Tag: Creativity

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First Candle Making Workshop Complete!

Yesterday was a day filled with sweet fragrance, not just from the essential oils, coconut oil, soy wax, and sugar wafting in the studio. It was the sweetest because a total of 16 ladies, aged from as young as four to as old as “who knows” showed up to make their own candles and sugar scrubs.

It was crowded with the layout of my small space, but everyone was so kind and helped each other go through the line, step by step creating a beautiful soy candle filled with fragrances from lavender to citrus to jasmine.

First were seven lovely ladies I’m thankful to work with every day! They put together a group and came to support my new endeavor. It was awesome! And, since I’m used to training, learning, and working with most of them it made the whole day start off on the right foot!

Next a lovely lady named Samantha just popped in to see what we were up to! It was Sam’s birthday so she was welcomed with birthday wishes and joined the lineup.

Soon enough four more arrived, then two more… and yet again two more… It was a nicely spaced pace and while the first batch of candles was settling, sugar scrubs became the focus.

Brown, fine, granulated or raw… take your pick! Add some oil.. let’s see, avocado, almond, or perhaps coconut. Coconut won hands down it seems. I think the idea of it getting a little solid was preferred. Lots of stirring in the coconut bowls with the coconut spoons!

After the jars were filled with what could be the most amazing addition to cookie dough(??), there was the embellishment station where dry rub transfers, stickers, twine, and ribbon were all put to good use… and even a little bling for some.

The first group headed to lunch, returning to perfectly set candles. Wicks were trimmed and bags were filled…. and the next round took place. All afternoon we had someone in line to do the next activity and it was so much fun!

I’ve put in an order for more wax, more fragrance oils, and have my list of supplies ready for the next round! Thanks to everyone who came and I hope YOU can join us for what promises to be another fragrant day filled with love and laughter at Refind Creations Studio!

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Pure Joy

I sent these verses to my family this morning from my devotional: Philippians 4:4-9

Always be happy because you belong to the Lord. I will say that again, “Be happy!” Be kind and patient in a way that everyone can see. Remember that the Lord is near. Do not worry about anything. Instead, pray to God about everything. Ask him to help you with the things that you need. And thank him for his help. If you do that, God will give you peace in your minds. That peace is so great that nobody can completely understand it. You will not worry or be afraid because you belong to Christ Jesus. Now my friends, I want to say this to you. Fill your minds with thoughts about good things. Think about things that are true, clean, right and lovely. Always think about things which people know are very good. Remember what I have taught you. Remember the message that you heard from me…God is the one who gives us peace in our minds. He will be with you.”

The past year has been a whirlwind, and the past six months have been full of change professionally and artistically. I left the Whatcom Art Market because of the demands on time it was creating that left me without the break I needed while working full time.

Within weeks of leaving, an opportunity came up to rent studio space, which my husband encouraged me to do. It was hard to imagine not making my art in our daughters’ former bedroom and how would I have all my things?

For the past few months there was no creating going on. It was all about setting up the space. Within a few weeks I had to travel for my real job and I visited a creative space in North Carolina where the exact dream I have of having a studio and retail space was happening. The artist gave me a little key chain as a gift – a metal stamped key chain. We talked a bit about her space and her dreams and my dreams of having such a space, where people can come and be creative, buy gifts, and have fun. I was inspired!

The studio I had rented was one fourth of a large loft inside another business. While I waited to see if any other artists were going to move in, it occurred to me that I hoped not – because the size of the space is perfect for doing just what my new-found friend in North Carolina was doing. What if I take that whole space and create the kind of place where people can “drop in” and create with me? And what if I create a retail space where I can sell my art and designs while allowing others to come in and work on projects? What if I open it up to other artists to come in and teach their craft?

So, I made a commitment for three months to open that exact concept. I have made numerous trips in the evening to the outlying areas to pick up pieces of furniture and accessories from those selling on the Facebook Marketplace. What would I have done without that?? I have ordered supplies, collected metal stamping tools and watched YouTube videos on the art of metal stamping. I have arranged and re-arranged the space. I have advertised and promoted and social-media’d people to death, I’m sure.

My daughter, who is my official business partner and design consultant, even flew up from Las Vegas to help put the final touches and re-touches on my concept.

I ordered cookies, invited everyone I knew, and made a “grand opening” on December 6 during the First Friday Downtown Art Walk, which was extremely well attended.

