Peek at my Weeks (June 14-27)

I've not been so great on the blogging front lately. I've been distracted and only semi-inspired. But, I'd hate to get too behind on posting and lose any momentum. So, I'm here with another peek at the last two weeks.

Dealing with our three baby chickens has taken up most of my time and attention. Two weeks ago, we began introducing them to the outside since they've been living in Pat's office ever since we brought them home. 

The following Tuesday, I noticed that my swap lilies were beginning to bloom. And, they were quite productive this year!

As I worked on my 100 Day Project on Wednesday, I was taken with the water droplets of ink in one of my palettes. Don't they look like little jewels?

On the way to bed on Monday, I had to snap a picture of these sleepy chicks. We were headed to bed ourselves.

As the rain began to subside on Tuesday, I was taken with the drops coming from the trees. It felt almost magical.

After we discovered one of the chicks in Pat's office chair on Wednesday morning, we knew it was time to get serious about moving them out there. So, we spent a portion of the morning covering the chicken yard with netting to keep predators out. And, since then, the chicks have spent daylight hours out there.

While working on the netting, I spotted this dried oak branch that looked like it had dreadlocks. I was so tickled over it! Somehow, it reminds me of a Muppet. 

Thursday was full of cuteness from some of the other pets. Rosalina was in desperate need of some head snuggles. (She loves my hair!)

And, Zoe can't help but be cute; especially when you're holding toes and she's super confused by it. 😂

On Saturday, we got serious about building a small coop of the chicks. They're not quite big enough for the big coop or for being introduced to Bertha without a barrier. We EXHAUSTED ourselves in the humidity. Alas, all the rain has turned the pool green and we couldn't even jump in there to get relief from the heat. We didn't quite finish their new habitat so they spent one last night int he house. (They should be sleeping out there tonight!)

I did a better job over the last two weeks of keeping up with my #The100DayProject.

Day 69 was all about using some of the rolls of medical paper tape I have hoarded. I used it both to create texture for the flower as well as for background to my sentiment. 

I struggled a bit with days 70 & 71, especially combining the neon gel sticks and the rustic Tim Holtz scrapbook papers. I think this kinda works in the end.

Though I only have a couple of stamp-and-die-cut sets, it was my task to use at least one of them (I've never used either of them) on Day 72. 

Since I love my Nickel Azo Gold fluid acrylic paint so much, obviously I never use it. It's too precious. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!? So, on Day 73 I was forced to break it out and create something...amazing.

Again with the hoarding of precious treasures, I forced myself on Day 74 to use a couple of tickets from a stash of ephemera I had won last year.

On Day 75, I used some of my homemade alcohol sprays to create the above page. I dig it!

Using some of my letter stencils was the task for Day 76. It's not as awesome as I had hoped, but it worked. 

On Day 77, it was all about using one of the images from the Botanical set from Tim Holtz. That was easy enough.

Seam Binding and Bias Tape had my attention on Day 78. Since there were a couple of tags already on my desk, waiting to be used, I thought they would be perfect for the fabric pieces. 

When I finally realized that my use of double-sided tape could be foam tape, I was all over Day 79's challenge. 

Using my Posca paint pens on Day 80 didn't sound too hard. But, I made sure to keep the page simple so that the marks still stood out. 

For Day 81, I had assigned myself using paper from a yearbook. That's never too hard for me, but I struggled a little as I had JUST used an image only days before. 

I should have also gotten day 82 completed, but working on that chick coop zapped all my energy. No worries...I got it caught up today. 

As usual, I like to leave you with a bit of inspiration from the internet, so here goes:

• Here's a simple, but smart Connected Earring Tutorial from Moois Van Me. 
• These intricate and beautiful wood sculptures from Xavier Puente Vilardell are mind-boggling. Their twists and turns and loops and curves are mesmerizing. 
• This vintage linens garland is so super easy, but such a great way to upcycle bits of fabric that it needed to be shared. 
• Not long ago, I struggled with making some crescent moon wire frames myself, I really could have used this tutorial. 
• I'm always on the lookout for ways to upcycle. Here's a great roundup of some ideas for old jeans. 
• Make a pair of beautifully delicate flower earrings with this tutorial from Rings & Things. 

I hope you're finding loads of other inspiration. If so, I'd love to hear about it!

SJ's June Honey Do List Reveal

Each month, Sarajo of SJ Designs Jewelry shares the amazing image her husband has given her for inspiration. She calls it the Honey Do List. She's usually a wiz with it and makes a ton of designs. While I love having that extra inspiration, I'm lucky if I can eke out a design or two. This month's photo almost stumped me! Almost.

First, I had trouble for some reason finding time to focus on the inspiration. But, when I did, nothing was coming to me. I looked again at the photograph of the intricately carved wooden door a few days ago and was struck by the comedy and tragedy masks. They made me remember the carved stone beads in my stash. 

I knew those beads would be perfect in a pair of earrings with a tassel. And, as I thought about all the texture on the door, I contemplated maybe creating a necklace that included embossed and colored tin. Since I knew I was short on time, I decided to go ahead and incorporate the tin idea into the same earrings, making them extra long. 

I have to admit that I've had those carved skull beads for AGES (my husband picked them out for a necklace for himself) and was relieved to be able to work them into something that's actually somewhat feminine. 

A big thanks as always to Sarajo and Eric for the inspiration. Make sure to head over to SJ Designs Jewelry to check out what awesomeness she's created!

