The Pattie Wack Formula For Creativity

Gooooood Morning Santa Paula! All I could say was" WOW" when Scott and I got to the GMSP Breakfast this morning at 6:30 and saw my huge stand-up in the window of the Glen Tavern Inn. The attendance was also huge, compared to the usual group, and I was shocked to find out that gals had come all the way from Santa Barbara, Oxnard and Ventura to see me. Thank goodness I wrote notes on cheater cards and had practiced my "Pattiewack Formula for Creativity" on Scott the night before. I was a little nervous, but excited to find out that so many people were eager to learn how to become more creative.




To rev up their creative juices, I threw some crafty things in a decoupaged suitcase to sit in the foyer as the 80-something guests filled the room. They cracked up when they saw the bra purses, and loved the huge tassel and adored the high-heeled shoe, cowboy boot and purse, and the clapping hands, all made with the ProvoCraft PattieWack Coluzzle Templates. I threw in some placemat purses, and photo boxes that I made with the 123D Papercrafting System. Of course, I had some decoupage pieces, like the bust and luggage, too. Crafty ideas started flowing fast!




















That's me and Frank waiting for the breakfast to begin, and as you can see, I brought my mannequin with decoupage and chalkboard paint. Scott helped me lug everything in, and I think the mannequin was the star of the show!

I want to thank the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to share my creative formula with this fun group. Here are some of the highlights of my 10-minute speech.

My personal FORMULA for CREATIVITY is simple:
1. Take something from your surroundings.
2. Draw from your past experiences.
3. Ponder your need or desire for something new.

In other words, what we have to work with are:
What our resources are right now,
what we perceive out of the past,
and what we hope for in the future.

Being creative is like using a muscle;
Like the runner, the more he runs,
the more he builds up those muscles,
the more he can run....
And the more creative you are,
the more you develop your creative muscle.

It is important to draw upon your surroundings. I personally think that this is the strongest part of the formula for me. It can be other people, things you see, smell, hear and touch…

Even Albert Einstein said,
"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”

Here’s a good example:
When Michelle Neuhauser from Krylon Product’s craft division called me for creative direction on new ways to use their spray paint….

I used my formula of:
taking something from my surroundings,
past experiences,
and a desire for something new.
So, I put on my lab coat (literally) with the desire to make something new, grabbed some old spray paint, and started adding things from my surroundings, such as spraying water on an item to resist the spray paint to create a mottled effect.

I dropped mineral spirits onto wet spray paint to create a tortoise shell effect. And so on….until I had created
13 faux painting techniques!

Everyone is creative! But we are not creative in the same way. How many of you remember Kindergarten? Remember when you got your first big box of crayons?

Well, what each of us did with the crayons was different… some of us drew clouds and butterflies, some of wrote notes to our friends, some of us wrote on the desk,or gave ourselves a temporary tattoo, and I’ll bet SOME of you ATE the crayons!

At that point, I asked everyone to take a crayon from the pile in the middle of the table. Then I asked everyone to create something, using their crayon (the present), their kindergarten experience (the past), and their desire to make something new (the future). It was amazing!

We came up with some fun ideas:
1. Melt the crayons and pour them into butterfly molds to create butterfly shaped crayons.
2. Cover the sides of a box to look like a fence.
3. Turn the crayons into rocket-shapes to toss like toys.
4. Draw on fabric with the crayons and drop dye onto the fabric, then iron to create a batik.

What a fun group!

We started a list of peeps who want to start a PattieWack craft group for the Ventura County, as I shook hands and signed autographs at the end of the meeting.

Thanks, Santa Paula Chamer of Commerce and City Manager, Wally Bobkiewicz for this amazing opportunity!
I promise to organize another crafty meet-up very soon.

Ventura County Star

I am picking myself off the floor this morning! The Ventura County Star newspaper did a feature article on me entitled, "Creating Your Creativity." Woweeeeee! Sam Richards, reporter for the Star, interviewed me last week, and their photographer James Glover, shot some pics here at my studio, and now, WOW! My phone is ringing off the hook, and everyone is buzzing about the "Good Morning Santa Paula" breakfast that I will be speaking for on Tuesday.

