Creativity and other cool stuff - 2nd attempt

Let's see if I'm luckier this morning in publishing this post.

I wanted to share with you the efforts of a couple of talented, creative people. The beauty of the internet is that it allows us to connect with people that we would otherwise never meet in the real world. Our paths would simply never cross. The internet also allows many talented people whose work would otherwise go unnoticed, to shine. You know, cream always rises to the top.

This ability to connect is especially important to rural artists and craftsmen, who in the past were isolated.

I first met Jen Rizzo at the Chicago area bloggy get together last February. She's a petite powerhouse, having organized the gathering and created lovely tote bags for every guest. I thought she was a recent college grad. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that she was married with a house full of young children. Yikes! How does she manage to get so much done? I was never good in that department.

I've been following her blog with great interest as she and her husband renovate their kitchen. This is something I'm trying to get up the nerve to do myself. There are several unfinished projects around here that need attending first but it's always good to have the next project in the back of your mind. This Friday she's promised the final reveal. This should be exciting. Well, it's exciting for someone whose kitchen is looking shabby, and NOT the good shabby either.

You can follow her blog here:

JENNIFER RIZZO

She's also recently opened an Etsy shop filled with her creations; jewelry, hats and repurposed clothing. She finds things and remakes them to live a new life and thus her shop is called Found and Made.

FOUND AND MADE

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Thank heaven for talented people who generously share their gift. Portobello Pixie is home base for fabric designer Sandy Henderson. Personally, I can't think of a better job than designing fabric except for being a fabric buyer!

Sandy's website is a beauty and if you scroll down the right hand sidebar you'll find several tutorials and also six free projects.

PORTOBELLO PIXIE

My favorite project for the holiday season is called Ribbon Candy Ornament. She's figured out a way to create something that looks like those shiny folded ribbon candies using grosgrain ribbon. This would be a fun project for the family to do on Thanksgiving, after the dinner table has been cleaned up.

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Thanks for visiting with me today. I hope you find some inspiration from these talented people.