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!!

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

DIY Stamped Halloween Lamp

Confession: I have a thing for Halloween. I don't know if it's because it's a week after my birthday, or the childlike fun of it, or the creepy-cool elements, but it's definitely on my shortlist of favorite holidays.  Those spooky elements (minus spiders) really tickle my fancy. As such, I'm often picking up craft supplies post-Halloween then stashing them away for a year to forget about them until the next All Hallow's Eve. I decided to break out some of those supplies before I forgot about them again and create a fun little decor piece.

A few weeks back, I picked up several mini lampshades at the thrift store after seeing a tutorial from LorriMarie Jenkins on YouTube. I finally decided to get off my butt and make something with one of them. 

You can watch all the steps I took to create DIY Stamped Halloween Lamp on YouTube.

Here, I'll just show you some of the pictures of the results and give you a little info about how I made the lamp.

The first thing I did was to dismantle one of the thrifted lampshades and spray the skeleton frame of it with matte black paint. Then, I traced a template of the inside of one of the sections and cut it out so I would know what size of a stamp would fit in them. 

Once I selected my favorite six stamps (all from the Recollections Brand from Michael's), I used a stamping platform and Staz-On Ink to stamp them onto off-white cardstock. 

I crumpled the paper to give it a grungy texture before watercoloring the outside of each of the images. Once the watercolors were dry, I tore out the images in a similar shape as the template I had cut. 

The edges were inked with Distress Oxide in Black Soot and blended in. Then, I used sparkly sprays in Gold and Silver to add a shimmer to them.

After everything dried, I used napkins to coat the front and back of the paper with vegetable oil. I did two coats. This helps make the paper more transparent. You could use any oil or even resin (if you have more patience than me.) 

Then, I punched holes at the top and bottom of each paper and used twine/yarn to tie them to the frame.

I also inserted a battery-operated candle into the tension bars inside the lampshade so that I can light it up!

The colors don't show up in the dark so that the paper looks like something similar to stretched skin (for that uber-creepy factor.)

It was a really fun project, and I can't wait to decide how to use the other lampshades!

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about this project. 

Have a Happy Halloween!

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Peek at My Week (Oct. 11 -17)

There was definitely a bit more creativity this week as I've been looking more toward getting inspired and accepting change. 

Sunday began as most of my days do, in my little daily doodle book and in my bullet journal.

From there, I helped Pat clear more of the debris in the yard, and this guy appeared.

He helped me remember that everything evolves from some sort of change. Losing trees, a building, and Pat's studio space has been rough, but it's also given us the opportunity to change our landscape into something that is more us and meets our needs better.  So, I'm coming to terms with it.

Monday was our anniversary and (like all celebrations this year) was super low key. As we're starting to feel the change in the weather, we woke to a foggy morning.

Since it was also a holiday, I  didn't bother with my usual Monday errands and chose instead to take care of a few business tasks and brainstorming. 

I even went back to look at last month's Honey Do List from Sarajo as I had had an idea for that one before everything went sideways. So, I played with a lucite flower and some alcohol inks to see what they would do together. 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that little flower, but it was good to make something new. 

For our anniversary, we ordered take-out Mexican. It was nice not to have to cook.

It was delicious!

I was off and running on Tuesday. I started the day with the errands I had neglected the day before. But, I had to stop and admire the variety of pumpkins at the farm market.

In the afternoon, I worked on making some beaded bookmarks for the new orders I received.

Once those were done, I turned my attention to a Halloween project.

I hope to share the process and results next week!

Much of Wednesday was spent on the above project and packing up Etsy sales. 

Thursday was all over the place! I managed to dip into my art journal for a bit, but it was as chaotic as I felt.

Zoe and I took a walk down the road to look for wildflowers. I've seen loads of big bunches along some of the main roads, and wanted to see if I could find some on my own. I lucked up.

I felt like I needed to try to get some jewelry made, and worked on a design.

My niece in Mobile was scheduled to get her senior portraits done Friday afternoon. Since I was the one taking her, I decided to head over and visit a little before we went to the studio.

(Don't tell her I posted this. She'd kill me!!)

I rose before the sun on Saturday.

After finding all the wildflowers on Thursday, I felt the need to do a batch of eco-dye prints and busied myself with collecting flowers while Pat worked on more tree removal.

I also busted out an art journal page that felt a little more put together since I decided to stick with a monochromatic theme. 

That evening, we watched the Alabama vs. Georgia game with a friend to end the week.

It's been a beautifully inspired week. Here's some inspiration for you!

