What's What (Vol. 3 - May 4-17)

It's been two weeks since my last post, but we had our staycation during the first week. Then, I spent all of last week trying to get caught up. (Not that I EVER feel caught up.) 

What's finished

Since it has been two weeks, and it rained for about half of our vacation, I did get a few things done.

This assemblage work has been in process for several weeks. It's the first in what I hope will be a series that highlights the little details of some of the ephemera in my stash. As such, this piece (available at Hello Gallery) is titled Ephemeral Treasures 1. 

Likewise, I took a bit of time last week to turn my ICADs (Index Card a Day) into greeting cards for the gallery. 

And, the May Finding the Words art journal spread for YouTube was completed. 

Those are just the bigger tasks I accomplished. There were loads of smaller ones too. 

What's in Progress

Speaking of cards, I've been working on restocking my supply of cards that get included with purchases from the Etsy Shop. That meant making masterboards and watercoloring some flowers for them. 

I can't share what's actually on my desk at the moment, though, as it's my Inspiration Trove assemblage project for the month. I should hopefully have that available to watch within the week.

What's Next?

In addition to the Inspiration Trove video, I'm hoping to have another Thrifty Thursday video up this week, list a few pieces on Etsy, work on a NEW WEBSITE, and get into my Spicy art journal. 

What's Caught My Eye?

Since we were on vacation...it's been a lot of things!

This note written in the sidewalk outside a thrift store in Milton, FL is just one of them.

I also found this abandoned birds' nest in the brambles of our property while I was doing yardwork yesterday.

What's Had My Attention?

I just started listening to/reading The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick and am really enjoying it. In fact, it's this month's book for a book club that I'm likely joining. So, that's exciting too. 

What's Inspired Me?

Our staycation was full of inspiring activities. We went to the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs, MS. It was full of so much colorful inspiration!

We spent an afternoon at the beach (Orange Beach, AL). It's my favorite place to restore my soul, and I am so thankful that we live so close to the coast.

A whole day was enjoyed in Milton, Florida. First, we rode 16 miles of the Blackwater Trail on our bikes. Then we did some dining, antiquing, walking along the Blackwater River, and sampling the local brews. 

What was the Best Part of my Week(s)?

See the section above! 😜

What's New?

It's not especially new-new, but I did recently get my PaperArtsy Infusions into little organizers that I've had hanging around. I even made a whole Reel about it on YouTube. 

What's New with 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 (Dec 6-12)

 It was quite a full week around here. Take a peek. 

To use up a couple of packs of bakery bread in the house, I made French Toast to fuel us up for Sunday's day ahead. 

Pat wanted to get the shed cleaned up so he could move more of the items from the damaged barn over before he began tearing it down. This is what we were working with inside the shed.

With a little teamwork and focus, we had the place picked up and swept before lunchtime! From there, we delivered our donation of gifts for the Giving Tree and picked up lunch. The afternoon was spent on our own endeavors as Pat tackled more in the yard, and I worked in the house. 

Monday was all about the errands: groceries and picking up gifts.

I didn't leave the house at all on Tuesday as I worked on chores and began a Christmas craft that I hope to share soon. I did make a pretty yummy Mexican lunch of bean burritoes.

And, I admitted that my love of Mexican food is really all about the toppings!

I spent the bulk of Wednesday at my mom's house. We ran a couple of errands before my niece came home from school. In the evening, she and I dove into a cookie-decorating kit.

I learned that decorating cookies isn't really one of my strengths. Ha.

I woke to a foggy Thursday morning that gave a beautiful haze to everything as the sun rose.

Pat and his sister's partner worked much of the day on dismantling the roof of the barn at the bottom of that picture. Me? I began another Christmas craft.

Again, I'll share it soon.

The evening was just as hazy as the morning. When I went out to close the chicken coops, the flashlight's beam highlighted the water vapor in the air.

Crazy, right?

I finished the rest of my Christmas shopping on Friday, which is a new record for me! We also met a friend at the Fairhope Brewing Co. for a couple of beers outside.  

