End of the Month

Here we are again. The end of another month. This year is going by way too fast. But there's nothing I can do about that. Except that I've decided to try and have more fun. I did rally this last week to get some projects done and new ones started. I feel very good about that. So, here we go for April:

• one book read
• 11 writing days
• 4 business quilts longarmed
• 2 applique projects started
• 3 day trips/entertainment (Hoots Flea Market, Walnut Cove Craft Fair, Keep It Local art fair in Oak Ridge)
• 3 Wendy B Quilts blog posts
• 12 World of Wendy Lu blog posts
• 2 Netflix movies
• one project done (mug rugs)
• 3 workshops/talks (applique workshop, White Collar Crime writing seminar, Mary's Mavens meeting)

I went to the two art/craft fairs today. The first one was at the Chateau La Fontaine Inn in Walnut Cove.

The second show was the Keep it Local Art Fair in Oak Ridge. On a farm and they had donkeys. A mom and her six month old son. The owners got them to keep the coyotes away from the chickens. I didn't know donkeys did that. There was also a llama, but I guess he didn't like the crowds.

It was a pretty good adventure and the GPS worked.

I started my own applique design. I took a pic of a magnolia when I first moved down here. Then I had it enlarged to the size I wanted.

Next I traced the photo on the light box using tracing paper, went over the design with marker, put it back on the box and traced it again.

Then I numbered all the parts of the flower and leaves.

I've got some fabric choices already pulled and next I will make the pattern pieces from that fabric. I also sketched some ornaments and started three.

My messy worktable.

My three little ornaments.

No Pic Post

Yes, a no pic post. Why? Why not? It's something that I've been feeling and thinking since my anniversary last week. I don't know what has happened. My attitude has changed a bit. At least towards what I want to do with myself. I just hope that it doesn't take another ten years to see some results.

The day after my anniversary, I felt as if I could do anything. And what I really wanted to do was to get back to creating dolls and Halloween pieces. Like I was going to explode. I was on creative overdrive. Even though I had quilts to longarm, this energy was oozing out of me. Kind of crazy. I like this new way of doing applique and I'm ready to get going on my own designs. I was amazed that I was excited again. A part of my tiny brain said it wasn't going to last. I pushed that thought out and into a dump. I will not question it. Whatever 'it' is. I feel like I've been reborn. I was searching for that dynamo of creativeness for such a long time and I may have found her.

Now for the true test. I've discovered that I need to find time to nurture the new creative me. I can't work on anything wet at the studio so I will have to do it in my apartment. Wet meaning paint, clay, paper mache, that type of thing. I will now start taking one or two days out of the week to work in those mediums. Another thing is to finally go through my ideas and pick one thing to work on. That will happen today. It's a good day. Nice and cloudy and rainy. A good day to get tucked in on a new project.

Stay tuned!

Moving Right Along

I finally got all the pieces in place on my wall hanging. I envision so many possibilities but right now I will finish this one.

Removing paper pieces.

All pieces of paper pattern removed. Ready for stitching.

More mug rugs.

Anniversary

Yes, it's my anniversary. Yesterday was the day I left Michigan for North Carolina ten years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. I thought I would be upset but I wasn't. I learned a lot, met some really nice people, and did some really cool things.

• Participated in many art & craft shows
• Had my work in several shops and galleries
• Was part of a three woman show in the Delta Arts Center
• Was interviewed on the local radio for that exhibit
• Showed up in a couple of local papers for my artwork
• Visited two National Forests, a waterfall, and other scenic areas
• Made it to the coast and the mountains
• I started writing a lot and made the goal with National Write a Novel in a Month, several years

And other things. I don't know exactly what the next ten years will hold. I don't know if I'll be in the same spot. But I am hopeful. I am ready for another part of the play. I have new ideas for artwork, which I will finally own. So many have told me how much they like my work, many have bought some but I just didn't see it. Now I do. I will own my creativity, my talents and be the crazy art lady. I will be prolific. And I'm ready. Many demons have been slain. 

Let's do this!

Applique Workshop

I took an applique workshop from Ann Holmes yesterday. I'm always on the look out for new ways to applique. Something that will do what I want and be a little easier. I'm still working on my pieces but here is the first part.

Monday

A new day of a new week of a new month. That's a mouthful. Today was a good day. I was able to longarm two preemie quilts, made binding and attached it to one of them, started a list for a huge project, organized and tallied receipts from last month (will be doing that once a month for end of year taxes, yes, I'm thinking of making next year's taxes as easy as possible), wrote a rough draft for a short story, attached Raggedy Ann's limbs (she was supposed to be done last year for her 100th anniversary), and stuffed arms for two Halloween dolls.

She's got big feet but that's okay. The thing is is to get her done. Paint job will be this week.

April

It's April. A new month. It's spring. Things are blossoming. The temperatures are still figuring out whether to stay a constant warm or go back to winter. The birdsong outside my window in the morning has changed. Migrating birds have come back. The local farmer's market will start up again for the summer season as well as all sorts of festivals. Part of me wants to blab about all what I want to do. But the other part wants to stay quiet and see if I can do it. I turned the page on my calendar. It's so blank. I use it to write down what I've accomplished, worked on, or finished. It's so blank.

But pretty soon it will start to fill up. I will continue my writing. I won't give up on that. I will continue sketching bears because they are part of a larger project. I will be working on Halloween inventory for an upcoming art/craft show or two. I'm still planning on reopening my Etsy shop. Some things are still up in the air. Others are in planning stages. I lost my focus last month and will work towards getting it back this month. One weird month out of three is okay. It's spring. And it's time for new things. I'm ready for new things. I may have to put my big girl undies on and actually go out and do things on my own. I think I will make a sort of bucket list for my state. Things I want to do and places to go, not necessarily before I die but because I want to and they are around. I've got to come up with another title for that list.

Okay then. April, here I come.

Made It

I survived another month. March is now in the record books. It wasn't a great month. Fell off the turnip truck yet again but I've picked myself up, dusted myself off, and I'm looking for another truck to hop on. So here's what happened:

• 2 books read
• 12 days of writing
• 4 business quilts
• 2 preemie quilt tops together, 1 longarmed
• 12 World of Wendy Lu blog posts 
• 6 Wendy B Quilts blog posts
• worked on 3 Halloween projects
• worked on 2 regular dolls
• a lot of bear sketches
• 4 alcohol ink paintings
• 2 art workshops attended
• 1 writing workshop attended

Now that I look at the list, it wasn't a bad month. I will focus on what I did do and not the things I didn't do. I'm okay with that.