Peek at My Week (Nov 8-14)

How was your week? As for myself (and Pat), we started it still feeling a little off-kilter and needed a mood booster. So, we made a quick run down to Gulf Shores for some beach therapy.

The sun, saltwater, and sea air definitely helped us center ourselves a little more. 

Monday was mostly about going through the motions. Our new phones came in, and I couldn't wait to activate them so I could test out the camera.

Since it was evening, I got a great idea of how well night-mode worked! Seriously, it was pitch-black out when I took this photo. So cool!

On Tuesday, I worked on chores before heading to Mobile to meet my niece for her dentist appointment. I gave myself a little extra time to get over there so that I could wander one of my favorite antique malls before the appointment. Alas, I didn't find anything that needed to come home with me. On the way home, I was fortunate to catch the sunset along Mobile Bay.

After I put the chickens to bed (closed up their coops), I spied this tiny gecko that we've all been ogling for a few days.

The holes in that screen are pretty small if that gives you any kind of size reference. 

I knew I've been putting off making some jewelry for longer than I should. So, on Wednesday, I made it a priority to at least start pulling out materials that piqued my interest.

But, that was about as far as I got on that.

I did take a little time to walk around the yard with Zoe and test out the phone's camera more. 

This is just one of a whole series of pictures I collected. I'm totally smitten with my new "toy".

On Thursday, I worked in ernest on coming up with designs and stocking my bead box (I should have a reveal of the last one for you sometime this week!)

For the first time in something like eight months, we ate at a restaurant! A friend of ours was coming through town and met us at a local place for lunch on the patio. It was his first time at a restaurant since March too! In the afternoon, I craved working in an art journal, so I played.

On Friday (the 13th), I was up early, and ready to be creative.

I began the day on the deck with my doodle book and journals.

After that, I had a hard time focusing on the household chores as I really just wanted to keep stocking the bead box. It felt so good to have some creative mojo back after such a block. I even worked on another art journal page.

While there's still so much to accomplish out in the yard on the recovery front, I felt focused on working on tasks in the house, both cleaning and creative. So, I did what I felt driven to do. In the late afternoon, Pat and I enjoyed a few beers out on the swing together before the sun set.

I admired all the fall colors on my Japanese Maple tree.

I'm pleased that my muse may be returning and hope that you're finding some inspiration too. Here's some I found for you!

• This leather cord wrap bracelet tutorial inspired me so much that I've got something similar in mind stocked in the bead box now. 
• While looking at the monthly palettes from Halcraft Collection, I stumbled on the tutorial for this bright and fun juicy bracelet. 
• It's not too early to start on your Christmas projects. Here's a roundup of 150 Simple Christmas Decorating Ideas that mostly include repurposing items!
• Speaking of Christmas, I found these Free Embroidey Patterns for Christmas. 
• I've never made a rope necklace but this Rope Necklace Tutorial makes it look easy enough. 
• There's something really appealing about these DIY Faux Enamel Number Tags. I'm not sure how I would use these but am glad to have learned the techniques. 
• Somehow, I totally forgot that I was subscribed to the CrafsMan but stumbled on his Copper Patinas Tutorial. He's super entertaining. I've now got my husband watching his videos, and CrafsMan inspired me to patina a washer for the bead box!

And, that's it for this week. I hope yours has been wonderful and that you have a fabulous week ahead! Let me know what's inspiring you. 

Peek at My Week (Oct. 4-10)

 It's been a roller-coaster of a week! Take a peek.

At some point last week, I decided to actually try the technique of drawing with my left (non-dominant) hand. Apparently, it's a method to make you looser and free up your mind. It TOTALLY worked. In fact, I tried switching hands a few times and discovered that I really preferred the sketchy left-hand-drawn results. 

I found myself drawing those faces over and over and, it took a while to get motivated to much else on Sunday. I finally broke down and cleaned up the craft room some so that it wasn't making me crazy. Pat worked out on clearing out more of the fallen trees.

It kills me that this big, old magnolia didn't make it through the storm. 

With a clean craft room, I actually accomplished a few things on Monday. And, started on something in one of my art journals.

This bit of collage, gesso, etching, and texture paste was just the beginning of the page. But, it kept me busy and distracted as we began frantically watching the Gulf as Delta had us in its cone. 

