I don’t know about you but if I’m not expressing myself creatively in some form I end up feeling frustrated. I realised this when my children were quite small and I hadn’t had any opportunity to do something for myself or be creative for quite some time. I just had to do SOMETHING so I ended up designing, building and silver leafing a full length mirror frame. The satisfaction I got from doing this and achieving this small goal over a weekend was wonderful.

Over the past two years, my art gear has been in storage so I haven’t been able to access it and do any painting. In fact, it’s still in boxes as I slowly unpack my house, so I haven’t quite got to it yet. I’m just deciding whether to use the dusty workshop for my studio, or the donkey barn on my property that’s going to need lots of work to make it into a studio (and therefore is out of my budget at the moment). So, the long and short of it is that I won’t be doing any painting just yet - at least not on canvas.

But I’ve been having fun being creative in a different way. When I moved into my house, one of the first things I did was swap out the 80’s style navy/red/gold aztec style curtains in the lounge for plain white ones. What a difference it made to the look and feel of the lounge. It went from heavy and dark to light and airy.

But what to do about the Roman blinds in the same fabric, especially the one in the kitchen which was quite long? They are not so easy to replace as you don’t easily get ready made blinds in the right size.

My sister suggested I paint them! I hadn’t thought of that but we investigated Artisan chalk paints and came to the conclusion it would be achievable. So, over Easter we’ve been busy out in the garage painting the Roman blinds white. Five coats later, you can’t tell they were blue, red and gold. It’s quite amazing really. They are definitely a little stiffer than normal curtains, but that doesn’t bother me as they are only temporary.

They looked a little flat being plain white and needed something extra. Another trip to Brush Strokes in Carterton where I get my Artisan Chalk Paints and I came away with Luna Pearl - a lovely shimmery metallic which I’ve put over the top of the Old Chiffon colour I used on the curtains. It’s given the blinds more depth and a slight shimmer which reflects the light.

It has been really fun and I’ve realised just how much I’ve missed being creative. I don’t have the budget for new blinds just yet so this was a really cost effective way of transforming them. I think it cost me all of $170, if that.

We are now eyeing up my kitchen bench (currently stained or scorched and worn in places) and even the yucky, light sucking grey/blue floor. And then there is my black jewellery box which I’ve always wanted to be a lighter colour. If I’m not careful, half the house is going to be painted in some form or other - but it’s been so much fun changing things and being creative!

Quite often we ignore this part of ourselves because we have too many other things to do. We feel it’s a luxury to spend time doing the things we love when we have so many other things that really NEED to be done. But bringing joy and fun into our lives is also vitally important for our wellbeing, and if it’s reusing and up-cycling, that’s even better!

The thing is, the chores will always be there. Whether you do them today or tomorrow doesn’t really matter. However, spending time giving back to yourself and bringing some lightness into your life will have benefits, not just for you, but for those around you because you will be in a better space - calmer, happier, more fulfilled. And when you feel good, it has a positive ripple effect on those around you as well.

So, if you are feeling like life is all work and no play, look at how you can bring fun and creativity back into your world. Even if it’s only an hour on a Sunday, it’s still going to help.

Next up for me, and something I’m really looking forward to which doesn’t involve painting, is doing a giant knitting workshop with knitting needles as big as your arm! The aim will be to make a throw for my lounge suite so I can snuggle under it in winter.

I can’t wait for that workshop to come round, and it’s not until May so I have a wee way to go yet. Just the thought of the workshop brings a smile to my face and no doubt there’s going to be lots of laughter as I try to wrangle these giant knitting needles and make something reasonable.

Tell me, what’s your favourite way to be creative?

Karen