DelaneyGates.com

Hand-stitched Patchwork Pin Cushions

 

 

I've been sewing like crazy lately. Hand-stitching mind you...  One of these days I'll learn how to thread my darn sewing machine. For the present time, however, I've been quite enjoying the methodical process of creating those tiny stitches while I'm lost in my own little world of good music, good coffee, happy thoughts and pretty fabric. Inspiration is a good thing.  :)

Got creativity?

I do.

Of course, all children are born with out-of-the-box thinking ability before public school marks it out with the infamous red pen, however I was privileged to learn about the actual concept of creativity at a very young age: seven years old, to be exact. My creativity was nourished, explored and taken to new heights because of my involvement in a creative problem-solving program called Odyssey of the Mind-- or OM, for short.  The program literally changed. my. life. and it's available right now in your town, though you may not be aware of it. If you are a parent of a student in grades kindergarten through college, a teacher or professor, a college student yourself, or even a citizen who wants to teach children how to stay creative, please, read more about this program.  Out of every extracurricular activity I've participated in (and I participated in a lot of 'em!), OM is the one that has benefited my life the most.

Just what the heck is Odyssey of the Mind, you ask? Here are the basics:

*Each OM team consists of five to seven students. The team can be formed from a church, a home-schooling group, a public school, or even a Girl Scout troop, etc.

*The coach may be a parent, teacher or community volunteer.

*There are three main aspects of competition in which the team is judged: Long Term, Style and Spontaneous.

*Long Term consists of an eight minute skit, created over the months solely by the team according to certain specific parameters called "The Problem".  The team receives The Problem and works on it throughout the year until the Regional Competition, where teams compete to see who has the most creative, yet effective, solution. The winners from Regionals go on to State, and the winner of State goes on to World, where students from all over the globe compete.

Creativity knows no language.

*Style is how well certain aspects of the skit embody the spirit of The Problem, the creativity and quality of the props, costumes, scenery etc., and also the team's stage presence (or "sparkle" as I prefer to call it), among other things.

*Spontaneous is a task the team is presented with on the day of competition. It showcases their ability to think creatively on the spot. The spontaneous problem could be anything from "name things that are red", to "make the tallest structure you can out of this bag of marshmallows and toothpicks". The students are given points based on the creativity of their answers, so of course "newspaper" and "a mind" would be more creative answers to that particular question than, say, "an apple".  You get the picture.

*The most important and unique rule about OM is that each idea, each stroke of paint on the scenery, each stitch (or squirt of hot glue, as was the case with my team last year!) in a costume must be the work of someone on the team. Coaches, parents, siblings nor friends may give ideas or help in any way, as this is considered "outside assistance" and the team is penalized for it.

So what is the object of Odyssey of the Mind? To bring the mind to new creative heights. To build bonds that will last a lifetime. To have fun. To build teamwork. To improve self esteem. To explore one's unique talents and see value in the unique talents of others.

Odyssey of the Mind has been a part of my life for 19 years now, and during that time, I've been the student on the team, the community volunteer at competition, the parent of a child on a team as well as the head coach. Check back tomorrow for a post about my personal experience with this life-changing program. 

I just couldn't let another school year go by without spreading the word about the positive impact that OM has had on my life. It's free for the children who participate in it and it's an experience they'll cherish for the rest of their life. I know I do.

Feel free to visit the Odyssey of the Mind website [here] for more information.  There's a video to watch...but beware, the beginning is cheesy and looks like it's from the 1980's.  I promise, it gets better after the opening sequence!  If you're interested in coaching a team yourself, feel free to email me directly; I'd love to talk to you in detail about it and/or answer any questions you have.

(I have no association with the Odyssey of the Mind organization or Creative Competitions, Inc other than volunteering my time as a coach and receive nothing in exchange for this post or for volunteers whom I recruit. It's just a program that is near and dear to my heart!)

Creating for Me. Finally.

 

 

 

Most of you who now read my blog probably don't know it, but yes, I'm crafty. I love paper. And yes, I love *gasp* scrapbooking. Yesterday evening, I felt inspired to create something for the first time in forever and it felt great!  In the past, I wouldn't have used these photos to make a scrapbook page, though.  Why, you ask?

They aren't photoshopped.

They were shot with a disposable waterproof camera.

They aren't 'perfect'.

But you know what? They're real. And I love them.  Gone are the days of using the 'newest' paper, the overly-photoshopped magazine-quality headshots, and the latest must-have embellishments.  The memories matter.  Nothing else. End of story.

Quick Birthday Recap

So what does a girl like me receive on her 26th birthday? Some geeky design books which are right up my alley, a lil' something in the Tiffany Blue box that I do so adore, a rockin' iPhone speaker system, and a trip to San Antonio.  It was a whirlwind of a birthday, and I had an absolute BLAST:

Watched the Cowboys practice at the Alamodome.

Tony Romo + 20 yards away = WOW

(As an aside, while he was killing time waiting for his turn to work with his coach, Tony practiced spinning the football on his finger.)    :)

Checked out the Hard Rock Cafe. Bought the tshirt. Loved looking at the memorabilia.

Riverwalk? Amazing. So beautiful + inspiring at dusk. Must go back sans child sometime, too.

Alamo -  Not only was it beautiful (arched stone rooms with iron chandeliers, anyone?) but I was privileged enough to be accompanied by my own private tour guide.  I swear, my husband is like a walking historical encyclopedia. VERY efficient with his historical facts. How cool is that?

Visited Seaworld. Saw Shamu. Fed the sea lions. Petted a dolphin. (My fave part of the day!)

Slept most of the way home. Listened to Erin McCarley on repeat:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsiE950c2P8 .

Love her vibe.

Back to regular blogging tomorrow!

Stay creative,

Delaney

Typographic Letterpress Art

 

 

 

 

I love these bold, dual color typographic letterpress prints by Louella Press. Check out the Louella Press Etsy Shop or view more of their work here.