CraftyHope at SAA Fairhope

Oh yes, it's Ladies Night!

 That's right...it's back. From 6-8 pm tonight, you can browse Southern Antiques and Accents with live music, drinks, and a 10% storewide discount. 

They do encourage everyone to practice social distancing and not come out if you're sick. I thought I'd share a little of what's available in my booth in case you're interested.

I recently stocked it for summer with loads of bright colors and fun accessories like the above pairs of earrings.

There's an array of necklaces that include artisan elements.

Beachy pieces are in stock.

 I made sure to put out my brightest tin necklaces.

I think these earrings are PERFECT for the Fourth of July!

 Of course, there are more subtle pieces like this crystal necklace. 

 Everything has a one-of-a-kind flair!

 But, you might see a few things that would work together!

 These firefly earrings and sailboat earrings are also great for the season.

 I'm sure there's something on the shelves that speaks your language!

 There's loads to explore in my one little booth, including a bottom shelf of sale and bargain bin items. 

And, then there's the rest of the store!

Whether you can make it to Fairhope tonight for Ladies Night or have to wait, you should definitely check out Southern Antiques and Accents at 254 South Greeno Road (behind the Pizza Hut) and be sure to follow the Southern Antiques and Accents Facebook Page and Instagram account. There's always something beautiful to see. 

Peek at my Week (June 7-13)

I hope you're looking to find some beauty in each day. It almost feels like it's getting harder to find the good. But, I'm sure that's just a mood for me right now, and tomorrow will look a little brighter. Let's take a peek at my week. 

As Tropical Storm Cristobal worked its way through our area, we watched the rain fall for hours! It was a wet weekend. 

Some of the weather carried into the beginning of the week, but it finally cleared up. I worked on getting some earrings made for the Etsy shop since I had noticed a real lack of them. When the sun was finally out some on Tuesday, I snapped pictures in the craft room (it was still too windy with chances of rain to risk heading outside with all my gear.)

With unpredictable weather, I was able to stay inside and create for a few days. By Wednesday, I was playing around with the eco-dyed papers I had made along with some interesting image transfer skins.

However, that was as far as I got with those because I just couldn't make a decision.

Besides, it was pretty outside! I took a little walk around the property and found an amazing array of mushrooms. I couldn't help but take a dozen or more pictures. Here's just a few.

I'm sure dampness from all the rain had something to do with the abundance. 

On Thursday, I felt plenty productive as I knocked loads of to-dos off my list. I even had a few beads on my desk!

All that screeched to a halt when the dog lost her mind while the exterminator was outside. She knocked me onto my knee and I spent a few hours icing it. (It seems to be fine, just a little sore.)

I was able to get most of my housecleaning done on Friday even with the sore knee. So, I had to forgive her. I mean, how could you not?

My best friend and my Goddaughter came over on Saturday afternoon for a swim. Once they left, we delved into watching Artemis Fowl on Disney +.

It was a fine movie...but as a fan of the books, it just didn't hit all the right notes for me. 

I had some ups and downs with my #the100DayProject as well over the week as I missed a couple days and wasn't exactly thrilled with all my results. I'll let you be the judge.

I like Day 62's fine. I had to use some of my handmade stamps, and that's never a problem. 

On Day 63, I was to use some of the "nice" paints I have stashed away and hidden. The components of this page are nice...it just could be better. 

The above spread was created for Days 64 and 65. I need to use an old recipe card (I have a box of them!) and some acrylic inks. I struggled my way through this, trying new techniques. And, I finally came up with something I like. 

The task for Day 66 was to trace stencils. I was soooooo unmotivated by this one at first. But, when it hit me that I could use watercolor pencils and crayons, I found my groove. As the knee injury came while I was working on this page, I kept it fairly simple.

Letter stickers and lace needed to go into this spread for Days 67 & 68. They made it onto the page, but it's those areas that bother me the most. I'm still trying to decide if I can fix it.

I did find plenty of inspiration and beauty to share with y'all:

• I encourage you to check out these floral sketchbook paintings from Sonal Nathwani. Each page is more mesmerizing than the last!
• Tiffany of Southern Gals Designs did some experimentation with Ice Resin and paper on her YouTube channel. Some of the results are surprising. 
• Learn how to avoid common polymer clay mistakes from Ginger at The Blue Bottle Tree. 
• Here are some cute tutorials on making heart headpins.
• This old wisteria tree in Japan is an amazing sight to behold. Go see!
• I'm always a little in awe of the intricacies of paper cutting artists. Patrick Cabral creates amazing wildlife sculptures. 
• I flipping love these cartoon drawings of celebrities from Dino Tomic. He uses several different styles to capture his subjects. I had a good time looking through his Instagram. 
• This combination of embroidery and paper and nature from Mrs. Ciccoricco is so special and somehow soothing. 
• Here's a quick roundup of several ideas and products to organize your jewelry. 
• Damask Love shares a tutorial on making a resin keychain. 
• If you liked the floral sketchbook I shared to start, you should also definitely check out how Nathalie Lete is spending her time at home: covering her walls with flowers. 

I've seen so much hate online lately, that I feel like I'm getting sucked up into it. All I want to do is spread feelings of love, acceptance, and inspiration. I just want to see people respect one another and am doing my best to do the same. I hope you're surrounded by love and beauty this week!