Thrifty Thursday

I'll admit that this isn't really much of a thrifty post as it is a happy mail unboxing. But, since I didn't pay anything for it, it was thrifty... My mixed media artist friend, Nina Fickett, sent me another package of awesome this week. 

As she mentioned in her note to me, these treasures would be good for either my jewelry-making or assemblage. For a better look at all of it, watch my Thrifty Thursday video.

I am definitely blessed with some amazing friends! Thank you, Nina!! 

Peek at My Week (June 28 - July 4)

Once again, this week was filled with chick-related activities! But, I haven't really minded.

On Sunday, we finished the Peep Palace enough for our three chicks to move out of the house and into theirs. Everything went well. It was a relief to not dread finding chicken poop in the house. 

Monday, everything went well as I knocked most of my chores off my bullet journal list. But, Tuesday morning was a little haywire as we found one of the chicks loose in their yard and not in the coop. The other two had somehow gotten trapped behind the roost we have in there. Both of the trapped chickens had trouble walking, but one seemed to shake it off after a few minutes. The other has been limping all week but improving each day. Seeing the improvement has brought so much relief to me. I was so worried. We spent some of Tuesday sealing up the area where we think they were trying to escape as well as the area where they got trapped and since then have had no more incidents. 

We also enjoyed some amazing chicken tacos that evening. Man, they were fantastic!

As delicious as those were, I actually had some toppings leftover and thought to throw them in my grits the next morning.

Oh, it was SO GOOD!

Those grits were good fuel for what came next for the Peep Palace.

The niece and I spent some time painting it with primer to seal it before more of the storms rolled through. That's her in the picture doing the bulk of the work (I painted one side and the roof and left her the rest!)

I also had some beads on the desk Wednesday as I worked to make more Beaded Bookmarks to go out with my jewelry orders. 

Oh, and while out and about that morning, I spotted a baby turtle near the compost.

I guess it was a day for reptile spottings because we all saw snakes in the yard as well. 

On Thursday, the niece got started on the pretty painting of the Peep Palace.

We told her she could paint whatever she wanted on it. She's begun with this cool sunrise/sunset scene that she plans to add some fun silhouettes to later. But, the rain hasn't really cooperated with her schedule. I'm loving this start though!

I knew I had some happy mail headed my way and checked the mail multiple times on Friday to finally discover two of the packages there that afternoon. One of them contained these beauties.

An Instagram friend wanted to send out some Black & White photos that she knew she wouldn't use. I was all in on that. But, I had no idea how generous she was going to be. Wow! 😍

I had a few errands to run to pick up some groceries for grilling out the next day, so I swung by our local Fairhope Brewing Company to get a few cans of this specialty brew.

Ohmygoodness...It's so yummy!

Despite the rain predicted for Saturday, we held to our plan to swim and grill out in the afternoon. Before heading out to do some yardwork in the morning, I marinated some chicken breasts and soaked the fresh, local corn.

Have you ever grilled corn still in their husks? It's divine and so easy! And, the rain held off over Silverlox, though we heard rumblings of thunder and watched the radar all afternoon. We were able to swim for a few hours and grill our dinner. It was a fabulous way to end the week. 

If you've been watching these posts lately, you know I'm nearing the end of #The100DayProject. Here's a look at what I made this past week. There were some winners and some losers in this bunch. 

I caught back up again with this page for days 82 and 83. Embossed stamps and some of my specialty paints were included for my project. 

For day 84, I decided to go ahead and try to make something for June's Art Elements Theme Challenge of Summer Solstice. I used the phone book pages as I needed for the project, but the end result just wasn't what I had hoped it would be. 

I only needed to use some of my Distress Inks for Day 85. I experimented with using them in a couple different ways than I had before. 

While most of this page is...okay, I really should have thought more about how stencil masks are best used before I dove in on Day 86. 

I started pulling myself out of my art rut on Day 87 as I worked with getting this laser cut butterfly into a journal page. 

I've hoarded Rickrack for ages, picking it up at garage sales and thrift stores. But I don't hardly ever use it. It was Day 88's task to work it into some art. I tried to rush this process and heat-dried my crackle paste. It didn't crackle, but I pushed on and made a page that works. Oh, and note that I actually used one of the B&W photos that I got in the mail!

