Peek at My Week (Oct 10-16)

 It was a a week, y'all! I'm already running behind on this new one. Take a peek!

To get out of the house on Sunday, we took Zoe for a walk at a local park and checked out the new disc golf course there. You can tell how excited she was about that (the walk, not the disc golf). 

Since her picture turned out so well, I decided to capture Artemis' good side too. 

I also made a little time to play in an art journal after some inspiration from The Ugly Art Club. 

Monday began beautifully as I decided to go for a morning walk and watch the sun rise. 

I pretty much stayed home and worked on a few projects all day. In particular, I gathered papers and other bits for the giveaway I'll be having when I reach 2,000 YouTube subscribers on my channel. I'd love it if you'd follow me there too!

On Tuesday, I ran my usual errands of grocery shopping and whatnot. The local farmer's market had out their impressive display of pumpkins. These are just a small portion of the pumpkins that run down the side of the whole building.

It was also our wedding anniversary, so Pat and I had a nice dinner out on the deck at The Little Whiskey in Fairhope. It was a real treat!

On Wednesday, I worked on a variety of tasks. But the big event of the day was the four hours we spent in the evening painting the floor of the new building. 

On Thursday, I headed to Mobile to visit with my mom before I did a little estate sale shopping. I really scored big! You'll have to watch my October Thrifty Haul to really see what I bought. 

Friday morning, I treated myself to some yummy cheese grits topped with (PRO TIP) leftover taco toppings and a fresh fried egg. So good!

That evening, we got to enjoy seeing the Spin Doctors at a local outdoor venue. I was thrilled!

While Pat worked in the building on Saturday, I wavered between checking in on college football games, getting some jewelry made, and exploring the property. I discovered bees buzzing all over the blooms on the loquat trees. And, somehow captured this butterfly with its tongue out!

I was inspired to try to experiment with creating a tin and bead mushroom. Though, I understand that not everyone sees it as a mushroom. I guess I need to work on the design some more. 

As if that wasn't enough mushrooms, I stumbled across this interesting one in the woods.

And really, that was the week. It was busy, but full of joy.

I only found one thing to share and it was this blog post from Autin Kleon with an inspiring Ann Patchett quote.

I'm not sure what the week ahead holds, but I really do hope it's a good one! Here's wishing you a wonderful week as well. 

Peek at My Week (April 18-24)

There was a lot in the works this week. Take a peek.

While doing some yard work on Sunday, I caught a glimpse of the red flash of berries and discovered our first patch of ripening blackberries. They grow wild here and are really a nuisance because of the thorns, but the berries are so tasty that I can't help but get a little excited. 

Once the yard work was done, I couldn't bear to sit in the house on our first nice day in a week (SO MUCH RAIN!) So, I took my beadwork outside to enjoy the weather. 

Monday was a standard, get-things-done day full of errands and whatnot. I did decide to try something new on the bead table though! (It didn't work out but has spurred some other ideas.)

Since the weather has been so nice, I started the day with a walk in the neighborhood. I was rewarded with finding loads of beauty and a patch of ripe blackberries on the side of the road. Of course, I picked a few before heading home. 

Those roadside berries were easily worked into my breakfast!

We were happy to see that the nice weather brought out the concrete guys to finish framing up the foundation of the new building. In the evening, we met a few friends (and bumped into a few others) for dinner at an outdoor venue. 

My plans for Wednesday included helping a friend set up her own Facebook Page for her art then visiting with my mom for a few hours. Since I knew I was going to be out of the house most of the day, before I headed out I did a little prep-work for a soldering idea I had. 

I worked on adding copper foil to those bubbles and a few ceramic shards on Thursday but had to put them aside after a while because I had a lot of tasks on my list to get to including making the cake for my niece's birthday. 

Friday was FULL of activity.

It began at 5:30 in the morning with us waking to the dog barking and someone knocking on the door. The concrete guys were back to pour the slab. That was great news, but we didn't know they were coming and they couldn't get to the framed area until we moved our cars. We were frantic and there was a line of trucks down the street trying to get in our driveway. 

At the end of the day, we had a concrete foundation! Now, we have to wait for the metal to come in, and they have no idea when that's going to happen. sigh.

The frenzy of the morning and the hum of trucks in the yard left us exhausted all day. I stayed at my desk and worked.

