It's Been Awhile

I've just began to get creative again. All through the lockdown, my creativity has been haphazard, discombobulated, ship shod, and non-existent. We are in strange times. I've been working on getting my creative mojo back again. One day at a time. Seriously. I have learned how to weave on a pin loom and finished a project. It will work for a larger project I have in mind. Getting back to drawing is still iffy. I do make small, very small doodles though. I've started knitting again with a free pattern from Dot Pebbles. And I'm itching to make dolls again. After all, Halloween is right around the corner.

Here's my July Bullet Journal front page I finished today. Used markers to color it.

My birthday pic. So many times around the sun. I am grateful though. Here's to another trip.

I finally got my woven rat cat toys done. Done on a TexaTurtle Loom, hexagon shape and free rat pattern (because it's the Year of the Rat).

My birthday cupcakes given to me by one of my nieces. They were oh-so-good. Moist, not too sweet... even the icing was lovely.

Knitted bunnies in the works. Free pattern and knitting videos by Dot Pebbles Knits. Gotta finish them.

And another free pattern by doll maker Jill Maas. I am further along on these two but haven't updated a pic.

These little projects have kept me somewhat going creatively. Now I really want to get back to business. As my friend Steven W. Dunn said, "I'm trying to look at this time as a new beginning since we know things will never be the same."

The Best Laid Plans...

Don't always turn out the way you want. Actually, that's not the exact quote but part of it will work for now. Seeing that my list didn't work out, I decided Bailey Magoo Bear needed a scarf. So I knitted him one with some sock yarn I had and now it's being blocked. He'll have to get more clothes later on and will probably have a better wardrobe than I do.

I told myself that just because the day didn't go as planned that I could still do something creative. The scarf was fun and relaxing and I decided to take the first steps to do an applique/embroidery piece. Haven't done that in a month of Sundays. And I got to use my light tablet again. Second time since I got it for me last Christmas. Gotta work on that too.

I am so ready for fall. It was 80 degrees today and still a bit humid. Ugh! I am waiting patiently for cooler temps.

Too Fast

This month is going by too fast. One expected even and one not expected and I've been thrown off the creative track. It's very difficult getting back on again. I can't seem to wrap my head around anything heavily involved. Right now I'm having a lot of fun just knitting dish cloths. That isn't helping out my wallet but I can do it and not think about anything else. I've always wanted to learn the seed stitch and now I know how to do it.

I finally found a quilt shop that's close to me. It's been in operation for six years and the owner is very nice. I went through a very old telephone book. Remember those? Yellow Pages? Yeah... half the shops were closed due to lack of business or the owners aging out with no one to take over. I would have to plan a day trip to visit the next closest shops. Thank goodness spring has sprung. Or has it? I started a fire in the fireplace last night. It got chilly again.

I was able to get some fabric for doll bodies and a pretty little print for some upcoming primitive dolls. Stay tuned.

Hello April

I got up yesterday morning and was shocked to see white stuff on the ground and little fluffy white things floating around. After a lot of rain and gusty winds the previous day. All day. Yes, Old Man Winter is still hanging around. Glad the snow didn't stick but it's the nightmare of it all. But spring is coming, a little late but it's coming. At 7 P.M. it's still light out. Birdsong has changed and green things are starting to grow.

Onward.

I didn't post a lot last month. Eegads! I made my one year anniversary on being back in Michigan. Okay... so now what? Good question and I'm working on some answers. Still figuring me out, I love being a work in progress. And starting a new chapter in The Book of Wendy. So here we go.
My front page for April in my bullet journal.

Got my Christmas gifts started too. I'd always wanted to get them started in February but March is okay. I love knitted cotton dishcloths. 

And here are some witches I'm working on. I had to go out and buy a brand new paint brush to paint their stockings.

Finished

I finally finished something this year. My second pair of knitted socks. It took me about three years to do so but they are done and I can now wear them. Good grief. It took me two and a half hours to finish them up. What was I waiting on? I have no idea but they are done and are the first thing on my 'Finished' list. I feel pretty good right now. Maybe I can carry that feeling through the rest of the week and finish something else.

