The ideas and insights shared in  “Refuse to Choose:  Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams” have helped me realize that there are people like me out there, with a zillion interests and passions when it comes to career and life choices, and that being unable to choose between them doesn’t make us flighty or confused, nor unfocused amateurs, sufferers of so-called “shiny object syndrome”.   In fact, like Da Vinci, Aristotle, Steve Jobs, and countless others in current and past history, we have the biological imperative and capability to pursue all of our interests, at the same time.  We are:

         Scanners    Renaissance people   Artists                Polymaths     Fireworks

Far from flighty or scattered, we are very bright, fast thinkers, multi-talented and very, very committed to experiencing, learning, growing and following as many of our passions as possible.  To do this, we scan careers and interests, rather than dive deeply into them as is the expectation in our current culture.  We are fireworks, not lasers and oh how colorful and necessary we are to the world! 

If you’d like to understand why I can say this so emphatically or if you’re a curious creative, like me, I suggest you slow down for a moment and do as I did.  First I listened to Barbara speak more about what Scanners are in this video.  Then I settled in to read “Refuse to Choose:  Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams” .  Not only did I not speed-read this book (as I usually do all books),  I savored it.  I let it seep into my soul.  Because what Barbara can tell you is that we wanderers turn out to be quite clever, if not entirely well-understood in today’s society…

And even if you find out you aren’t a scanner, you will still find some mind-blowingly simple tools and techniques for successful project and life management, for getting moving when you seem hopelessly stuck, and a better understanding of one segment of your Fellow Man. 

When you’re done, I sure hope you’ll come back and let me know what you thought of the book!  Me?  I’m off to find myself a Scanner’s Daybook…or perhaps that’s one of the first things I’ll have to make at my new studio. 

p.s.   Getting a copy of the book is just a click away.  Because sometimes impatience is a virtue.     “Refuse to Choose:  Use All of Your Interests, Passions, and Hobbies to Create the Life and Career of Your Dreams”

p.p.s  If you can’t even wait for the book to arrive, don’t forget that listening to Barbara explain what Scanners are may just help tide you over:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdSd8El_C8U

What is the benefit of being the green goldfish in a world of orange?

(are you beginning to wonder what this has to do with a Teapot?)

We live in a world of consumerism and arm-chair environmentalism.  It’s easy on our wallet and schedules to drop into the local dollar store or big box chain to get what we’re looking for at a great price.  We have recycling depots and curb-side pickups to dispose of our waste in a useful and enviro-friendly way.  So, why would anyone want to spend the time or money on a “green goldfish” – to come to a studio to create anything with their own hands from used or recycled materials?

How will the products and experiences in my Studio change your world for the better?

My Teapot holds the answer.

Here it is, poorly painted (I’ve improved over the years, I promise!), in colors I might not choose now – but it serves tea to my family and friends and when it is not doing that it sits on the kitchen shelf as decoration.  I have had other teapots over the years but they have broken or failed in some way and this teapot remains.   I painted this teapot in a craft studio many years ago and have lugged it from house to house, sometimes not using it for years at a time but never have I considered it clutter.  What is the value of this chipped, misfit of a teapot and better yet -

how will it illustrate the value in my studio products and services?

It’s value is that I created it in an afternoon of blissful creativity with my new husband.  On a whim, I had grabbed fresh leaves from my garden on my way out the front door and brought them to the studio.  These leaves I painted and pressed onto my teapot, their stamped image a reminder of our first home. Little did I realize that shortly afterward we’d seize an opportunity to move and would leave our first little house behind, taking away very few reminders of that golden time but that teapot.  My teapot is charged with the energy of that day, the good feelings behind its creation and whether its pouring tea or observing life from a shelf, it serves that energy up to me when I need it and to the people I care about. The value of my teapot is simple as it is moving:

• it is as special as the occasion for which it was created/purchased.
• of sentimental value to me, regardless of the cost (I couldn’t tell you what I paid to create this pot because I don’t remember, it wasn’t important)
• It represents a milestone, an event, a symbol of a part of my life, a reminder of the past.
• something that can never be created in something mass produced.
• a tangible memory to hold in my hand, to reconnect with and have a sensory experience of the memory it invokes.

