10 posts tagged “crafts”
The past couple of weeks have been physically and mentally rough. I've been feeling near comatose almost all the time. I'm still not 100% sure what brought on the lethargy, but I think I'm coming out of it. I'm guessing it was either allergies, a mild bout of depression, my body adjusting to my new workout regimen, or any combination of those three things. When I've been able to get up and move around, I've relied heavily on sheer will, large doses of caffeine, and momentum to keep moving. Most of the time I've just sat at my keyboard and fought to keep my eyes open while wishing I could go to bed. Getting out of bed has been the hardest part of my days. I've recently started letting myself sleep in, thinking that if it is the workouts or allergies, the extra sleep might be just what I need. Maybe that's why I'm feeling like I'm coming out of the haze. Maybe I should start taking naps.
I think I've hit the point where my morning workout has become a habit, finally. I rolled out of bed today and got to it without even thinking about it beyond one sleepy "I do not want to do this!" thought. And even with that thought in my head, I got dressed and got moving. Go me! I'm hoping that if it is my new exercise routine that's dragging me down, I'll snap out of it soon. I've always had trouble getting into a workout habit because after the sense of accomplishment that gets me through the first couple of workouts, I go through a long period of exhaustion, one I've rarely stuck it out long enough to get through. It's really hard to stick with exercise for the long haul, when it's making you feel like shit day after day after day.
Anyhow, I am looking for healthy, high-energy food/fuel ideas to try to help my body make the switch to a fitter lifestyle. I know a few of my friends are kicking major ass on the fitness front, so if any of you have some suggestions, I'd really appreciate them! I need some help breaking through this miserable sluggishness.
So, it's August now, and I'm feeling it right through to my core. The weather has been far milder than is typical for this time of year and the greens are still quite lush, but I can feel the cold season coming. I've noticed the shifting angle of sunlight. I get so excited for this "downhill" time of year; the second six are definitely my favorite months of the year! My nesting instincts are shooting organization and decorating ideas at me non-stop, my muse is filling my head with extreme creativity, my craft cabinet shines with golden light and singing angels every time I open the doors. I need to dive in up to my neck in creative work right now and get this season of inspiration off to the best start ever.
I need to commit to a sketch book for starters. Breaking in a new one is always so hard. I have several taunting me with their pristine pages. Some part of me holds on to the belief that the first drawing sets the tone for every page that follows so it better be good, and tearing out a bad page is not an option - it somehow kills the magik of the whole book. It's dumb, I know, but logic doesn't always rule in the dark carnival that is my mind.
I kind of want to blog about what I've been up to lately, but aside from work and chores, I can't really remember what I've done.
We did go out to see a friend's band play last Friday. I was really needing a corner seat and some very loud, live music, but the night got a little weirder than that. I won't give a play by play, but highlights include some tipsy stranger that bought Craig and I three rounds. That worked out great for Craig who was drinking beer and got a good buzz, but I had started off the night with a can of Mt. Dew. Who the hell needs FOUR cans of Mt. Dew?!!! *L* (I did NOT drink all of them, just for the record.) Still, it was really nice (albeit kind of weird) to be kept refreshed all night at no expense to us. No idea who the guy was. It's a *very* small place, but too loud for conversation. We tried to gesture "thanks for the drinks", but that was the extent of our communication. heh. Later in the night, a different drunk dude insisted on belting out "Turn the Page" (oof) while our wobbling benefactor did a drunken interpretive dance. heh. There were also some country girls grinding on each other awkwardly at one point. Weird night in a strange little place way out in the middle of nowhere. Maybe next time I'll take something psychedalic and pretend I'm at the Bang Bang Bar. (TV/movie reference! Anyone?)
I seriously cannot recall what else I've been up to the past few weeks though. That's sad. I need to snap out of this low-energy tar pit I'm in.
Right now though, I think I'm going to go mark up one of my sketchbooks and show it who's boss. My muse is sharply tugging my hair for attention.
Do any of you use Twine.com? I found it yesterday. It's social bookmarking on steroids; they call it "social interesting", I think. It's like Delicious blended with a customizable Digg/Reddit format. I was pretty confused about it until I found a video. This particular video was made as a joke, but it really explains Twine better than anything else I'd read. :)
Cleaning up my Delicious bookmarks was to be part of my spring cleaning this year anyhow, but now I think I'm going to do it while migrating everything into Twine. I started on that yesterday, ...and I'm only about half way through the "a" tags. *sigh*. This will probably take a month or more.
