Creativity Emerges When the S P A C E Allows

What a beautiful concept - to be creative EVERY day. Thanks, Leah, for the continued inspiration. I truly believe that each of us are creative, that we are here to create, and that we have a responsibility to be the creators of our own lives.

Too often I meet people who say, "I'm not creative. I can't even draw a straight line. Making art is just for kids." WHAT? Why do we sell ourselves short? Why do we keep ourselves small? Why do we set such limitations and restrictions, to the point where we don't know how to play anymore? Why can't we call ourselves artists? How do we get to the place where we become complacent and accept "what is" rather than "what could be"? We all can create a life that is beyond our imaginations - a life that we truly LOVE.

I can relate to many of these limiting thoughts, and for years I couldn't call myself "creative" or "an artist". Now, I find myself in a place where I can loudly say, "I AM AN ARTIST!" and I feel that my heart is more open than ever before. (To learn more about my creative journey, visit here.)Yesterday, my creative inspiration was sparked by my de-clutter December project. The clearing bug has such a hold on me that I don't want to bring another thing into this house! So when I ran out of wrapping paper I quickly realized that I had to think up another solution because I was not going to run out and buy more!

A bag of potatoes, a brown grocery bag - and an idea was born.

How to Make Personalized Recycled Wrapping Paper

Supplies:

* paper bags

* potato

* scissors

* kitchen knife

* paint & brush

Cut the bottom of the bag and open the paper flat on your table. Cut a potato in half and use the knife to carve out your image. This will create your stamp. As you can see I chose hearts and trees, but use your imagination to think up other fun designs (i.e. variety of circles, stars etc.)

Add the paint directly to your potato stamp. Press the stamp firmly on your paper. I chose to be random with the placement, however, you may choose to create patterns.
I love how the packages turned out! I'm so grateful that my de-cluttering continues to free up energy for new creative inspiration.

I also want to give a big shout out THANK YOU to Suzy, at Hip Mountain Mama, for interviewing me for her blog this past week. She is SO awesome and you must check out her "One Small Change" recycling project.

Your Personal Reflection: What positive changes do you experience when you de-clutter? What creative recycling can you do as you celebrate the holidays this season? What is one small thing you can do, today, to nurture your creativity?