Peek at My Week (Jan 24-30)

What a week it's been! I feel like I've accomplished quite a bit, but really, it's only been a couple of big tasks. Take a peek. 

Let me first mention that it's been a big week for "the chicks" too as at least two of them have started laying! On Sunday, I found these two eggs in the nesting boxes. On the left is one of Bertha's and on the right is one of the chicks. woohoo!

After I finished packing up the Bead Soup for my partner, I turned my attention to the big task that took up so much of my week: cleaning and organizing the craft room.

Above was my limit of organizing on Sunday. I had been working on it for hours and finally hit my maximum frustration and had to stop for the day. I had to remind myself that it always gets worse before it gets better (and this wasn't even the worst of it!)

I worked a little more on it on Monday, but the majority of the day was spent with my mom to celebrate her birthday.

We really didn't do much as we just stayed at her house, but I think she had a good day (after she got done working.)

I busted my butt all day Tuesday to make up for missing out on my errands on Monday. And, there was more craft room sorting.

In the afternoon, Artemis had a vet appointment for more vaccines. She'll be going every two weeks to get all of them in since she had such a bad reaction to getting them all at once last time. 

Later, I was feeling a little frantic about all I was trying to accomplish. However, I had a fabulous reminder to just stop and appreciate the beauty around me.

This stopped me in my tracks while taking Zoe out for a few minutes.

Speaking of Zoe, she got some snuggles on Wednesday evening.

I should also mention (for my own record) that our other cat, Rosalina, had a rough week as she was acting weird: not eating, staring off into space, walking weird. It went on for only a day or two, and she had us plenty worried. But, she's back to herself now.

There was more paper-sorting on Wednesday.

On Thursday, I finished the craft room overhaul! I'll give you a little peek now, but I hope to have some better pictures and maybe even a quick tour for you later.

Once that was done, I could focus my attention on the next big undertaking: the 100 Day Project! I mentioned previously that it's starting early this year (TODAY, actually!) at the request of many. I didn't have a problem with the early start but did need to make a decision on what I wanted to do. Because I haven't gotten much jewelry made lately, I knew it needed to be focused in that direction. However, I didn't want anything that felt too strict either. After some thought and research, I decided on #100DaysofMakingJewelry for my project.

I felt that would give me enough flexibility that I didn't have to have a FINISHED piece each day but could include my process as part of the project. We'll see how it goes.

With a clean craft room and that decision finally made, I dove into a couple of projects. First, there was some earring-making. I'll share the results of that later. Then, I played in my art journal.

On the spur of the moment, Pat decided to light a fire in the firepit on Friday night. It felt good to sit outside for a while after spending a week so focused on the inside.

Sunday was FULL!

With a basket full of fresh eggs, I made a full breakfast that incorporated them along with some delicious CaraCara oranges. 

At noon, I had a scheduled video go live. I was able to participate in the You, Me, Same 3 mixed media collaboration this month and made this Inspiration Prompt Junk Journal.

I may share more about the process later (with pictures), but the link above will take you to my YouTube process video.

While popping something in the mail, I had to stop in wonder at the handful of silly azaleas that are blooming a bit early.

As the day wore on, I felt restless and needed to do something with my hands. Trying out encaustic art has been on my list for ages. So, I decided, "what the heck, why not." and went for it.

While I'm pretty happy with this result, I realized how little I knew from the few tutorials I've watched and that I need to learn a little more. But, it's something I'm doing more research on now, and am happy I went ahead and tried. Now, I need to test out some of the other skills that are on my dang list (i.e. using a metal saw and enameling.)

If you're looking for some inspiration, I've got you covered:

• I'm taken with this project of artists creating working on vintage envelopes. 
• Here's a discus earring tutorial from Moois Van Mie. 
• The Beading Gem shared some Tips and Tricks for adding Colored Resin within Frames. 
• Here are 16 Valentine's Day Embroidery Ideas. Maybe one day I'll actually do some embroidery!
• You should totally go check out these DIY Polymer Clay Crystals. They are too cool. 
• I am absolutely, completely in love with this easy DIY Rainbow Butterfly Wreath from the amazing Jen of Epbot. 
• How cute are these Wild Animals Interrupting Photographers?
• Make a Yarn Statement Necklace with this tutorial using plastic canvas. 
• I'm over the moon for this simple tutorial on making an XOXO sign using junk stuff. 
• My love of quilting and jewelry-making has me enthralled with this Quilted Jewelry Tutorial. 
• Y'all! Check out these Embroidered Leaves. So neat!!
• I think this little Embroidered Heart Charm is just so sweet. 
• Similarly, here's a list of 19 DIY Felt Valentine's Day Decorations. 
• For a quick project (this might be good for my 100DayProject!), how about a 5 Minute DIY Scarf Twist Bracelet. Could be fun to try. 
• Crafty Little Gnome has an Easy Origami Heart Tutorial if you want something sure quick and easy. 

