CraftyHope

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.

What's New on Etsy

In case you haven't taken a look inside the CraftyHope Etsy Shop lately, I thought I'd share a peek at some of what's new.

Blue Scrolls Earrings

Button Collections Bracelet

French Bubble Necklace

Garden Tassels Earrings

Locker Tag Bracelet

Amethyst Dangle Necklace

And, that's just a few of the pieces you'll find in the Etsy Shop. Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions about the above items or anything in the shop. I'm happy to help!

October Challenges and Inspiration

Finding new design challenges has been a bit of a...challenge in itself lately. But, there are still a few out there that I can share with you if you're looking for inspiration.

First, let me apologize for the fact that I totally flaked out in September. Sarajo of SJ Designs Jewelry did, in fact, share an inspiration photo for the Honey Do List. And it is a GOOD ONE! Though September has ended, she still has the linky tool open for almost another two weeks in case you want to design something for the challenge. I've already got my wheels turning for this one.
The Art Elements October Theme is Skulls. I know I've got a few skull beads in my stash and do love the sugar skulls for Dias de las Muertos (Day of the Dead). So, I might be able to do something with that. You have all month to submit your contributions to the album in the Art Elements Community on Facebook.
The Halcraft Collection Pretty Palette Challenge features an array of colors for this month's "Leaf It All Behind" palette. Head over to their page to get all the deets!
UPDATE! Sarajo has shared the October Honey Do List inspiration. The reveal date is Nov. 8th, but I'm sure the linky tool will be open for a few weeks after that date.

I do have another challenge for the month, but it's part of a subscription membership group, so I don't feel comfortable sharing it here. But, I'm always on the lookout for more inspiration. So, if you know of something I've missed, please don't hesitate to let me know so I can add it to the list.

What's been inspiring you lately?

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?

Thrifty Thursday and SAA Booth Update

I'm rolling these two topics into one because they all have to deal with thrifty shopping. First, it's time for the reveal of my September Thrifty Haul.

The above tins are just a tiny peek at the bounty I brought home last month. You can see the full September Thrifty Haul video of everything if you're interested in that kind of thing.

Next, if you prefer to do your own shopping, I added a few new things to the booth at Southern Antiques and Accents! My favorite of the new items is this pair of eclectic reclaimed tin earrings.

There are also a few other new earrings.

And, a handful of pieces were added to the Bargain Bin.

Plus, there's PLENTY more to explore in my booth and throughout the antique mall. I should also mention that Saturday is SUPER Second Saturday with events going on in the store all day long. There will be food, demonstrations, giveaways, discounts, and Happy Hour! If you're in the Fairhope, AL area, you don't want to miss this monthly event.

Mixed Media Art Videos in September

In case you missed them, I shared quite a few "art journaling" videos last month. They were all related to ICAD (index card a day) but each has some interesting tidbits. Clicking on the photo or caption should take you to each of the videos if you want to watch them!

Before the end of this month, I should be finishing up with the ICAD videos and can get back to posting any variety of mixed media art videos. I'm happy to answer any questions about mixed media art or the materials and methods I use. Just ask!

Peek at My Week (Sep. 26-Oct. 2)

Yeah, I know it's been a good while since I've given you a peek. Something about these weekly updates began to stress me out and feel like far too much work. So, I took a step back. Well, it feels like everything else also came tumbling down from there. While I don't want to build these posts up to a level that stresses me out again, I do enjoy sharing little snippets of my week. As I contemplate how to restructure these posts to a format that suits me a little better, I'm going to try to keep these fairly short. So, here goes!

I'm a member of The Ugly Art Club, and the end-of-the-month "Campfire Chat" was on Sunday. While I tuned in to the Zoom meeting, I worked on a necklace design to keep my hands busy.

As always, Monday was busy with errands. But, I snuck in some time to begin testing out an earring design idea that's been poking at my brain.

In the evening, Zoe snuggled on the couch with us. I was ticked at her little eyeball peeking up over the pillow at me.

The building on our property is "done" as far as other workmen are concerned. That meant that I could sit out on the deck in my pajamas again. I absolutely indulged in that most of the week. Tuesday's sunrise was splendid.

It felt like I spent the rest of Tuesday working on a single pair of earrings. But, I also made a run to Goodwill for some thrifting and had a good haul of items. My Thrifty Haul video and post will be coming in the next week or so.

Wednesday was spent with my mom. I talked her into hitting up a couple of antique stores and found a pair of gorgeous tins that I probably paid too much for. (You'll also see those in the same video reveal later in the week.)

I was distracted much of Thursday as one of my nieces was over to help with a few tasks around the house. But, I did get a few stamps carved for a giveaway. I'm about 50 subscribers away from 2,000 on my CraftyHope YouTube Channel. When I reach that milestone, I'm going to have a giveaway of a few items. Several of my current subscribers mentioned that they would like some of my hand-carved stamps. So, I started on those.

I also took the visiting niece out to the sunflower field that's around the corner from my house. I'd been wanting to head up there anyway. And, since sunflowers are her favorite, it seemed like the perfect time to take that excursion.

I've been meaning to break out the soldering iron again for a few weeks to finish up and test out some design ideas. I was happy to realize that it was a good solder-flow day and found myself wishing I had prepped more items!

When I ran out for an errand in the afternoon, I discovered these wildflowers at the back of a parking lot. I've been admiring them on the sides of the road for WEEKS but there's never a good place to pull over and take a better look at them. So, I was thrilled at the chance to hop out of the car and take a gander.

Saturday was packed FULL of good college football games. As such, I spent a good portion of the day in front of the television with a few couch-appropriate crafts. I made beaded bookmarks, did some embroidery art, and doodled. It wasn't much, but I was entertained and busy.

I have to admit that along with these weekly posts, I also haven't really been sharing many interesting links to other sites. Maybe that will change as well. I did find these two over the week if you're interested.

DIY Howlite Wirework Bracelet from Fire Mountain Gems
20 DIY Rainbow Earrings you can make at home from CraftGossip

Hopefully, I'm going to be less absent. But, I can't promise anything as I have a lot of irons in the fire and ideas for the future.

How has your week been?