Simple Pleasures #18 - Lovely and Shiny

The color. The texture. The sparkle.

The cover of my daily haiku journal. I have the simple pleasure of enjoying it every day.

Bonus: this glitter doesn't shed all over my desk.

Simple Pleasures #17 - The Point of it All

Writing in my journal with my favorite fine tip ballpoint pen.

I'm left-handed, so I end up smearing the ink with most pens. But due to the fine tip, the ink dries quickly and I end up with a much cleaner page.

Back to School

Well, sort of. 

Dale says that every new project deserves a new notebook. I'm starting a new project.

Today I played with school supplies and art supplies to gear up for it. Here's what I came up with:

I'd planned to purchase a fancy 3-ring binder as a reward for completing a task I really didn't want to do. But I went to three stores and couldn't find what I was looking for. The Back-to-School supplies are not all set out yet. I was sure a binder geared to a middle school girl was going to be ideal for me. But no such-a luck-a. I came home empty-handed.

Then I looked online. I found one with a great cover design, but $14 seemed like too much for a flimsy vinyl/plastic floppy binder.

So I slept on the decision.

This morning while putting something away in my Studio, I remembered that I have some used plain white binders stored away. I'm glad they weren't playing hide-n-seek. I was able to locate one right away.

Then I dug through (and reorganized) my bin of gift bags. I thought I might have one that could fill the bill of making good cover art. I picked one similar in size and shape to this red bag. But the one I used is covered in hearts, of course.

I pulled out a fresh pack of binder paper (because of course I have extra that I bought at a thrift store months ago). I also pulled out some writing implements. 

Then I got crafty ... cutting the bag apart ... trimming it to size ... adding stickers to cover up holes where the gift bag handles were connected ... adding many more heart stickers that had some shades of purple ... tucking the resulting "artwork" into the clear sleeves on the front, back, and spine of the binder.

Last, I pulled all the bits together. In the end, I was pretty proud of myself for using up more of my stash rather than buying something new. Plus ... you know I can barely resist an art project.

The project has to do with using this Live Your Values card deck to help reaffirm my values, then do a bit of journaling. This exercise goes along with a project I call Many Small Dreams. 

Moving to Oregon. Dale's stroke. Surviving the pandemic. Having a new grandchild. Trying to find ways to connect within my community. All these changes in the last four-and-a-half years rocked my world. I've never been one to chase one BIG DREAM. But I do have many small hopes and dreams. I'd like to move them from concept into something practical, then fulfill them in my retirement. 

My expectation is that this exercise of contemplation and journaling will bring these many small dreams into focus and have them align closely with the values I hold dear. I plan to keep moving forward through my life with intention.

The Set-up

On to my next project! Can you guess what it might be? I pulled these elements from my stash: 

Big Shot, embossing folders, paper punch, dies, gift bags, doilies, decorative paper scraps, cardstock, and gemstone stickers.

After I made the design, I prepared the component pieces.

I'll put it all together in the next few days and have a show-and-tell.

Spring Into Reading

Dale and I have gotten into a rut. We watch 3 to 4 hours of news every day, then recorded shows or YouTube until bedtime. It's not exactly a healthy diet.

So for Spring 2023, we're going to make a concerted effort to read more - especially after dinner and before bedtime. We both have loads of books that we bought, most of which are digital and audiobooks. But Dale's also been visiting the local library lately and found more juicy volumes there.

We began yesterday, the first day of Spring.

I'm starting here. The book about Obama is by Pete Souza. He was the official White House photographer during two presidencies: Reagan and Obama. Studying every photo in this book along with the captions is teaching me much about documentary photography. I've been reading one chapter each morning.

In the evening, on my Kindle, I'll start with fiction. I have my eye on a couple modern classics to try. If I don't like a book after reading a couple chapters, I'll move on. Retirement is too short to read books that don't hold my attention.

Dale and I were both avid readers in our younger lives. We'd like re re-immerse ourselves in this simple pleasure.

Cheers to reading!

Poster by StardustPrintShop on Etsy

Teacher Craft Kits: Part 2

The next couple lessons for the classroom appear to be about weather. In Oregon, we know a lot about rainy days. These are the supplies for the raincloud mobile:

Here's the finished craft:

Days with blasts of thunderstorms are common, too. This was a particular stormy day with lots of lightening and cloudbursts:

I painted the thundercloud with layers of black, white, and grey paint:

Next ... rainbows?