My goooooodness, I didn't know that one little gal like me could cause such a stir. And I'm in such good company, too. Michael Gelb, a speaker on creativity and author of "How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day" was quoted in the article, saying..... "The single most important obstacle is thinking that you're not creative."

Okay, I have to get off my blog, and get busy. You won't believe what I'm working on today. It's top secret, and I'll have to get back to you when I'm done. Have a great weekend!

BTW, click above on the title "Ventura County Star" if you want to view the online article.

oh, Baby!

Good grief! Don't throw away broken glass, just glue a photo on one side so that it's peaking through, like I did. Then run a line of 3-D glue around the edge, let it dry overnight, then stick crafting foil to it to create a fab necklace.

Picnic Quillows

Is there anything better than a picnic? Well, maybe a picnic with wine! When Scott and I go on hikes or to outdoor concerts, we love to take our fave wine and a way to spread everything out for a lazy lunch. My Mom and Daddy make these fab quilts that are the size of an afghan, which fold into themselves to form a pouch with a shoulder strap. They're called QUILLOWS! There are pockets on the sides, so that we can tuck our wine or other beverages into the pouch, and off we go! Mom and Daddy have a quilting shop in Oklahoma, where they machine quilt these quillows and all sorts and sizes of quilts. People drive from all over the Grand Lake area to drop off their quilt tops and then when they pick them up, they have magically turned into beautiful quilts! Of course, they have a website at PearlsQuilts.com where their other clients place orders and ship their quilt tops to my Mom and Dad. I can't wait for tomorrw, since we are going to head to the beach in Santa Barbara to watch fireworks and lie on the beach. You'll see me there, with Scott and my quillow!

Rick Rack Pattie Wack

I love this outfit! I glued rickrack and daisy appliques onto my jeans and top, and woohoo..... I'm ready to watch fireworks, barbeque, or just take a little nap on a quilt under a tree. The rick rack is a fuzzy chenille, which makes it so much fun to touch. And the best part is, I didn't have to sew. Easy, cute and quick!

That smile looks good on you...

I like to look my best, and I figure that when I'm laughing, it's all good. So, today, I'm going to give away laughter.....how about you?

Pattiewack on You Tube!

I'm on YouTube!! Can you believe it? I did not even know it until somebody told me. How crazy is that?
I followed the links from the YouTube site, and found out that Paul Gambino, author of Scrap City, has the video on his site, also. That makes sense, because the video is from a KOTV Channel 6 segment I did on CBS for the Six In The Morning Show, where I talked about Paul's new book, and demonstrated the Art Bra Scrapbook and other projects that I designed in the book.

Oh, and I told a BIG SECRET to the whole world that day on national television.

You'll have to watch the video (just click on the image above to load the video) to find out what my big announcement was. Then go out and make your very own scrapbook!

Ice, Ice, Baby

These tools aren't Vanilla Ice, baby... they're Crystal Ice. And they are mine! I am crazy excited today, because my Pattie Wack Pom Pom and Tassel Tools have hit the streets. We have been working on these cherry products for a year with Coats and Clark, so it's so cool to see them reviewed in the latest Creative Knitting magazine for July 2007.

DIY Vogue Fashion

I totally flipped when I saw the latest Teen Vogue magazine that I picked up at Barnes & Noble yesterday. There was a crafty article in there that reminded me of this cute fashion project I did a few years ago.


Is this not sweet? The cute model chicky is Denise, and she is a great friend. Her ankle length shift is embellished with wordly places, cut from white fabric that I ironed to fusible web, and simply ironed onto the dress. Way easy!







Well, the Henry Holland style in the Teen Vogue is the same sort of look, with a different technnique. If you go to the Teen Vogue DIY page, you can see how they did the letters with jewels glued on, using stencils as a guide. I just love, love, love the huge jewels! Now I'm going to have to find my bin of giant acrylic jewels and make myself a shirt.

