This week we get to find creative inspiration in the VERY creative chick, Carrie Lundell.  And today I want to especially wish her a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, since her birthday was yesterday (too bad it wasn’t on a wednesday this year, huh? lol.).  Oh my goodness, this girl is SO creative!  I recently had the privilege of designing her blog, ThisMamaMakesStuff.com.  She was completely delightful to work with.  My children have LOVED her This is Me Journals (will be writing more about that later in another post, though, since they are just too dang fabulous to squeeze in here today).

A little about Carrie:
Before the minivan, Carrie Lundell designed little girls clothing for a little company that rhymes with “Cold Gravy” in NYC. Now, instead of working at a creative job, she lives a creative life with her husband and three kids in Orange County, California and records it all at her blog, This Mama Makes Stuff. When she’s not at the sewing machine, you can find her mountain biking, thrift shopping, advocating for public school, and promoting her first publication: This is Me – a kid’s first keepsake journal. Find Carrie on Twitter @thisiscarrie..

1. Why is creativity important to you?

It is part of who I am and comes from such a deep place in my soul, I can’t deny it a masthead position in my life.

2. What do you enjoy creating the most?

I love creating beautiful clothing out of things other people have discarded. And dreaming of the potential of an old dress or a thrifted sheet is my favorite part of the entire process.

3. Do you have any fears when creating?

For me, the fear comes when creating overlaps with business. Which is why 95% of my creative endeavors right now have nothing to do with making money and I don’t want that to change.

4. Are your family & friends supportive of the things you create?

My family and friends are very supportive. Hearing my girls proudly tell people “my mama made it” always makes my day.

5. How do you find time to create?

I schedule time. I work it into the days plan like it’s just as important as making dinner or picking up the kids from school because for me, it is. I also try to incorporate creativity into other responsibilities I take on at church, my daughter’s school, and in my other hobbies like running and biking (can you say sparkly running skirts and a bike cozy?). Sometimes it will be a project I can do with the kids and sometimes I do my own thing during naptime, or playtime, or at night when my husband has to work late. And I always keep a knitting or crocheting project in my purse to work on whenever I get a second.

6. Words of inspiration to creative chicks:

Comparison is the enemy of creativity. Be inspired, but be yourself.

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Of all the creative chicks I’ve featured here, I think Carrie’s words of wisdom to creative chicks is my favorite: “Comparison is the enemy of creativity.  Be inspired, but be yourself.”  Amen, sistah!  Absolutely, perfectly said.  Thanks for inspiring us today, Carrie! xoxo

p.s. Comment love for our creative chicks is always appreciated, too!

p.s.s. Know someone creative who you’d like to see featured? Nominate them by sending me their info (name, email, website) and 200 words or less about why you’d like to see them featured. My email: quinn {at} createdbychicks {dot} com.

This week I’m featuring the adorable, incredibly creative Brittany of OneCharmingParty.com.  She is a very creative party planner with an earth-conscious outlook.  She specializes in amazing, clever parties that can be catered to every nutritional need, such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.  I think she’s just fabulous.  Check her out:

A little about Brittany:
I love helping people with parties, especially for their kids. I started planning parties when I was a child. I was always coming up with small parties for my sisters and friends to attend, especially tea parties. My mom owned a catering business for many years and she always had the best parties at our house. She is a big inspiration for me. As a child I also always dreamed of having a husband and a home full of kids. I guess my real life is just an extension of those things: parties, a home and my family. Now my dreams are of living in the French countryside with my husband and four kiddos. I can only imagine the parties I could have there..

1. Why is creativity important to you?

Being able to create fun stuff keeps me sane in a world full of 4 crazy kiddos, laundry, grocery shopping, and endless cleaning.

2. What do you enjoy creating the most?

Parties and anything for a party.

3. Do you have any fears when creating?

No, I don’t have any fears when creating. If something doesn’t turn out, then I never show it to anyone. Plus my kids think that whatever I make is pure genius. They’re still young

4. Are your family & friends supportive of the things you create?

Yes, my family and friends are supportive of the things I create. They wish I had more time to spend with them, though.

5. How do you find time to create?

I have cleaners who come twice a month to clean my floors and bathrooms. This helps a ton. And I don’t iron. Instead I have a dry cleaning service that picks up and delivers my husband’s shirts twice a week from my house. Getting on a good laundry schedule, doing meal planning, and having a family budget are also important so that I can focus on creative projects, not boring tasks.

6. Words of inspiration to creative chicks:

Don’t compare what you create with others, and then beat yourself up. There are a million people out there who can do what I do, and they do it better. But it never stops me from trying anyway.

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First off may I say, “Brittany!  You’re AMAZING, especially at creating parties!”  In December she planned and created my son’s dinosaur birthday party and it was so much fun!

She had a big toy dinosaur frozen in a block of ice to be our center piece (dinosaurs meet the ice age, get it? lol.),

she had “dinosaur” eggs for each of the guests to take home (there was a little dinosaur toy inside)

and she had my son and all his guests search for dinosaur bones in our garage.  The best part was that she planned the food so that we could accommodate several of our guests who are allergic to wheat.  She thought of everything: wheat-free muffins, cupcakes, soups and a big ol’ fruit platter.  It was magical and I’m certain my son will never forget it.

I’ve photographed a few of Brittany’s parties and have thoroughly enjoyed working with Brittany.  One fun tradition she has is that at every party she does, she has her feet photographed.  I think it’s so cute.  She has all of these fabulous feet pictures and I thought it would be fun to include a few here (the top picture is her family foot picture – so cute, huh?!).

It helps to have such cute shoes and toes, huh?!    Thank you for inspiring us with your creativity, Brittany!  You go, girl! xoxo

p.s. Comment love for our creative chicks is always appreciated, too!

p.s.s. Know someone creative who you’d like to see featured? Nominate them by sending me their info (name, email, website) and 200 words or less about why you’d like to see them featured. My email: quinn {at} createdbychicks {dot} com.