Sips of Inspiration: an Interview with Karen Lowry Reed

Today’s Sips of Inspiration conversation is with my long-time blogging friend Karen Lowry Reed.

Hello, my friend. How are you doing? Are you hanging in there? Are you riding the rollercoaster of ups and downs that it seems so many of us are feeling?

This is a difficult time and it’s ok if you’re struggling. Let’s all resolve to go a bit easy on ourselves. To allow our feelings. To do what we need to do in this moment.

On Blogs and Blogging (again)

Last month I wrote about taking a social media break. I looked back over my time on Instagram and also touched on the way blogging has changed over the years. I want to spend a bit more time considering blogs and blogging, giving the topic its own post (I’ve written about blogging before and will most likely write about it again).

Around Here Lately: Living a Holistically Creative Life

Back in January I wrote a list of intentions for the year. First in my journal. Then in my sketchbook. And again on a separate piece of paper that I hung in my studio. The very first intention on the list: “Live a holistically creative life”.

creativity, fabric, blogging, joy, life, seasons, houseplantsAnne ButeraFebruary 14, 2020blogging, blogging is not dead, creating community, creative projects, carving out time for creativity, creativity, affirming your creativity, valentine's day, intentions, holistic creativity, sewing, sewing projects, handmade clothing, inspiration, Butterick 6024, crochet, crochet garments, crochet shawl, Kathryn Dawn, 3 Button Textured Cardigan, South Bay Shawlette, Ravelry, Pinterest, crochet projects, seeds, seed starting, garden planning, ordering seeds, winter, skillshare, Skillshare classes, sketchbook class on Skillshare, winter sketchbook, Explore Winter in Your Botanical Sketchbook, bald eagles, nature, beauty, beauty in nature, Spoonflower, spoonflower, Spoonflower contest, spoonflower fabric, Spoonflower Design Challenge, spoonflower fabric designer, spoonflower wallpaper, watercolor, watercolor painting, poinsettia, watercolor poinsettia, botanical art, botanical watercolor, houseplants, houseplant portraits, what's happening in my studio, joy, do, word of the year, creative energy Comments

Planning Your Year, a Resource Round-Up (and Some Honest Thoughts)

We’re already more than half-way into January. How have things been going for you so far?

2019 Year in Review (& Thoughts About a Decade)

Another year has drawn to a close. Another decade, too. On January 1, 2009 I wrote in my journal: “2010. Wow. Seems so futuristic.” And here we are in 2020, even more futuristic-sounding.

But I don’t want to jump into 2020 without spending some time considering 2019 first.

life, creativity, studio, sewing, paintings, gratitude, joy, artAnne ButeraJanuary 3, 2020word of the year, year in review, 2019, 2020 Calendars, 2020 desk calendars, art, painting, goals, intentions, 2020, welcoming the new year, growth, Grow, GROW, greyhounds, retired racing greyhounds, challenges, life, life challenges, watercolor paintings, a year of paintings, a year of watercolor paintings, joy, handmade joy exchange, failure, being unafraid to fail, learning from our failures, art dreams, art by Anne Butera, artist, art exhibit, Viroqua Wisconsin, Viva Gallery in Viroqua Wisconsin, Rooted Spoon, Rooted Spoon Kitchen Table, Rooted Spoon Culinary Viroqua Wisconsin, Viroqua Healing Arts Center, McIntosh Memorial Library, embroidery, sewing, spoonflower garment sewing, fabric design, Spoonflower, studio, art studio, sketchbooks, sketchbook practice, Sketchbooks, Dana Barbieri, collaboration, collaborative sketchbook, artist collaboration, yoga, yoga mats, Youtube, skillshare, Skillshare, sketchbook class on Skillshare, Skillshare classes, Skillshare teacher, teaching on Skillshare, Anne Butera's Skillshare classes, gouache, creative journey, creative journeys, garden, gardening, garden joy, looking back, looking forward, dreams, don't give up on your dreams, dreaming big, creative dreams, big dreams, moving from dreaming to doing, living your dream, making our creative dreams real, making your creative dreams real, going for your creative dreams, grow, intention, inner critic, Sonya Philip, Yoga With Adriene Comments

This and That

It’s been a while since I’ve shared a hodgepodge sort of post. Most of the time I only share inspiring links in my monthly Joy Letters*, but there’s no reason not to share some here once in a while, too (like Dana does with her Lovely Things posts).

Battling the Winter Blahs

Spring might be on its way (according to meteorologists it’s already here), but it certainly doesn’t feel like it in Wisconsin. Does it feel like spring where you are?

I Made Shoes!

Last week I shared my fears around hand sewing and how my belief that I wasn’t “good” at stitching kept me from trying embroidery. I’m not sure if it was that belief, or if was other fears that kept me from using the espadrille kit I bought at the end of August.

fabric, sewing, creativityAnne ButeraFebruary 8, 2019patience, sewing, espadrilles, A Happy Stitch espadrille kit, I sewed shoes, I made shoes, overcoming fear, slowing down, learning to be slow, learning to make shoes, lessons from making shoes, learning lessons, overcoming anxiety Comments

2018 -- a Year in Review

Reviewing a whole year is a hard thing. Once you sit down to do it you realize how slippery a year can be. How difficult to contain with words or even photos.

gratitude, life, paintings, studio, fabric, creativity, bloggingAnne ButeraDecember 28, 2018new year, year in review, word of the year, accomplishments, creative accomplishments, artists, sewing, crochet, studio, paintings, press, being present, gratitude, Anne Butera, 2018 Comments

Making Do and Making Art

What are your barriers to creativity? What keeps you from making or doing on a regular basis? A lack of:

time?
space?
money?

2019 Tea Towel Calendars and Coordinating Fabric

I want to thank everyone who voted for my Tea Towel Calendar design. Although this year’s tea towel didn’t place as high as in the past, my Blue Roses is one of the Community Favorites on Spoonflower.

fabric, artAnne ButeraSeptember 14, 2018fabric, surface pattern design, Spoonflower, fabric design, tea towel calendars, tea towels, watercolor illustrations, kitchen decor, cloth napkins, independent fabric designers, gift ideas, sewing, calendarsComment

Why Trying New Things and Even Making Mistakes is Good for Your Creativity

When you're learning how to do something or if you're building up a business, it's important to focus your energy in one direction.

When I first started teaching myself to paint I didn't do that.

notes from the studio