I imagined groups of women coming in and doing metal stamping with me. I imagined no one at all coming. I imagined too many people coming. I had no idea what would really happen. Planning anything new is a risk, but I know my concept is good. I know, also, that no matter what, I now have time to create and work on my art in a beautiful space.

My first “customers” were my cousins. Two teen boys who loved metal stamping! They were so much fun and enjoyed themselves a lot! All the adults who came through on the first “drop in” studio day glanced around, admired my art, and even had tea…. but no one wanted to create with me.

Last weekend was my second drop in date. Again, teen boys showed up and they were delightful! One boy used the heart shaped blank and stamped LOVE on it, making a necklace for his mom! Heart-melting. The others made backpack tags and they had a lot of fun. It was refreshing to see teen and younger boys enjoying the creative process that included hammers and noise!

A five year old girl came in as well. She and her mom just happened by and she wanted to make an ornament for her and her brother but she did NOT want to hear the noisy hammer! So we made a deal – She would plug her ears and tell me which letters to use to spell the names – Solveig and Jens! Oh she was so cute and she was so proud of her ornaments.

Still, this morning, I was feeling a bit discouraged. Although I enjoyed these kids coming, I really was hoping that some adults would show up and participate. I was thinking maybe I had this all wrong, but I prayed that the Lord would send the right people who needed to be there and that this place would be a place of happiness. I read the verses from the scripture above and went on with my morning.

I was excited that this was going to be a rare day that I wasn’t carrying a load of supplies, Amazon boxes, or furnishings up the stairs with me! I actually only had one stop on the way in, to buy some jewelry stands from a lady (on Facebook Marketplace, of course) so I could hang the key chains, book marks, and luggage tags I’ve been stamping.

I got to the studio just before my advertised opening time and for the first hour no one stopped by. I arranged and rearranged the area for the stands and decided to just keep working on my projects. A couple stopped in and bought some potpourri and a stoneware jar. Nice! A few more trickled through and admired my technique but overall it was pretty quiet.

Then an older man came up the stairs and two young girls came along with him. I was busy stamping and offered them a chance to watch. They were just out shopping and had no idea about my classes or space. The younger girl was on crutches and we talked about her broken ankle and how I am an MRI technologist, and her grandpa knew my place of work well, he said. The older girl became extremely interested in the metal stamps and I asked if they wanted to give it a try, not knowing if grandpa had planned to spend much time with them getting creative.

They both took a seat and I showed them how the letters work and we practiced a couple things before they just went right to work on their ornaments, dog tags, and gifts. They had so much fun and it was pure joy on the older one’s face when she said, “I could do this all day long, every day!” She is in sixth grade while her younger sister is in first. They love creating and they have a room at home, where they live with their grandparents, full of craft supplies and Shaylee, the sixth grader, even knows how to sew. She repeatedly told me how much she loved the space, how much she wanted to spend all her time there, and she said she would work for me for free because she loved it so much!

I made them cocoa and they made a total of six projects in the hour or so they were there. They were so happy and the pure joy of it was such a blessing. They hugged me and signed my guest book, carrying their bag of gifts down the stairs and promising to come back again and again.

Downstairs their grandpa got in a conversation with the owner about some furniture, so the girls headed back upstairs to see me again and to say over and over how much they loved being there.

Willow, the first grader, said she was so proud of herself for all the things she made. I gave them each one of my “mini masterpieces” – a tile on an easel with a pressed flower on the front that looks like a mini painting.

They were so truly happy about that and they hugged me again, promising they would be back soon and that Shaylee would teach me to sew. She is sure her grandma wants to come along as well and they will do all kinds of projects.

God is so good. It was the most encouraging blessing to hear the purity of joy, the longing to be creative all the time, and the absolute beauty of their spirits.

After they left I was just so touched by it all! I decided to step out and get a bite to eat to refresh. When I returned there was a couple in the shop looking around. I greeted them and went back to my key chains. They walked around and chatted a bit then decided to buy a couple of the stoneware jars… and suddenly the woman declared she was buying one of my “paintings” – Windswept. It was on raw canvas, painted in sunflower pigments and a collage of elderberry blossoms and dried sunflower petals. I was so happy – it is my first sale of original art since I moved out of the art market!

I feel that the Lord confirmed that I am doing what I am meant to do. To bring that kind of joy to people simply by being there is such a blessing. I have dedicated a portion of all my sales to very specific charities, one of them being Skookum Kids. Knowing those two little girls live with their grandparents and that Skookum Kids is all about fostering children and their caregivers, I feel led to support that ministry specifically.