Welcome November!

Well, October sure did fly by. Once again, I didn't decorate like I wanted to. Things seemed to speed up and I missed everything. I'm sure the move into my studio space didn't help and getting that all set up. I was too tired to venture out for Halloween and well... I guess I'll have to make better plans for next year.

My art table is a mess. I am participating in NANOWRIMO this month and so far I'm on target. But I've got to do something about this table. It's jamming my creative frequencies and I have too much to do this month.

So this is what I accomplished last month.

• one book read (very bad indeed, so behind)
• worked on various writing projects three times (again, not good)
• 6 business quilts longarmed
• worked on applique once
• took a day trip to the Catawba Valley Quilters Show and a woodworking show as a bonus in Hickory, NC
• for entertainment, I went to a bottling party at Sutler's Spirits
• 10 World of Wendy Lu blog posts
• 9 Wendy B Quilts blog posts
• one Halloween drawing
• started watching a new series (for me) on Netflix
• started my first pair of mittens

For this month, I will work hard on being nice to me. I seem to forget that. I will do more of what I like to do and learn some new things as well. 

Today- No Pic Post

Another post I wrote this morning before the sun came up.

How do I feel today? Okay. Just thinking about today and what needs to be done. Still working on finding my happy again. That will take time. Still battling with not hating. My mitten class last night went well. There were only two students. We laughed. that was a good thing to do. The other two students will join us next week. I'm not far ahead on my mitten but as soon as I get a little more done, I will show some pics. I now know that I can't have years in between knitting projects. My fingers and shoulder are killing me. Now, I really have to finish my jacket. I've been given a reprieve in the temps. It warmed up again but I know more cold is coming.

One good thing today. I get paid for longarming a quilt I finished yesterday. I'm not going to wonder or worry if I'll ever get to a point where I don't have to wonder or worry about paying bills. It is what it is. Also today, I will start my second business venture. I don't know if it will work. But hey, you only live once. Might as well give it a shot.
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My NANO piece is coming along or I should say pieces. The last time I succeeded at NANO, I started off with three different stories. If I got stuck on one, I could work on another. I need 50,000 words to make the goal of writing a rough draft of a novel in a month. One story eventually took over and I reached my goal. Surprisingly, that story was supposed to be a short story. Go figure. This time I have two novel ideas (adult), one short story (adult), and one mid-grade kid story. So we'll see which one wins.

One the docket today:
- put borders on Bargello quilt
- put together my next Tula Pink block
- put the collar on my jacket

I only got to the first one today. Will be working on some new stuff this evening. Toodles!

Something New

As if I don't have enough to do. Or maybe not. I bought some alpaca yarn a few years back to make some fingerless gloves with mitten flaps. I waited those years before someone decided to hold a class and I signed up. The instructor is using the Magic Loop method of knitting. I hadn't done that but how difficult could it be? I've been knitting off and on since I was about eight years old. So I taught myself. You Tube is amazing. Watched several different people do it, picked a person, one I could tolerate their voice, and did it.

I made a nice swatch.

Hello 2014!

Four days into the New Year and I feel like I'm already behind.  Never fear, just take one day at a time. First I'll start with my Good Things Jar.  Remember that?  Take an empty jar, decorate it and when good things happen to you during the course of the year, write them down on slips of paper and put them in the jar.  On December 31, take them out and read them.  We always remember the bad things that happen to us, but rarely the good or nice or sentimental things.  Breakthroughs, accomplishments, etc.  Well, I did that for the whole year and read my slips of paper on New Year's Eve.  Some things I forgot had happened and I'm glad I wrote them down.  I've already started 2014 with 2 slips of paper.

I ended up with 47 slips of paper for the whole of 2013.  I won't share everything because some things are personal or you just wouldn't get it but I will give some highlights.