So far I'm very impressed. Twine is very feature-rich and versatile. The biggest feature are the topic-based interest groups called, you'll never guess, ..."twines". I joined a few: "Current Science", "Sustainable Living", "Local Food", "Knitting Purls", "Trawling the 'Net". Whenever someone posts a book, video, bookmark or note to one of those twines/groups, it shows up in my "Interest Feed", thus making it like a custom version of Digg, albeit thankfully so far without all the juvenile pissing contests! I joined a fabulously drool-worthy twine called "Hot Glass" which is all things glass related, though mostly blown glass, artists and exhibit links. I needed a twine specifically for all my bookmarks for the at-home glass studio, beads and lampwork, and a few searches turned up nothing, so I started my own twine called "Lampwork Addicted". It was super easy to start, and as soon as I get a little more content added, I'll start promoting it and hopefully get some more members adding relevant content.
Anyhow, I'm loving it! I don't know if invites are still required, but if anyone wants to try it, I'd be happy to send one.
And speaking of spring cleaning, Craig moved his desk out of his office and into mine today, which is closer to the livingroom. So now he can sit and play work on his computer and still be relatively close to me when I'm in knitting and/or watching tv. This means his office is ready to be transformed into our craft room/second guest room. Part of making space for his desk in my office was moving my craft armoire, which I had to partially empty to move. It's good to get a reminder of everything I've hoarded in there, and I need to put it all back away now. Seeing all of that stuff has renewed my determination to practice "use what you have" crafting though! 'Cause I have stuff! HOOOOOO BOY, do I have stuff!
I have so much I need to do today that I'm confused and overwhelmed by it all. I've paced the circuit of my house ...I don't know how many times now, just trying to figure out where to start. I'm so confused. I figure my brain might just need some fuel, so even though I wasn't feeling hungry, I sat down for some left-over Thai. I hope it helps.
The problem is I have a dozen projects and ten times more of smaller things I need to do. I feel like I should dig into to one of the projects, but ...all those little things? Put that in the cupboard, throw that away, put that in the laundry, that in the mudroom, that in a pile of things to ebay and that in a box to donate... Wash that thing, dust that one, given Jasmine her eye drops, answer some email, ... ARGH! Where do I start? I like efficiency and systems, but I think I just have to dive in this time and take care of one thing at a time, starting with whatever is closest to me. ...After my late lunch.
My sugar skulls have set up nicely. They need a little more drying time, and then I need to glue the halves together. I'm slightly disturbed by how much I enjoyed hallowing them out. It was bizarrely satisfying to gouge a hallow into each half with a spoon, scraping and twisting to remove the excess sugar/weight. Mwa-ha-HAA!
Drawing class last night was most useful. It was more lecture this time than drawing, but I learned a ton. It's amazing how much there is to learn about something as simple as drawing. We got tips on everything from how to get consistent and cohesive values on your paper to how to hold your arm for the steadiest hand and how you can get a different value from your pencil just by changing your grip on it. This is really a fantastic class. I mentioned that I'm considering a degree in the visual arts for my mid-life crisis, and my teacher asked if any of us knew what was involved in becoming a pharmacist. heh. That was a little depressing, to know that someone with all of her training and knowledge is looking for a second career to make some money. *sigh* I guess when they say "Do what you love," they aren't necessarily talking to the artists and writers. :/ Still, it doesn't discourage me from wanting to know more. I still want a ton more classes.
Dang. Lunch is done. Time to figure out how to hack through my over-grown to-do list. ...Some coffee might help.
I went to the dentist today for the first time in WAY TOO LONG! I hate going to the dentist, and I don't mean that it's unpleasant and I don't like it, I mean I ***HATE*** it. I've had a long, painful, scary dental history coupled with an intense fear of medical procedures and tools, as well as a strong dislike for being touched, especially around the face and neck. But, I lost a filling over a month ago and though I knew I would be better off going to get that taken care of before it got worse (no pain yet - knock-on-wood), I just couldn't bring myself to call for an appointment. It was not happening. Finally it occurred to me to ask Craig to call for me, which he did. (Thanks again, Sweetie!!!) 'Cause I swear I was not ever going to call. Oddly enough, after the initial panic attack when Craig told me I had an appointment, I managed to shove the reality into a dark corner of my mind and not stress over it too much.
So I drove myself to the dentist today, doing my damn best not to think about what I was doing, and had my first appointment in a long time. The hygienist was extremely kind to me and very gentle. I think she was slightly amused that I was all clenched fists before she could even get the chair adjusted. I wouldn't have cared if she laughed out loud at me, so long as she was gentle, and she was very gentle and very nice and never laughed. I had braced myself for all sorts of "you haven't been here in years so we have a long list of things to fix" news, but my teeth and gums are in good shape! *WHEW!* She kept telling me with amazement, "You have really great teeth!" *thanks the gods of dentistry!!!