I hope Shaylee and Willow will be able to join me in a fundraiser for Skookum Kids on February 7. I have three “Paint-by-Number” canvases with baby animals with their mothers. They will be set up in the studio for people to paint for a donation, with all proceeds and the finished paintings going to Skookum House. And I hope it brings as much pure joy to the children there as it will bring me pure joy to make it happen!

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Creating a Studio

It has been at least four years since the seed was planted in my mind, maybe I would say in my soul, to create a creative space for myself and others to Refind Creative Spirit. My daughter and I have had many long conversations about what our “store” would be like if we could dream it up. We collected business cards from people, made lists, wrote down ideas, and made up names. She was finishing college at the time and my creative juices were just starting to flow after so many years of being dedicated to family, work, kids, life in general.

It came as a surprise to find this urge to create. Sometimes it’s like an insatiable appetite, this need to take a found object and turn it into something new. This brilliant idea to take flowers and scan them on my flatbed scanner for months before finding out it was an actual thing others did as well. This compulsion to dry flowers, collect things from nature, to spend hours in “junk” stores, which really should be called treasure troves, and use those to create my own style of art. Finally the absolute obsession with taking those dried petals and using them in place of paint strokes to create the most unique and beautiful designs that just capture the imagination.

Today, after all those months and really years of planning, I was allowed to say, “It’s my grand opening” and Refind Creations went from an idea to reality in a whole new way. For the past two years there has been the fantastic opportunities to be part of the Whatcom Art Guild and sell my designs in their Art Market as well as online in an Etsy shop and now in my own online store. It gave me the confidence and focus to branch out to creating a lovely space where I can continue to come up with ideas and make a mess, study a pattern, or find a whole new thing like metal stamping.

I am especially excited to have a space where the community can come to spark a creative idea themselves. Art Walk is a monthly event where everyone is welcome to see what is going on artistically in our community. It opens doors to collaboration with other artists and brings people in to see what we have all been up to in our studios. The turnout last night was amazing. Hundreds of people flowed through our space and heard about the opportunities coming up for drop in creative projects. I have so much planned and always I come up with something new.

I am looking forward to showing people the tools of the metal stamping art. There will be times where we will pour soy candles, learn about essential oils and their benefits, and make scrubs, lotions, salves, and ointments from nature. We may collage, paint, craft, cut, paste, and even scan things… I am so excited about the possibilities and hope that word gets out that this opportunity to create, collaborate, and bless the community is right here in Bellingham, WA.

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Art Walk

Featured Artist – like they’re talking about someone else. I’ve been Mark’s Mom. Nicki’s Mom. MRI Tech. The boss. The chauffeur of Mark and Nicki. The daughter. The wife. And now The Artist!

Tomorrow-Friday February 22- I get to have my art in a new display. It’s featured every day at Whatcom Art Market of course. It took me months to not laugh at the idea of being an artist.

Now I’m excited to show my Petals as Paint and other creations – candles, collages, and magnets to people out enjoying a cold evening strolling around one of my favorite places – Fairhaven in Bellingham WA.

So happy to be at Sweet Bellingham, a bakery in town that has the most inspired edible creations! What a fun opportunity to meet people who are out having fun! Homemade marshmallows anyone??

I meet people all day every day who are hurting or suffering in my normal job. This will be a great change to see people buying candied apples and cookies, baking supplies and candies. Thank you Sweet Bellingham for letting me set your tables with tiny easels and candles and to hang and display my art!

For all the locals come on out tomorrow night! Head to Sweet Bellingham and Whatcom Art Market. And thanks to Fairhaven Art Walk for giving local artists an opportunity to share our passion with the community!

©Belindabotzong2019

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More Petals in Process

I’m working on another design for Petals as Paint. I am working on products with a couple Print on Demand companies to provide various price points for home decor, clothing and accessories. This one should look particularly pretty on scarves, pillows, and swimwear.

The focal point is pressed primrose while the accents are dahlia petals. The majority part is blue, purple, and green hydrangea petals. I love the textured undersides — so intricately beautiful!

©Belindabotzong2019

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Petals in Progress

You never know where my next design might come from…

A couple weeks ago I spent the weekend with two of my favorite people / my husband’s parents. She had a beautiful bouquet of yellow chrysanthemums and hot pink carnations. I was eyeing those lovelies for my next petals as paint… and here they are. She never lets us leave empty handed!