This was only the second time in nine months that we've consumed something out in public. It felt so weird and like we were breaking some rules.

On Saturday, the Japanese Maple was glorious!

Pat continued to work on tearing down the pole barn while I did some cleaning in the house. The Bama game was on early, but we decided to wait and watch it recorded later in the afternoon so we could tackle those chores first. 

While Pat removed the plywood walls in the barn, he found this gem and called me out to there to admire it. 

It's a snakeskin from one of the Oak Snakes we've seen near the barn. I think the texture is so cool.

I kept on track for #CarveDecember this week.

Day 6 was swirls

I just kept envisioning big leaves for Day 7's "Jungle" prompt. 

"Stripes" was the prompt for Day 8. This might have been my favorite carve of the week, and so easy!!

The prompt of "together" made me think of this shape that I've been doodling for a few months now. It's similar to the shape I did for the "float" prompt last week. 

At first, I was pretty stumped by "five" for day 10. Then, I decided to carve a five-pointed star.

Shortly thereafter, I had an epiphany.

I carved five gold rings as a bonus stamp!

"Fan" on the 11th just didn't excite me, but I carved this one that could also be a flower.

The "busy" prompt on the 12th just had me making a stamp that was...well, busy.

Like last week, I only found a few snippets of inspiration to share with you. What can I say...I've been busy!

• The tutorial for these Dipa Earrings on Halcraft Collection caught my eye. What a neat design.
• I have to admit that these sculptures from Alessandro Gallo are a tad disturbing but so well done!
• Here are 10 DIY Christmas Ornaments from Crafty Little Gnome. 
• Speaking of Christmas ornaments, this Easy Ornament from a Dollar Tree Gumball Machine really speaks to me for some reason. 
• I've been saving this Fun & Funky DIY Christmas Tree tutorial since last year. It's so fun! And Michelle Mach pointed out on Twitter that it would make a great earring display too. 
• Nunn Designs also shared this Holiday Ornament tutorial last year that I thought was worth saving to show you.
• I thought I ought to share this fabulous British show with you. Pat and I have been binging on Taskmaster for a week or two now. You can find it on YouTube. It's a good laugh and so much fun to watch. 

And, that was my week. Now that my shopping is done, I feel like I have a world of options in front of me. So, I need to focus on what it is I want to accomplish before this year is out. How are occupying these last few weeks?

Peek at My Weeks (Oct. 18-31)

I'm running two weeks behind again. Technically, it's really just a week, but I've got two weeks to share with you. Since there's so much to cover, let's get to it!

On Sunday, the 18th, my eco-prints from the day before had dried and were beautiful!

We worked out in the yard some, trying to get an area clear before we had the shed moved. Pat picked up this shelf from the place where it had been since we moved it. I seriously thought it was just a section of a broken shelf. But, it turned out to be this. 

He called it a baker's drying rack where you slide in trays for the bread, doughnuts, pastries, etc. I can TOTALLY see painting it up real pretty and using it to store and dry papers. Can you see it?  I can't believe I've just left it sitting out in the yard for five years!

Pat's sister and her partner came over to help us move a few things with the help of the tractor. 

Then my silly sister-in-law got in the bucket of the tractor. I couldn't help but snap a quick photo of the two of them. 

Monday was all about running all the errands. I felt like I was busy all day long. Then, I got a happy surprise in the mail.

This was an amazing package from my friend, Ginger, who is currently in Japan. I knew she was sending me something, but this package of awesome just blew me away! Thank you, again, Ginger!!

On Tuesday, I worked general business-y tasks before pouring myself into an art journal page. 

And, our new TV was delivered!

In the afternoon, I helped Pat get prepared for the shed to be moved. 

This included taking apart our fire pit since it was in the direct path of where the shed would be traversing. 

After a busy business day on Wednesday and a new quote for the tree service that we're still waiting to have done, we had the shed moved. It was creepy and cool to watch two guys with a "mule" move it across the yard.

