Routine Items Can Be Creative

Posted on September 17, 2009 by LJ Earnest
Categories: Out Of The Box

Photo by makelessnoise Part of my life re-design is a desire to fill my life with as much joy and expressions of creativity as I can. I have found that joy expands when given away, and that a constant source of joy for me is to create things for others. But also along those lines, I can apply my creativity to everyday things…routine items don’t have to be boring.

Take birthday cakes: I am an adequate baker, and I don’t care for the taste of commercial cakes and frostings. So I make birthday cakes myself. A few years ago I decided to make a special cake for my daughter’s birthday. I found a recipe to make a cake into a swimming pool. After baking a cake and filling the hollowed center with jello, then molding candy into deck chairs and painting swimsuits onto little graham teddy bears, I was skeptical of the results. But my daughter loved that cake, and still talks about it, three years later. This year, although not as elaborate, still had lots of curlicues and sprinkles to make her cake special.

Last year, due to my layoff, I knew that the holidays would be tight. I used my own skills to create gifts for my daughter. And the joy I felt as I knitted tiny bear clothing was greater than I had known in many years. I make my own dishcloths as well. It started as a means to learn how to knit better, but it has grown from there. This year I went for the wild yarn. No more boring solids. They’re still practical, but the yarn is much more engaging.

I recently decided my plain old menu planner was boring beyond words. So I spent a few minutes to jazz it up. (It’s now available over in the free stuff). No more boring!

I am trying to work creativity and excitement into the various aspects of my life. No one is going to make housework exciting for me. But I can do my best to make it as creative as possible!

Photo by makelessnoise