting than most movie scrips. Read a few biographies and you’ll see. Do some historical digging. We are here and we are real, right? Creativity is such a huge part of our life, but not seen very often on the big screen… I hope that will change.

I hope that there will be more Empowering Women Films in the future. I am personally looking forward to see the French movie Séraphine [found via Zom ], also based on a true story. Séraphine is “a simple and profoundly devout housekeeper whose brilliantly colorful canvases adorn some of the most famous galleries in the world“. And then of course Elizabet Gilbert’s book is made into a movie called Eat Pray Love. Julia Roberts is in lead role, and who can resist her? It is coming up in theaters here in Sweden soon. I loved the book and hope the movie is as good.

I would love to know what movies are on your list of favorites. What movies should I be looking out for next? What oldies have I missed? Feel free to write a post about Favorite Movies at your own blog and post the link below. Or chip right in now in the comments and give me your thought on movies that makes you inspired and happy! Thanks.

Talking Threads is a new, magazine style programme, targeted specifically at the ever-increasing market for textile art that aims to inspire people to be creative with fabric. It is shown on The Country Channel, on Sky TV, but you can view it online and get lots of inspiration from it. I’ve watched these programs several time and have already started to experiment with some of the techniqes you learn in them! Go check them out! I’ve made a list for easy access. Enjoy!

Talking Threads videos

Jill Kennedy - Episode 1 of Talking Threads features textile artist and teacher Jill Kennedy. She paints big colorful flowers with resists and silk paint on fabric!

Gilda Baron - Episode 2 features stitcher and teacher Gilda Baron who does fabric painting into landscapes where she combines machine and hand sewing stitching.

Di Wells - Episode 3 features patchworker and quilter Di Wells who stitches black thread onto tissue paper!

Kim Thittichai - Episode 4 of Talking Threads is about painting and melting tyvek

Fay Maxwell -Episode 5 features textile artist and teacher Fay Maxwell. She is my favorite in this series, and her method of slicing fabric intrigues me!

Linda Miller - who draws with the sewing machine like an artist, from sketch to free form stitching that is pictorial. Adorable stuff!

Myfanwy Hart shows us how to dye your own fabrics with cold-water dies.

Anne Griffiths - in episode 8 Anne shows her big sketchbooks and how to use water soluble fabric to create lacy effects on the sewing machine.

Angie Hughes - Episode 9 features multi-media artist Angie Hughes that creates landscapes using bondaweb and transfer foils onto black velvet. Mmm!

At the Talking Threads homepage you can buy these videos as DVD:s, they are made by the same people that made the DVD Inspired Quilt and Printmaking that I reviewed last week! But for now, they are still online and you can check them out for free, along with the Christmas specials. These videos are like a golden basket of inspiration!

And there is more! You have to check all these out. Enjoy!

Free form machine embroidery

Stitch Images Part 1 - Images in different media with Jan Beany
Stitch Images II - Free machinery embroidery with Jan Beany

Textile Artist inspiration

A special programme featuring interviews with five well-known textile artists, in which they reveal the influences on their work. They explain the methods used to record their ideas and the techniques employed to create their exciting works of art, featuring Julia Caprara among others!

Inspirations Part 1
Inspirations Part 2
Inspirations Part 3

Bead Embroidery

This is the latest series of programs I’ve been enjoying. The art of bead embroidery is new and wonderous. The first show starts kind of silly with two ladies buying beads, but then the whole series is about how you can make your own beads from fabric, yarn and other materials! I think it’s full of inspiration, I hope you do too.

Bead Embroidery Part 1
Bead Embroidery Part 2
Bead Emroidery Part 3
Bead Embroidery Part 4

That’s it for today. Time to create something!

I have learned a lot about being introverted from writer and blogger Lee Ann Lambert who self published a book called Living introverted in 2009. In her book Lee Ann describes the introverted personality very well. She write:

Introverts are people who need to be left alone at times (much more often than extroverts). We need to think quietly, plan, mull and imagine. We prefer to spend the bulk of our time “in our heads”, and we cannot do this well while in the middle of a group of people at a tailgate party. Introverts tend to be thinkers, planners, strategists, and imagineries, and enjoy doing complex work with our brains.

Reading this I’m reminded of my childhood, where I would prefer a book in front of playing with the other children in school. Hiding from the locomotion of the school yard I would sit comfortable inside in a window recess reading a book too heavy for my age. I guess I just needed time by myself. Nobody told me it was okay, teachers would often ask what “was wrong”? I wish I would’ve know about the word “introverted” back then! A section of Lee Ann’s book is about introverted children, and any parent of a silent tranquil child should check this book out!

