Peek at My Week (Feb. 28-March 6)

 I'm running so behind! Let's make this just a quick peek. 

Pat and I worked all day Sunday to start on getting the pool in order and ready for the heat. The big task that took us most of the day was removing the pool blanket that we had placed on the pool before Hurricane Sally. We had hoped it would prevent too much debris from gathering in the pool. But, it's been on the pool since then, collecting its own debris. After much pulling and tugging on our own, we finally got the tractor involved. As Pat lowered the boom, I spied this cricket (above) on it.

We tried several methods to get the blanket out of the mucky pool without dumping the debris or tearing the blanket. In the end, only a little bit of leaves and straw went in, but the blanket was ripped in the process. At least we can start to get the water ready now. 

Most of Monday was spent in the craft room working on videos, editing pictures, and making a little jewelry. I even started trying to get our taxes in order. 

Tuesday was rainy and cold all day long. But, it kept me inside, getting things done.

On Wednesday, one of my nieces had a dentist appointment in Mobile. So I planned to spend the whole day there. But first, I had to tackle my 100 Day Project. 

Ah, I jumped into it too quickly, before my coffee and ended up breaking a bead in my hurry. Fortunately, I had plenty more to complete the design later.

Thursday was beautiful and warm. I cleaned out and updated the booth at Southern Antiques and Accents. 

Back at home, I began working on a project that involves using large links of chain to make earrings. It's really to fill out some of the open spots up at the antique store. But, I'm working on making it part of a video series as well!

This new challenge for myself continued into Friday where I began to work on the link earrings in earnest. 

Saturday began normally enough, and with an abundance of fresh eggs. (The chicks are now laying pretty regularly.) So, I made omeletts to work our way through a few of them. 

The big excitement for the day was our new fridge getting delivered. 

Yes, I'm at an age now where a new fridge is exciting!

And, that pretty much finished up my week. Here's some inspiration I found.

• This spirograph necklace tutorial uses plastic canvas and embroidery floss to create a pretty pendant. 
• It's almost hard to believe that these mini paper plants aren't real. They're so beautifully made. 
• Ethan Hawke gives a TED talk on giving yourself permission to be creative. He's got some really inspiring points in the talk. 
• Before, it was paper plants, but now you should see these paper flowers!
• This necklace tutorial that includes a shrink plastic butterfly is really something special. 
• In this article, you're encouraged to work on two paintings at one time. I think it may apply to other arts as well. 

Today'sa bit off-kilter for me after a fun-filled day yesterday. I hope to get back on track soon. I hope your week treats you well 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 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!

Peek at My Week (Aug. 9-15)

Over the course of this past week, I slowly started to get my creative groove back. I also started incorporating a little more physical activity into the days as well. Take a peek!

Sunday's dewy morning had everything aglow. We didn't really do much.

However, in the afternoon, Pat's sister and her partner came over for a swim and grill. Just as we were getting the grill ready, there was a quick downpour. 

Since there wasn't any thunder, and we were already wet, it wasn't a big deal. But, you should have seen the four of us huddled under the umbrella!

I spent most of Monday in Mobile to take my niece to the dentist. While it was nice to visit with my family, it was an otherwise uneventful day.

Tuesday made up for it with a busy morning of chores followed by errands in the afternoon. Before long, I was working on knocking a long-overdue project for a friend.

It was nice to have beads back on the craft desk!

Pat actually had a gig down in Gulf Shores so I was alone for part of the evening until this system started to head toward our area. Pat wound up only playing about half of the gig.

And, the storm broke up some before it got to us. 

On Wednesday, I began what I hope will be a new habit of taking daily walks. Let's just say that all of my clothes are fitting a bit tighter than I would like and I need some exercise in my days.

 

These walks are intended to get me out of the house and give me the opportunity to find magic in my neighborhood.

These honeysuckle vines were calling out for some attention! Back at home, I knocked out most of the tasks on my list but seemed to have lost the day in general.

Thursday is when I FINALLY started feeling my creative mojo beginning to return.

It might have rubbed off from the magic I found on my walk. This line of Hobbit Holes had me in awe for several minutes.

At home, I made us some smoothies for breakfast and started knocking other projects off my list.

I even pulled out some tin to work into the design for one of the projects going into the Bead Box.

I've finally got the box all stocked up and hope to have a reveal of it for you soon.

On Friday morning, I was captivated by the things I found on the ground.

While feeding the chickens, I spotted these pinecones that look as of the squirrels chewed them into flowers. 

Then, on my walk, this little mushroom caught my attention.

All of my house-cleaning chores were then quickly knocked out.

Just before lunch, I got the urge to punch out some tin. And, when that urge hits, I try not to ignore it.

I did that until I got frustrated with the punches getting stuck too many times. But, I got a few good punches in and moved on from there. 

Saturday was a little slow-moving as we woke up to storms and expected more throughout the day. I was excited to find two packages in the mail that included Vintaj Patinas that I believe complete my collection of their colors. Isn't that awesome? I think so!

I basically worked on coloring some embossed pieces on and off all day, even though the weather ended up being beautiful. 

And, we ordered dinner from a local Mexican restaurant - finishing the week in style!

I continued to work on the Five Minute challenge from Tiffany of Southern Gals Designs throughout the week.

There were definitely some ups and downs, but I didn't miss a day!

As far as the inspiration I found for you this week:

• I can't resist some embroidery art with a rainbow, AND it has my name on it! Let's just say that this Hope Rainbow Embroidery Art Diy caught my attention. 
• Please go take a look at these ceramic pieces from Abby Dawson with mushrooms sprouting from the sides. I want them ALL!
• The simplicity of this Embroidery hoop wreath with pinecone flowers is definitely right up my alley. 
• Alright, here's even more embroidery art for you. This time, it's focused on water scenes. 
• I flipping love this art piece from Shawn Petite. It's simple and serene. And, the fact that she tried out so many new techniques is even more fun. 
• This tutorial from Rings & Things on making a wrapped bracelet is quite thorough. 
• Let me just admit it, anything with embroidery is catching my eye right now. These embroidered butterfly brooches are no exception. 
• These world map necklaces from eyeglasses are a neat way to upcycle. 
• After seeing these palette knife paint flowers, I want to pile on all the paint!
• This collection of ways to create dreamcatchers is quite inspiring. 
• Here's are a few wood and resin jewelry ideas if you've caught the resin bug. 
• And, take a look at one last compilation of embroidery in these mixed media embroidered pieces. 

I'm not sure what the week ahead holds, but I'm looking forward to more hands-on creativity. I hope you're finding your creative mojo too!