Welcome! Let’s share creativity!

Creativity Is Contagious

The goal here is to create a community where we can share creativity, be inspired and share with people who feel the same. I am so glad you are here! It is exciting to exchange ideas. Don’t you agree?

Cheryl Belczak Writer, graphic designer and photographer. Mom and homebrewer's wife who loves to crochet. Sharing creativity. Buffalo, NYThank you for visiting! I am Cheryl Belczak. You can find out a bit more about me and why I write this blog on my About Cheryl page. My favorite creative outlets are Photography and Crochet. How about you?

Use Your Creativity Everyday

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." -Maya Angelou Quote on "Cosmos Sparkle" image by Cheryl Belczak As Maya Angelou said “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” So while I do share ideas, tips and “how to” information and behind-the-scenes processes for your own Photography and Crochet projects, I also like to incorporate some problem solving DIY action into everyday life. So you will find some life-hack-style creative solutions sprinkled in here too. Don’t you enjoy finding simple solutions to make daily life a little simpler?

Recent Posts:

Painted Dahlia – Before and After Photo Editing

Photo Editing Painted Dahlia Before and AfterThis is going to be the first in a series of “Before” and “After” editing guides. Hopefully you will get ideas by seeing my process. I believe in getting photos “right in-camera” as much as possible. However, you and I know perfect conditions don’t always coordinate with our schedules. So just experiment!

Poppies for Memorial Day

Garden and holiday inspiration for photographing poppies. Find out the significance of poppies in the United States Memorial Day honor and remembrance holiday.

Remove Sticky Sticker Residue from Fabric FAST! 

This will be a favorite tip for you if you wash clothes for kids! You can use something that you probably already have in your home to quickly take sticker gunk off clothing even after it has gone through the washer and dryer!

Bedside Books for Reading Therapy

Do you do this too? I keep a collection of books next to my bed and choose a topic based on the events of my day for a little comfort, inspiration and learning at the end of the day. The topics covered in this post are Creativity, Lighting for Photography, Parenting and Daily Peace.

Popular posts:

Simple Crochet Wrap – Free Pattern

After I learned to crochet then made some hats, scarves, baby blankets and various other small projects, I decided I wanted to take on a bigger project for myself. I like the idea of a wrap or shrug, but didn’t necessarily love any of the patterns I found. After playing for a while I settled on this repeating pattern incorporating Double Crochet (DC), Chains (CH), Double Crochet Clusters and a Single Crochet (SC) edge. It is easy to create even if you are crochet beginner. Get the details here where I share my free crochet pattern for a Simple Wrap you can wear three ways.

Simple Crochet Wrap – Free Pattern

Stash-worthy Yarn!

Find out more about the yarn I used for the Simple Crochet Wrap (Free Pattern) in the post below. I have also used this yarn for baby blankets, hats, booties and am currently working on a light, airy granny square cafe curtain for my kitchen and an Asymmetrical Jacket pattern. Both are early stage “Work in Progress” (WIP) Crochet projects. Maybe I will share them before they are finished so you can help motivate me to finish. Find out why I love this yarn here.

Stash-worthy Yarn!

Glass Photography: Dark Field Lighting

As a member of a local Camera Club and a Committee and Board Member for the The CanAm Photo Expo I was given the opportunity to present my methods for Dark Field Photography and Lighting. Find the presentation recap with links to information to try these methods yourself.

Glass Photography: Dark Field Lighting

Behind the Shot: The “Orchid Light” Image Evolution

Find out the “secrets” to creating this image. You can use it for inspiration to create your own image. I hope it gives you ideas! Get the lighting set-up and post processing details here.

Behind the Shot: The “Orchid Light” Image Evolution

A Simple, Soft, Chunky Crochet Blanket

This is a Work In Progress (WIP) crochet project that I share at this stage to help you get an idea of how much yarn you would need if you plan a similar project. This is how far one big ball of blanket yarn will go when you are making a blanket. Get the details in this post.

A Simple, Soft, Chunky Crochet Blanket

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