I do hope I'll get to help this teacher again ... and perhaps some of her colleagues.

Teacher Craft Kits: Part 1

Through a series of circumstances on Facebook, I've begun to (virtually) meet some members of my community. I've been giving useful items away through our local Buy Nothing group. Giving this way is pandemic-safe because we leave the items offered on our front porch after sharing our address through private messages. I've given well over 75 items, and I've received some nice things, too (fabric, beads, pumpkin decorations, etc.)

At one point, I offered a whole bunch of new pencils and a desktop shelf. I wanted the items to go to an educator. In the offer, I mentioned something about how much I appreciate teachers and how I used to enjoy volunteering at elementary schools.

I must have said the magic words! A teacher contacted me to ask if I could help her with the prep work on some classroom art projects. Well! After all those Grandbaby Craft Kits I made last year, this challenge was right up my alley.

She brought by a big bag with all the needed supplies and the instructions. I roped Jodie into helping me. We cut paper plates and cotton balls and yarn and lots of paper shapes, then kitted up the supplies in a bag: one of each of the four crafts for each student.

The first lessons appear to be about animals. Here's all the bits and bobs for the lamb.

After I made all the kits up, I made a sample of each craft. Can you say, "Baaaa!"

Next, a lion. Here are the body parts.

And here's the completed sample.

I'll show you the other two kits soon.

Christmas Prep Continues

We mailed off a big box of gifts today.

Next up? Cards.

There are traditions I like to keep, even in a disruptive year like 2020.

Studio Worktable

In a big step toward figuring out permanent furniture for my Studio (one of my 20/2020 goals), Dale and I spent the weekend building my new worktable. I couldn't be happier.

It's a very generous four foot square tabletop that's at counter height. That is a lot of horizontal workspace! My large cutting mat fits on it with ease, so cutting fabric for sewing projects will be a breeze.

Let's start at the beginning. The base of the table consists of two of these cubby units. They are three feet square and one foot deep. Five of the cubbies have a cardboard backing, four are open.

We placed the two cubby units back to back and secured them on the sides with metal braces. It makes for a very sturdy pedestal base with the added benefit of lots of storage.

Next we took two 2 ft x 4 ft shelves, butted them together on a long side, and braced them together with four 10-inch metal strips. This created a sturdy, flat surface for the tabletop.

We centered the tabletop over the cubby units, and drew a line on the underside of the tabletop around the cubby units. That created an approximately 2 ft x 3 ft area. We flipped the tabletop over, then created a lip out of 1" x 2" strips and some "L" brackets. This forms a lip that rests around the tops of the cubby units. The tabletop has essentially become a lid on top of the cubby units!

We finished the piece by ironing melamine edging strips onto the edges to give it a finished look.

We didn't want to attach the tabletop directly to the cubby units because then the entire unit would be too cumbersome to move. This way, when needed, the tabletop simply lifts off, then can be turned on its side to fit through doorways.

Though the table is very heavy, it can be moved fairly easily because we added furniture glides to the bottom of the cubby units. As long as we push the table from the base instead of from the top, it slides on the vinyl flooring very easily. This will come in handy when there are more than two people working at the table and we need to slide it to the middle of the room. (I'm imagining the time when all my daughters and granddaughters will be here together, building a gingerbread village again).

The sides of the table have a twelve inch overhang so that, when seated, there is plenty of room for my legs. For Christmas, Dale is planning to buy me two bar stools so that I can easily craft while sitting as easily as while standing. Once this darn Covid time is over, I'll be able to have my daughters in for Crafternoons and have a nice place for them to sit, too.

The ends of the worktable have a six inch overhang. I'm using that space next to the wall to store large, flat items like my cutting mats, mat board, foam core, and poster board.

Since only five of the cubbies have a cardboard backing, I have four spaces that are two feet deep. Here I can store some of my longer items, like bolts of fabric and rolls of interfacing.

When I'm doing papercrafting and cardmaking, my Guillotine paper cutter and my Big Shot embossing/die cut machine can sit on one side of the table, leaving plenty of room for me to spread out on the other side.