I dried them for a week in a tub of silica and they are perfectly preserved. And now they are happily becoming my next design!

I added in some white orchid petals, yellow spotted orchid petals, orange tiger lilies, a few random dahlias and some pink echinacea petals.

They are currently drying their second layer of clear acrylic and soon will be off to get scanned. The tile will be framed and put up for sale at Whatcom Art Market and the design will be transformed into home decor, clothing and accessories in my Etsy store – https://www.etsy.com/shop/RefindCreations33

Each one makes me very happy and I hope you enjoy the process and the final product!

https://amzn.to/2TQZvsG

https://amzn.to/2X4I1v6

©Belindabotzong2019

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Creative Process

What is your creative process? How do you find time to be or even feel creative when you are employed full-time, have a family, and so many responsibilities? It seems that there will be a period of time in life where being creative gets put on hold. When I first got married nearly 33 years ago, before those cute little bundles showed up, it seems I had a little creative streak. It was the late 80’s – making wreaths, attending floral arranging classes, and making our home comfortable were a great way to spend my time outside of work.

When the little bundles arrived, I was even creative enough to sew cloth diapers! I took a disposable diaper, drew an outline and created my own pattern. I added velcro and elastic and while they were a little crooked, they got that first little bundle through a year or so with rarely a diaper rash! Now I think cloth diapers, if anyone even uses them anymore, are available with those exact attributes! Maybe if my entrepreneurial spirit had been alive then I would be sitting here counting my money – a diaper mogul!

Gradually as the bundles got a little bigger, I became less creative in an artsy kind of way. I went back to school, got into the medical field, got into a technical medical field, and the only creating I did was fingerpainting with the bundles or making little crafts. I even got so un-creative at some point that when I attended a Mothers of Preschoolers group I was so excited that someone else had to think up our little craft time and I convinced myself I had not one creative bone in my body.

I want to give you some hope if you were once creative and are now either buried in diapers, working full time outside the home, and/or running the older children around in the minivan to a million different activities. Your time will come!

Now my little bundles are in their 20’s and the past year has been my “Renaissance” into creativity. Everyone in my family is a little stunned, as I have shared before. And now that I am comfortable using the term, “I am an artist”, I am starting a new endeavor, expanding what you may see on some of my other posts.

I have opened a store on Etsy. I’m nervous and excited. I have featured some of my art. Petals as Paint originals are there for sale and I also have them in “real life” at the Whatcom Art Market here in Bellingham, WA. Whenever I create a new design with the petals, I take it to the print shop to get a high resolution scan so that when the original is sold (which several have been), the design itself can be used to create more products. I had no idea what resolution would be needed when I took the first two or three. I had no idea what I was going to do with the data or the images. I just knew I didn’t want to let them go. They are original and I created them! I actually love them!

During that time I had also been learning to dry, press, and preserve the flower petals I use to paint with, and I started out scanning the actual flower petals so I could someday use them as well, not having a clue what I was doing. The resolution on those is not high enough to create many products, but at the time I had no idea what I was doing, only that I was in love with the details of creation.

I have now joined three online companies to design home decor, clothing, accessories, and art work using my Petals As Paint concept. I am learning about social media (beyond saying hi to friends on Facebook), about marketing, website design, hiring someone online to help. I am learning about Pinterest, Instagram, and Etsy (beyond looking at pictures). It’s like a parallel universe. All these YouTube videos where any topic imaginable is available to tell you where to click, what to analyze, how to find your market, how to dropship, and how to make a living by writing a blog.

It is a bit like learning a foreign language. All the acronyms are overwhelming. SEO, Analytics, scraping, plug-ins, WooCommerce, Insights, Meta Data! It just developed over that short period of time without me even knowing about it and I have been computer literate my whole adult life. It truly feels like I’m in France and the language is too fast for my ears to comprehend.

I want this to be successful. Apparently there is pain before the success I hope to see. I know my designs are unique, beautiful, interesting, and creative. The are Inspired by Creation!

So, if you want to follow along, check out my sites and give me feedback, sign up for emails, and generally let my Refind Creations into your daily feed that would be awesome.

Visit my sites – they are a work in progress – and see what I’ve been working on:

Etsy

Society6

Fine Arts America/Pixels