So I'm good! I have an appointment to get my filling replaced on Monday, but I'm just not thinking about that. I also set up my next six-month appointment already. The receptionist asked if I wanted to go ahead and set that up, and I said, "I'd better do that now because otherwise, honestly, you'll probably never hear from me again." heh.
When I got back home there was a package for me on my porch. It's the sugar skull mold I'd ordered from www.MexicanSugarSkull.com. I highly recommend them for Dia de los Muertos supplies. The order shipped very quickly (I ordered on the 16th with standard shipping) and came with all sorts of instructions and information about the holiday. I've always set up a very small altar for Dia de los Muertos, but this year I've been wanting to make a sugar skull with a crown of ladybugs on it. My aunt Jadine, who passed away this year, was very fond of ladybugs, and I think she'd get a kick out of a ladybug-crowned sugar skull as an offering and remembrance. I want to make a skull for Rob too, and maybe my grandparents ...though I don't think they'd be as amused, so I might stick with the usual remembrances for them. :) I can't wait to try making the skulls though. I'll probably give it a go on Friday.
Art class last night was extremely enjoyable. Both Craig and I are still doing very well. Our instructor is very good about taking personal time with everyone, and whenever she comes to us, she always says, "You guys are really good!" :D That makes me happy. Still, she does always offer suggestions for improvement, and that makes me even happier. We're done studying proportion, and are starting value next week, which I'm excited about, and not just because it means I'm done lugging my grocery bag full of still life back and forth every week. :)
I think we have four more weeks in this class, then there's a break in December before classes start back up in January. Unless finances get too tight, I'm already ready to sign up for the next class. Putting myself back in a quality art class is the best decision I've made since marrying Craig (which was my best decision ever!). I've half joked that I want a degree in visual arts for my midlife crisis, but I'm more sold than ever on that idea. I need to start researching tuition and schedules and local programs and credit transfers and such. Maybe for my 40th BDay in two years, I'll go back to school and get the degree I originally wanted! :D
Ok. I should quit goofing off. I need to make some muffins before starting the soup I want to make for dinner tonight. *slump-yawn* Or maybe I'll make muffins after dinner. heh.
She's here!!!!!! Isn't she beautiful?!! Brick lining, quartz-encased heating elements, large mesh mandrel rack, two large doors and two bead doors, and programmable controller. *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!*
Now, the challenge is learning to use it. It came with a two page feature sheet which is for their very basic model, and a "manual" for the digital controller that consists of three one-sided pages stapled together in the upper left corner. heh. Honestly though, the programming part doesn't look too tricky. I can see where a non-tech person would be intimidated, lots of "SEG" and "F1" and "Err1" kinds of notation, but it seems pretty straight-forward. But apparantly I need to do a lot of research on kiln use, maintenance and heat cylces for annealing beads and such.
The feature sheet gives examples of how to use the kiln for burnout (lost wax) molds and enameling!!! I hadn't even considered those possibilities!
So much to learn! So many glorious possibilities!!!!
I strung up a couple of quick bracelets yesterday. They're not share-worthy so no pics this time, just your basic beads on a string. That was the last of the OMG! NEED TO FINISH THIS GIFT! crafting though. I have a few more things I want to do with these last two gifts yet today, but if push came to shove, I could wrap what I have right now and feel quite good about gifting it. Everything else is ready to go.
Today I'm going to do some baking, I think. I'll make enough to share, but mostly I just want to make sure our pantry is stocked with holiday goodies for the week ahead. :) I have the ingredients to make quite a few things, but we'll see how far I get into my baking before I get bored.
Still have some decorating to do too. Hanging the glass balls takes me a looong time because I fuss and rearrange like crazy. I'm pretty obsessive about color and composition when it comes to this last bit of decorating. Everything needs to look well-placed and pleasing to my eye, and I can't stop myself from fussing with it until it's all perfect.
We gave the bunnies their willow-branch star ornaments yesterday for the solstice. The stars are already missing a few points. :) The bunnies can't help but fuss with their decorations too, but in their case they're snacking. :)
I had planned on working all this weekend, because I really do have a ton I want to be done with by the time the calendar changes, but it's really impossible to work this close to the holiday madness. It seems far more important to keep my nerves calm and quiet so I'm fresh and ready for all the crazy visiting. I'm going to try not to have a blotchy, tear-streaked face and those huge deer-in-headlights eyes of terror when we go visiting this year, ...breaking with that tradition this year, I hope. heh.
It's going to be a nice, cozy, quiet day at home for us today. We're staying in all day. The house will smell of cookies; it smells of bacon and coffee right now. I'll get a hot shower in a bit and put on a clean pair of jammies, rather than "real clothes". I'll put the rest of my sparklies up. We have plenty of eats in the house, including leftover chinese from last night's dinner out, and we have a freshly stocked liquor shelf. I have three books I'm reading, two of which are just about done, and I have a huge and interesting to-read pile waiting for me. I have some fun crafting stuff I can do when I get tired of baking and decorating. We'll probably even play some video games later. ...And maybe I'll watch Elf *again*. :) I expect it's going to be a very nice day for me and my sweetie.