Lee Ann also writes:

Extroverts find introverts mysterious and sometimes unsettling. We can be difficult to read because we do not readily share our thoughts with others until we feel comfortable doing so.

When I meet with new people I have been told I’m secretive and mysterious. This baffles me as I know I’m not. I love to talk about personal stuff with my friends and I don’t keep secrets. I mean, I blog online for heavens sake! So why do some get this impression of me I ask myself? Reading the book I understand that I need to feel comfortable with that new person in my life before I start talking about personal stuff. I have no secrets, but I don’t share everything with just anyone, and some things that to an extrovert is comfortable talking about to any new stranger is not at all easy-talk to me! I don’t like to talk about money at all, and I seldom mention my blog or other creative projects.

I think Lee Ann Lambert’s book is a great introduction to the mind of introverts, with lots of tips on how to hone your social skills at official talks, parties and other social events. I’m not as impressed with the formatting of the text with huge margins, blank pages before each chapter etc, but that’s just my inner designer talking. If you’re at all feeling a need to explore this topic visit livingintroverted.com and read a few posts.

I bought a copy of this book through (amazon.com) in May last year and I’ve now read it again, thinking how introversion and creativity interacts rather well in my life.

As a fan of Lee Ann’s blog and as a self-publisher myself I wanted to support another writer who took the leap to publish (though I wish I had money so I could get more e-books and other self published books more often), plus as an introvert I think this is an important subject to learn more about.

Check out my previous post about introversion to get the links and introverted information recourses!

What to do with leftover Christmas cards, wrapping paper and those shimmering curly ribbons you get year after year? I always collect some each Christmas and birthday, because they are so pretty - but I don’t always know what to do with them… If you’re like me and appreciate good recycle- and craft projects I suggest you get a copy of Kristin Roach’s new e-book. The answer to what to do with the gift leftovers is in her book, and it’s imaginative, fun, green and sometimes surprising!

The e-book has the lovely title Card. Paper. Ribbon. and it is published by Diane Gilleland. This is my first e-book review! Enjoy!

One of my main objections for spending money on any e-book would be that the prettier the e-book design the more ink and paper it would take to print it at home - if you chose to do that. And if you bought an e-book you probably would want to print at least part of it to keep as a handy reference, right? When I started reading this crafty e-book I got a happy surprise: each chapter has a shorter more condensed section made for printing, including the instructions to each project (without background images and photo illustrations). These black and white text pages make it easy and cheap to print, and they are a great way to put together a both pretty and useful e-book if you ask me. I just love that it saves paper/forest as you only need to print the sections that you need in front of you when doing the bigger projects. Other e-books I’ve seen online looks like they would use up all that expensive print color at once, but this one does not! Yay!

In Card. Paper. Ribbon. there are several great projects that I want to try and experiment with. The first part is a great tutorial on how to make your own mould and deckle for making papers on your own. This is something I remember trying out back in school, and I’m always fascinated with all things paper and paper making! I want to try making my own paper at home, but because it takes a bit of time setting it up I just haven’t done it yet. The first step will be printing these instructions and finding wood for the frames. There are instructions on how to use greeting cards for your pulp, drying the papers and even bind your papers together into small books. I’m thinking this project alone will keep me busy for many many days…

And the wrapping paper project is also very cool - and extremely fun to do I can add. I know because I recently experimented with this paper cloth method before I even got this book. Kristin’s book does not only suggest how to use the wrapping paper but presents fun ways to make projects with that cool material you create once you’ve recycled it! Included are patterns, sewing tips, decorating suggestions and lots of room for your own experimentation which I always appreciate.

I appreciate the nice photos, easy to follow how-to-instructions and the format which makes it easy to navigate projects in this book on screen. I truly recommend this book to anyone who knows that they cringe when used wrapping paper and pretty cards are being tossed into the trash with no second thought. Do you want to yell Nooo! Stop, I can save that paper and take it with me home… when you’re at a birthday party? I know I cry inside when I see this happen. This e-book will just add to the addiction for us “savers”, a.k.a. the Family Trash Lady these days!

If something is being thrown away you can hear my family and friends ask:
- Maybe Hanna wants this [insert random trash] for a project?

