Peek at My Week (Oct 3 - 9)

 I'm happy to see that I'm able to make a little time to share what my week looked like.
Take a peek. 

I worked on a few projects on Sunday while one of my nieces and her boyfriend came over to help Pat clean the floor of the new building. I explored the property for a bit looking for the weird and wonderful and found plenty to delight me (above).

There was even this little treasure half-buried under a tree. 

It tickles me so! I can just imagine one of the kids who grew up in our house playing out in the yard with this toy motorcycle.

I also finished up a little needlebook I've been working on based on the skills I learned in the Mixed Media Textile Collage class from Sara Hartmann on the Southern Gals Designs Creative Academy. 

Monday was all about knocking out the chores and finishing several projects. Though, my favorite part was probably the joy I found in watching the birds and squirrels at the feeder we recently hung outside my craft room window!

I piddled most of Tuesday, working on a few things including this resin and tin piece. 

I actually didn't even realize that it looked like an eye until Pat said something about it. Ha!

Really, the day was spent waiting to hit the road for a fun experience. On the way, the sky was glorious! I even spotted a rainbow as we were crossing Mobile Bay. 

Then it was time for the BIG SHOW. Seriously.

KISS put on a concert like none other I've ever seen. It was amazing!

The rest of the week paled in comparison. Here are some of the highlights. 

 - I found a massive sticker book from someone's scrapbooking days at Goodwill on Wednesday.

- On Thursday, I visited with my mom and niece in Mobile.

Most of Friday was spent working on a design I had begun earlier in the week and was desperate to get finished. 

While I absolutely adore how the earrings came together. There are a few flaws with this particular design. So, these earrings are mine (all mine!)

Most of my Saturday was spent watching college football. Though, I made sure to keep myself busy with some organizing, art journaling, and beading on and off throughout the day.

Unfortunately, Alabama (my team) just barely lost their game, bringing down an otherwise beautiful week. But, I'm trying to stay optimistic for the week to come. 

Once again, I didn't find much to share. But, here are a few links for you to enjoy.

• This Quick and Easy DIY Fabric Bunting really does look quick and easy. 
• As it is pumpkin season, this DIY Cottagecore Floral Decorated Pumpkin caught my eye. 

And, that was my week. 

How was yours?

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 (Aug 23-29)

 I'm running a bit behind, which is crazy since there's not been much going on with me this past week. And, most everything I'm about to share, you likely saw on Instagram if you follow me there. But, we're going to go ahead and go for it so that I don't get any more off-schedule. Take a peek.

Sunday and Monday were rainy days as Hurricane Marco's outer bands swept over our area. On Sunday, we discovered a British show, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, on YouTube; and it's been our daily binge of 2-3 of them each evening. While I had Zoe out on Monday between storms, this single dragonfly wing in the driveway caught my eye. 

Tuesday was frustrating as all-get-out since the internet was out most of the day. I did knock out some busy work like taking and editing pictures though.

Somehow, I lost most of Wednesday doing who-knows-what. But, it was National Dog Day, so Zoe got her picture taken.

By Thursday, the rain had finally stopped. I was able to head out for a morning walk where I spotted these fuzzy mushrooms.

I also revealed my version of a Mandala for the Art Elements monthly theme.

In the afternoon, I saw that Blue Girl Beading, my favorite local bead shop, was having a sale on wire. So, I headed down there to take advantage of the savings. If you must know, most everything in the shop is on sale because the owner has decided to go after her dream of focusing on her silversmithing. 

I was able to knock out a few tasks on Friday before heading to my mom's house to help her with some things including taking my niece to the dentist. Then, Saturday was a fairly wasted day as I accomplished very little. Though, it was nice to just have another lazy day. 

See...it was as if the week had no substance to it. I'm hoping to make up for it this week. We'll see how that goes. For the most part, I eked in my five minutes of art for the #SouthernGals5Min challenge on Instagram (missing only Saturday).

Despite not finding much motivation over the course of the week, I did find inspiration:

• I'm a big fan of a lot of what Sadie Seasongoods shares. This tutorial on how to Make Your Own Necklace with Scarf Material is no exception.
• Please take a look at these wood and resin sculptures from Yuri Myketka on My Modern Met. 
• If you're interested in cross-stitching AND jewelry-making, here's a Printable Cross Stitch Tapestry Pendant that's perfect for you. 
• Something about the simple rustic-ness of this tutorial on Monoprinting with Scrim caught my eye. 
• Here's another tutorial from Sadie Seasongoods: Statement Brooches with Wood Medallions and Tweed. 
• Over at Craft Gossip, they've got a roundup of 13 DIY Leather Bracelets. 
• Though this is something I already do, I thought this quick video on How to Make a DIY Rock Pendant for a Necklace was worth sharing for those of you wanting to learn.
• Since I've been picking up more linens at thrift stores lately, this list of DIY Doily Craft Ideas caught my attention. 
• Here's a Wire Wrapped Wood Hoop and Tassel Earring Tutorial from The Beading Gem. 

And, that was the week for me. I hope your week was more productive and memorable than mine. If not, we always have this one! Make it a good one!!

Mandala Reveal (AE Theme Challenge)

 The theme for the Art Elements challenge this month was mandala. Check out the post from Lesley for examples and information on them. I've personally been familiar with mandalas for only several years now but did try my hand at drawing fairly traditional ones a few years ago. However, I never could get the symmetry quite right. I contemplated this theme for longer than I should have, trying to come up with just the right idea. In looking over the meaning and practice of making mandalas, I realized that they're often used as a meditative practice. After seeing the simple needlework from Lynn of LynnsNeedleWork on Instagram (check out this one) and re-organizing my embroidery floss, I finally came up with something that might count.

