Day 68: Trash to Treasures

I was looking around on the web the other day, as you do, and I found this competition which asked people to make things from recycled stuff. As I was looking through the entries, I thought how many creative things you can make out of rubbish. The closing date had already passed (which is a shame), but luckily for us, the winner has been announced:

This crocheted flower is by Jane of Hooked Yarn. Can you believe its made from carrier bags? How amazing! check out her technique here.

There were loads of cool entries like necklaces made from Cheerio boxes, a heart wall hanging made of paper shopping bags and even some frilly knickers made from an old wedding dress!
Check out all the entries at http://www.makers-online.co.uk/blog/ You could follow their creative endeavors on their daily blog too.

What do you make? Do you knit, sow, make cards, jewellery...why not try making it out of unusual stuff? Be inspired by the stuff that's already out there and do your own thing with the ideas it gives you!

Be different, be creative...

Day 67: Charlie and Lola

I know what you are thinking, why have you put a 4 year old's T.V. programme on a teenager's creative blog? Well, hear me out before you pass judgement.

Charlie and Lola was originally a picture book for kids written and illustrated by Lauren Child. Believe it or not, it's really unusual for one person to write and draw the same book because the publishing companies don't like it (you'd think it would make it easier, but apparently not!). The thing I love about it is the collage she's used for the backgrounds, their clothes, props, everything. If they are eating a banana, then it will be a picture of a real banana. It's so cool!

Imagination is at the top of it's game in this one too. See how it will inspire you to be creative with stories or animation... if you haven't seen Charlie and Lola before, then watch this episode (it's only 10 minutes). In fact, even if you have seen Charlie and Lola, watch it anyway because it's so great.



I hope this has inspired you to be creative! I used to watch Charlie and Lola every morning with my little sister before she went to school, but now she thinks she's too big for it now (I have my doubts). So sometimes I watch it on iplayer by myself (because I'm so cool!). To be fair, I am studying writing for young people, so really, it's research!

Anyway, enough about me. Be inspired by Charlie and Lola. Do you have an interesting relationship you could creative from like Charlie and Lola's? Or do you have an interesting animation technique which could be the next craze? Use YOUR ideas and be creative...

Day 66: Imaginative Pizza

I went to Pizza Express the other day with some friends and had a yum pizza (of course). It was callled Padana; goat's cheese with caramelised onions and spinach. It was whilst I was eating this pizza that I saw they've got a pizza challenge on!

They're asking YOU to come up with their next brilliant pizza topping. If you win, you get your pizza on their menu and earn £5,000! Cool huh!

So, what would be your dream topping? Hot and mouth watering? Fruity and tangy? Meaty and chunky? It's up to you! Check out their website here for more details.

Now's your chance to get creative with your food and inspire a real restaurant with your ideas!

Go...

Day 65: Verity

Today's blog entry is dedicated to this gorgeous girl, my sister Verity. She's in New Zealand an has been for nearly 2 years now so I haven't seen her for AGES!

What's your sister got to do with my creative blog? Well, just look at this picture! She screams out creative to me. What she wears, the things she does, the places she goes...she's definitely a creative thinker!

She has been really supportive about this creative endeavor of mine from the start and has been a constant source of creative inspiration to me. That's why today's blog is for her, on her birthday.

Happy Birthday sis!

Think about someone you know who supports you in your creativity. Go give them a hug or something. We wouldn't be anywhere without support! Perhaps do something with your creative talents for them today...just something little...

Day 64: Vogue...Any idea?

Fashion, fashion, fashion! If anyone knows fashion, it's Vogue. It all started in 1892 as a magazine appealing to high class New Yorkers. It featured reviews of plays, books and music. Fashion was hardly mentioned.

That all changed when a man called Conde Nast took over the magazine in 1909. From then on advertisement and fashion took centre stage! The rest is, as they say, history. When he died in 1942 Time's magazine said, "for a generation he was the man from whom millions of American women got their ideas, directly or indirectly, about the desirable standard of living."

Ideas is the main point I want to focus on. For over 30 years this man gave women (and men) ideas, suggestions, ... What an inspirational man.

What ideas do you have that could influence the world? Is fashion your thing? Animation or film? Art or sculpture? Writing or journalism? How could you give people ideas?

Look at these pictures. Can you see how the magazine has changed? Ideas move on, progress, develop. Ideas are needed all the time and YOU are the new generation!

What produces ideas? Creativity! So use your creativity to inspire others. Use your ideas to make more. You know, like the snowball affect. Maybe that's what makes the world go round too!

I hope you feel inspired by Mr Nast and his creative ideas. It just goes to show that with a bit of umph and creativity on your side, your ideas can change the world...

Day 63: Give peas a chance

The other day, me and my sister where driving round the M25 coming back from a jolly camping trip. On our journey we went under loads of bridges as you would expect, but there was one which particularly caught my eye. Someone had written on a bridge in white paint, 'give peas a chance.'

Now, I've seen the graffiti on this bridge before, but I've never really found myself pondering over it's meaning...

Does it mean, don't eat peas? Or set peas free...if that's what they meant they would definitely have a lot of squashed peas on the M25! Maybe it's an anti-motorway campaign?

If you were going to go to all the effort of vandalising a bridge on the busy M25 would you really write the words 'give peas a chance'? I don't think I would.

My point is (yes I AM going somewhere with this) that millions of people (maybe thousands) read that message every day as they drive to work, holiday or wherever and it seems to me it's not really achieving much.

I decided to do a bit of 'research' into this phrase and it turns out it's been used all over the place. Advertisement for allotment spaces, healthy living, eating hummus (chick peas)...apparently even Paul McCartney used to say it on tour with the Beetles!

So it would seem this phrase is saying something after all. But, maybe it's there for the sole purpose of entertaining drivers during the boredom that is the M25. It certainly worked on me. I saw it last Monday and I'm still thinking about it!

So, to conclude (finally) I've decided that this (still rather odd) graffiti is in fact full of creativity and has inspired this very blog entry. Don't get me wrong, I am in no way applauding vandalism, but it is a fun game to play in your head...what would YOU write on a massive bridge to entertain drivers (creatively I mean, no rude ones please)? How could you entertain the masses with your words?

Something to think about...

Day 62: YOUR world vision...

Every so often I get this magazine through my door called Bug. I must have signed up for it at an event I went to or something. It's sent out to young people by the charity World Vision, a children's charity dedicated to ending world poverty and injustice. This is Bug magazine's slogan;

"If you think you're too small to make a difference, you haven't been to bed with a mosquito in the room."

Pretty cool, huh!

Anyway, I was flicking through their latest magazine and on the back page was a competition I think you might be interested in. Here are the details as written on the back of the mag;

"Start imagining...
Imagine our crazy-mixed-up world has had a makeover...
It's no longer a place of injustice, intolerance and suffering.
Global citizens have put the planet on a 'get gorgeous' regime and it's become a wonderland...
What does it look like now? Have things changed for the better?
Email us an inspiring sentence, or two, for your chance to a win a newly-released Alice in Wonderland DVD. bug@worldvision.org.uk "

So, there's your challenge guys and gals. The creative part is up to you. What do you imagine...?

(Find out more about Bug here. Sign up for your own copy here.)