Entry 1 - New Year - New Project

A new month usually means time for a new creative project theme.  However not only is it a new month, it is also a new year – which is a good time to reconsider and revamp how I do things. (I love new beginnings.)

I have done a new project entry for 30 days for each month for the last 7 months.  (I can’t even believe that I lasted 7 months – but I have the online data to prove it.)  It has been fun, but it has also been overwhelming at times – especially when I have been busy with other things.  Knowing that I was coming up on a new semester that was already overloaded with classes to teach, conferences and expos to coordinate, graduate projects to supervise etc., I seriously considered ending this blog and seeing where my creativity led me next.  With the option of restarting the blog once I had more time to work on it again in May.

However, I have loved doing these projects and I have learned a lot doing these projects and so I don’t want to end it entirely.  I wasn’t sure what I would do about this dilemma until Christmas Day when I got this exciting and inspiring gift from my father.

This box is filled with wrapped "stuff" (or inspirations) that he pulled together from his own studio, workshop and probably anywhere else he found things – including my brother’s garage.  I started to unwrap a few items when it “hit” me.  This would be an ideal Month of Days project.  However instead of trying to do one new project every day with a new item, I am going to open only a few at a time and see what I can make separately or collectively with the selected pieces.   

Here is where you all can help me out (PLEASE).   I will post a picture of the two or three items I am working with and leave that up for a few days hoping that you will share with me any ideas or thoughts you might have as to what I can create with the items.  As you can see by the instructions on the box, my assignment is to create things with a novel or intended purpose (which nicely is wide open for all of us). Once I have created something or several things I will post the picture(s) (and probably an explanation) and then put up the picture of the next set of items.  I am going to shoot for 10-15 posts a month and if you look at what is left in the box – you can see that this should keep me busy for several months.

This sounds like a good creative compromise to me – and I think my Dad will like it (and will hopefully participate with us).

Here is the first set of items. 

These were the three items I opened before I got the “inspiration” to use the box for the blog.  I then left the rest of the items wrapped so I can open them at random when it is time for a new project. I love opening things so it will be like an ongoing Christmas for me.

So now I need your help - what can I do with these three items?  They can be pulled apart, altered and used in any way.  The silver bead objects (which made me laugh out loud since I had seen them and said I didn’t need them when they were offered to me during a recent family visit) do not have holes in them.  The look like ball bearings, but are not very heavy.  The paint brush is made of sponge and plastic and the plastic tubing is about 2 inches long.

So put your ideas – or questions in the comment section and see where this month of days takes us. (Let me know if you have any difficulty leaving comments.)