For me, my teapot is the embodiment of the value proposition in crafting by hand, goods that you need (or better yet – goods that you want), from recycled materials- all things you will find in my Studio opening later this year.   I believe that my customers will feel that way too because I also was once a customer looking for this type of connective experience and found it in a teapot.

Do you believe that that a visit to my studio could change your world for the better?  I’d love to hear what you’re looking forward to in a visit to the studio!

And just a hint if you’re still working on your own green glasses:  not all green people can be found digging in our dumpsters although that can be a great place to meet them!

For example, being a Prairie girl, old tires and long-forgotten granaries are part of the landscape in farming communities.  But look what amazingly beautiful things have been crafted from them:

<= This is an amusing bird sculpted from old tires by Canadian artist Damien Lemée.

And this is The Granaries on Bear Mountain Bed & Breakfast in Dawson Creek, BC (currently for sale ) =>

My theory is that sooner or later you get to a point in recycling, upcycling, repurposing, junking, whatever you’d like to call it…where the glasses are just a part of you…you’re always looking for your next recycling opportunity, for your next inspiration and that inspiration opens up new vistas and ideas and people that are just too cool for words.  And with a growing number of people putting on their glasses, we can’t help but do the world some good, don’t you think?

So don’t be too worried if you don’t see “green people” just yet, or see an idea and think “I could never do that!” or “Why didn’t I think of that?”.  Green vision grows over time and is well worth the time to cultivate it.

Come on over to the convos happening on my Facebook Page about the two amazing photos above (and don’t forget to click “Like” when you get there!).

Which of these three HubCap designs from Blue Velvet Chair make you smile the most?

Swap-O-Matic inventors – what must I do to be the first Canadian owner of such a marvel?

What is the Swap-O-Matic, you may be wondering by now?  The Swap-O-Matic “is a vending machine that encourages users to trade rather than buy! It playfully reminds us that reusing and recycling can be just as fun as buying something new.” (source: http://swap-o-matic.com).

Playful.  Reusing and Recycling is FUN.  Buying second hand can be just as fun as buying new.   I like that the Swap-O-Matic is not only entertaining to say (go ahead – try it out loud for full effect) but it also encourages people to think beyond currency and to re-evaluate our beliefs around value.  I like that today, April 11th, you can reach into the one and only existing Swap-O-Matic and trade yourself a taste of Christmas (there’s a new candy cane in there!), but on another day there have been vintage cameras, children’s clothing and yarn for a friendship bracelet.  I wonder if I could fit my bread maker in there?I love that this one machine is like hitting a thrift store, garage sale, your best friend’s closet and a shopping boutique without sacrificing the thrill of the hunt.

You know what the neatest thing is though?  Just today, I was sitting with friends brainstorming ideas that would help create a community of “pay it forward” through the studio. I had decided – what if I could develop a system for donating to local non-profit and service organizations or just even people who find value in the products being created in the studio without having to put a price tag on anything?  What if any studio projects that clients do not wish to take home (you know how sometimes you’re in it for the creative experience rather than the end result?  Or perhaps you just can’t stop making thing-a-ma-jigs and need a place to stash the extras?), could somehow be swapped, traded or outright given for raffles, fundraisers, employee awards, office or home decor, you name it?

Now I know the answer to that most powerful question:  “What if?”  It causes a Swap-O-Matic to fall out of the blogosphere.  Now the question is only – “when will I get one?”

So if you’re curious, head over to the Swap-O-Matic website to check out the new object of my desire.  While you’re there, could you put in a good word for me and drop a hint that the Rusty Magpie DIY Studio in Lacombe, Alberta should be the first location for a Canadian Swap-O-Matic?

And don’t forget to tell them Lisa sent you!

