The Gift of Creativity

From time to time, people will ask me, "Where did you get all of your creativity from?" Well, I think both of my parents are quite creative. My father is a carpenter, by trade. He has always had the innate talent of building and fixing things. My daughter quickly discovered that Grandpa is the "go to person" after he magically repaired a broken nesting doll of hers once. And honestly, it really does feel like magic! It's so interesting to see his mind at work; to watch him create something out of nothing or creatively save something that you thought was beyond repair. Recently, he transformed our unfinished basement into a bright, beautiful space for my in-laws. We cannot get over how amazing the finished product is.

My mother is beyond creative. Her creative talents are endless... sewing, drawing, cooking. She can play the piano, whip up 3 Halloween costumes on Halloween eve, and is hands down, the Queen of the hot glue gun. In raising her children, she always encouraged us to believe in our creativity and impressed upon us that it is okay to be different and not "settle." Her running one-liner has always been, "Don't pay for that... I can make that!" And, she can (and for alot cheaper, she might add)!

And now, this creativity is coming full circle as I watch my daughter and her grandparents together. "T" slept over Grandma and Grandpa's house on our anniversary. When we arrived to pick her up the following day, she and Grandma greeted us with a very special surprise. Together, they made us a wedding cake, adorned with a bride and groom cake topper they had created together. "T" was so proud of her creation and I couldn't help but feel giddy inside. It's thrilling to see "T" being creative and amazing to watch her mind at work.

So, getting back to that question... I think I get my creativity from my parents. I believe it is a gift they both gave me. No, I can't fix a broken fan like my dad can. And, no, my homemade tomato sauce doesn't even come close to my moms. We each have different creative talents. But, my mom and dad made a conscious decision to encourage me to be creative and to try new things. Their belief in me and my abilities made me feel confident, independent and proud. And this is a gift I certainly hope to give my daughter.

Everything begins and ends with LOVE...

Today was a wonderful Valentine's Day. I was delighted to receive a beautiful bouquet of tulips from my husband. (Pictured here, along with a card I designed for him)

Tomorrow, we will celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. During the process of planning our wedding, I started my first scrapbook about our relationship and engagement.

My inspiration? My 92-year-old Grandmother has a large scrapbook filled with greeting cards from my grandfather that span the years of their courtship and marriage. The first time I laid eyes on her scrapbook, I thought to myself, "I want to do that too." And so, that is where it all began.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. I hope the love that you have in your life inspires you to cherish your memories and be creative too!

I finally caved and started a blog!

Here I go... my first post. Have patience with me as I begin to blog. I hope this blog will be an easy way to keep you up to date with all the creative projects I am working on.

Our family recently moved to Long Island and with the move, came a brand new Creative Corner Designs scrapbooking room. Goodbye dining room table and storage bins on wheels...hello bright and sunny work area with tons of storage! I'll be posting some pics of the new space soon. I am on the hunt for the perfect crafting table as I write this.

I have to admit, having this new space has re-ignited my creativity. Pictured above are some magnetic calendars that I designed for my co-workers. They were the perfect holiday gift and super simple to make (I used beer coasters for the base and embellished them with decorative Stampin' Up paper & ribbon and some buttons I had in my stash). I have also created a few more altered items since then. Check back for those photos soon.

This blogging thing is kind of cool... uh oh, I may be hooked!