An impending hurricane meant that my mood deteriorated into panic, disbelief, and on-the-verge-of-tears on Tuesday. I distracted myself with chores and got the oil changed in my car in case we needed to evacuate. We also made sure the chickens were fed and watered. While outside, I noticed that the popcorn tree was in the state that gave it its nickname.

Weird, right?

In the afternoon, I distracted myself by finishing up my art journal spread.

It's a bit chaotic, much like I felt. 

By Wednesday, it looked like we might be in the clear for the storm, though I was concerned about the Louisiana residents that have just suffered through Hurricane Laura. But, knowing we were likely safe helped me relax a little. I turned my attention to business and took a few new items up to the booth at Southern Antiques and Accents. 

And, I had the itch to carve a couple of stamps and try punching their impressions with a circle punch. So, I did that too.

After that, I focused on actually making jewelry for the rest of the afternoon.

I awoke Thursday with the inspiration to combine watercoloring and collaging with tissue paper. However, I made myself wait until I finished all the pieces from Bead Box 9 to try it out. Before making dinner, I played with the idea.

This isn't exactly what I had in mind, but pretty close!

Getting jewelry pictures taken had been on my to-do list all week, but that's part of the reason I made myself finish the bead box. I knew it was supposed to rain Friday afternoon so I took advantage of the overcast morning to finally get that knocked off the list.

After that, I did a few chores that just had to be done.

Saturday was super lazy. I was pretty much home alone all day as Pat had a gig and the niece was out of town. We got one of the bands from Delta that morning.

And, for the rest of the day, I simply puttered around the house doing a little art and watching college football. My main obsession was making these doodle roses that I learned in one of the Life Book 2021 Taster Sessions. 

Pat made it home just a bit after the kickoff of our Alabama game. It was a hard-fought victory over Ole Miss, and we were exhausted after watching it. So, that ended our week. 

I'm happy I'm starting to find my creative mojo and hope I can gear it toward more jewelry-designs soon. Here's some inspiration to get your creativity flowing. 

• Y'all know I'm all about the art journals and junk journals. I'm digging this tutorial on how to make a Quick and Easy Altered Book Junk Journal. 
• This tutorial is in Dutch, but it should be pretty self-explanatory. Just look at the pictures of this DIY Fall Cake decoration made from wood slices and I'm sure you'll figure it out. 
• Divya from Jewels of Sayuri explains the Different Types of Pearls. 
• Pictures of abandoned places always capture my attention This collection of photos from Matt Emmett is no exception. 
• Nunn Designs shares how to use Ribbon End Leather Conectors. 
• Here's a great round-up of Upcycled Halloween Decorations you can make. 
• The detail in these landscape embroideries from Victoria Rose Richards is phenomenal. 
• Lynda at Fresh Baked Designs has shared a beautiful Earring Frame Tutorial. She makes it look so easy too! 
• Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is one inspiring lady. In this YouTube video, she explains how Creativity is Self-Care. 
• I had absolutely no idea that you could cut polymer clay in a die-cut machine. However, this tutorial for a Scrolled Curio Pendant explains how to do it. (There are also instructions on how to cut the design without the machine too!)
• There's something about stitches on photos that's enthralling. Check out this collection from Victoria Villasana that honors icons.  
• This simple Embroidered Cuff Bracelet tutorial looks comfy and fun to make too. 
• Moois Van Mie has shared another earring DIY. This Tess pair looks almost as if I made them (the colors are SO ME!)
• I love the subtle colors of these $1 painted pumpkins. What a great reminder that Fall decorations don't have to be in-your-face orange!
• Craft Gossip has a great roundup of ideas for a Harry Potter Party. 
• I definitely consider myself a bit of a book nerd. So, this list of some of the World's Strangest Books caught my attention. 
• Here's the link that caught my attention for the Fairy Skeletons that I've already made. Y'all...they're so easy and so cute!
• This tutorial on making Tissue Paper Pendants is pretty old, but the technique is solid!

And, that's it for the week. I'm pleased with how much I crossed off my list last week and only hope that I can stay motivated this week also. But, I'm already running behind. Here's wishing you a week of inspiration and motivation too. 

Peek at My Week (Sep 6-12)

At the end of each week, I like to do these little reviews to share some of the creativity and beauty I find in my days as well as some of the struggles I face. This is to help remind you and me that it's not always sunshine and rainbows, you have to ride out the storms too. Take a peek.