And now, I really need to get to that 100 Day Project - I don't want to miss it on the first day! I hope you have a week full of inspiration and creativity. Enjoy it!!

Peek at My Week (Jan. 10-16)

 How was your week? Hopefully, it was better than the last. I know mine was. 

I spent some of Sunday working on an art journal spread that used a variety of techniques from artists I've been watching on YouTube lately. You can see the full piece on Instagram, but I'll also be publishing a video of my process for it in the next week or two. 

I snapped a few quick pictures of our old blue tractor as Pat had listed it for sale and I wanted to make sure I had some record of it before it left us. It was a few days before it was gone, but wasn't she pretty? I hate that we're just not mechanical enough to have given her the care she needed. It sounds like the gentleman who bought her is more mechanically inclined.

I had Brussels Sprouts planned for dinner (as per my weekly menu), but was just going to roast them. It hit me that I could try air frying them!

They were really good - slightly more crisp than roasting would have been.

Monday was spent just getting things done and keeping busy before the College Football National Championship game. Bama won. ROLL TIDE!

After a late-night watching football, I'm surprised how well I stayed on-task on Tuesday. I spent the bulk of the day in the craft room and forced myself to tackle the chaos.

I'll admit that there's still loads of that mess to conquer, but the portions that were worrying me have been handled. My main concern was making sure there wasn't anything too bad that this little Miss could get into as she explores.

It felt so much better to have my desk cleaned off and some of that closet organized. I was even able to work on a little more art.

As I let the chickens out on Wednesday morning, I discovered a couple of eggs! It's the first time in MONTHS that we've found an egg in the nesting boxes.

I'm fairly sure these are from our older hen, Bertha, and not the "chicks" yet. 

I even decided to crack one open for part of my breakfast.

It was really delicious.

I decided to introduce Artemis to the spot of sunshine that is in our bedroom for a few hours each day (most of the rest of the house doesn't get sunny spots.)

That's where I left her when I headed out to take my niece to a dental appointment and spend the afternoon with her in Mobile.

After the drive across the bay, I realized just how bad my brakes were sounding and took my car to the mechanic on Thursday. Back at home, I decided to make a point of showing that the eggs I had found the day before weren't as monstrous as they seemed in the photo above. I seriously just have tiny hands.

The eggs on the left are the ones I buy from the farm market, the ones on the right are Bertha's, and there's my tiny hand. Ha.

After picking up my car from the mechanic, I noticed how amazing the sunset was and had to pull over to capture it.

I busted my butt Friday morning getting the house clean as I've been avoiding some chores (like mopping) for too long. With that done, I let myself just watch videos and create for the rest of the afternoon.

When I went to take Zoe out later in the day, I was struck by the long shadows and the beams of sunshine in the front yard.

Pat and I committed ourselves to tearing down the smaller chicken coop on Saturday (the younger chickens have had a separate coop from Bertha until they could get used to each other. However, the older coop is the one with the nesting boxes that they need to use soon.) So, we knocked that out as fast as we could and freshened up everything. 

I spent the majority of the rest of the day working on a specific project that I'll reveal at the end of the month. But, here's a small peek.

As Pat and I watched TV in the evening, I was itching to do something other than scroll through Instagram, so I grabbed a scrap of fabric and some embroidery floss and experimented. 

It's a little messy, but I kinda love it!

Here's a little more inspiration from my week.

• How 24 Artist Break Free of Creative Limitations from ArtistsNetwork. 
• At The Beading Gem, you can find all the links to watch an artist create an amazing Polymer Clay Portrait Cane. 
• Lifehacker suggests Asking Yourself These Questions to Find Meaning and Purpose. 
• Did you know that #The100DayProject begins early this year!? The project starts at the end of this month, so get to thinking and join the party. 
• You can find the A to Z of Denim Crafts at Pillar Blox Blue. 

I feel like I'm brimming with ideas for loads of projects but can't seem to focus on just one long enough to get anything done. So, this week, I hope to work on centering in on what I need to do and knocking it out. Wishing you a productive week as well! What do you hope to accomplish?