I'm still rearranging my supplies, trying to come up with an efficient use of the space. For the moment, I have all my painting supplies on one side of the table. On the other side, the cubbies are filled with "crafts that are about to happen." For example that's where the supplies for the Grandbaby Craft Kits are temporarily stored. I'm sure I'll be moving things around quite a bit before the work flow feels right. The nice thing about cubby cubes is that they easily move from one unit to another without a lot of fuss.

I am pleased as punch to have such a big and practical work and storage area. I plan to make very good use of it.

Color Wheels

Coloring and putting jigsaw puzzles together seem to fill a similar spot in me. They are activities I can do with my hands while listening to a podcast or watching TV or videos. This weekend I did some coloring. My medium of choice is colored pencils.



I'm easily amused. That's handy during times of isolation.

Combo Mombo

Tomorrow's task:
Combining office supplies from four rooms in the Post Falls house, to one room in the Eugene house.

When I put on fun music while doing it, I can dance the Combo Mombo.

April Goal Update

Work towards my 2019 goals continues with steady progress. Here's what I did in April.


Goal #2: Complete the finishing work on one of six needlework pieces from years gone by

I completed the Easter Banner and learned to make prairie points.

Goal #10: Finish setting up the photo studio

I made some progress by moving some furniture around. The curtain in the room is fixed. My photo cube for smaller items now has a more permanent home with good lighting. I also bought more poster board for backdrops.


Goal #12: Learn my Enneagram
Though this goal is complete, I'm doing some further inquiry. I bought this book for more research:

Goal #14: Paint and add privacy fencing on dog kennel

The dog kennel is emptied. We plan to start fixing it up next week.


Goal #16: Use up my tea stash

This month I've been concentrating on iced tea. I've continued drinking hot tea most mornings. It may finally be a habit!

Goal #17: Blog at least 25 weeks of #throwbackthursday posts of my 1997 - 2007 projects
I wrote four blog posts in April, bringing my total for the year to 15.

Goal #18: Blog at least 10 of my Ladies of the Evening collection

I wrote about four of my Ladies in April, bringing my total to eight.

Goal #19: Finish at least one of my self-guided courses

I'm continuing to read through The Creative License. I'm continuing to learn illustration using online tutorials. I've also pulled out a book on color theory and read the preface.

Tally:

In progress - eight

Completed - six

Alternate Goal: Watch 50 movies/shows from my Netflix/Amazon queues

I went to town on this goal in April. I watched fourteen movies or series. This brings my total to 31 watched. One of my favorites was Christopher Robin.

Alternate Goal: Photo Editing and Organization

I've turned Wednesdays into Antiprocrastination Day. Each week I do a bit more photo editing and organizing. So far I've standardized my file naming conventions and edited a few folders. This is going to be a very long term project. It's good to see some progress.

Here's a recent photo Dale took of me and our granddaughter, Melody.

Dale and I continue to Whittle a Little.

I let 23 items out of my life and cleared clutter from my office desk and in my Studio. The most noticeable clutter-to-clear is my desk. It's so tidy!

The thing I'm most proud of is finally tossing my files of old resumes and ... biggest of all ... my old divorce papers! The gem in that file was finding the court documents from when Dale adopted Jeanne and Julie. 

Add in having a new granddaughter, and that's quite a full month!

Wax Seal

In my year of whittle a little, I've decided to use more of my pretty things. Things I've been squirreling away and meaning to use "someday." I've decided this is my year; this is my day.

I wrote a letter to a high school friend today. For no good reason than I felt like it, I sealed the letter with a wax seal that I've had for :: mummblemummble :: years. I bought it because it looked like a CameoRoze. I don't know what I was saving it for. Some special occasion?

But what occasion is more special than a handwritten letter to an old friend?

Endings and Beginnings

Every year, in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, I spend several hours composing a personal year in review for myself. I learned of a format through Marie Forleo that I like. These are the three sets of questions I ask myself:

What did I do create, or experience this year that I’m really, really proud of? What big or little things did I make happen this year? What did I create? What did I experience? What did I do that I’m really proud of?

What mistakes did I make that taught me something? What lessons did I learn that I can leverage? What are some of the things that didn’t go so well? How can I do better next time? How can I use this to grow into a better and wiser person?

