An "Ode" to DIY and a Note to You

I really dig Ode Magazine.  They have a blog article celebrating the do-it-yourself spirit, "For example, sewing a couch cushion, growing a food garden, painting walls, or unclogging a toilet -- have you ever done these things yourself?"  Well, I wasn't going to mention it, but last week I unclogged my own toilet and it was really, um...empowering.  There I said it.  It felt good.  Let me know if you ever need to borrow a toilet auger.


A note:  My sister surprised me the other day by saying that she would never have thought of doing the projects that I have done on this blog because she's not that creative.  But the thing is, she is at least as creative as I am, if not more.  The only difference is I am "in the flow" as I like to call it.  (I don't actually call it that, but I'm sure going to start!)  Once you start creating it's kind of hard to stop.  Like a sickness.  Exercise that creativity muscle.  Mod Podge something or paint something.  Look around for inspiration.     


It's like writing.  They say if you want to be a writer, you should write every day.  See this Daily Pep Talk from a Best Friend called Today, You Become a Writer.  Today you become a creator!  Make time for it.


No excuses, OK?  We are going to get the ball rolling for you.  Only have like 10 minutes?  Go to wordle.net and create your own "beautiful word cloud" by pasting in your favorite quote or favorite attributes or whatever you want.  Then toy around with it until it is just the way you want it, print it out, hang it up on your bulletin/inspiration board and be proud of what you made!  So easy and fun!  (If you want to share, post a link in the comments section. I'd love to see what you make!)


Here is one I made using a quote from Louise Erdrich's The Painted Drum.  

Here is the text: 

Ravens are the birds I'll miss most when I die.  If only the darkness into which we must look were composed of the black light of their limber intelligence.  If only we did not have to die at all.  Instead, become ravens.  I've watched these birds so hard I feel their black feathers split out of my skin.  To fly from one tree to another, the raven hangs itself, hawklike, on the air.  I hang myself that same way in sleep, between one day and the next.  When we're young, we think we are the only species worth knowing.  But the more I come to know people, the better I like ravens.  If I have a religious practice, it is the watching of these birds.

You know, I made this quite a while ago and suddenly it occurs to me this would be great to Mod Podge on something...stay tuned!

Update:  See what I made with my Wordle here.