Peek at My Week (Nov 7-13)

It's been one of those weeks that stretched out before me with opportunity and inspiration. I'm not sure if that's because I began The Artist's Way* (TAW) or because of the time change or if there are some other factors at play. But, I tried to take advantage of it as much as I could. Take a peek. 

Sunday began early with the added hour because of Daylight Savings. The temperature had dropped dramatically as well. It felt more like winter than fall. Though, the leaves disagree. I began my first week of TAW ready to find inspiration. 

I spent the day on a variety of tasks, including working on The Magpie's Nest Workshop from Aimee Bishop. 

I wasn't loving those magpies, but they've grown on me as I've accepted them as they are. 

Monday was full of surprises.

This photo was taken on Monday, but only as a representation of the actual dead mouse that I discovered when I woke up that morning. I'm relieved to have the cats because I had no idea we had a mouse!

While working on a project, I encountered another surprise as I flipped open a recently-acquired vintage dictionary. 

I just happened to open the book to the exact pages where this photo had been nestled for who knows how long. I was super excited! 

Though I felt like nothing was getting accomplished that afternoon, I was able to copper-foil a few items for my soldering session on Tuesday morning.

I wish I had soldered a wider variety of pieces but was relieved to have this batch done. 

In the afternoon, I took myself on an "artist's date" along the shores of Mobile Bay. 

I worked most of the day on Wednesday on a project for a friend. But, then treated myself (and my family) to the baking of my favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

I stayed home all day Thursday and put my nose to the grindstone to work on a few ideas. I got to break out my heavy-duty tools, and that's always fun. 

Though I have loads of cardinals at my birdfeeders, the brightness of this one especially caught my eye Friday morning (sorry for the blur, I was zooming in.)

Not long afterward, I ran out to the post office and then felt the pull to do a little thrifting.

This is the bulk of what I brought home (there were a few other items I had already put away.) Now, I NEED to begin actually making something from them!

Saturday was a bit of an odd day as our Bama football game was early, and I had plans in the afternoon with a friend. So, I busted out a few chores and a little art-time before kickoff.

After the game, I broke down one of my tins before heading out to meet my friend for a little time at Super Second Saturday at Southern Antiques and Accents and dinner together. 

It was a full and fun week. I'm looking forward to seeing what the week ahead holds. But first, here's some of the inspiration I found.

• DIY these lovely Autumn Leaves Earrings from Halcraft. 
• Fiber-based wall-hangings
• Land art that gets wiped away by the ocean
• Christmas Tree Earrings from Fire Mountain Gems
• The Cathedral of Junk (in Texas)

How was your week?

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Peek at My Weeks (Oct. 24-Nov. 6)

 How fun is this two-week peek? It begins with my birthday!

My main request for my day was that I didn't have to cook. So, Pat ran out for breakfast and picked up my choice of doughnuts!

Secondly, I wanted to go to the beach. It was an overcast and dreary day (which fit my mood), but we headed to The Gulf for lunch and drinks. 

I enjoyed a mojito with my meal of filet mignon and crabcakes while looking out over the Gulf of Mexico. It was all SO GOOD!

Usually, I spend my birthday out shopping, but I saved that for Monday. This meant to Tuesday was consumed with catching up on chores and errands. I did stop long enough to take a gander at this little guy. 

Wednesday was spent busting out a few more overdue tasks like taking pictures of products and for videos. I was relieved to get that done. I even began tackling the last jewelry project in my Bead Box. Hopefully, I'll have that reveal for you in the next several weeks. 

As I sat out on the porch on Thursday morning, I enjoyed my visit from a furry neighbor.

I took care of a few tasks before heading out for a little shopping, a visit with my mom, and a meeting. It was a busier day than I even remembered. 

After getting the house cleaned, I puttered around the craft room and spotted this tiny moth in the window. (No worries, he was escorted outside later.)

I also eked in a little gelli-printing fun.

I spent a huge chunk of Saturday working on some of the steps for the Magpie's Nest Workshop from Aimee Bishop. 

And, I did clean all that up before a couple of friends came over to watch football. Then, I pulled it all out again Sunday morning!

Sunday afternoon was spent with my mom and a visiting cousin. Then, I handed out candy for Halloween at my mom's house. 

Most of Monday was consumed with announcing the winner of my giveaway and getting the new Variety Paper Packs in the CraftyHope Etsy Shop. 