Front Page News!

Oh my GOSH! When Santa Paula Times reporter, Peggy Kelly asked me for an interview, I had no idea that she would write such a great story. Although we DID have a giggle-fest and talked like old friends for two hours, about all the crazy, crafty stuff I've done. I love how she really got to know me, and truly captured my love for crafts. Woweeee. Front page, baybeeeeeeee. Wooohoooo!

(By the way, if you want to actually READ the copy, click on the photo, and you'll get an up close and personal look.)

Or, go to the Santa Paula Times
page to see the article and all the other things that are happening in our town. Thanks, Peggy!

Juicy Crafts

Yummmmy, juicy, fun, tasty and easy! Grab a carving knife, a watermelon, and get crafty. Just think of the squeals of delight when you whip this out at the next party. I cheated, and found some sticky stencils to smack onto the front of the watermelon, carved out the daisy design, ripped it off, and wow! Wacky, but useful for holding flowers, or to put melon balls into. Try it!, I dare you.

Preeeety Boxes

If you've been hanging around me very long, you know about the things I love most. Let's see, there's spray paint, there's tassels and pompoms, and there's BOXES! These are some that I made with the new 123D Papercrafting tools that I helped design for EK Success. And guess what? The new tools are in Michael's Stores right now, as I type! I am soooo excited about this. The new tools are supremely perfect for papercrafting your brains out. So, get ready, because I'm going to be designing boxes galore. Oh, and of course they will have to have spray paint, tassels, and pompoms on them. Too fun!

See You In The Funny Papers

Blondie and Dagwood can go with me to the grocery store now, with my cute comic strip bag, and newspaper beads, baby! All you need to do is laminate the newspaper, then sew up the sides, and add a closure like I did. The barrel beads are triangles of newspaper rolled onto a skinny straw, glued at the end, and then strung together with beads on an elastic thread. Fast, fun, and cheap!

Big Dog Parade

The Big Dog Parade in Santa Barbara today was so much fun. Puppies, people and pooches were everywhere! The itty bitty dogs are my favorite, and the costumes were amazing.







Talk about creative! We were sitting on the curb, giggling and sipping our coffees, when it occurred to me how much work went into the preparation, and how patient the doggies must be.

Scary to Lovely Luggage

I have some very scary luggage from years ago when my crazy friend Darsee and I were decoupaging everything in sight. The photo shoot for the book that we were writing on decoupage was a hoot, with me dressed in vintage clothing and standing on the railroad tracks looking longingly for someone special to arrive on an imaginary train. Pretty funny now, huh? *giggle*



The book "Distinctive Decoupage" was written by the two of us while I was co-hosting on the Aleene's Creative Living show. We decoupaged luggage, frames, trunks, a vinyl chair, lampshades, boxes, glass table tops, and even ceramic pillars!






Well, I took that old luggage and made it new again. First of all, I had to start with covering up all of the old paint and photos from the first makeover. Gesso to the rescue! It was perfect for major coverage and it gave me a blank canvas. The next step was to spray paint it all white. Now I was ready to decoupage and pick my paper. I have some fabulous new paper from EK Success that is to die for. So I used it for my decoupage and it turned out soooo pretty. I am going to use the new luggage to organize and store craft supplies in my studio. I'm lovin' how fresh and sweet it looks.

Fake Cake

Spring always makes me think of pretty little cakes and parties. And to make it last forever, I made a three-tiered fake cake! All you need are three sizes of styro circles, stack them up, and cover them with dried flowers like I did, or you can use silk flowers if you prefer. The tiny little dried rosebuds are so sweet. And I didn't heat up my kitchen, only my trusty glue gun!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there. Relax, have fun, and enjoy your families.