I finished copper foiling all the pieces to be soldered but knew that I wasn't in the right place mentally for soldering so I put it aside for the next day.

Instead, I played in a couple of art journals with some paint and other mixed media supplies. I'm really happy with the results.

In the evening, I got my second wind as we headed out to celebrate my niece's 21st birthday.

It was a long day!

Saturday's stormy weather gave me a chance to recover from the day before. 

I worked my way through the You, Me, Same 3 reveals.

And, I soldered almost all day long. 

I'm in love with how some of these pieces turned out. My original idea that had spurred this soldering stint didn't work out, but another technique I've been wanting to try did. So, it was a win. And, a couple of the ceramic shards have already sold to an Instagram friend. Woohoo! I'm actually considering opening a section of my Etsy shop to selling some of the pendants and charms I made (soldered, resin, tin, etc.) rather than hoarding them away for my own designs. What do y'all think of that? I'm toying with a couple of ideas related to that but would LOVE your input. 

Here's some of the inspiration I found over the week:

• Tammie of Daisy Yellow shares some Ideas for filling a Tiny Journal. 
• Over at The Graphics Fairy, there are 25 Nest Clipart Images that could be great for a spring project of Mother's Day. 
• This Feather Sculpture is not only gorgeous, but it's also a beautiful tribute to the aid the American Indians gave to the Irish people during the potato famine. 
• I feel finding ways to make your own flowers. I guess it's because of spring. This Edwardian Rose made from Ribbon is especially nice. 
• All of the elements in this Earring Tutorial from Moois Van Mie make for a really fun accessory. 
• Helen Wells shares how to Make a Sketchbook from One Piece of Paper. 
• These little stop motion food prep Lego videos are so impressive and cute at the same time. I do love me some Lego. 
• I've always got a stockpile of mason jars so these 10 Mason Jar Craft ideas are definitely right up my alley. 
• I am gaga over these amazing, colorful sunset embroideries. 

I hope you found something to inspire you in that list. I know I've been feeling uber inspired myself. What have you been making lately?

Have a fantastic week!

Peek at My Week (March 14-20)

I hope your week has been quite wonderful. Mine's been a bit all over the place. After a busy Friday and Saturday, I took Sunday to recover and didn't accomplish much of anything. On Monday, I was still a bit sluggish but tried to make the most of the day. 

While I fit in a bit of art journaling, my jewelry-making endeavors were less than successful. 

Tuesday was blooming good.

All the azaleas, pine, dogwoods, and everything else is in bloom in our area!

I was inspired to finish these sunrise sunset earrings and they sold pretty immediately.

Artemis has recently decided that my chair in the craft room is really hers.

On Wednesday morning, I made myself a delicious breakfast with more of our egg abundance.

It was also St. Patrick's Day, and I went on a shamrock hunt.

While getting some work done, I looked down on my desk and saw a theme. Do you see it too?

Primary colors!

I took Zoe out and saw more blooms. Wisteria - one of my favorites!

Much of the day was spent in anticipation of a horrible storm throughout the state. We got our portion of it overnight as we tried to sleep. 

On Thursday, I made sure to work on a new design that had been doodled into my journal earlier in the week. It came out better than I anticipated.

I was in a creative groove and even worked on an art journal page too.

I was really feeling Spring knocking on my door on Friday right from the moment I walked into the craft room that morning. The view!

These little roses weren't in bloom last year, but I'm so glad to see them this year.

And, oh my goodness, the blooms on the blueberry bushes are out of control!

I struggled with my jewelry-making a bit but finally had a breakthrough.

And, it looks like I'm going to try to learn some new skills.

I haven't cracked the book yet but wish me luck.

Saturday was my niece's prom, so I spent much of the day at her house so I could get a few shots of her and her boyfriend before the big event. Really, they just had call-outs that we watched virtually. There was no actual dance because of the virus.

And, I got some great pictures for sure!

How about some inspiration?

• I'm not great with seed bead stitches but am quite taken with this Right Ange Weave Tennis Bracelet Tutorial. 
• Over at The Graphics Fairy, you can find this list of a couple different methods on How to Make Tassels. 
• These looking glass Easter eggs are made with a simple method, but the results are lovely. 
• Check out this easy wire and leather triple wrap bracelet tutorial. 
• If the flowers where you are aren't blooming yet, you can make your own tissue paper flowers with one of the tutorials at My Modern Met. 
• Now for a couple of embroidered inspirations. First, these embroidered portraits. Next, how about more landscape embroideries. 