…well it definitely fits the bill and is something I would want to hang in my kitchen, even.  Pop on over to Krafty Kat’s blog and check out her great tutorial for an Egg Carton Spring Wreath.  For my home staging followers, the possibilities are endless with this craft if you’re in need of a little something to fill an awkward blank space on the wall.  And you can get your kids working on it while you’re doing other things to get your home ready for sale! 

So, on to Funky Fungus Fun for your Front Door... I stepped out my door this morning and was greeted by spring in Alberta – FINALLY!  I whirled around to whip the winter wreath off my door only to remember that I don’t have a suitable spring-y replacement for it.  What to do?  A naked front door is simply not acceptable.  Standing outside my front door in my faded red polka dot capri pj pants, polka dot slippers (of course) and my favorite old gray sweatshirt,  I wondered…WWKD?

What Would Karen Do? I’ve recently been indulging in Canadian Karen Bertelsen’s funny, inspiring blog “The Art of Doing Stuff”.  She has the most amazing non-mathematically inclined repurposing inspiration that always bring me a smile and a trip to the dollar store or Habitat for Humanity (or both, because like me, she’s that kind of girl).  So I venture off the Pinterest path and search her site for wreath ideas.  WWKD?

And once again, Karen comes through.   “There’s a Fungus Amungus” is actually one of her blog posts from 2011 but it’s perfect and it’s what we Canadians call a “two-fer” so it’s frugal friendly -  she offers a follow up project “Return of the Peep” if you are more of a spring/Easter traditionalist when it comes to your door decor.

Et voila!  Like Karen, I plan to spend a gorgeous day of spring cooking up some Funky Fungus Fun for my Front Door….

Happy Spring!

I’m looking to incorporate salvage materials from old homes, barns, outbuildings in upcoming projects. Your trash really is my treasure!  Willing to put in the sweat equity in a timely manner to remove/dismantle/truck away the items I can use before you consign the remains to the landfill.

Email Lisa with tips or for more information…

• Windows of all sizes, with or without glass
• Doors of all sizes in just about any condition
• Wood siding, painted or non
• Beams and supports
• Interior details
• kitchen cabinets and furniture in just about any condition
• sinks and fixtures
• Hardware for doors, cabinets, etc
• old wall coverings
• floors
• non-working shop tools, garden tools, kitchen tools
• dishes, plates, crockery, jars (mismatched, broken, chipped is welcome)
• Household items left behind (lamps, books, you name it!)
• and more….

Now, before you get caught up in visions of me upside down scrabbling in a Dumpster like this….which I seldom ever do and always restrict immersion to no more than an arm, a shoulder at most, let me tell you why I see myself more like this….

First of all, I think an antiquer and a junker are two separate entities.  In my opinion, an antiquer has an appreciation for the “whole original” whereas a junker is someone who retrieves ordinarily discarded things and redefines or re-envisions its use or finds ways to give parts of the original material new life.  In addition, I find the junk hunt a little bit more gritty and Indiana Jones-esque thrilling than your average Antique Mall.  And believe me, when I find what I didn’t even know I was looking for, my find glints just as brightly in my hand as any rare treasure.

An item I recently salvaged – a 1970s recipe book in an abandoned old home – really brought home for me what the ultimate attraction in junking is for me.  My junk items are so much more personal, meaningful than things I buy retail – they’re about finding heritage/heirlooms that don’t even belong to my own family.  Each item I find, I wonder where it came from, who used it, why they used it, what can I use it for to maintain it’s dignity after someone else either throws it away or sells it out! I see beauty in portions of an object and don’t necessarily need the “whole original” to appreciate its worth.

So that’s my deep, dark secret.  I’m a junker and I’m blowing the doors off the closet to bring forth the Rusty Magpie Studio – my Canadian on-line and travelling sales venue for thrifted, junked and otherwise re-envisioned finds that I know will have you dreaming Indiana dreams too.  Stay tuned for more details as they’re unearthed…

But wait, I wanted to ask – what do you think?  Are you a junker or an antiquer? Or do you even agree that there’s a difference?