Monthly Makers January

It’s a new year, and it’s time for a new beginning – today is the start of Monthly Makers 2017! And I’m the host this month!

Let me tell you a little bit about Monthly Makers.

Monthly Makers is a challenge for anyone who wants to be more creative. During 2017 we’ll be launching twelve themes – one for every month – to inspire and challenge you and to get you to create something new. This is because it’s easier to create with something specific as a starting point, because it’s more fun to create together with others and because you learn a lot from showing your work and taking part of other people’s creations and thoughts. Take part of the themes you want to, to the extent you want to.

This year we’re welcoming Emilia, Fredrika, Johanna and Julia to the gang and gratefully thank Anna María, Annica, Beata and Sandra for their years as hosts. For 2017 we’ve also changed the date we release the theme – giving you more time for creating. And today, January 5th I’m releasing the first theme of the year!

So! The theme for this month is:

Contrast! What a great theme! I’m so happy to be hosting this one, as there are endless possibilities and I think there’s room for so many artistic and creative interpretations.

You can make something with two opposites – dark and light, happy and sad or nice and mean. You can make something ugly as a contrast to constantly striving for the beautiful and go against what’s considered to be “the right way”. You can take a picture and just up the contrast like crazy. You can write a story about a fight between good and evil, make a dress out of two fabrics that don’t really go together and just anything!

You can combine happy pastels and dreamy light with sadness and tears like Beata did in this picture for a theme for Monthly Makers 2015 which was “Magic”.You can use visual as well as thematic contrasts like Alicia did in this blackout poem. You can make something graphic and contrast-y like Mary Sane did when she printed with feathers for last years theme “Imprint”. You can combine something frail and beautiful with something that inflicts harm like Ruth did with this vase made of old bullet cases.Combine post-fire woods with pictures of animals like Mikaela did in these double exposures for Monthly Makers theme “Saga”.

Here are some other links to inspire you:
1. Embroidery on x-rays by Matthew Cox. 2. Flipped landscape by Witchoria. 3. Embroidery skeleton Audrey Hepburn by Sew Lovely Embroidery. 4. Melting porcelain by Livia Marin. 5. Glam banana peel by Luciana Rondolini.

And lastly our Pinterest board is filled with inspiration!

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Here’s how it works:
1. Create something on the theme Contrast. Post it on social media (blog, Instagram or something like that) and use the hashtag #monthlymakers on Instagram or link to this post. Interpret the theme whatever way you want, our only rules are that it has to be made by you the month of the theme and that you write that you’re participating in a Monthly Makers challenge. Link to this post (@MonthlyMakers on Instagram) and feel free to use the hashtag #monthlymakers.
2. Visit my blog 20/1, when my contribution to this challenge will appear on this blog. That’s when you comment with a link to your own. I need your creation by 28/1.
3. I will compile everything we have created 31/1, and someone else will take over hosting next month.

Follow us on Facebook to stay updated about new themes and hosts, to get information about news and events and to be even more inspired. You can also find us on Instagram, Pinterest, our website and in the inspirational facebook-group We Are Monthly Makers.
The people behind Monthly Makers 2017 are Alicia, Beatrice, Elsa, Emilia, Fredrika, Johanna, Julia, Mikaela, Ruth, Stina, Wilda and me. Be inspired, create and challenge yourself all through the year.