• had an artist date at a local museum - saw Romare Bearden
• first time experiencing torrential rains followed by thunder snow -yes, it snowed and thundered at the same time
• got a costume consultant gig with Old Salem Museum and Gardens, another gig with Historic Bethania Center making bedding and window treatments for a historic room
• learned how to knit socks
• was present at the birth of my niece Zanna Joy
• realized that my writing was becoming much better, clearer and tighter
• participated in several doll/ornament swaps
• did my first large painting, Day of the Dead Dancer, 24" x 36", in acrylic paint
• had several commissions
• took a soft sculpture workshop with Lisa Lichtenfels
• have a figure on permanent display in the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem
• got back to painting on a regular basis
• received a beautiful Steampunk doll from Christine Shively
• finished my Regency short stay
• went to 2 book signings: Craig Johnson of the Longmire series and Lemony Snicket
• went to my first fiber festival - SAFF Southeastern Animal & Fiber Fair
• went to the Greensboro Aquarium, Zoo, and Science Center
• completed NANOWRIMO with 51306 words

Not bad huh?  Plus all the other things I accomplished, I guess I had a pretty good year.  I'm really cutting myself some slack right now.  And it is difficult but I'm working on it.  There were times last year when I would beat myself up over not doing enough.  I could have done more but I get another chance this year.  Live in the present, enjoy the day.

I will not be writing resolutions.  Don't believe in those because I never stick to them.  I do believe in goals.  I have a general list, personal list, and creative list.  One of my goals this year is also on my Bucket List and that is to do plein air painting in a National Park.  This one isn't just any National Park but one that is also on the World Historic Registry.  Yosemite National Park.  I have a friend I haven't seen in years who will be doing an internship there for six months.  I will be going.  I've got a lot of work to do and things to sell.

Sorry I didn't write much at the end of last year.  I had two craft fairs in November along with NANO and a fair in December plus a last minute commission.  Won't be doing that again.

It's a new month and a new year and I have left the gate. 

CHARGE!!!!!!

Southeastern Animal and Fiber Fair

This past Friday, Maya and I went to the Southeastern Animal and Fiber Fair (SAFF) in Asheville, North Carolina.  We'd been planning on this event for the past eight months and kept our fingers crossed so that nothing would prevent us from attending.  We were so excited to be on the road.  The weather was brisk and the sun was shining.

All I can say is that we had a blast.  We walked around the main section that was in a small arena at I believe the fair ground.  Immediate overwhelm, looking at all the fibers, yarn, roving, patterns, handmade and knit items.  Oh my gosh!  I so want a loom and new spinning wheel.  Maya wants alpacas, which are so stinking cute. Especially the babies.  And the noises they make.  A cross between a grunt, bark, and bunny sounds.  The tiny ones had little blankets over them.  I guess to keep them warm.  If I had room, I most definitely would have a couple.  There hair is so soft.  Some say it's softer than cashmere and easier to take care of.  I bought some to make gloves.  I guess I need to finish my second pair of socks.  We also went to the other buildings for more animals and vendors.  I will most definitely have a project in mind next year.

Oh, and the Angora bunners.  So cute!

The Day After and a New Year

Okay then. I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July, whether you had to work or not, I hope you had a chance to spend time with friends and loved ones.  I did absolutely nothing except cook for the rest of the week.  My schedule is getting full and I've decided to make some changes.  I'm still working on being nicer to me and have decided that my time will be directed more to all that I want to do.  I'm stepping my game up several notches and moving full steam ahead on all things creative.  I don't know if I had an epiphany or what but my eyes have been open to the way I've done business.  No more.

What I am also doing is giving up one thing each month for the rest of the year.  It's a personal challenge I got from Zen Habits by Leo Babauta and I thought I'd give it a try.  It's A Year of Living Without, going a whole month giving up one thing I do regularly.  At the end of the month I will evaluate whether I enjoyed giving the thing up, whether it was worth leaving it out of my life, or do I need to put it back in.  The next month I'll give up something else.  It's an experiment to simplify one's life, finding out what's necessary and possibly making room for other cool things in my life. It's really nice because I can change my list as the year progresses if I find other things I want to give up.  At the end of the month, I will post what I've learned.  Leo is also doing the challenge which is cool.  I was debating on showing my whole list but I guess I'll do it in case you want to try to give up something in your world.  I'll start off with the first three months.

