Peek at My Week (Dec 27-Jan 2)

 Hey you! How has your week been? Here's a peek at mine.

I'm going to try to keep the pictures of Artemis to a minimum so I'll just start the post with a picture of her and leave it at that. She's kept us plenty busy all week with her cuteness and loving nature. But, she's so ready to be done with the bathroom confinement. (We're trying to keep her away from the other animals until I'm sure her fleas are gone and that she doesn't have anything else that can spread.) She'll see the vet this week! 

I spent much of Sunday working in the craft room and actually got some jewelry made.

In the evening, we celebrated Christmas with Pat's brother and sister.

After milling about a little bit on Monday (Pat took the week off so neither of us was rushing to do much), we met friends for another hike at Blakeley State Park.

It was a beautiful day. I spent the afternoon making lists and working on a few things back at home.

Tuesday was busy, and I didn't get any pictures. There was grocery shopping, the washing machine backed up, and take-out with a friend (the same one we hiked with.)

On Wednesday, I contemplated how much had changed over the year as I looked out on the back yard where the fence, shed, and pole barn used to be.

I did this as I sat on the porch swing in the morning for the first time in ages. Despite trying to return to that routine, I felt restless and unfocused all day. To ease some of that, I started cleaning and organizing the craft room. I didn't get far.

Pat began painting the shed.

Would you LOOK at that color? I tried to pick out a beachy green and went darker than I thought I needed. However, this highlighter-ish yellow is what it looks like out of the can. Oh well, it's still fun and makes me giggle with its ridiculousness. 

In the evening (for the third night in a row), the moon put on one heck of a show!

Thursday was the last day of the year, and we knew we were keeping it low-key (partly because it was going to storm all night and partly because, you know, the virus.) I took care of tasks on my list, finishing up #CarveDecember.

Really, the big excitement for the day was that we made the LAST PAYMENT on my student loan. It still feels weird to be free of that debt. I've had it my whole adult life! I also jumped into art journaling, working on Kasia's Advent Calendar from Everything Art (still!)

I came away with a page that I really like and enjoyed making. 

I've taken a few more pictures in this new year. As I spent a little time walking the property, I looked for some beauty. It's been hard to find any lately as all I've been able to see is the chaos from the storm and from our recovery. But, the camellias turned that around and reminded me that it's possible to find beauty every day.

In the afternoon, we watched Alabama beat Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl!

After the game, I made a quick "lucky" dinner.

It's southern tradition to have pork, black-eyed peas, and greens on the first to start the new year right. We don't eat cooked greens but do enjoy a good spinach salad.

Since I let myself take it easy on the first, I had a few chores to knock out on Saturday. But, I really spent a huge portion of the day being creative in the craft room. While cleaning, I remembered to turn my coat hangers backward.

As I wear items and put them back in the closet, I'll turn the hangers the right way. At the end of the year, I'll know what to keep and what to get rid of based on what I actually wore. At least, that's the theory. I have some concerns about how this will work in the time of Covid when I'm not really going anywhere and not dressing up. I guess we'll see. 

I've been wanting to watercolor in my art journal, so I tackled that.

And, I had an idea for some fun tin earrings, so I started punching tin.

I was tickled that that watercolor tin matched the tights I was wearing.

And, I was happy to realize as I worked that more ideas were coming to me. As I always say: Creativity breeds more creativity!

While I worked inside, Pat was building a lean-to off the back of the newly-painted shed.

I'm always amazed at how fast he's able to build things like that! It's going to be nice to have a dry place to put some of the yard equipment and tools. Right now, they're just in the yard under tarps, and it's driving me CRAZY!

For the most part, that was my week. I'm excited about being creatively productive and am looking forward to finishing these ideas. But first, let me share the inspiration I found this week. 

