Weekend Wrap-up and Goal Review

I think I overdid it this weekend. It's been a really glorious two days here in south Alabama, especially for January. On Saturday we made the short trip to the beach and watched the Gulf of Mexico waves roll in for a little while.

The beauty and cleansing nature of the beach inspired us to push ourselves to take a ten mile bike ride. My butt is killing me! Today was warmer but more overcast. We headed north to check out a new disc golf course. While it was only a nine basket course, it was more hilly than we're used to playing. I definitely got yet another workout. And then when we got home, I did yard work and walked the property. I know I'll be sore in the morning. It'll be worth it though, right?

As for my goals. . .I think it was a bit overkill to check in with my progress every week. Instead, I'll try to remember to do a monthly wrap-up of them. I've already reviewed Week 1 and Week 2. Here's my rundown for weeks 3 and 4. That will finish up January. How is it February tomorrow??

Week 3

My goal and tasks for week 3 were simple.

I didn't get a picture of the daily checklist I created, but it was done. Likewise, I indeed had at least one blog entry during that time. Let me share with you my physical creations.

Above is the altered playing card I created. It was a quick and easy one. I only used a monoprint (Gelli Plate) for the background, glued on half a die cut flower, traced it, stamped the word 'breathe' onto graph paper, glued down the graph paper, traced it, and inked the edges of the card. I went for something quick because my week was absolutely insane! The pictured card is actually sitting on my journal page for the week. It was absolutely blank at the end of the week. I did fix that though (you'll see in a second).

For the jewelry, I also went the easy route and created a pair of earrings. I made these for my niece. She became Worthy Advisor (president) of her Assembly (for the International Order of Rainbow for Girls) and had a whole Japanese theme. I know these beads are probably Chinese, but she really was doing more of an Asian theme. And, the aqua blue went with the dress she was wearing. Alas, the week was so crazy that I forgot to take the earrings to her before the event. Oops!

Remember that blank page? Well...

I did a quick watercolor painting of some resemblance of my niece's dress and cherry blossoms (her flower) on Sunday. It may have been late, but it got done.

Week 4

I was sooooo looking forward to this past week. After two weeks of pure chaos, week 4 felt like it was going to be full of freedom. How wrong I was. Every day had its own tasks and errands and busy-ness that kept me from my larger goals.

Again, I won't share the blog posts I wrote over the week. I'm sure you can find those yourself.  And again, I needed quick and easy projects. 

I got to my altered card first quite late in the week. I simply dabbed some Distress Ink (minis) onto my nonstick craft mat and sprayed it with a bit of water. 

I quickly ran the gessoed playing card through the ink. I also ran my journal page through what was left of the ink (you'll see what became of that in a bit.)

Using a stencil with circles, I dabbed white paint onto the card with a cosmetic sponge. (I used the rest of the paint through the same stencil on my journal page.) Once the paint dried, I circled the dots with a pencil, stamped the word "Dreamy" onto the card in sepia, underlined the word with a pen, and inked the edges. Done!

I lucked up when it came to the making of the jewelry. Blue Girl Beading Co. was offering a cold connection earring class on Friday afternoon/evening. I quickly signed up.

These are the earrings I finished. They are a little rough, but I feel the lesson I learned was valuable. And, I got to cross a task off my list.

My main goal for the week was to create earring cards with my Silhouette Cameo. I was hoping to learn to use the machine better AND create something usable. I tried using some thin cardboard covered in dictionary paper. I used the settings I found recommended on another blog.

Do you see the oopsie in the above photo? Here's a closer look.

Yeah, it just didn't cut all the way through. I think there's actually two mistakes here. 1- I need to set the cutting tool higher 2 - I need to pick a less complex design. I wasn't able to make my attempt until Saturday. With the fail, I know I will have to try this again. Alas.

Lastly, I once again did not get to my journal page until Sunday. Here's its state on Sunday morning.

This was after my leftover ink swipe and white paint stenciling. I really liked it. I added dictionary text, more ink and water, more white paint, stamps, and doodles. With a Tim Holtz stamp and some doodles with a stabilo all pencil, I created the focal.

The focal stamp says "Creativity isn't in the finding of a thing but the making something with it after it is found." This is a lesson I sincerely need to learn. I have all the Friday Finds posts, but other than the post, what am I making from the finds? It's time for me to get busy!

Oh, and before I head out, I have to share some good news. We received word tonight that we have at least one offer on our other house. We'll have to make a decision in the morning, but I hope the process that comes next is a smooth one. It would be nice to be a one-mortgage family once again. Fingers crossed!!

Here's hoping your week ahead is a good one!