After all that excitement, I let myself walk around the property a little. The bees on the loquat trees always soothe me. 

I got my errands and chores managed on Tuesday but felt a little lost creatively. My copy of The Artist's Way came in (a birthday gift card purchase for myself), and I spent some time reading it. It seemed to help!

Though, I'm not exactly sure what happened to Wednesday. I took care of a few things but didn't accomplish much. 

On Thursday. I spent almost the entirety of the day thrifting. There were three estate sales and a thrift store involved. And, I racked up!

I would have loved to have spent more time at the last sale. It was the home of a local artist. But, there were so many people there and so many inspiring pieces that I became overwhelmed. I did get a few tools and some wire, though. 

After all that inspiration, I was able to focus a little more on Friday. I finished a few pieces that I'm donating for a silent auction fundraiser for a friend's friend. 

And, after some housecleaning on Saturday (it HAD to be done) and an inspiring video from Tiffany of Southern Gals Designs, I began folding folios for a new junk journal. 

A friend came over for the Alabama football game in the evening. It was INTENSE, but we won!! And, I got a little silly with my glasses and Zoe's tail. 

And that was my last two weeks. Today will start my real journey with The Artist's Way. So, we'll see how that goes. 

Here's some of the inspiration I've found and shared.

• Free Halloween SVG Files
• Louisa May Alcott quotes for inspiration
• Autumn Leaf DIY Pillow (upcycled denim)
• Famous Painting recreations from Everyday objects
• Check out these Raw Wool Bust Sculptures
• An Artists Guide to Different Types of Pens

How's life treating you?

Peek at my Week (Jan 17-23)

 It was another emotional week, but I definitely did what I could to make the most of it. 

On Sunday, we met friends for a hike then spent the rest of the day being lazy. 

Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday (observed) and what would have been my sister's 44th birthday. I went ahead and treated the day as a day off for the most part. After working on a few things, I convinced Pat that it would be nice to ride down to the beach for some salt air. 

It was just what my soul needed.

Back at home, we found the kitties in fairly close proximity. This is the closest they've gotten to one another EVER!

Since Monday was a holiday, Tuesday was spent catching up.

On Wednesday, we spent almost the whole day working and watching the Inauguration.

I stepped away from the television for a bit to focus some of my energy on creating.

In the evening, we stepped outside to celebrate on the swing and enjoy the milder weather.

I woke early Thursday morning with a feeling of positivity. And, I even caught the sunrise.

Since the temperature wasn't too low, I was able to sit on the porch to plan my day. 

I fit in some creative time, finishing up Bead Box 10!

And, Zoe got some belly-rubs.

Who am I kidding though. . . she gets belly rubs every day!

On Friday, I stay focused on getting a whole litany of tasks done.

While a huge bulk of those tasks were household chores, I was also able to fit in some creative time on the craft desk. 

I fueled up big time Saturday morning with a hearty breakfast.

I've never made cheese grits with an egg on top before, but it was something I was craving. And, it was GOOD too. 

I worked on some jewelry-making tasks most of the day.

But, I also pulled out the gel plate late in the afternoon.

I'll share the results of those at a later time. 

We met a couple of friends outside the local brewery for a few beers to finish out the week. 

I feel like it was a fairly creative and inspired week. Here's some inspiration I saved for you.

• Lifehacker shares how Journaling is Much More than Keeping a Dairy.
• This tutorial on making Nail Polish Hearts keeps turning over in my head. At some point in the next few days, I'll likely try it out. 
• I'm quite smitten with this "I Love Us" Embroidery Pattern from Flamingo Toes. 
• Sadie Seasongoods shares how to make Felt Succulents in Thrifted Planters. Those are some plants I can keep green!
• You should see the Works of Art created from old trees by one Italian artist. 
• Aaaand, here's another embroidery pattern. This time it's a Rainbow of Hope. (Perfect!)
• You know I love the jewelry tutorials from Moois Van Mie. She's shared a list of all her 2020 Jewelry Tutorials. 
• Check out this art created entirely from scraps of denim fabric!
• If you didn't watch the Inauguration, you missed seeing Amanda Gorman read her poem "The Hill We Climb". I HIGHLY recommend watching this inspiring woman perform her poem. 
• The surreal art of Ted Chin is mesmerizing. I'm in love with so many of these pictures. 
• Here's a tutorial on making a Love sign from repurposed materials. 
• Go check out these enchanting lightbox scenes! You won't be disappointed. 
• How cute is this Valentine Heart String Art?
• These inexpensive and easy DIY Roller Stamps are a great way to add texture to your art. 
• For those of you working to promote your art, here some ideas on How to Use Instagram to Take Control of Your Art Career. 
• Sculpy apparently has a new granite clay. At Handmade Happy Hour, you can find 5 Jewelry Designs using Turquoise Granite Clay. 
• I've never considered drawing on a leaf, but here are instructions for some Leaf Craft Ideas. 
• This No-Sew Scarf caught my eye as a great idea for gifts next year. Now if I can only remember that I saved it!