My grandmother used to collect wrapping papers that wasn’t too creased-up. She used to reuse them for wrapping new (smaller) gifts, and sometimes even roll up curled ribbon which always looked oh so tedious but kept her hands occupied while we had coffee… And now it’s me (who always mocked her for being “cheap” before) who runs around collecting both ribbons, cards and wrapping paper for recycling projects!

* Buy the e-book - pay and download it at Craftypod Publishing!

* A new publishing project - Diane’s blog post about this project
* Craft leftovers blog - Kristin’s very cool blog

* What? Not sure you want to buy it yet? Check out others reviews on this book and you’ll see that we all agree that there is lots of inspiration in there. I know I want to try all of the projects some day.

Book review time!

I’ve had Diane Gilleland’s beautiful craft book Kanzashi in Bloom on my table for ever, and the task ”write a review” on my to-do-list since it was published this summer but so far not ”had the time” to write it. The Procrastinator in me has yet again taken over when it comes to writing. Most of the self-assigned writing tasks move from one week to the next on my GDT Next Action List without being crossed of! I don’t know why I do this because I have plenty to say and I know I like to write, but still day after day pass and the headlines on my to-do-list remains unwritten texts. I think I will address the procrastination of writers (aka. me) in another post not to clog this review post up too much.

Back to Diane’s book now, okay? The book is about a special Japanese craft where you fold several squares of fabric and assemble them together into a flower. You stitch the petals together and put the flower to use. The petals look almost like they were molded from clay – but it’s quite easy to make the flowers once you know the tricks. And Diane teaches you all the tricks and then some in her book.

This form of flower can be used in lots of different ways, which is this books greatest strength if you ask me. All the diverse projects presented as true craft inspiration! Yes even a recycled necktie is in there, making me think of that bag I have again… Maybe 2010 is the year it will transform into something other than non-loved not-used stripes of shiny fabric?

Mom and I started to make flowers the minute we opened the book – I run to fetch some rotary-cut quilt squares in cotton for us to practice with. The first flower I made turned in to an adorable pink flower, then used in a project I will show you in my next post! Stay tuned. In this post all photos by me are the images of my mom’s blue and white flowers – she did several in one sitting. All of them ended up as decorations on summer gifts.

I also like that you in Kanzashi in Bloom will learn some of the history behind this craft and view beautiful images of traditional kanzashi flowers with some different styles. It makes you realize how much we have to learn from other people’s culture, history and traditions, and from our own!

The instructions in the book are easy to follow, and Diane shows you how you can vary the look of your flowers with different folding techniques, fabrics qualities or by varying the amount of petals or size of fabric squares. I love the Christmas ornament flowers, and can see myself folding some flower to make a garland to decorate a mirror, mobile or curtain display.

This kanzashi craft would be a great book/project to gather around with friends for a wintery Crafternoon with lots of inspiration, warm tea, folding flowers and eating cookies. Yum!

Now, go get the book from Amazon for yourself or a crafty friend - or add it to your wish list. Full title: Kanzashi in Bloom: 20 Simple Fold-and-Sew Projects to Wear and Give by Diana Gilleland of favorite newly remodeled CraftyPod blog!

I will post my hat project tomorrow, there you’ll see where my own pink kanzashi ended up…

Oh, Are you curious yet? Diane has made a video where she is showing us how to make the Kanzashi flower! Check it out here:

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I love both collage and patchwork, maybe the ultimate thing for me will be exploring both these topics together creating mixed media fabric art? So I want some new books on collage and also these, books on fabric art:

Collage Fusion by Alma de la Melena Cox looks yummy! In the preview at amazon I saw this book includes wood burning and fabric, and also using mirrors… don’t ask me how, but it sounds interesting,huh? I also love the images of Connecting Art to Stitch by Sandra Meech. This book sounds like it would be about embroidery, but I suspect it will be more about sketching designs… Maybe. I like both concepts, so I’ve ordered this book together with two other new books on fabric art - I guess that’s where I’m heading a bit more right now.I still love collage, but I want to combine that with fabric art, call it art quilting or mixed media fabric collage or what ever… The books ordered (and I will review them as soon as I read them next year) are Transparency in Textiles by Dawn Thorne and and the above pictured Fabric Art Collage by Rebekah Meier.

And of course I still want to read Ricë’s book Creative Time and Space, so I added that to my order (which is actually the Christmas gift of my parents). I think it’s cool that I “know” some of the artists in books coming out in the US, through blogs, twitter, etc. It’s a small world shrinking.

