Peek at My Week (Nov 7-13)

It's been one of those weeks that stretched out before me with opportunity and inspiration. I'm not sure if that's because I began The Artist's Way* (TAW) or because of the time change or if there are some other factors at play. But, I tried to take advantage of it as much as I could. Take a peek. 

Sunday began early with the added hour because of Daylight Savings. The temperature had dropped dramatically as well. It felt more like winter than fall. Though, the leaves disagree. I began my first week of TAW ready to find inspiration. 

I spent the day on a variety of tasks, including working on The Magpie's Nest Workshop from Aimee Bishop. 

I wasn't loving those magpies, but they've grown on me as I've accepted them as they are. 

Monday was full of surprises.

This photo was taken on Monday, but only as a representation of the actual dead mouse that I discovered when I woke up that morning. I'm relieved to have the cats because I had no idea we had a mouse!

While working on a project, I encountered another surprise as I flipped open a recently-acquired vintage dictionary. 

I just happened to open the book to the exact pages where this photo had been nestled for who knows how long. I was super excited! 

Though I felt like nothing was getting accomplished that afternoon, I was able to copper-foil a few items for my soldering session on Tuesday morning.

I wish I had soldered a wider variety of pieces but was relieved to have this batch done. 

In the afternoon, I took myself on an "artist's date" along the shores of Mobile Bay. 

I worked most of the day on Wednesday on a project for a friend. But, then treated myself (and my family) to the baking of my favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

I stayed home all day Thursday and put my nose to the grindstone to work on a few ideas. I got to break out my heavy-duty tools, and that's always fun. 

Though I have loads of cardinals at my birdfeeders, the brightness of this one especially caught my eye Friday morning (sorry for the blur, I was zooming in.)

Not long afterward, I ran out to the post office and then felt the pull to do a little thrifting.

This is the bulk of what I brought home (there were a few other items I had already put away.) Now, I NEED to begin actually making something from them!

Saturday was a bit of an odd day as our Bama football game was early, and I had plans in the afternoon with a friend. So, I busted out a few chores and a little art-time before kickoff.

After the game, I broke down one of my tins before heading out to meet my friend for a little time at Super Second Saturday at Southern Antiques and Accents and dinner together. 

It was a full and fun week. I'm looking forward to seeing what the week ahead holds. But first, here's some of the inspiration I found.

• DIY these lovely Autumn Leaves Earrings from Halcraft. 
• Fiber-based wall-hangings
• Land art that gets wiped away by the ocean
• Christmas Tree Earrings from Fire Mountain Gems
• The Cathedral of Junk (in Texas)

How was your week?

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Peek at My Weeks (Oct. 24-Nov. 6)

 How fun is this two-week peek? It begins with my birthday!

My main request for my day was that I didn't have to cook. So, Pat ran out for breakfast and picked up my choice of doughnuts!

Secondly, I wanted to go to the beach. It was an overcast and dreary day (which fit my mood), but we headed to The Gulf for lunch and drinks. 

I enjoyed a mojito with my meal of filet mignon and crabcakes while looking out over the Gulf of Mexico. It was all SO GOOD!

Usually, I spend my birthday out shopping, but I saved that for Monday. This meant to Tuesday was consumed with catching up on chores and errands. I did stop long enough to take a gander at this little guy. 

Wednesday was spent busting out a few more overdue tasks like taking pictures of products and for videos. I was relieved to get that done. I even began tackling the last jewelry project in my Bead Box. Hopefully, I'll have that reveal for you in the next several weeks. 

As I sat out on the porch on Thursday morning, I enjoyed my visit from a furry neighbor.

I took care of a few tasks before heading out for a little shopping, a visit with my mom, and a meeting. It was a busier day than I even remembered. 

After getting the house cleaned, I puttered around the craft room and spotted this tiny moth in the window. (No worries, he was escorted outside later.)

I also eked in a little gelli-printing fun.

I spent a huge chunk of Saturday working on some of the steps for the Magpie's Nest Workshop from Aimee Bishop. 

