Stop This Crazy Thing!

No, not really....I'm having a great time. Summer break is really agreeing with me, I am over the worst of my perfectionism (I hope), and I'm creating up a storm. I am on my third series of ATC's (the new ones are on black paper). I am caught up on my Collage Composition homework (whew, that gave me fits, especially the photography......I wanted to throw hubby's camera and my computer out the window!!!) and I have actually finished my Wemic (an imaginary creature I drew for the Fantasy/Sci-fi forum on WetCanvas, where I am a guide). She didn't turn out half-bad, though she has a vacant expression due to her eyes being too big. My daughter has ATC fever too, so we are always running in and out of each other's rooms showing each other stuff. And my Random Box is almost full. What is a Random Box, you ask? Well, to answer that I have to tell you a little story. In a past life, I was a beader/jeweler and made tons of jewelry, much of it with beads. I was forever having leftover beads from projects. What to do with them? Well, I read in a magazine that you should stick them all in a box and call them Bead Soup and use them when you wanted to do a project with random beads. Well, that was just fine by me and I had lots of bead soup. Still do. It's wonderful stuff, very inspiring when you're not exactly sure what to add. Well, when I got into altered art about six or so weeks ago, I instantly began collecting stuff (well, I had already collected a lot of stuff as I am a bit of a pack rat and a magpie and love shiny things). I started sorting it and putting it boxes and drawers. However, as I began doing collages and ATC's, I found that a lot of times I couldn't remember what all I had and would finish something and reaize I had not embellished it as thoroughly as I would have liked because I wasn't inclined to dig through all those boxes and drawers. The solution? The Random Box. I have spent the past week throwing lots of bits and bobs in an old jewelry tray container I have (which is about 18" high by 8" wide by 18" long). Now when I am making something and need to decorate, I just reach in there and grab something randomly. If it doesn't work with what I am making, i put it back and grab something else (usually without looking). Usually by the time I have grabbed 3 or 4 things I have some good stuff to incorporate. You might wonder what all I have put in my Random Box. I have put in: beads, wire, old wire rings (can be smushed or trimmed to make a nifty decoration) ribbon bits, all kinds of paper bits, cut out images, fabric snippets, bottle caps, tags, rosettes, pendants, chain, old single earrings, ticket stubs and other random paper stuff, texture materials such as rug hooking canvas, plastic canvas, old parts from various machines, bits of old craft projects, glass squiggles, marbles, torn-up abstract watercolor paintings (painted to be incorporated into other projects), charms, jump rings, and on and on and on. This really sparks my creativity, but I'm sure it would be a neat freak's worst nightmare. It's funny because the rest of my studio is really quite organized....but this little bit of chaos really makes me happy because you never know what you're gonna get when you reach inside......