• The Beading Gem shared a few ideas for using buckles in jewelry including one from my friend Rozantia!
• Here's a simple Memory Wire Bracelet DIY that's got beautiful results. 
• I love the artwork of Mindy Lacefield. In this video tutorial, she shares several ways to make spooky faces with Tombow markers. 
• Etsy's top 10 jewelry design finalists for the year are shared in this post from The Beading Gem. 
• I'm blown away by this amazing drone photography!
• Anything fairies aways catches my attention. I thought this Fall Fairies Mixed Media project was pretty cute. 
• Here's an Easy Gold Foil on wood Necklace Tutorial from the ever inspiring Beading Gem. 
• I think this cheese board upcycle into a ghost is pretty sweet. 
• Moois Van Mie is always sharing a great earring tutorial. These tribal-like ones are great! In them, she uses her handmade beaded rings. 
• I'm a sucker for playing with my gelli plate. I've never considered using alcohol inks on it, but Birgit Koopson shares how to do so on the GelliArts blog. 
• Finally, over at The House that Lars Built, you can find a fabulous tutorial on creating a cardboard haunted house. 

And, that's how my week went. It's my birthday week so I'm hoping to make the most of it. But, we'll see. I hope your week is full of all kinds of happy!

Peek at My Week (Oct. 27 - Nov. 2)

Today we "Fall Back" an hour for Daylight Savings, and that means there's an additional hour to the day for sleeping in, knocking something off the to-do list, or packing a little more fun into the weekend. I think I'm going to try a little all of these. Sleeping in ✔︎. This post will be my to-do list item (I might even make this week's menu!) Once all that's done, I'm hoping we'll have a little puppy-fun like we did last weekend.

We started Sunday by picking up lunch from the Green and Grain food truck and heading down to Fairhope beach with Zoe to enjoy the view and our food. 

Once we gobbled up all the goodness, we decided to check out 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center. It's been around for quite a few years, but we've never ventured out to the Causeway to check it out, usually we stay closer to home or head South for our adventures. We loved all the amenities we found out there. 

I was stricken with the view of the Mobile, AL Skyline. And, we were especially pleased to see the really nice kayak and canoe launch! I'm sure we'll take advantage of that just as soon as the weather begins to warm up again. 

Zoe particularly liked the trails.

She does like to walk in the woods. And, we completely wore her out with that exploration.

Monday included my usual food-related chores (fridge cleaning, menu-making, and grocery shopping) before I tried my hand at eye-drawing for the Art Elements reveal. 

I continued to explore eye-opening crafts with my beaded Eye of Sauron on Tuesday. 

My layout of the materials cracked me up since it looked something like a jack-o-lantern and even included Halloweeny colors. 

The wirework for the eye stressed me out some but definitely got me in the mood for jewelry-making. So, I pulled out my Bead Box and got to work on a project from there.

I was smitten with this brass button and that smidge of natural patina on it! Yum.

Since I knew I was heading to my mom's on Thursday for Halloween, I stayed home on Wednesday to make sure I got everything ready for the eye reveal and accomplished some other tasks. This included feeding my urge to texture metal blanks with embossing folders. 

By the time I created this pile, I needed to stop to make dinner. 

Thursday was Halloween, and the scariest things I saw were the pumpkins that my nieces carved a few weeks before. A beard of mold is what it looked like to me! The humidity in our area ensures that carved pumpkins don't live long.

Despite their ages, both of the nieces dressed up for a night out with their friends. However, I completely failed to get pictures. Oops! I did have a lovely lunch with one of my best friends. She gifted me with a few things that I'll have to show y'all later. She knows me so well!!

Friday should have been more productive than it was based simply on the long list I made for myself. But, I slacked on the household stuff so that I could get to working with the Vintaj Patinas and those metal blanks. 

I stalled out with this one though as I wanted a pale pink alcohol ink to coat it that didn't exist in my stash. So, the niece and I ran to a few craft stores where she asked about the applications she had put in and ended up with an interview while I shopped. Ha! So, it was a productive trip out. 

On Saturday, I resumed the coloring of the blanks and even recorded a video of my process to share later. 

Now I've got this beautiful pile from which to work!

Speaking of beautiful, Pat and I went to pick up dinner and were rewarded with a stunning sunset.

I'll admit that it's a little blurry as I snapped it while he drove. But, I knew its beauty had to be shared with y'all. 

And, now let me share some more inspiration that I encountered over the week. 

• The Rings and Things Blog shared a simple tutorial on how to make threader earrings. 
• Did you know that ALL of Audubon's "Birds of America" illustrations are available for free to download? Well, they are!
• I love the cute, bohemian feel of these DIY Bonbon earrings from Moois Van Me. 
• Jennifer Jangles shared a tutorial for making a fabric tassel keychain. I can totally see creating these as gifts or as fun baubles to decorate packages this holiday season. 
• Over at The Beading Gem, you can learn how micro-mosaics are made. 

Now, I'm off to see what fun can be had in this extra-hour day. 

I hope you make the most of it as well!