If you've seen my last several posts, you know that I've been a tassel-making madwoman lately: first with a tassel tutorial, then with my earrings for the Honey Do List from Sarajo. 

As such, I've had to buy some more floss to get just the colors I need, but my organizers are already so packed AND I ran out of little cards. So, I needed to find a way to use some of what I already have.

I decided that it would be good to use up some of the little bits of embroidery floss that probably couldn't be worked into much else. See the red one where the white card is showing through, those are the cards I decided to use. 

I put a bit of fabric into an embroidery hoop to make sure I kept within the circle idea of a mandala.

I fished out all those almost-empty cards.

And, I started making circles. Actually, it's more of a spiral...but I'll allow it.

Once I had this bit down on the fabric, I liked it so much that I thought maybe I was done and didn't need to use all that other floss. 

However, the repetitive motion of making the stitches and the sounds of the needle piercing the fabric and of the floss moving through it were perfectly meditative (like making a MANDALA!!) I haven't been able to stop!

I'm absolutely enjoying the process too much to quit now.

And, there's still plenty of fabric still showing.

Plus, I haven't used up all that embroidery floss yet.

So, okay...this isn't a traditional mandala with geometric shapes making it up. But, I feel like the purpose was the same to some extent. And, I think the end result is going to be pretty awesome. (I'll share it in one of my weekly posts when I finally get it done.) For now, let me thank Lesley for the theme. I've really enjoyed this little project. And, I'd like to encourage you to head over to the Art Elements Community on Facebook and join up so you can see the album full of all the other Mandalas made for this month. 

Peek at My Week (Aug 16-22)

 I did everything in my power to eke as much out of this week as possible. Take a peek.

Sunday included some general chores before Pat I knocked out a bit of yard work. We rewarded ourselves in the afternoon with pool time and a grilled dinner. 

I began Monday with high hopes.

After my morning walk, I enjoyed planning out the day and week ahead.

Once I was also able to plan out our meals for the week, I headed out to run my errands - first stopping by Southern Antiques and Accents to hang some sale signs.

This sale will be active through the end of the month, so you've got another week to take advantage of the savings. In the afternoon, I tried to knock out a few creative endeavors, but quickly realized that I lacked focus and inspiration causing me to quickly become frustrated. 

Tuesday was a bit better. I headed out for my walk early and was able to see the sunrise.

That set a beautiful precedent for the day ahead.

I did try to work on some jewelry projects.

However, I didn't get very far.

I did try to pep myself up with a coffee break after lunch.

No worries about my safety, I had my mask on the whole time and really just used the break to upload some videos before bringing the coffee home to enjoy. (One was for Pat)

Wednesday's walk wasn't quite as inspiring as the previous day. But, I did spy these enormous mushrooms coming off the side of an oak tree.

It's really hard to share the scale of them, but trust me - they are huge!

I buckled down and knocked out a few creative projects also.

You'll get to see the results of this one in a few days!

We awoke to rain on Thursday, so there was no morning walk for me. I did some exercises in the house but also made sure to walk the property with Zoe a little later in the afternoon when it had dried out. Zoe was impatient with me as I kept stopping to admire the Beauty Berries.

After that, I was able to finish the rest of my earring sets.

I've actually already sold a couple of these pairs just off this picture.

And, I started a new project that I'm really enjoying.

I'll give you more details about it toward the end of the week (fingers crossed that it works out!), but there's a peek of its progress below.

Friday was chock full of chores including a bath for Zoe. 

Saturday was a mixed bag. As I got water for the chickens in the morning, I spied this beauty.

It may be the last of the gardenias. However, just as soon as I think I saw the last one, another one blooms. I don't mind these beautiful surprises at all. 

I busied myself with various tasks in the morning, including this new embroidery project.

In the afternoon and evening, we enjoyed the pool and grill.

It was a really lovely week.

Throughout the week, I continued with the Five Minute project from Southern Gals Designs.

I don't know how that blue-green color keeps ending up in each of the cards. Maybe I'll try to steer away from it for today's card - we'll see.

Now for some inspiration for you:

• I love this idea for Making an Adjustable Sliding Bracelet from Jewelry Making Journal. 
• Craft Gossip shared a roundup of DIY Polymer Clay Jewelry Projects. 
• This DIY Tila Bead Bracelet tutorial from Honestly WTF makes me want to run out and buy some tila beads (I don't have any!)
• I don't know what has me drawn to this so much, but don't we all need to know How to Make a Giant Paper Rose? 
• Mylene at Mill Lane Studio shared How to Finish Resin Jewelry. 
• If you saw my last post, you know I've been on a tassel kick. So, this tutorial on How to Make Natural Wood Bead and Tassel Earrings totally caught my attention. 
• I know I just shared the adjustable bracelet tutorial from Jewelry Making Journal, but here's an Adjustable Wire Bracelet Tutorial from there too!
• What inspiration round-up from me would be complete without a little embroidery eye-candy? These embroidered landscapes are really beautiful.
• I absolutely adore this DIY from Pillar Box Blue on Making a Cute Fabric Mushroom Display. There are even free printables of the mushroom images for you. How awesome is that?
• Finally, this video on How to Make a Cloud Lamp makes it look easy enough. And, the results are so very cool.

I'm looking forward to more creativity and beauty in my week ahead. I'm trying to find the blessings in these tough times. I hope you are too.

Have a fabulous week!