Craft A Go-Go

Don’t tell anyone, but I made a D in Home Ec, and the teacher hated me, but I don't blame her. In my adolescent arrogance, I did not care about learning to make a potholder when I was sitting there in a dress I made myself. Can I help it, that my mom had already taught me how to sew? It was a weekly adventure for us to trek to the local fabric store in Ada, Oklahoma to find the grooviest new dress pattern and the latest double knit. Oops, I just gave my age away. I remember an orange sherbet paisley printed a-line dress, with long bell sleeves and extra long pointy collar. Look out, Twiggy. That collar was a bitch to sew, but it was worth it. I had the white patent go-go boots too, baby. Woohoo. I'm outa here...gotta get to a fabric store. Can you say paisley?

Ripped Frame

Here's a close-up of the frame with ripped fabric. On this piece, I threaded beads onto raffia before I twisted it around the frame. I am thinking about putting a fringe on my patio umbrella now. The umbrella is red, and brand new. But, last week when the wind was so terrible, the bungie cord that was wrapped around it, chewed into it and ripped some holes. So, I guess it's time to craft it!

Ripped Tablecloth

The ripped projects are so much fun! I made this tablecloth with the same fabrics, adding raffia for more texture, and it is so amazing for outdoors, because you get a lot of movement in a breeze. Can't you just see this with organzas, ribbons, and other sheer fabrics?

Rip It Up!

Don't throw away your fabric scraps! Rip it up and tie it to everything like I did. First, rip the fabric into 1-inch strips, then start tying it around the candlestick, or whatever. I used a safari print cotton fabric, and I love the jungle feeling it gave the pieces.

How To Make Tassels

If you watched the KOTV Channel Six in the Morning show today on CBS, and are looking for the project page, you can find the instructions at:
Craft Studios
You can find the tassel making tools at: PattieWack.com. The fibers I used are the Adornaments. I also think that ribbon would be gorgeous for the bride tassel, and I thought about not cutting the bottom of the tassel, to make it more poufy. So many options! I would love to see YOUR tassels, so send me your pics. And oh, I almost forgot! You can actually view a video of me demonstrating the tassel tool at:
Craft Studios Clips

Tassels for Everyone!

You know I LOVE making tassels, and these characters are too cute. I made these to show this coming Monday on Channel Six for the morning show. I used the Jolee's stickers for the tassel tops, and cut a piece of felt to match for the back. Now they are ready for packages, bookmarks, party favors, or I can even make them into Christmas ornaments. I think that I need to make a cheerleader or a graduate next.

Paint with Tires

Okay, everyone is asking me how I did these. Easy! I took a sponge paint roller and applied black fabric paint onto the tread of a tire and then just rolled it across the jeans and tees. You know, if you don't have a tire laying around, you can paint with your car! Just be sure nobody is WEARING the clothes when you run over them! *giggle* Seriously!

Tire Track Tees

When I got the idea for these shirts, everyone thought I was crazy, but I love how they turned out! Of course, the girls love them, too. How outrageous!

Button Bracelet

I so want to make some of these! I simply love the idea of using found objects, and especially buttons. These are gorgeous, and seem so simple to make. I'm going to my button box right now....

Sponge High Heeled Shoes

Can you believe these are made with sponge scrubbers, and all kinds of wacky household items? I love it! Good grief, I wouldn't wear them, but they sure would make a funky conversation starter. I know, just sit them on the floor by the shower door to freak out your guests. How fun, since all you need is a good bottle of glue.

Reconstructed Fashion

I had a blast doing this t-shirt and bag for Channel Six this Monday morning. I found the t-shirt at the local thrift store, and the bag, too! The bag has hidden pockets and cell phone holder inside, which makes it perfect, and fun to carry. The iron-ons are so easy, that this little project only took about 30 minutes from start to finish. There are SO many iron-ons in the store now, that it is hard to decide which ones to use.

Unsupervised Dye

This is what happens when you let kids dye Easter eggs! Yeppers, that's Lindsey after a few minutes without supervision. I wonder how the eggs turned out.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter Everyone!