It figures. I finish taping the hula-hoop I made last night, and the one I ordered finally came today. The one I ordered is made of a heavier weight tubing and it's smaller. I'm not hoop-skilled enough to keep the new one up, so I'm glad I went to all the trouble to make a bigger, lighter one. Plus, the tape on mine is nicer. They're both nice though. I'll need the smaller, heavier one when I get better at this.
I need to get some work done. Like, the paying kind. My brain is doing that rapidly changing channels thing though.
I did get some nice sleep last night though. So, no caffeine for me today again Not for quite a few days actually. I have herbal tea and it's hot cider season, so I'm coping. I do love and miss coffee though.
I'd rather be doing something crafty today. I might take the rest of the afternoon off and craft. Craig will be volunteering at WoodCraft's turning for troops thing all day on Saturday, so I can make up the time and then some and get some hours logged then. I *REALLY* want to craft today though, and there's lots to do with the holidays coming up. Might go dig out my sewing machine after lunch.
I call recess. I think, in scheduling my home office hours, I'm going to plan my day out like elementary school. The day will start at 8am with something quiet, reflective and routine. I don't think I'll say the Pledge of Allegiance and take my own attendance, but maybe I'll clean up my desk and set some goals for the day. Then some work until around 10am, when I get recess. i forget how long morning recess was, but 15 minutes at a minimum should do it. Lunch at noon followed by 30 minutes of recess at 12:30. Something light and fluffy in the afternoon at some time too, just to break up those long hours. In grade school it was usually art class. That might work. It sounds kind of stupid, but I don't have coworkers stopping by to chat or office hijinx to break up the day, and things get dull and monotonous really fast around here. I have to do something to make the work days more bearable.
Well, yesterday didn't go quite according to plan. I opened my craft cabinet trying to find some artsy inspiration, and wound up spending the day organizing my craft cabinet. Oh, it *SOOOO* needed it, and I should be in better head space now for future creative ventures because I'm not dealing with that supply chaos, but I didn't do the artsy thing like I promised myself I would. Oh well. Life is dynamic and things happen. I'll try again some day soon.
It's funny the things I found in there though. Apparently there are a few projects I have actually managed to forget over the years. I found some gorgeous, purple champagne flutes I was going to etch as a gift, ...which went immediately up on my stemware rack in the kitchen. I found a stash of yarn for a scarf my husband wanted that I'd forgotten about. I found all sorts of oddities that I've hoarded over the years, many of which will make awesome accents to collages and 3D work! I only got through about 1/4 of the cabinet yesterday, but I think I sorted most of the little bits. I think the vast majority of what's left is fabric and odd containers. (I have a serious container hoarding problem.) (...fabric hoarding problem too, actually.)
In organizing all that stuff, I was able to make better use of the space in there, and get a few boxes of crafting stuff off the floor and into the cabinet, which is great for floor space, sweeping, and less dust accumulation! I should've take some before pictures, dammit! It was really a terrific mess(!) and the change is amazing.
I'm looking forward to finishing the craft-organization project.
But for now, I think recess is over.
I'm feeling very quiet and withdrawn lately, but not in a bad way. I just feel like I need quiet more than I usually do. Quiet is refreshing, like spring water and mountain air.
Sunday was my step-grandma's surprise 80th birthday party. My mom planned and hosted, and everything from family drama to the weather has been stressing her out for months. It went off beautifully though. No drama, the weather was perfect, and Grandma O. was completely surprised and delighted. It brought a tear to many an eye. My mom married into a good family, that's for sure.
This is what I was helping Mom with last week. Grandma O. is a HUGE Buckeye fan! My mom has wanted to paint some new glass panes for Grandma O.'s front door for a while now, but with her crafting insecurities, she wanted my help getting them done. It was my first time painting glass too, but I think they turned out nicely, and Grandma O. and the rest of the family loved them. I can't wait to see how they look installed.
I got the urge to make some paper beads yesterday. I have many ideas in my head for really fancy, multi-layered, mixed-media, even cut versions of the paper bead, but I was in the mood for instant gratification and since it's been decades since I made paper beads, I stuck to the basics for the first batch. I found a mostly lavender ad in a magazine, tore the page out, cut it into triangular sections and rolled them up with a little glue and a clear acrylic finish.
I'm very pleased with the results and have already cut up a mostly green page into even narrower sections for the next batch of beads. I have plans for them that involves a teal micro-glitter.