Thursday and Friday were spent with my niece in Mobile while my mom and step-dad went up to Birmingham for him to have a procedure. Meanwhile, my niece was running a slight fever as I freaked out that she might have the virus. After we got her a doctor's appointment for Monday, I spent much of Friday trying to find out where and how to get her a Covid test. Fortunately, that came back negative and my step-dad's procedure went well also. 

Saturday was my birthday. I really didn't do much. I had previously purchased some tube watercolors and spent part of the morning getting them into an organizer for easier use.

In the afternoon, we went to friends' to watch the Alabama football game before returning home for a little celebratory cake.

Tiramisu is my favorite!

On Sunday, it was back to yard and housework. While Pat fiddled with something on the tractor, I gathered a few found objects for a little assemblage.

Monday meant more errands almost all day. On Tuseday, apparently, I knocked out loads. However, I have no idea what that means, it's just what I told myself in my journal. I believe I also shared my Halloween lampshade on Instagram.

We had a delicious tofu ramen for dinner. I love that there's so many options for toppings!

We should have been prepping for Hurricane Zeta on Wednesday. But, I did my best to try to ignore the fact that another one was headed our way. Instead, I worked on getting my Gothic pieces finished and the blog ready to go in case we lost power. (We did lose power for about 11 hours) The storm was a lot of wind and rain, but definitely less scary than Sally. I hate that I had to send Pat out in it to pick up my niece from work, but fortunately, they both arrived home safely. 

On Thursday morning we assessed the storm damage. Fortunately, the only real damage was a large limb down.

While the power was off, we went ahead and started up the generator for the essentials.

Coffee and phone charging!

And, I did a little doodling to keep myself occupied.

The power was back in the late morning so I was able to get back on track before long. We did lose it again on Friday for about an hour and a half. After that, I ran out to Fairhope Brewing Co to pick up a treat for myself.

Thay had a special flavor release of my favorite Judge Roy Bean (Coffee Stout). In addition to the Tiramisu and Salted Caramel, there's a Thin Mint and a Cocoa and Cayenne. I knocked out the household chores when I got back to the house, keeping the beer as a reward. Once dinner was finished, I dipped into the the beers while we watched The Mandalorian. I tried the turamisu and cayenne ones and enjoyed them both. I'm looking forward to the other two as well. 

Saturday was Halloween, and I stayed busy all day, ending up at my mom's to watch the Bama game and help hand out candy to the few trick-or-treaters she had. And, that ended my last two weeks. The days have been busy while it seems I've accomplished nothing. Ah well, on to the next!

And, if you're looking for inspiration here's what I have for you. 

• These earrings from Moois Van Mie are stunning and sparkly. And, she shares how easily she made them too. 
• This list of Fall-inspired knitting and crochet patterns makes me long to know how to do either. Fortunately, there are links to learn too!
• I can't believe I've never thought about making rusty pumpkins before. Here's a tutorial on making a topiary of rusted pumpkins. 
• I cannot get over how adorable this assemblage Frankenstein's monster is. I love him!
• The use of jewelry bails to create these spoon windchines is a smart idea. 
• Oh, please get a dose of cute with these squirrel photos. 
• I can just imagine a ton of ideas with this drilled pumpkin light as the starter inspiration. 
• Lifehacker shared some tips on how to spark your creativity when you're in a rut. 
• I love most everything Jen at Epbot makes, so this dollar tree $5 cloche for Halloween caught my attention. 
• Julie Fie-Fen Balzer shared some video inspiration on Daily Practices and making time to create. 
• Here are ten tutorials on how to embroider letters. 
• These chaotic times have us all a little out of sorts. So, here's 5 Hobbies to Calm.
• And, here are three ways you can preserve fall leaves when you find some spectacular ones.  

Whew! I hope that's plenty to get you inspired for the week ahead. Here's hoping it's a good one. And, if you're in the states, make sure you get out and VOTE if you haven't already!!

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