For day 89, I was to use glitter tape. And, I pure dreaded it. I wasn't sure how all that sparkle would fit into one of my grungy pages. I covered part of it up with some sewing pattern and considered covering it all up, but I let some poke out. It ended up being a pretty great page in the end. 

Now, how about I share some of the inspiration I found over the week:

• As a lover of anything mixed media and/or upcycled, I was drawn to this tutorial on How to Make Jewelry or Decorations out of Tin Can Lids. 
• This Hammered Earrings Tutorial at Jewelry Making Journal is fairly simple in the techniques it uses. But, the results are beautiful!
• Divya from Jewelry of Sayuri has compiled a pretty comprehensive Jewelry Resource Directory that she's shared on her blog. 
• Watch and learn to create a beautiful pair of Beaded Teardrop Hoop Earrings. 
• This is an older post that I just discovered on How to Cut Flatware for Crafts and Jewelry. I'm pleased to learn that I already have most of the supplies needed. 
• If you have any interest in embroidery, you should totally check out this collection of French Knot Embroidered Designs on My Modern Met. 
• The Beading Gem has shared a tutorial on making a Real Flower Resin Bangle. It's lovely!
• This link isn't especially art related, but productivity-related. It's some advice on how to Motivate yourself to do something difficult.
• Over on Cut Out + Keep, there's a tutorial on something they call Cora Tassels. I think the design with the handmade cord between the tassels is really interesting. 
• Finally, here's a roundup of 10 Headpin Designs for Jewelry-Making. Some of these are store-bought headpins, but others look like they're something you could make yourself. It's a good inspiration for sure. 

And, that's it for my week. How did yours treat you?

Wishing you a creative week ahead!

Peek at My Week: October 7-13

This week was all about finding treasures and treasuring what I've found, and honestly, I didn't even realize that until I began this roundup.

Sunday was all about getting tasks accomplished outside. Pat and I did yard work and then I washed the vehicles. As a reward for our hard work, we headed to one of Fairhope's newest restaurant gems: TexarBama BBQ. 

Y'all! I can't even describe how good this place is. Everything just melts in your mouth. So yummy!

On Monday, it began to feel kinda nice outside so I decided to go for a walk down the street and then through some of our trails.

On the side of most of the roads in my area right now are these bright wildflowers. They just make me smile.

We've been so busy with the rest of the property this summer that the trails have been neglected. I found lots of downed limbs and even several small trees.

One little, fallen tree was covered in these beautiful mushrooms. Though Zoe was insisting that we keep going down the path, I had to stop and snap a shot of them. Don't they just scream Fall?

Tuesday was full of surprises. First, I needed to clean up outside some because we weren't sure how close Hurricane Michael was going to get to us. As I headed for the door, Pat mentioned that he had seen a few doo-dads buried near the deck that I might want to investigate.

Sure enough, I found these decorative accents in the dirt. 

Once I got everything picked up outside, it was time to head to the store.

In my car was this perfect little moth. Alas, he was no longer alive. But, I wouldn't have been able to get his picture if he had been. 

While out shopping, I began to see signs of the impending hurricane and the preparations for it. 

Bucket trucks from various power companies were parked in several shopping centers in my area. It gave me some relief to know that aid was ready to be given.

Back at home, I was surprised to find a bit of happy mail.

I knew I had won the amazing little toadstool from Caroline at Blue Berri Beads, but had no idea it would come across the pond so quickly! Look how amazing it is. You should have heard me squeeeee!!!

Normally on Wednesday, I head over to visit with my family. Since we weren't sure what the weather would be like, I stayed home instead and tried to focus on getting work done.

I finished up the last couple projects in Bead Box 4 and should have a reveal of them for you soon.

However, much of the day was spent watching the weather.

We were so very lucky - so many were not. 

Thursday was a day of distracting myself from the news of the destruction in one of our most favorite areas on earth. Just last year, we were vacationing in Florida in the Apalachicola, Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas area. And in 2014, we camped and explored the same area. I can't believe the pictures I'm seeing from those places. It's heartbreaking to hear what the residents there are going through. Please say a prayer and send aid if you can at this terrible time.

I left the house for a few hours to get better internet at a local coffee shop. Getting out the house really made me focus on the tasks in front of me, and I came home energized and inspired. I realized that even though I have loads of inspiration at home, it's often overwhelming. Sometimes I need to step away from my hermit-like ways to really center-in on what's important. I'm going to have to do that more often.