That's it for my week. I hope you've found some joy and inspiration in yours. I'm off to (hopefully) clean my craft room and prepare for the week ahead. Here's hoping yours is fantastic!

Peek at My Week (Nov 8-14)

How was your week? As for myself (and Pat), we started it still feeling a little off-kilter and needed a mood booster. So, we made a quick run down to Gulf Shores for some beach therapy.

The sun, saltwater, and sea air definitely helped us center ourselves a little more. 

Monday was mostly about going through the motions. Our new phones came in, and I couldn't wait to activate them so I could test out the camera.

Since it was evening, I got a great idea of how well night-mode worked! Seriously, it was pitch-black out when I took this photo. So cool!

On Tuesday, I worked on chores before heading to Mobile to meet my niece for her dentist appointment. I gave myself a little extra time to get over there so that I could wander one of my favorite antique malls before the appointment. Alas, I didn't find anything that needed to come home with me. On the way home, I was fortunate to catch the sunset along Mobile Bay.

After I put the chickens to bed (closed up their coops), I spied this tiny gecko that we've all been ogling for a few days.

The holes in that screen are pretty small if that gives you any kind of size reference. 

I knew I've been putting off making some jewelry for longer than I should. So, on Wednesday, I made it a priority to at least start pulling out materials that piqued my interest.

But, that was about as far as I got on that.

I did take a little time to walk around the yard with Zoe and test out the phone's camera more. 

This is just one of a whole series of pictures I collected. I'm totally smitten with my new "toy".

On Thursday, I worked in ernest on coming up with designs and stocking my bead box (I should have a reveal of the last one for you sometime this week!)

For the first time in something like eight months, we ate at a restaurant! A friend of ours was coming through town and met us at a local place for lunch on the patio. It was his first time at a restaurant since March too! In the afternoon, I craved working in an art journal, so I played.

On Friday (the 13th), I was up early, and ready to be creative.

I began the day on the deck with my doodle book and journals.

After that, I had a hard time focusing on the household chores as I really just wanted to keep stocking the bead box. It felt so good to have some creative mojo back after such a block. I even worked on another art journal page.

While there's still so much to accomplish out in the yard on the recovery front, I felt focused on working on tasks in the house, both cleaning and creative. So, I did what I felt driven to do. In the late afternoon, Pat and I enjoyed a few beers out on the swing together before the sun set.

I admired all the fall colors on my Japanese Maple tree.

I'm pleased that my muse may be returning and hope that you're finding some inspiration too. Here's some I found for you!

• This leather cord wrap bracelet tutorial inspired me so much that I've got something similar in mind stocked in the bead box now. 
• While looking at the monthly palettes from Halcraft Collection, I stumbled on the tutorial for this bright and fun juicy bracelet. 
• It's not too early to start on your Christmas projects. Here's a roundup of 150 Simple Christmas Decorating Ideas that mostly include repurposing items!
• Speaking of Christmas, I found these Free Embroidey Patterns for Christmas. 
• I've never made a rope necklace but this Rope Necklace Tutorial makes it look easy enough. 
• There's something really appealing about these DIY Faux Enamel Number Tags. I'm not sure how I would use these but am glad to have learned the techniques. 
• Somehow, I totally forgot that I was subscribed to the CrafsMan but stumbled on his Copper Patinas Tutorial. He's super entertaining. I've now got my husband watching his videos, and CrafsMan inspired me to patina a washer for the bead box!

And, that's it for this week. I hope yours has been wonderful and that you have a fabulous week ahead! Let me know what's inspiring you.