Happy Zentangle Wednesday!

Hi Friends,

Happy Zentangle Wednesday! That's what it will be called from now on here at CBCL! I love doodling...mostly because I do not consider myself a great drawer but I think doodles always look fantastic! For those of you unfamiliar with the art of Zentangle you can find a definition here.

I had started this year with a resolution to create a Zentangle everyday this year and at the end of the year I was going to have them all printed in a nice bound book. Well, as you can guess I quickly broke my New Year's resolution as I usually do! In our busy lives we often do not make enough or have enough time for the things we love to do. That is what happened to me.

Instead of doing one of these things everyday I have reduced it to AT LEAST 1 per month so at the very least I can make a 2013 calendar with all of my 2012 Zens.

This activity reduces so much stress that I know we all have and honestly anyone can do this! You do not need any drawing skills...just an imagination and some free time! I would like to encourage everyone to try a Zentangle...you just might like it as much as I do and feel a little less stress in your life. They are called ZENtangles after all!

This is my February Zentangle...a little nontraditional but adorable!

I hope, at the very least, that this post inspires everyone to find a little time in everyday to do something that you truly love to do. Get ready for next Zentangle Wednesday!

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The Beginning...

Hello friends. I thought that today would be an appropriate day to write my first post for Creations by CassieLynn. Today marks the 13th anniversary of my Grandma's passing. I miss her everyday and tears fill my eyes when I think about her.

My Grandma G in 1972.

Now, you may be wondering why a creative blog is starting on a sad note...the reason is that she really started my passion for a particular creative hobby, crochet. It was my Grandma who first tried to teach me to crochet. It wasn't that she wasn't a good teacher but more so that I tend to get frustrated very easily and gave up quickly. I think that I was about 10 years old when she gave me my first lesson. We started things off with a granny square. If you asked me now I would say that this is one of the easiest things to crochet, but back then it was my nemesis. I just could not figure it out. So, while my Grandma was still here, the only things I ever knew how to crochet were just rows and rows of single crochets...things like scarves and baby blankets.

After my Grandma passed away, I was 15 at the time, my Grandpa gave me all of my Grandma's crochet hooks and yarn. I knew that I had to perfect my skills and keep my Grandma's memory alive through my crochet. I still crocheted the same things for a while but just tried to perfect those stitches. It wasn't until I was in college that I really took crocheting seriously and really started learn more advanced patterns and stitches.

I taught myself everything I know about crochet by reading books and watching numerous tutorials on You Tube. Technology is a wonderful thing! Now I can crochet just about anything, although my favorite things to make are amigurumi. I have been crocheting these for a few years now and am getting pretty comfortable with them. I feel like my next step is to try my hand at pattern writing and come up with my own cute patterns. Without my Grandma, I would have never picked up a crochet hook. I only wish she could see the things I crochet now! I love you Grandma!

This pattern is from Ana Paula's book Amigurumi Toy Box: Cute Crocheted Friends

Crochet is not my only creative hobby which is why I opted for my blog to be called "Creations" and not "Crochet" by Cassie Lynn. I am in love with anything crafty. I am a proud Cricut owner and love paper crafting. I also enjoy painting, sketching and doodling, and I am by trade a graphic designer. (My blog was designed by yours truly!) So...this is my beginning on a wonderfully creative journey with all of you and I can not wait to see where this road will lead to.

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