Peek at My Week (Nov 15-21)

My creativity has been kicking in this week, and I couldn't be more thankful for the distraction. 

Sunday began beautifully. There was a bit of a hazy fog that diffused the sunrise and gave the morning a lovely glow. 

Back inside, I collected a few of the projects I had begun on Saturday.

Coffee-dyed papers were laid out across the kitchen island drying.

And, a copper washer was finishing up its patina process. Once I had it cleaned and sealed, it went straight into the last compartment of my Bead Box. Hopefully, I'll have version 10 to share with you before too long!

Before the day got away from us, we met some friends for a hike at Blakely State Park. Along the way, I collected colorful leaves to create this super cool rainbow of fall foliage as inspired by Rachel on Instagram. 

I have to admit that we got a little lost on the hike and ended up walking about five miles - much more than we had anticipated. And, we were exhausted for the rest of the day. But, it was so good to be out enjoying the fall weather. 

I found myself a little sore on Monday and took my time to get things done. While doing our grocery shopping, I couldn't resist this pile of satsumas at the farm market. 

These are some of my favorite fruits and ones that we wait all year to come into season locally. They're so good! One day our little tree will finally fruit. And, we're hoping to plant several more. We really do love them. 

Most of Tuesday was spent at the craft desk. I aged copper wire for some of the designs that were packed into the bead box.

And then, I got started on making the bead box designs. I ensured that the first few compartments held pieces that would fit into a couple of the November Challenges.

I also spent some time editing videos to share with you. 

Each evening, I go out and close up the chicken coops. I couldn't help but stop and capture these sleepy cuties as they watched the twilight ease in.

Though I had a box FULL of designs to work on, I was compelled to cut out both a few templates for tin and some tin on Wednesday.

That kept me busy most of the afternoon! In the evening, we discovered The Great Pottery Throw Down. It's a BBC program that we're able to watch on HBO Max. It's just like the Great British Bake-Off but pottery instead of cakes!

On Thursday, I happily worked on sanding and altering my little tin pieces while watching YouTube videos most of the day. 

My sister-in-law came over to help my husband with the roof of the shed. And, while I was out greeting her, the blossoms on the loquat trees caught my attention. I was trying to take a picture when a butterfly landed on the flower.

I became enamored with watching all the bees and butterflies flitting among the blooms. It was mesmerizing. Fall in the South can be pretty amazing.

But, I did have loads to do including running a few errands in the afternoon, and somehow I found myself in a thrift store. (I have no idea how that happened ;) Ha!)

On Friday, I did a little pampering before starting my day in earnest.

From there, I finished working on my tin, and we had a fire in the firepit in the evening. It was the first of the season, and I think we could have sat out there all night. I just love watching a fire, and found a dragon in ours.

Do you see it too?

I spent most of Saturday morning playing with paper techniques I had seen on the videos I watched through the week.

While I'm not a huge fan of bleach in general (the smell, the stains...ugh!), I was smitten with Aimee Bishop's results in Stamping with Bleach and had to try it myself!

From there, I went in another papercrafting direction.

I've been wanting to try the alcohol ink on the Gelli Plate technique from Birgit Koopson ever since I saw her share a peek of it on Instagram. 

In the afternoon, we watched the Alabama football game to finish the weekend.

While I didn't get many completely finished projects, I stayed creative for most of the week. And, that makes me happy. I hope you've found your creative groove this week too. If you're looking for inspiration, he's what I've found this week. 

• Moois Van Me had a couple of earring tutorials that caught my eye. First, these Balance earrings have such a neat design that I'm sure has some great movement. Secondly, the Ava Pearl earrings have a similar wire idea to them, but done quite differently. You'll have to go take a look to see what I mean. 
• My Modern Met has a list of 10 Art Books that will Nourish Your Creative Soul this Month. I always love hearing about inspiring reads!
• Though it's not quite Thanksgving yet, I'm really enjoying seeing some of the DIY ornaments out there. This Vintage Butterfly Ornament is no exception. 
• Julie Fei-Fan Balzer has released her #CarveDecember prompt list if you're interested in jumping on the handcarved stamp bandwagon. And, you don't HAVE to use her prompts or even carve everyday. But, it's a fun challenge all in all. 
• Nunn Designs has a tutorial on How to Turn Your Images into Beautiful Resin Jewelry. I'm thinking those could be great gifts!
• I just have to share this Freddie Mercury Marionette for its pure awesomeness. 
• Here's another of the videos that I binged this week: Quick and Easy Leather Journal Tutorial. 
• The Graphic Fairy always shares a ton of fabulous printable images. Here are 50+ Best Blank Labels (Vintage). 