Zoe, however, is a little more skeptical about me leaving the house. 

On Friday, we awoke to amazing weather. The morning was even a little chilly. The afternoon high was bearable!

We tried to be outside as much as possible.

Zoe and I went for a walk and checked the mail to find more treasures!

Jenny from Wonder and Whimsy had messaged me a few weeks ago that she found a couple of cool tins that she thought I would like and was sending them to me. I had no idea how flipping awesome those tins would be or that she was including so many other beauties. THANK YOU! I'm not sure that I'll be able to cut into either of those gorgeous tins... 

Head over to her latest Wonder and Whimsy Challenge post because there's a Giveaway! 

Here, I shared a fun tutorial for making Candy Corn Charms.

They're so easy and so cute too!

Friday was also our 16th Anniversary. After a bite to eat at a friend's restaurant, we decided to take advantage of the slightly cooler air and have our first fire in the fire pit.

As you can tell, the fire pit has been neglected all summer. We had hoped the fire would burn off all the weeds. However, it didn't want to catch, and the above picture shows the best of the flames we could get. But, it was nice to be outside enjoying each other and the property.

Pat enjoyed more of the outdoors on Saturday as he worked on the deck some more. I, however, stayed inside decorating for Halloween, watching football, and working on a necklace that's been in progress for far too long.

Alas, it still didn't get finished. At least I have something that'll be easy to pick up again later.

Yes, it was a week of blessings and reminders to cherish those blessings. I hope you found some joy in your week too. Here are a few links that I hope will bring you inspiration for the week ahead.

• Simple Silver and Suede Bracelet DIY
• "Embroidered" Rings from Facet Jewelry
• Wrapped Felt Journal Tutorial
• I'm not usually big on wreaths, but these two unique ones caught my eye.
• Wreath Embroidery Tutorial
• DIY Faux Copper and Felt Leaves Fall Wreath
• Tassel Keychain from T-shirt Yarn
• This Alphabet Pop-up Book is a collaboration of 26 artists and is AMAZING.

Have a beautiful week!

Happy Mail to the Max

Lately, I've been lucky enough to be the recipient of some awesomely fun mail. This is largely due to me joining a group that does a lot of swapping. This means that I've also sent items to partners. I thought I'd share this eye-candy of postal bounty with you.

First, I participated in a beginner's altered post card swap. The theme was Spring. I mailed out this card to my partner.

And, in return I received this cute bunny.

I don't know if she intended it, but all I see is chocolate!

She even decorated the address side of the postcard.

Pretty!

I've also gotten a 'happy mail' package. In the art journal realm, happy mail is a package of ephemera, small art pieces, supplies or any other item that might bring a smile to the recipient's face. I forgot to get a picture of what I sent out, but let me tell you it was YELLOW (that was the theme). I got these goodies.

I had a HUGE smile on my face with this happy mail.

 I've also signed up for a motivational deck swap. Basically, this goes in stages to make and receive a whole deck of cards altered with motivational words, sayings, quotes, etc. on them. I've really been enjoying the process and just mailed out my second set. I can't share those yet, but here's the first set I sent.

 And, what the hay. . .here's a better look at them.

My partner for this swap made me a cool accordion book with six cards that spelled out a single, resounding motivational word: CREATE.

The book all folded up with a few tiny playing cards tucked inside.

The book in all its glory.

Finally. . . I have also gotten some jewelry-making mail. Cynthia of Antiquity Travelers e-mailed me to let me know she had a box of old jewelry coming my way that she's been collecting on her desk. The pieces she sent were from family members as well as other odds and ends. She encouraged me to use what I can and do whatever I want with the rest. I opened the box to find this inside.

Holy moley!!

I immediately saw strands of beads, Lucite, chain, keychains, brooches, and old earrings. I took my time sorting though the box of treasures to uncover all the amazing bits she generously shared with me. Creative friends are THE BEST! Just look at what all she sent.

I was seriously blown away. Make sure you check out Cynthia's blog and her Antiquity Travelers Etsy shop. Not only is she a very kind and generous friend, but she's an inspiring and talented artist.

Now it's time to actually make something with some of this exceptional happy mail. So, have you been a little more than excited when the mailman shows up lately too?