December 6 - Make

December 6 – Make. 
What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

The ugly truth is the thing I am making now is not "art".  I am painting wooden ornaments with inexpensive acrylic paints.  The ornaments have circle openings for pictures, and I plan to put To/From labels inside that I made in Illustrator and attach the ornaments to presents as tags.  They cost maybe $.25/each on Black Friday, the best day for craft shopping ever.  I plan to wrap my presents in paper bags, and to make bows using magazines.  That's next.

The last serious making I did was at the Art Therapy Conference in November.  I created this small kit I can carry with me to Sacramento which includes a mechanical pencil and a thin sharpie (my current favorite art supply), a small watercolor set (I didn't spend this much for this, I used 50% coupons and got a smaller one), and watercolor crayons.  I use a sample container from the Body Shop for water.  I brought my altered book/sketch book, and during the opening sessions of the conference, I sat and created while I listened.  The conference had an open studio space, which I took advantage of one morning after a presentation.  And I created these:

I've been trying to find a time to create between, during or after clients.  I try to schedule time after work.  I try to make time during the weekends.  Nothing works.  Space is incredibly limited, and there is always something else to do.  I have a sketchbook full of things I want to make, from the scrapbooks I plan to finish to the potholders I want to sew to the ATC and altered bookmaking I need creative play time for.  As I'm writing this, I'm beginning to realize that I need to sign up for classes or groups or studio space outside my home and work.  I'm also making the commitment to work on projects the week after Christmas.  I have to!