• Moois Van Mie shared this "mosquito" earring tutorial. 
• I really love the feel of these mossy tea light holders that you can make yourself. 
• I don't know why I've never considered making a button wreath but now it's in my head!
• Knowing that just 11 minutes of movement a day can help battle sitting has been such a huge motivator for me this week. 
• Check out these amazing leaf cutouts that are accented by the natural backgrounds!
• If you are still upset at 2020, remember that some good did occur. There are all kinds of lists but here are 18 Good Things that Happened in 2020. 
• These kinetic sculptures are so mesmerizing!
• Technically, these are labeled as Christmas ornaments, but I think that these embroidered The Office ornaments could be cute to hang around any time of the year. 
• How cute are these Embroidered UP pieces? So cute!
• Here is a collection of top photographs from 2020. 
• I'm a big fan of the inspiration that Austin Kleon shares (follow him!), but his reminder to exercise what he calls The Vampire Test has really touched a chord with me. 
• More embroidery! Here are some darling embroidered pendants.
• The work of this artist seems familiar, I think there was a previous jewelry challenge with his beach rock sculptures as the inspiration. The ones shared in this post are definitely awe-inspiring. 

The start of the new year has me feeling energized and inspired. Here's hoping it's contagious and you're feeling it too. What are you creating this week?

Peek at My Week (Nov. 22-28)

Another week in the books! While there have been projects on my desk all week, it wasn't as productive a week as the one before. But, it was a holiday/vacation week for us and I spent the bulk of my time working on promoting the sale in the Etsy Shop. However, I did squeeze in some fun too.

We spent another Sunday in the woods of Blakely State Park. This time, though, we kept an eye on the map and didn't wear ourselves slap out. After that, Pat and I ran errands and worked on a few things around the house.

The Big Green Tree Machine showed up earlier on Monday than we expected. But, we couldn't complain. We were glad to see them and get the downed trees out of here. 

We toasted to their removal in the evening!

As I mentioned above, this week was a "vacation". This just meant that Pat took the week off to get some tasks done around the property. The main thing was to replace some of the shed which he started in earnest on Tuesday.

It took him much of the week. This one side was the hardest, and he needed my help a little to get the board in place. I alternated between chores and online work.

And, as I became increasingly frustrated with the lack of pockets in the pants I was wearing, I tweeted this.

I'm serious about this. I don't plan to buy ANY more pants that don't have adequate pockets. And, for that matter, I won't be buying skirts or dresses without them either. Are you as frustrated as I am? Have you seen the size of pockets that guys get? Grrrr!

I started Wednesday morning by making sure I shared about the sale in my shop. 

From there, I decided to center myself a little by working on an art journal spread.

After that, it was off to my mom's to help her with some of the Thanksgiving dinner preparations.

I mostly made the sweet potato pies, helped with the pecan pie, and assisted my mom in getting other tasks sorted. But, look at my pies!

I never make pies, so even as ugly as these are, I'm still pretty proud of them.

Thursday was Thanksgiving. And, is usually the case, I was too busy visiting to take any pictures. It was a small gathering of just my mom and step-dad, my nieces and their boyfriends, and Pat and me. So, I felt pretty safe with that arrangement. And, it was quite bittersweet as we were all missing my grandmother. 

I did get a quick shot of my niece's cat, Milo, and his shenanigans while we were eating.

Isn't he a goober?

Friday is my main housecleaning day. After the chores were tackled, I stayed in the craft room for most of the day, working on technical things. In the afternoon, I started focusing on making.

I feel like I spent all of Saturday promoting. It was Small Business Saturday and I wanted to share as many of the small businesses that I follow as I could in my Instagram stories. In the afternoon, we watched the Iron Bowl while I doodled. 

As you can see, I did infuse some creativity throughout the week as it snuck its way into each of my days. I hope you're finding ways to stay inspired too. Here are a few of the inspirations I found over the week. 

• I've been playing with my gelli plate and alcohol inks some, so this list of 12 Crafts Created with Alcohol Inks caught my attention. 
• Art created with found and reclaimed objects is definitely one of my favorite things. Check out this collection of pieces from Artist Nari Ward. 
• Rings & Things shared a tutorial on How to Make a Large-holed Bead and Multi-Strand Leather Choker Necklace. 
• Mindful Art Studio shared their 2020 Book List. 
• Learn to make a pair of Ombre Autumn Earrings at Jewelry Making Journal. 
• Here's an interesting Craft-Along Advent Calendar from Sew Historically. 
• You saw my attempts at pies but really should check out these AMAZING Fantasy Art Pies and Cookies. I can't even believe they're completely edible. 
• At Mill Lane Studio, you can discover different materials you can use to Color Epoxy Resin.
• I really love the process that Julie at Balzer Designs takes to create these Watercolor Ornament Cards. 
• This rusty can was upcycled in two ways and also gives you a new way to look at upcycling old stuff. 
• Finally, as a female football fan, this historic moment for women in football had me a little choked up. 

