One Little Word by Ali Edwards

~how it worked for me~

2012 is the first time I have completed this project and I have to say, as doubtful as I was, choosing a word and working through the prompts worked for me. I choose Create but as I wanted it to be specifically about creating art I needed the other word, which wouldn’t leave my mind…Contentment.
I was missing creating with fabric, buttons, paper, ink, ribbon and beads. I hoped my words would bring them back into my world.
January
This month I signed up for an on line class with Kim Klassen called Beyond Layers to inspire my photography.
I made Word Birds to sit on my desk as a visual reminder to stop looking at stuff saying, “Oh! I would like to do that” and putting it in a pile of things I must do. One of the little birds has a label: Just do it. That’s my plan.

February
was about capturing images to evoke my word. I decided to make some ATC’s. I wanted to collage onto fabric and paper. ATC’s are a great size for getting started and I like how the whole page of them looks. I loved having needles and thread on my desk again. I also finished my December project having had problems with getting my pages printed.

March
Taking action and documenting it.

I finished a mixed media project using embroidery hoops, felt, buttons and beads. I also started posting regularly to Flickr and am keeping up with Beyond Layers Class. I am quoting this ‘don’t let perfect be the enemy of good’ regularly to myself!

April

Write a letter to yourself saying where you are now and where you would like to be in one year’s time. Not the easiest prompt for me but I did it and have just read it this morning. Although I don’t want to share what I wrote, it is interesting to me to see that some of the things I had hoped for are coming to fruition. I am continuing to make ATC’s. I find them to be a lovely creative outlet for me. I get to try out different techniques and they are very quick.

May and June
I decided to do ‘31 Things’ by Ali Edwards. I really love a writing challenge and was feeling very content with the amount of creativity my word had me helped me with. Ali gave a prompt out every day: Jewellery, Morning, Read and Spirit were the first four. Each day I wondered what on earth I would write about and each day I surprised my self at just how much I had to say! I have it all printed out and in my book but I want it bound in another way, I just haven’t come up with how yet.

July
The prompt this month was about music. I selected 9 songs that I love right now, printed out the lyrics and once again made ATC’s

This month I got my paints out. I have a box of watercolours and everything I need to start except courage. Just-do-it-bird was nagging me so I tried and of course I loved it. I turned some of my playing into ATC’s and some I have in my book.

Julie is my copy of a magazine advertisement I saw for a shop called Get Knitted.

July was also the month of the Olympic games. I took some screen shots from the TV and put them through one of my photo processing programmes and made a series of photo memories.
I will have been watching the opening ceremony on the BBC so the original image is theirs.

August

This was the month I ‘met’ Carla Sonheim and have had such fun following her tutorials, making pictures that please me and I bought a couple of her books which I am looking forward to working through in the new year. I also ‘discovered’ Washi tape

August also saw the arrival of my much longed for macro lens. It was only then that I realised I had an octopus on my desk

September
The month of Shimelle Laines Learn Something New Everyday project. I made the binder for my pages this year having discovered Washi Tape.

This was also the month I had a go at drawing faces with many degrees of success. This time though I didn’t just throw every attempt in the bin. Just-do-it-bird has finally left me.

October

The month I made recyclababes. I saw a project in Cloth Paper Scissors and this time I made them immediately.

This month I took the most photos of any month in the year. I was mesmerised by the wonderful autumn colours this year and the smudge tool was my new favourite photoshop tool!

November

A Christmassy Creative month. I absolutely love the Christmas tree and this month I seemed to be creating my own arboretum!

Fabric Christmas Trees
Paper Christmas trees
Twiggy trees
Button Trees

December

All creative energy went into planning the family Christmas!
I also decided to try to post every day, which was rather over ambitious as it turns out but I have kept up with my December Days/Advent/JYC project.
Unfortunately I have been fighting with WordPress for the last two days so have not been able to post anything!
It has been a great year creativity wise, thanks must go to Ali Edwards One Little Word project. Did you do it? Does it work for you? Are you choosing a word for 2013?
I am feeling more confident which was the plan, and I am so looking forward to catching up with you all and making a plan for 2013.
How about you?
Have you found some Blog things/challenges/memes you would like to try? Have you made a plan you could share with me?

My last picture is of the Carrot Carvings, Christmas 2012 Creations…They were hilarious and mine was the least creative! But I was cooking the lunch.

If you managed to get this far I congratulate you!

Have a wonderful New Years Eve whatever you are doing, we will be watching the Hootenanny, hopefully with a small sherry 😉 helping to block the airwaves with texts and thinking happy thoughts of you all x