I was up extra early on Sunday and actually caught the sunrise.

Just as impressive was the light that hit the trees as the sun rose.

Pat and I spent much of the day prepping the pool and food to have a couple of friends over for some outdoor fun. 

Monday was a holiday, but I still got up and made myself take a morning walk. 

I discovered that the ditch in one of my favorite areas had been mowed so that I could get to the fence line easier to take pictures. 

The morning was spent knocking out a few chores that could be handled at home, then we enjoyed the holiday in the pool.

Once we were good and waterlogged, I made Red Beans and Rice with our favorite local sausage, Conecuh. 

On Tuesday, I focused on getting several NEED-TO-DO tasks tackled.

I priced some jewelry for the Bargain Bin at my booth at Southern Antiques and Accents before taking it up there in preparation for Saturday's Super event. 

In the afternoon, I took product pictures for Etsy.

This time of the year, it's so hard to get outside to get the pictures in the heat. Of course, it's no fun in the dead of winter either. But, I suffered through and knocked it out. Yay me!

On Wednesday's morning walk, I spied more flower vines on that same fence.

I was able to squeeze a little creative play into the day before I did a little thrift shopping in the afternoon (while I was out for a needed supply.)

After my walk on Thursday, I sat out on the deck for my planning and reflection time.

This has been a habit of mine since about the beginning of the year. And, it's really become my favorite time of the day. I try not to rush through it. It's lovely. The rest of the day went off without a hitch.

I have to admit that I was super irritable on Friday and didn't want to focus on household chores. Once I knocked out the direst of them, I needed to turn my attention to something more desirable.

I'd been itching to make a journal for a few days. And, after watching the tutorial for this Eco Printed Link Stitch Book, I decided to try the technique. Before binding it, I took care to make it just like I wanted it. And, that included some stitches on the sewing machine to create pockets. 

The book came together beautifully - even though I had to trash two of the signatures because the vintage book paper they were made out of was too fragile for this technique.

Now I just need to add a few treasures in the pockets!

I also did some more hand-stitching on my haphazard embroidered mandala in the evening while we watched TV. That helped ease my frayed nerves. 

On Saturday, I skipped my walk since I knew I was likely to get some exercise working in the yard later in the day. After coffee on the deck and chatting with one of my brothers, I braved the heat and humidity of the day to trim some limbs and sweep the porch.

Of course, I found myself stopping to admire the foliage as well. 

I spent the early part of the afternoon prepping videos for upload before Pat and I ran up to his studio so he could take care of something while I uploaded a couple of videos.

Back at the house, we lazed on the couch while college football aired in the background on the TV.  Alabama won't be playing games for another couple of weeks, but it was nice to have a little normalcy for a "Saturday in the Fall." 

Here's some of the inspiration I found over the week. I hope it inspires you too!

• Now that it's September, we can look ahead at making Fall-related crafts. I think this upcycled Sweater Sleeve Pumpkin Tutorial is a perfect example. 
• And, if you need even more pumpkins, here's a cute DIY Paper Pumpkin that you can make and even put a little electric candle in. 
• At The Beading Gem, you'll find a tutorial for making Faux Lava Rock Jewelry from Polymer Clay. What a neat idea!
• This tutorial for Faux Metal Earrings with Gelli Arts combines my love of jewelry-making and papercraft into one project.
• If you're ready for Halloween crafting, how about making some Halloween Cat Earrings with Polymer Clay?
• These book sculptures from Barbara Wildenboer are something to behold. Really, go see them!
• Somehow all the polymer clay tutorials are showing up for me right now, and I hardly ever use it. But, if you're interested in exploring it some more, here are 10 Polymer Clay Jewelry Projects to check out. 
• Something about these botanical porcelain sculptures feels magical. 
• I really love these Ephemeral Bird Assemblages. They're very in-the-moment but so sublime!
• Here's a list of jewelry tutorials that aren't polymer clay: 17 DIY Choker Necklaces. 
• Ohmygoodness - go take a look at these segmented glass sculptures. Something about their shape has me wanting to touch them!

We're currently preparing for a possible hurricane here this week, but hoping that it won't be too bad. And, I definitely want to knock out a few creative projects as well. Here's hoping you find the good in your week ahead as well. Enjoy it. 