Alrighty, that was the week for me. I hope you're finding some joy and inspiration in these trying times. And, hey, it's officially the holiday season! So, here's hoping it's stress-free!!

Peek at My Weeks (Sep 13-26)

It's been a wild few weeks, and I keep putting off this review of it for one reason or another. But, it must be done. So let's get to it. 

On Sunday the 13th, I took care of some storm prep since it looked like Hurricane Sally was headed in our general direction - more toward New Orleans, but we wanted to be safe. I also worked on and off in the craft room, finishing up my Soul Food journal that was made as part of an online class from Tiffany of Southern Gals Designs. 

Much of the following day was spent on more hurricane prep.

While we thought we would be on the outer edge of the storm, we knew it was wise to be cautious and somewhat prepared. We weren't ready at all.

Though the storm didn't hit until early Wednesday the 16th, we stayed home all of Tuesday and watched the weather. We were awakened on Wednesday to the tremendous sounds of a hurricane over our house. You can read more about that experience and the days following it on my Hurricane Sally in Silverlox post.  

We've been spending a portion of every day since the storm on some sort of clean-up or recovery. The first few days were really rough and had my spirits down. But, I reminded myself to try to find the beauty, even in the smallest things. As we cleaned a portion of the yard on Sunday, the 20th, I spotted this fungus-covered branch under a massive pile of other debris. It spoke to me. 

That evening, our power was restored.

With electricity back on so I could see, I spent much of Monday morning cleaning the house. Then, I helped Pat in the yard in the afternoon. As I mourned over the downing of my massive magnolia tree, this cluster of beauty berries caught my eye.

I just love that hue!

Wednesday brought more chores and yard work and an expensive estimate for tree removal. But, this ladybug brightened my day.

I made my first trip to restock groceries on Wednesday. I also worked on some jewelry and art in the afternoon. That absolutely helped soothe my soul. I'm not exactly sure where Thursday went. I accomplished most of the small tasks on my to-do list, so it was productive I suppose. 

Friday was the first of several rough days of moving out of Pat's recording studio. But, our new tractor was delivered. And, that should help with some of the yard work moving forward. 

As a cherry-on-top to the day, the new season of the Great British Bake Off (or Baking Show) began on Netflix. (WOOHOO!) 

After moving more items from Pat's studio on Saturday, I took a little time to just PLAY in my art journal.

It was nice to have a creative release. 

And, there was Alabama Football on the TV in the evening!!

So, yeah...that's been my last two weeks - all kinds of crazy with snippets of joy scattered about. 

Check out some inspiration I've found over the past two weeks. 

• Here's a great Jewelry-making tutorial that incorporates papercrafting techniques!
• I would SO WEAR these Fluffy Rainbow Earrings from Moois Van Me. I'm so glad she shared how she made them. 
• At Jewelry Making Journal, you can learn how to make a Dramatic Necklace from Jewelry Links and Chain Scraps. 
• Art Journalist shares 365 Ideas for Drawing in your Sketchbook. 
• I'm always attracted to any craft that mentions fairies. This tutorial on making Fairy Candles that Work was no exception. 
• I have to admit that I don't know much about chakras, but am always attracted to the use of the spectrum that's associated with them. Lisa Yang shared a tutorial on how to Make a Rainbow Chakra Crystal Pendant. Both her results and her technique have me wanting to make one of my own!
• Please go take a look at these Embroidered Landscapes. They're amazing!
• I'm always up for an inspiring quote. So, here are 20 Inspiring Quotes from Authors on Writing and Life. 
• I definitely need to brush up on my embroidery skills, and Craft Gossip is helping me out by sharing 15 Embroidery Stitch Projects for Beginners. 
• At The Beading Gem, there's a great tutorial on How to Make Stud Earrings from Bead Caps. 
• With all these jewelry projects I'm pushing at you, it's nice to have a pretty way to display them. Here's a Repurposed Frame Earring Display project for you!

And, that's been my last two weeks. There's still so much cleanup to be done on the property, but I think we've finally moved everything into storage that needs to be moved, and that's a relief! What are you thankful for this week?