I've got a busy week ahead: trying to make sure I meet all my end-of-the-month deadlines. I hope you've enjoyed the first couple of days of spring and have a really fabulous week. 

Peek at My Week (March 7-13)

We're in the home stretch to Spring and I can feel it all around me. The azaleas are blooming outside my craft room and pollen covers EVERYTHING! This time of year always feels so full of possibilities and gives me so much to look forward to. I hope you're feeling similar. Here's a peek at my last week.

The week began in an unexpected and awesome kind of way. Pat's best friend from childhood has sold everything and bought an RV. He and his wife were docked close by for the week, so we met them and some other friends at a beautiful outdoor restaurant for lunch and drinks. The rest of the day dissolved from there. 

Monday was slow-moving for sure! But, I accomplished almost everything on my list.

As I started an earring design, Artemis decided she wanted to help. (She wasn't helpful at all.)

I felt much better on Tuesday and finished up the last (for now) of my chain link earring designs.

For dinner, I decided to try one of the suggestions I received on Facebook for how to use up some eggs and made a Frittata. It was good, but the leftovers never got touched.

I felt super creative on Wednesday and jumped into a few projects early. I even worked in one of my art journals.

And, I took a peek at what was blooming outside. I was surprised to find that one of our mini daffodils had two blooms on one stem. That's pretty rare, right?

I'm not even sure what happened to Thursday. I probably let myself play video games as both Pat and my niece were out in the evening. Oh, and I finally started on my pieces for the Bead Soup Swap & Create. I can't wait to share what I've made so far!

I started Friday with a walk around the property in the morning. The fog was thick and stuck around for a while, so many of the buds and blooms were covered in a dewy mist.

Even the kitties felt the magic of the day and were found actually touching. (Rosalina didn't know Artemis had snuck in next to her. When she realized it a few minutes later, she left the room. Ha!)

In the evening, we met up with Pat's best friend again at his camper mansion (it's a really nice camper!) and enjoyed a fire on a beautiful evening. 

The late-night didn't bother me as much as I was up early on Saturday and even out on the porch doodling. I'm so relieved the weather is nice enough to hang out there again. 

We did some yard work before I made us a light lunch. 

That salad was HUGE and delicious. (It's spinach, romaine, strawberries, chicken, glazed pecans, blue cheese, bacon, and a vinaigrette.) So good!!

In the evening, I met my best friend out on the patio of a local restaurant and talked until the place closed. I've seen more people this week than I have in the whole year, I think. And, admittedly, it makes me nervous. So, I'm hoping to get back on track until more people have the vaccine and that nagging voice in my head can be silenced. I hope you're safe and healthy as well. 

Here's some inspiration from the past week:

• I don't make a lot of rings, but simple ones like this Easy Spinner Wire Wrapped Ring Tutorial make me wonder why. 
• I think we're all aware of how trendy woven wall hangings have become. These massive weavings from Tammy Kanat show just how beautiful and diverse they can be.
• Speaking of wall decorations, I'm taken with the simplicity of this recycled yogurt container wall decor idea at Stampington. 
• This new DIY Earring tutorial from Moois Van Mie just screams spring and summer. 
• I've probably mentioned a time or two that we don't hang a lot of wreaths at our house, but the funky design of this Boho Twine Jute Wreath pulls at me to make one. 
• Here's a great idea for how to finish off a cup-chain using crimp covers. I'm wondering if a similar idea would work with ball-chain too. 
• Julie Balzer always has some cute ideas. I'm digging this one that involves using a paint palette to make paper beads. 
• I'm absolutely smitten with this DIY Gemstone Chain. I usually make chains in this manner, but those gemstones really make this necklace. I'd love to find a local (US) source for similar beads. Let me know if you have one. 
• These pop culture military paintings tickle me to no end. 
• No post would be complete without some mention of embroidery. Here's a cute, free Irish Blessing Pattern just in time for St. Patrick's Day. 

And, that's it for the week. After all my fun, I'm running a bit behind and hoping to catch up. Here's hoping Spring finds you wherever you are and you enjoy the heck out of it!