I'm a really good stealer...

This is what I always told my students' parents when they would ask me where I came up with my ideas. There are so any creative people out there! Now, more than ever their fabulous ideas are more accessable than ever.

I am now a mom to a wonderfully creative 4 year old daughter M. Before she was born I was an elementary and preschool teacher. In college I made a snake with some students out of tube socks sewn together and dyed with food coloring! 'The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash' was a memorable story for all of us after this follow up activity. Learning outside the box is almost always more fun.

I have been a student of other people's wonderful ideas for as long as I can remember. I look through craft books, read blogs, thumb through magazines, and walk the aisels at craft fairs like I imagine a chef reads recepies. I use them as a starting point, as a reference for techniques, as a way to get inspired. As with a recipe that has been modified, sometimes it is hard to know who to credit for the product. Any time it is possible, I will credit the proper people for providing the inspiration behind a project. We each bring a unique history and set of skills to each task that we undertake.

Here's to living and learning outside the box, and making an idea your own special experience!