Bubble Wands for Easter

This weekend will be such fun with Easter Egg Hunts, family picnics, and kids playing outdoors to celebrate the holiday. If you are looking for an idea to keep the kids creative, try these bubble wands that I made for Craft TV. They are super easy, since all you need are shrink plastic sheets, scissors, and some permanent markers. Here is the pattern that you can enlarge to a full size sheet when you print it out. Let the kids watch as you place the cut-outs on a cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees in an oven. I still get a kick out of watching the plastic curl up, shrink, and then lay flat on the sheet when it's done. Too cool! The kids can use markers to write their names or draw designs on the plastic before you shrink it.


BUBBLES RECIPE: Mix 5 cups water, 2 cups liquid dishwashing soap and 1/2 cup corn syrup. Pour into colorful bowls to dunk your bubble wands into, and watch the fun begin! Happy Easter, everyone!

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My New Pattie Wack Studio

Voila! It is totally done, and I am loving it. Everything has a place, and everything is in it’s place. That’s something I learned from my mom and dad. They would be proud. Now I can stir up some new craft projects, sew up something and dream up some new craft products. Fun, fun, fun!

Gotta Haves

There are some things I can’t live without on my design table. Paper dolls, masks, crazy ephemera, rub-on alphabets, glue, a ton of scissors, paper, my markers, and a cool roller stamp. Notice the Martha Stewart ticket that I got when she was the keynote speaker at the last CHA trade show. Gotta haves….

Pee Wee, Amy, and Steve

You can’t have a design studio without inspiration. That’s an autographed pic of Pee Wee of Scott’s, a recipe from Amy Sedaris, and an autographed pic from Steve Martin. Mix them all with pompoms, googly eyes and some crayons, and let the crafting fun begin!

More Room

I am loving all this room. I still have 12 crates to organize, then I’ll be done. I’ll be so happy to have a place to sew, paint, paper craft, make jewelry and candles and soap, and even have room for my silk screen. Yes!

Perfect!

He did it! The table is perfect, and he attached a lamp and an electric strip for my glue guns. It’s almost done, thanks to Scott.

Door or Table?

I found this door, and I think that if I sweeten up Scott, that he will screw one end to that tower of drawers and add legs to the other end, it will make a sweet design table. Gotta find Scott.

Coffee Crazy Cutie

I know. He is a bit crazy. I blame it on the coffee, and yes that cup is full of coffee on his head. I guess that’s what it takes to keep up with my zippy-doo-dahs. The surfboard in the corner is waiting for us to have a day off to go to the beach.

In Control

See? It’s magic. All I needed was a little time, and my trusty computer to print out labels for every crate. This is only 36 of the 46 crates, full of priceless craft supplies. Makes me have shaky leg, just thinking about it. (That’s what happens when I get excited.)

Out of Control

Since so many people see me doing crafts on TV, the craft manufacturers send tons of supplies my way. Thanks, by the way! These are like gold to me, and I never throw anything away. Hey, it’s hard for me to throw away a plastic carry out carton, because who knows when I’ll need to stir up some paint? Anyway, it just looks like I’m out of control. Believe me, it’s all labeled and if you ask me for a black feather boa or a google eye, I know just where it is.

Eyes Rolled Back in My Head

When Scott was presented with the opportunity to combine his video production business with his buddy in Valencia, it made perfect sense to move, since I just became a creative alliance with Gloria and Susan at K1C2. Their design studio is in Ventura, California. So, we decided that the best place for us was Santa Paula, which is sort of in the middle between Valencia Production and Post Studios and the K1C2 Studio. And, of course it doesn’t hurt that Santa Barbara (where we used to live) is nearby. Can you say beaches? Okay, I need to pour some coffee and get busy.

Help Me

The move to Santa Paula has been a big ol’ eye opener for me. I knew I had lots of stuff, but baybee I have toooo much stuff! I counted over 40 plastic crates, full of stuff. Good grief, I’m glad I at least sorted it all before the move. It all used to be in the basement when we were in Tulsa, but now I get to spread out in our huge garage. I feel like a bird out of a cage. But, now the work begins.