Peek at my Week (May 31-June 6)

How are you doing? Seriously. How are you? As if this year couldn't be full of any more drama, we've finally reached a boiling point on race relations in the US and elsewhere. I know Black Americans have been fighting for their rights for decades, and I stand with them. I hope you do too. Now, we've probably all seen the news, but it's time to share what some of this past week looked like for me. 

On Sunday, I had an alarm set so I wouldn't miss a Lord of the Rings reunion on YouTube. Everyone in the house watched. It had me laughing, crying, and yearning to rewatch the trilogy (which I started yesterday). There are a few other cast reunions on Josh Gad's channel that I'm hoping to catch up on as well. 

After that, we had a dip in the pool. It was the weekend after all!

Monday meant groceries and other errands before I headed to Mobile to check on my mom, step-dad, and niece and have dinner with them. Tuesday was Black Out Tuesday, so I focused on sharing Black Lives Matter material, voices, and inspiration as well as knocking out some of my own work (privately)

On Wednesday, I headed back to Mobile to take my niece to an appointment. Back at home, I found that my order from Jerry's Artarama had come in!

But, it was late and I needed to tackle other things before bed so I waited until Thursday to try out my new supplies. That's real restraint!

As I checked the mail on Thursday, I had to stop to admire the gardenias. They're just about done blooming, and I'm going to miss them so much.

I kept myself busy on Friday. 

While refilling the birdfeeder, I spied this little mushroom.

Look at the little fairy door at its base!! Ahhhh! It's so awesome. 

I had to upload a few videos, so I made a trip into town to use the public wifi. I saw that the Library had its carts of free books sitting outside, so I picked up...a few.

I can't resist free books!

Back at the house, I decided to go ahead and try eco-dying papers on my own.

I've only ever done it with others on a retreat before. The papers turned out beautifully!

I was so happy with the results that I was back out in the rain in the yard on Saturday (tropical storm Cristobal) picking plants for more eco-dying materials.

The above arrangement of weedy flowers made me smile. 

And, into the pot they went!

Now, I just need to decide how to use all these luscious, dyed papers. I'm sure I'll come up with something!

Speaking of papers, I've done an okay job keeping up with my #The100DayProject.

On Day 55, I was to use some of my distress inks. That's never a problem for me. In fact, I used them quite a bit this week. But, to mix it up, I first carved a couple of stamps to use with the inks. I'm totally digging them. 

Here's where I began to falter. I was so busy on Monday that I had a tough time getting to day 56's task of using stencils on my small gelli plates. I started this spread on Tuesday but just wasn't feeling it and put it aside to finish on Wednesday. 

Using something from one of these Dover sticker books was the focus for Day 57. However, I think that's part of what held me up on Tuesday. None of them seemed to quite fit in (I mean...they're holiday stickers...) Instead, I decided that they no longer need to be in my stash and were transferred to my donation pile. 

I needed to use my sewing machine with some of my miscellaneous fabrics. While I think I had grander plans when I set my tasks for the project, this worked for Day 58. It made it into the spread I had been struggling with and helped finish it. 

Tissue tape was my material for Day 59. It was easily worked into the background of this art journal page.

Using my Colorix Crayons was Day 60's assignment. I really let myself play and tried not to go overboard with this page. 

Using some of my scraps of paper on Day 61 almost felt like cheating. I use scraps in most of my art journal pages. While I struggled a bit with this page, it came together in the end with the addition of the blue. 

Since the week was fraught with turmoil, I didn't feel very inspired or find much inspiration. However, there were a few things...

• I encourage everyone to watch this video to understand some of the Black Lives Matter movement and some of the inequalities that African Americans face. 
• On a lighter note, Jewelry Making Journal has some examples for making Lariat Necklaces. 
• And, this very short video on Lifehacker might inspire you to Finally Start that Creative Project. 

Here's to a brighter future and better days ahead. I hope you have an inspiring week!