What am I willing to let go of? What are the projects, goals and things that have been hanging around my To Do list for years that I never get around to? What can I get out of or release myself from? What can I just drop? What do I have hanging around that is no longer aligned with who I am now, what I hope to achieve in the future, or where I want to go? What resentments, angers, and hurts am I holding onto? What kind of guilt, shame, or embarrassment am I not willing to forgive? What stories am I telling myself that are no longer serving me?

I look forward to this exercise every year. I like to read what I've written in years past, and see my own growth. I like creating new ambitions.

One of my bigger take-aways this year is that ... duh ... I really am an artist.

I completed 64 projects last year. That works out to a completed project every six days! And if you count each individual project in the multi-item projects like Valentines, ornaments, Christmas cards, etc., I made a total of nearly 140 items which works out to about two completed projects per week!!!

Another happy realization is that this year I completed at least a dozen UFOs, WISPs, and PILLs. What are those?

UnFinished Objects (things that were started years ago and not completed)

Works In Slow Progress (things that were started and I pick at a little bit over months)

Projects In Long Lines (ideas that have been floating around, many with the components gathered and waiting in project bags, but hadn't been started yet).

That realization made me positively giddy. It feels so good to bring some of these creative concepts into being.

Another stand-out thing that happened this year is that I found my "tribe." I went on a retreat last Spring and met many other like-minded women. I've stayed in touch with the group and have gotten to know a few choice people through Facebook.

Likewise, I completed The Artist's Way course and found kindred spirits in Facebook groups dedicated to that framework, too.

I'm also proud of myself that I've only missed a dozen blog posts this year. I've been very consistent about posting something every day. It's my version of a daily scrapbook, and in looking back over the year, I have lots of memories to savor.

As for lessons learned the hard way, I see that I'm getting better and better about setting personal boundaries. Go me!

--

A second part of my exercise is to pick goals.

Of my 18 Goals in 2018, I completed all of them. The two long-term multi-year goals will continue on into next year.

Here are my 19 Goals in 2019:

Stitchery
1. to 6.

Do the finishing work on six of the needlework pieces that are stitched but not ready for display. I have at least a dozen to choose from.


One Shot Projects

 7. Learn to use my pom pom makers

 8. Go on a Celebrate Your Life retreat
 9. Create a watermark for my photos
10. Finish setting up the photo studio in my basement
11. Watch the DVD about Lake Missoula
12. Learn my Enneagram

Medium Length Projects
13. Reach a designated goal weight by my February doctor’s appointment
14. Paint and add privacy fencing on our dog kennel/storage space
15. Purge and organize storage shelves in exercise room
16. Use up my tea stash

Long Term Projects

17. Blog at least 25 weeks of #throwbackthursday posts of my 1997 - 2007 projects
18. Blog at least 10 of my Ladies of the Evening beaded handbag collection (mend as needed)

Long Term Courses
19. Finish at least one of six courses/classes on my list. I'm leaning toward a course on basic design principles.

I do have 32 alternate goals that I can swap out for any of these 19 if circumstances dictate.

--

The final part of my exercise is to pick a Word of the Year.

For 2019, my word is whittle

Dale and I are starting the downsizing journey. After living in our home for 25+ years, there will be a lot of downsizing to do. We started this year. We're hoping to step up our game in 2019. But I'm determined to keep from making it a chore. I'm certain there is a way to bring whimsy to the process, to be creative in how we go about releasing objects, to make it fun. To whittle down our possessions.

We also want to continue to whittle down our weight. Whittle down our A1c score. Whittle down our anxieties.

I like the word whittle. It makes the processes bite-sized. Do things a little at a time.

Whittle a little.

--

Now my lists are made. My intentions are clear.

Time to get this New Year's Eve party started! We're having quite a shebang:

A 3D movie here at home
Popcorn
Little smokies
Chex mix
A jigsaw puzzle
And blowing bubbles at midnight

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS!

Tidying Up

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day is one of my favorites. Dale and I are both in "vacation mode." That doesn't mean we're travelling. We usually don't. But it does mean we don't have to do normal tasks and can mess around a lot. A time to recharge.

For me, I also like to do a personal year in review, set some goals for the following year, and tidy up things that have gotten way out of control -- like my digital photos that need to be filed and my email In Box.