I’m not sure I should get favorite artist Lynne Perrella’s new book Art Making & Studio Spaces said to Unleash Your Inner Artist with An Intimate Look at 31 Creative Work Spaces, because I know I will be so envious of people’s studios… But when it comes out in I might not be able to resist…

Oh by the way did you know Twyla Tharp has a new book out called The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together! I loved her previous book The Creative Habit, a book I should re-read soon, maybe next year. Her new books looks like something one could really need setting up a creative business and partnering up with someone else.

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There are so many nice new books out right now! These are just a few I’ve got on my wish list that I thought I’d tell you about. I get inspiration from just looking at these beautiful covers, I bet the inside of these books are great too. I want to stamp and print with Traci Bunkers, make painted papers and create fab mail art all day!

I don’t really need the new book Image Transfer Workshop by Darlene Olivia McElroy & Sandra Duran Wilson, because I already own another great book on this subject by Karen Michel called The Complete Guide to Altered Imagery (Mixed-Media Techniques for Collage, Altered Books, Artist Journals, and More) that I haven’t written a review about but it’s on my book recommendation page! I never take time to do transfers so I should really practice some of these methods. Sometimes getting a inspirational book will get you creating. It’s like energy infusions, and to me, books are a necessity of life.

On my wish list for Christmas! What books are on your wish list?

After my post on how cool the angelina fiber is I also want to tell you about a Swedish inspiration book that is just as seductive as the material itself…

In the Swedish book Angelina - fibrer som förför by Lena Blommegård you will find even more information about the material and some lovely inspiration!

The book is jam packed with Lena’s artistic work portrait in nice photos with the added bonus of some tutorials. She has used angelina on many items; furniture, clothes, jewelery…

I love her beautiful moon bag, the brooches and the magic look of her bracelets! Lena is a very cool fabric artist. The book is in Swedish, but I think the images is well worth the 100 SEK (about 12 usd) even if you can’t read the words. Order it from Lena directly by contacting her (lena.blommegard [at] swipnet.se). She has self-published this book because she loves this material so much and thought we all needed to know about it! :-)

1. take some fluff, 2. iron it between paper and then 3-4. be amazed at the result. Melted shimmer, love it!

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There are several books in the Pretty little-series from Lark Books and I’ve been browsing through them lately. They are perfect gifts for yourself or a creative friend that wants to sew but are not that advanced (yet). My favorite is the one on bags, so I’ll write a review on that book today. Enjoy!

Well, I love bags! I’m a bag addict. And in the book Pretty Little Purses & Pouches, there are several that I totally want. Want to make, want to own and best of all, want to use.

The photos in all of the books are great and the sewn up models are in colors and fabrics that has me drooling. Everything is styled in a way that makes me really want to get sewing!

Each book starts out in a similar way, going through the basics; tools, materials and techniques. I think this is nice for the beginners, but also a bit irritating for the more experienced. I guess it’s a necessary evil in this kind of book, and it’s a good thing it’s so easy to flip a couple of pages into the book and get to the juice stuff; the yummy designs!

Each project was submitted to Lark online so most of them are made by well-known bloggers we already know and admire! In the end of the book you can read more about each designer and go visit them online. It reminds me of one of my favorite craft books that came out a few years ago, The Crafter’s Companion (tips, tales, and patterns from a community of creative minds), which has presentations of one project from each person but also studio pictures and interviews with the crafter about what inspires them etc. Cute projects and lots of inspiration, just as the Pretty little-series has!

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So many new and precious books coming out right now! I can’t chose!

Right now I’m very close to ordering the book The Creative Entrepreneur (A DIY Visual Guidebook for Making Business Ideas Real) by cool author Lisa Sonora Beams and the inspiring new DVD 1000 journals. I want both, but I always hesitate before shopping online… There are sooo many new books coming out all the time that I find my self browsing through them, adding them to my wish list and trying to weigh needs, cravings, costs and needs together before buying.

These are just a very few of the many great books that have come out recently that I wish I could look through right now (click on the books you want to read more about):

I have a passion for books. You can find my book recommendations on the page Love These Books page with links to some reviews I’ve posted on this blog. I occasionally splurge on a few books from the US, and those I savor and read slowly and with lots of joy. But before that, I add all the books I think looks interesting to my Wish List, it is a great place to help gather my thoughts and not buy books I don’t need. Or ten books on the same subject…

I’ve said it before, but it’s still true, my favorite book on art and art journaling is the first one I ever read by Lynne Perrella and it’s called Artists’ Journals and Sketchbooks: Exploring and Creating Personal Pages! Get it and be inspired!

Do you have a favorite inspiration book that you turn to over and over again?