Peek at My Week (Nov 24-30)

Did you finish November with a bang!? I feel like I might have. The hubs had the whole week off, and I spent it trying to balance work and fun. It worked out better than I had anticipated. 

First up, this week has been full of the leaves changing. Most dramatic has been my Japanese Maple. The leaves are falling now, and I expect it will be "bald" for the next few months. 

We worked on clearing some of the trails on Sunday before having lunch down by the bay. It was a slow afternoon, but we made the most of the Fall evening by trying to get our first fire of the season going.

Despite buying some firewood, the rest of the wood was slightly damp, so we had a hard time with it. But, it was nice to spend a little time outside.

After knocking out chores and working on my project for the SJ Honey Do List on Monday, Zoe and I took a walk through the newly cleared trails and checked out the ones that need to be cleared. I had spied quite a few of these ghost flowers the day before, but this bunch tucked into the mossy roots of a tree really got my attention.

Since I didn't want to stumble through the uncleared trails any longer, Zoe and I ventured down the street. Once again, my attention was drawn to something on the ground.

It's some sort of trash the neighbors had left out, and I believe it's the base to something. But, to me, it was a large button! I had to snap the picture. 

After a meatless dinner of fried rice and spicy peanut butter tofu, we went to the movies to see Doctor Sleep. Fun!

I started Tuesday well with a little solitude and sketching outside. 

Once again, I was drawn to the stunning color of the maple leaves.

I thought the day was going to go off without a hitch, and my list was thorough enough that it should have, but I was distracted. We had lunch out on the river then played some disc golf, so my plans fell to the wayside. Again, we he was on vacation. 

Wednesday was full of helping my mom prepare for our Thanksgiving feast. Most of my work was done then, so I had very little to do on Thursday.

It's always my job to open and slice the canned cranberry sauce - one of my grandmother's favorites. I also made some green beans but had few other responsibilities.

My niece's cat, Milo, was well-dressed for the occasion. 

Back at the house, we made another go at a bonfire.

Though it doesn't look it in this picture, we were much more successful with this one. 

On Friday, I looked forward to one of my favorite lunches: leftover turkey sandwiches! But, I kept myself busy with chores and began working on a project for a friend. 

I hope it comes together the way she's envisioning it. 

I worked on that project into Saturday, but my mind was elsewhere. 

Alabama's big rivalry football game was in the early afternoon. Alas, we lost by three points and our chance for the playoffs was lost with it. But, there's always next year. It wasn't the way I wanted the weekend to go. 

At least I have loads to hold my attention. A new month upon us means that there's all kind of new challenges. And, it's the last month of the year, meaning most of us want to finish the project with a bang. I'm probably attempting more than I should for this holiday season, but why the heck not!?

First, Kasia of Everything Art is offering up a Free Advent Calendar art journaling adventure. AND, it's time for #CarveDecember from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. But, I have a feeling I won't be participating in both of those challenges everyday. It is a busy month. 

Let's see the inspiration I found this month:

• Here are 30+ Upcycling Ideas for Alternative Christmas Trees at Sadie Seasongoods. 
• Several of the books on this list of 10 Art Books to Nourish Your Creative Soul have been added to my Christmas list 
• Rings & Things shared a simple tutorial for a pair of birthstone earrings. 
• Learn to use resin to make a variety of pendants. 
• I've got my own collection of wooden spools, so I loved finding this roundup of Creative Crafts to make with old Wooden Thread Spools. 

With Christmas coming, I'm sure I'll have all kinds of holiday fun to share with you. Since it's such a chaotic time of the year, I encourage you to stop, take a few deep breaths, and remember what's important. Now, please help me remember to take my own advice! Have a wonderful week. 

Peek at My Week (Nov 3-9)

It's been a full-spectrum of emotions kind of week. Let's start with last Sunday. I mentioned the extra hour in the day thanks to Daylight Savings. It made the day feel full of possibilities. 

I had taken a little of my birthday money and treated myself to these Stabilo Woody watercolor pencils that I've been wanting for a few years now. They come organized in a box with their own little compartments, but I found it hard to get them out, so I threw them into this old tin and just love how they look in it. 

Pat needed to take care of a few things up at the recording studio, so I went with him and worked on last week's post while he tidied up. 

From there, we jumped right into "Puppy Fun Day" and took Zoe with us as we went to explore a couple of new locations for disc-golf baskets.