I've got a terrible cold right now, so sitting at the computer going through email and watching videos I've "saved for later" and listening to saved podcast episodes was just the right speed for me today. I can watch and sneeze and listen and wipe my tearing eyes and read and sneeze some more. The hours have flown by.

It's the end of the day, and my In Box is looking great! All that's left are three coupons I might use, a list of TED talks I might watch, and a head's-up from Dale about the Enneagram.

Satisfying.

Skype Time!

I got to spend some time with Julie and Melody via Skype this morning. We hope to make this a semi-weekly event. Melody knows how to say "hi" and "bye" and "sure!" She can play peek-a-boo with me and was surprised that I know the "A, B, C" song.

I get to be caught up with how Julie is doing with her pregnancy.

They're getting ready for Halloween now and they showed me Melody's pirate costume.

The best is seeing Mommy and Melody happy together. This is a screenshot from our session today.

June Goal Update

We're half way through 2018. I'm still sticking to my 18 in 2018 goals. It is, however, a bit of a slog right now. It's becoming clear that I won't complete all of my goals. That doesn't mean I'm giving up, though. This is the progress I made in June:


Goal 4: Stitch and finish/frame Letter Snow

I have a great start on this. I'll have the stitching done in one more day. I haven't decided how I'll do the finishing, though. I originally thought I was going to frame it. But this week I bought some nice bellpull hardware from a gal in town. So I might finish it like a banner.

Goal 8: Learn to use my new sewing machine

I've learned the basics and have used it to sew one project. There's so much more to learn, because there's an entire embroidery attachment to figure out, and I haven't begun to do that yet. But I can do just about as much with this machine as I did with my old machine, so I'm going to call this goal done. It's a constant learning process and I'm good with learning what I need to learn as each situation arises.

Goal 10: Make a pattern from my favorite t-shirt and use it to make some shirts.

Well, I've made and altered the pattern twice. I've made three shirts from it. The last one come out beautifully, but because of the fabric I used, it didn't fit me as well as I hoped. So I'm giving that shirt to my daughter Jeanne after I try a dyeing technique on it. I'll alter the pattern one more time and make another shirt for myself. It's a process. But I'm calling this goal complete, too.

Goal 11: New shelf paper in the kitchen

Technically, I finished this goal in May. But in June I also put the new shelf paper in the pantry (which is in an adjoining room).

Goal 12: The Artist's Way and It's Never Too Late to Begin Again, both by Julia Cameron

After six (or seven?) weeks, I finally finished "Week Nine" of The Artist's Way. There was a big stumbling block there that I had to work through. I'm on to "Week Ten" now, I've done the reading and started in on the exercises.

It's clear to me that I won't get to the second book this year, so I've moved It's Never Too Late onto my 2019 goal list. Overall score sheet:

• Goals completed: Seven
• Goals in progress: Seven
• Goals not started yet: Four

And ... that's it. Some of these goals just take weeks or months to go from start to finish. I find that if I can do a "boot camp" to get a good running start on one single goal, the finishing goes better. Right now, the boot camp is with Letter Snow. When I get done with that, I have a birthday card to make for my mother-in-law. Then I hope to plow back into The Artist's Way again.

But you know how it is. Life sure does get in the way of goals - and I don't want to miss out on Life.

A Writing Kind of Day

I was at it in my Studio for over five hours. Feels pretty good. My mascot kept me company.

The Artist's Way

I'm still in the midst of this course and loving every minute of it.

I was happy to see this quotation by the author of The Artist's Way on Instagram this morning. It's exactly how I feel.

I'm always amazed at the artists who work in the midst of chaos. Have you ever seen the tables and floor of Project Runway at the end of a workday? Total pigsty! One of my most prolific artist/quilter friends works this way, too, with piles of fabrics and trims surrounding her. It's her source of inspiration.

I'm the opposite. Such piles make me itchy. I need to have clear spaces in which to create. I'm freer to make new and fun and beautiful objects if my home is tidy and my workspace is clean.

There is often discussion about this topic in artist groups I frequent, and I tend to be in the minority. People say that if they waited until their workshop and home are clean, they'd never get around to creating art. My thought is that, as an adult, I get to choose how I live. I'd rather live daily with order in my life. It helps keep my mental health healthy!

It's nice to know this mentor feels and works the same way I do. I'm not a Lone Ranger in my Studio ... because there is room for more than one person there!