And, that was the week for me. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead. Let me know what you're doing to stay busy and creative. 

Peek at My Week (July 19-25)

I did my best to try to get a few more pictures of my week than I did last week. Oddly, I didn't get any pictures on Saturday. How funny is that? 

We started Sunday with a simple breakfast of Monkey Muffins and fruit. 

From there, we didn't do much. I made some art and puttered around the house.

Here's the art in its almost-finished state. It incorporates the skills and techniques I learned in Kate Thompson's Botanical Collage Mini Class. 

Monday was a lost day for me creatively. Pat needed to have the air-conditioning fixed on his truck so I spent what felt like much of the day driving him back and forth between the repair shop and the house. Then, I had to run my own errands. Thankfully dinner was easy!

Okay, so yeah, this is it in its unfinished state because we dove into it when it was done. Basically, I lightly fried corn tortillas, stuffed them with shredded cheese, rolled them, and put them in this casserole dish. Then, I covered them with leftover chili and a sprinkling of more cheese. After that, I baked it for 25 minutes and served it with salad on the side. It was so good too!

On Tuesday, I made sure everyone knew that it was Ladies Day at Southern Antiques and Accents. 

And, I'm happy I did too since I had some good sales in the booth. 

I did run a few errands, but then made sure I got in some creative time.

I worked on a project for the SJ Honey Do List that I hope to reveal next week. But, wanted to make sure y'all got to see this little trick for painting bead caps. I actually would have stuck the skewers into a block of floral foam if I could have found any in the craft room, but this technique worked just as well. 

On Wednesday, I started the day with my lovely morning routine. 

I try to begin each morning on the deck, in my porch swing. There, I have my coffee, doodle in my little datebook (I'll have to share that sometime), and plan out my day. 

It sets a great precedence for the day. And, I really did knock out quite a bit as from there, I made sure to get pictures taken before it got too hot outside.

Don't you love my fancy setup? Seriously though, I cannot recommend using an ironing board enough. The height is adjustable, it's lightweight, and you probably already have one! I also spent much of the day making earrings since that was the bulk of what sold at the antique store. 

On Thursday, when I took a break from creating and when the rain also took a break, I walked around Silverlox for a few minutes and found this lone jasmine on the heaps of vine we have out here. 

I also visited with the chickens for a few minutes. I can't believe how big the chicks are getting. 

And, that evening (as most evenings), we had some snuggle time with Zoe on the couch.

She looks a little pouty in this picture, but she was just content. 

On Friday, I continued to work on my earring marathon. But, received word from my mom that one of my cousins was killed in a car accident. And, that left me less than inspired. But, I did have this bowl full of designs made. 

Later, I was able to clear off my desk to pour out my distress into an art journal page.

We risked visiting with some friends who haven't been much of anywhere like us. And, they had this Bitter Melon for us to try. Apparently, a neighbor grew it and my friend saved it since she knew I'd want to get a picture of it. Check out that texture!

Isn't that cool?

On Saturday I headed over to my mom's to help her clear out her kitchen. She's been wanting a remodel of it for years and has finally found a contractor. So, she needed to get everything out of the cabinets but can't climb on the countertops to get to everything like I can. My niece even helped for a few minutes before she headed out. It was good to see my mom before she starts back to work on Monday. 

Now, for some inspiration for you!

• Somehow, I keep finding beaded daisies, but I don't really mind. Here's a Beaded Daisy Necklace Tutorial for you. 
• I learned to use a kumihimo disc years ago at my favorite local bead shop, Blue Girl Beading Co,. and immediately bought all the fancy supplies. However, I never considered how easy it might be to just DIY a Kumihimo Disc. 
• These Milky Way Photographs will likely take your breath away. You should definitely go take a look. 
• Here's another earring tutorial from Moois Van Me. While her designs may be simple sometimes, I can always find an interesting twist on her techniques. 
• Lately, I've seen a lot of mention of mark-making for collage fodder. This array of mark-making moments in ink from Daisy Yellow is the perfect example of one of them. 
• I've made several earring designs like these, but this tutorial on How to Make Beachy Beaded Boho Earrings gives a great, clear way to make some for yourself. 
• It seems like I've likely seen and/or shared the Magical Embroidery from Emillie Ferris before. But, what the hay, it's gorgeous and NEEDS to be shared. 

So, that was basically my week. How did yours treat you?