And, I did clean all that up before a couple of friends came over to watch football. Then, I pulled it all out again Sunday morning!

Sunday afternoon was spent with my mom and a visiting cousin. Then, I handed out candy for Halloween at my mom's house. 

Most of Monday was consumed with announcing the winner of my giveaway and getting the new Variety Paper Packs in the CraftyHope Etsy Shop. 

After all that excitement, I let myself walk around the property a little. The bees on the loquat trees always soothe me. 

I got my errands and chores managed on Tuesday but felt a little lost creatively. My copy of The Artist's Way came in (a birthday gift card purchase for myself), and I spent some time reading it. It seemed to help!

Though, I'm not exactly sure what happened to Wednesday. I took care of a few things but didn't accomplish much. 

On Thursday. I spent almost the entirety of the day thrifting. There were three estate sales and a thrift store involved. And, I racked up!

I would have loved to have spent more time at the last sale. It was the home of a local artist. But, there were so many people there and so many inspiring pieces that I became overwhelmed. I did get a few tools and some wire, though. 

After all that inspiration, I was able to focus a little more on Friday. I finished a few pieces that I'm donating for a silent auction fundraiser for a friend's friend. 

And, after some housecleaning on Saturday (it HAD to be done) and an inspiring video from Tiffany of Southern Gals Designs, I began folding folios for a new junk journal. 

A friend came over for the Alabama football game in the evening. It was INTENSE, but we won!! And, I got a little silly with my glasses and Zoe's tail. 

And that was my last two weeks. Today will start my real journey with The Artist's Way. So, we'll see how that goes. 

Here's some of the inspiration I've found and shared.

• Free Halloween SVG Files
• Louisa May Alcott quotes for inspiration
• Autumn Leaf DIY Pillow (upcycled denim)
• Famous Painting recreations from Everyday objects
• Check out these Raw Wool Bust Sculptures
• An Artists Guide to Different Types of Pens

How's life treating you?

Peek at My Week (Oct 17-23)

 It's my birthday today, so I'm hoping to make this short and sweet.

Last week began beautifully with a fun day with a friend exploring the Daphne Jubilee Arts Festival and then having lunch.

On Monday, I was determined to try to get some work done, so I gathered all my treasures to find some inspiration.

Tuesday included a few fun bits. Of course, there was laundry duty too. Artemis was no help as she climbed into my basket.

She's lucky she's cute!

I had won an Amazon gift card and bought myself a little treat that came in late in the day.

This Himi Gouache set was on sale.

I didn't have time to test them out before I ran to the library for an event.

We made pumpkins from old books!

Back in the craft room on Wednesday, I created some mark-making tools.

These are for The Magpie's Nest, a workshop from Aimee Bishop on Jeanne Oliver's site. 

I finished up several earrings for the booth on Thursday as well as went about my day. Once again, a cat got in on the act of my chores. 

Rosalina insisted on staying in the bed when I made it. lol!

I took the new pieces to Southern Antiques and Accents on Friday morning.

From there, I headed to Mobile to visit with my mom for a little while.

I also announced a giveaway on YouTube for reaching 2,000 Subscribers. 

Saturday was a bit slow, but I busted out a few tasks I needed to work on like the You, Me, Same 3 for October. I'll share that reveal on Saturday. But, I also spent some time in the yard and admired my little collections from this week. 

In the evening, we watched football. And, Zoe crashed out with us on the couch with her own ball. 

And, here are some links I found inspiring this week. 

• DIY Earrings with Wire and Ceramic Pendant
• Ten Activities for a Creative Autumn
• Beginner Floral Embroidery Pattern
• DIY Halloween Garland with Free Printables
• Flame Cut Wood Decoupage Jewelry
• Abstract Art Journaling Techniques from Tiffany of Southern Gals Designs
• Real Life Horror Film Locations you can visit
• Easy Yarn Tassel Ghost Garland
• How to Make a Spiral Pendant Necklace

So that was the week. What do you have planned for this one?

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.