Peek at My Week (Aug 30-Sep 5)

 As the summer is beginning to wind down, I've found myself really trying to focus on knocking out some of the tasks I need to, want to, and should do. Look at me trying to be a grown-up! 

To start with, I didn't get any pictures on Sunday. I did a few chores done and got ready for an afternoon in the pool. I cut my thumb while slicing onions for burgers and have muddled through with that all week. But, on Monday, I was up early and out for a walk.

It's been my habit to look for any beauty I can find in these walks as that and the podcast I listen to keep me entertained. Of late, my subjects have mostly been mushrooms and sunlight.

As for the rest of the day, I'm not sure where most of it went - only some of my chores were accomplished. 

I did pull out my InkJoy* pens to get started on planning out my September.

But, even that didn't get done until the next day.

Tuesday started off beautifully!

This is just one of several photos I captured that day in the misty morning light.

From there, I felt like I was running all day long. The morning was consumed with my grocery errands. Then, in the afternoon, I focused on business tasks like updating the booth at Southern Antiques and Accents.

I also ran to the coffee shop to upload a few videos that afternoon.

Wednesday was more productive as I was actually able to work on some jewelry and in one of my art journals.

Though I didn't spot anything new on my morning walk, there was this amazing mushroom in my yard in the afternoon.

And, even with all that, I was able to tackle some of my less-than-fun tasks like making bases for jewelry backers and sorting through my old stock of jewelry. 

Thursday was another fairly misty morning and I overloaded on taking photos. However, surprisingly, this is the only one I shared.

It's surprising because I'm no fan of spiders. Yet, there I was: on the side of the road, wading through knee-high weeds, to capture this dew-covered web. It was a definite act of bravery! Maybe that's why I had to share it. 

I also made a new friend on my walk.

This little grasshopper was just sitting on that leaf. And, he stayed there through the whole picking-up, photoshoot, and being put-back-down process. He was a trooper!

The chaos of my craft room and desk has been making me a little crazy, so I spent much of the afternoon trying to right that. I got the desk and a couple of shelves managed but became frustrated with my storage options and had to stop. To free up some space, I decided to store my Distress Oxides and Inks on their sides. So I started creating labels for them.

I hope it will make it easier to find what I want now. 

Friday was full of hustle. I knocked out my heavy household cleaning in the morning then snapped a few art journal shots on the deck around noon.

I got the pictures I needed, but I don't know what I was thinking trying to get pictures in the middle and heat of the day in summer. Dur! But, I needed them so that I could upload a couple more videos before taking some pictures for my sister-in-law's band. 

On Saturday, I skipped the morning walk so that I could take care of other tasks. I found myself really drawn to knocking out as many creative tasks as I could fit in the day.

I started with rust-dying and avocado-dying. The above is my rust-dye. (The avocado dye didn't work out. I'll try again another time.)

I worked on finishing up several jewelry projects.

I threw fabrics and papers that didn't work in the rust or avocado dyes into a coffee bath. It was a full Saturday!

Since it was the end of the month, I finished the cards for the #SouthernGals5Min challenge. 

It's been really great finding my creative mojo once again. For next week, I hope that I can get my craft room tackled and keep the creativity flowing. Here's some inspiration for your week ahead.

• This DIY Ombre Lace Jewelry was included in another jewelry-making roundup I shared the other week. But, I just needed to make sure you saw this tutorial because the results are so pretty!
• Rena at Jewelry Making Journal shared her Hoops and Chains Earring tutorial. 
• I've been sharing so much embroidery lately, but here's more...These 3D Embroidered Designs are stunning. 
• I love most anything with a fantasy and whimsical element to them. So, this collection of Black Women in Ethereal Portraits had me making goo-goo eyes at the screen. 
• Y'all...I love the imspiration from My Modern Met. Here's one last one before we move on. These paper-quilled works are A-MAZING!
• I would happily take any one of these Derpy Animal Scultures. They are too cute. I espcially love the chameleon though. Just sayin'.
• For something cute and fun, here's a roundup of 10 Pom Pom Jewelry Tutorials. 
• This post is from several years ago, but it's still a great resource: Harry Potter Cross Stitch and Embroidery Patterns. 
• And, since it's just a tiny bit starting to feel like Fall, here the first of what's likely to be many pumpkin-themed crafts: Upcycled Sweater Sleever Pumpkins. 

What creative endeavors do you have planned this week?

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