The first 5-basket course was in a little park that has this creek running alongside it. Before we headed to the next course, I had to snap a picture. There were at least five families with photographers up there getting their family pictures done. It was a madhouse, but the beauty of the location is undeniable. The next course was a little less picturesque but also less crowded. It was nice to get out in the cooler weather. 

I realized a few hours later that the time change also meant that it got dark an hour earlier. Yeah, I'm not a fan. But, that also sent us to bed a little earlier and rising a little earlier. So, I decided to take advantage of that and spend some time outside with morning reflections while swinging on my new porch swing.

I've done a pretty good job of getting out there each morning to take in the new day, organize my head, and enjoy the outdoors. I hope I can keep it up. It definitely feels like it's helped me focus on what I want to accomplish each day.

I knocked out my errands and chores on Monday and tested out a new recipe that evening.

This One Pot Zoodles and Meatballs recipe was really simple. And, we FINALLY tried Zoodles (zucchini strips that mimic/replace noodles). I learned that this recipe made far too much for the three of us so I would probably half it and just use ground beef instead of the meatballs next time. But, there will likely be a "next time". So, there's that. 

I was up and out on the porch on Tuesday morning.

I do love that view! 

I finished up some projects and ran a few errands before I realized that I looked like this.

The outfit I thought looked so cute also looked like a Minion. If I hadn't mentioned it, I'm sure no one would have thought of it, but it cracked me up to no end, and I didn't bother changing clothes.

My grandmother had an appointment on Wednesday morning, but that didn't stop me from spending a few minutes outside in reflection and doodling first.

Usually, Wednesdays at my mom's house get away from me. But, I was determined (somewhat) to accomplish something. So, I worked on getting a few videos edited for YouTube.

On Thursday, I made a point of getting those videos uploaded to YouTube so I made a point of heading before lunch to get that done while I sipped a smoothie at a local coffee shop.

Back at home, I started the intimidating task of cleaning and organizing the craft room. 

My pile of tins to be broken down was out of control and made it difficult to get to other supplies. So, I took some time to stack them within each other with the lids off. Then, I stacked the lids within each other. There was something so satisfying about this stack of round lids.

Unfortunately, that was all the photos I took for the week. As I worked on the craft room more on Friday, we heard emergency vehicles heading down our dead-end street. While we still don't know what's happened, we're fairly positive that both of our elderly neighbors are no longer with us. I hope to get more information as the week progresses. 

I had lunch downtown Fairhope with a couple of girlfriends on Saturday before watching the Alabama vs. LSU football game. It was an emotional roller coaster of a game that Alabama ended up losing. I have to remind myself that we can't win them all. 

Today, I'm working on processing the events of the last couple of days and looking forward to a class I'm taking this afternoon. I'm sure I'll have more to say about it next week.

Despite the highs and lows of the week, I did find some inspiration to share:

• I'm kinda in love with these quirky animal Assemblages by Debra Broz. 
• This quote by Kurt Vonnegut shared by Austin Kleon touched me. 
• For a really simple jewelry project, check out this Chalk Painted Statement Necklace. 
• I've possibly shared this Rectangle Hoop Earring Tutorial before as it seems really familiar, but it's worth a look anyway.
• I have to admit that I LOVE wrapping paper. There's something so pleasurable about ripping into a package someone's given you as well as watching someone tear into what you've given them. And don't get me started on the endless pattern choices! But, that kind of wastefulness is wreaking havoc on our environment, and we need to start considering alternatives to paper wrapping and bags. Enter the Reusable Fabric Gift Bag! The tutorial I've linked up is only one option. But, think about the implications and possibilities. There are tons of fabric patterns too. And, you're not only gifting someone with the actual gift but the bag as well! Think about it. 
• Speaking of Christmas, it's time to get those Holiday crafts underway. I love every one of these Hand Embroidery Patterns! The problem is deciding which one to make. 
• This layered pendant tutorial on the Ice Resin blog combines the use of a few materials I would have never considered before. 
• There's science to back up the need to make art. It's scientifically proven!!
• ArtBeads has a tutorial on a Creamsicle Necklace that uses a variety of bead caps to add texture and interest. 

Wow, that's more than I thought I found this week! I hope this past week has treated you well and that the week ahead is full of magical moments.