1. July - Give up TV.  Since I only have local channels that shouldn't be that difficult  But it also includes Netflix, You Tube and other video entertainment.  I've cut myself a little slack by being able to watch DVDs that I like because I work better with background noise.  I'll also be listening to a lot more music.  That's just how I roll.  I will replace it with reading more books.  We'll see how many I can finish by the end of the month.

2. August - No longer sitting longer than 30 minutes at a time.  Get up for 15 minutes and do something else. Replacement habit is to stretch more.

3. September - No dairy, that includes eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt.  Replace with more fruits and veggies.

Other things I will be doing as I move forward on this journey will be:

• Again, be nicer to me.
• Get Map Hunter II rough draft done
• Re-do my wardrobe (which is in seriously bad shape after losing lots of weight)
• Take more pictures of me
• Get going on my new Halloween pieces.
• Finish my second pair of socks
• Get that quilt top done 

That's it for right now.  Always a gazillion things to do and so little time.  Maybe I can change that around this month. Stay tuned.

Swap Dolls

ADA (Art Doll Artists) recently had a doll swap.  A swap is when artists sign up for whatever the theme of the swap is, and they are paired with another artist to swap the piece they've made.  It's a great way of acquiring work by doll artists you really like.  This is my third time participating and I'm starting to get the hang of it.  First thing, start early.  It's good working with a deadline and I'm looking forward to the next one for the group, which is in October for a Halloween ornament swap.

This is the doll I finished for my partner.  She is a Moli Doll ready to celebrate for the Day of the Dead.  I love her stripe legs and I knitted her vest.

This is the doll I received from Mary Sanders Lazenby of Blue Goose Studios.  Her name is Maria Tasseltop and she is wonderful.  She's a big doll (almost 23") and I'm still looking for a great spot for her.

Wow!

There are times when you are so fed up with fear, you just have to kick it to the curb.  And when you do, all sorts of creative happy comes.  There are so many things I want to do with my life that I got fed up a few days ago and decided to do something.  I'm back to working on several projects at the same time.  For some reason, I feel better about that.  Some people are good at working on one thing at a time until it's done.  I tried that and, well, it worked for a minute but I felt that I was missing something.  My whole apartment is getting back to looking like one huge studio and it feels good.  I know, I'm so special.

I forgot to mention that I got another doll commission last week.  Yesterday, I snagged a spot at a local art fair that will happen in a week and a half.  I will have some new pieces and I was so excited that I couldn't sleep last night.  I'm kind of dragging today.  I went to pick up some artwork but one of the owners decided to keep everything.  Most excellent.  I've been sketching more new pieces for the upcoming show and the giveaway.  My birthday is next month.  I had asked for some help from the creative muses and they sent the art fair.  Thanks.  I finally got more coffee and some chocolate because I will be burning some midnight oil.

I was able to work on some other projects which had stalled because they weren't working out.  I got back to a sleeveless blouse I had started. It fits but the collar wasn't working out so I put it to the side.  For three weeks.  Seeing that I don't have many items of clothing that fit, why hadn't I finished this piece?  So I took the collar off yesterday and will cut a new one that will fit.  Sometimes commercial patterns are like that and I'm glad I know what to do when that happens.  I'm also glad that I had fabric left to cut a new collar.  I also worked on my second pair of knitted socks and got back to my short stay.  I redid the hand stitched eyelets.  Now I can get the boning in and finish it.  Then I can look for fabric for a gown.  There's an even coming up in July here in town that I would like to go to in costume.

I've been reading a lot of kid books, a writer should read everything they can.  And Halloween is calling.  Right now I'm feeling pretty good.  Excited, which I haven't been in a long time.

I've got this.

Works on Progress

Ack! I'm failing already.  This has been a crappy start to a new month. I do suffer from seasonal disorder and we haven't had lots of sun in over a week and it's killing me. I'm just dragging around and it sucks. I've continued on some things but... okay Mother Nature, it's time for you to get back to work!

I finally got my heels knitted. Eegads! The first heel I had to undo three times before I could get it right.  The second heel I took out twice.  And I haven't figured out if I can do two heels at the same time because it just didn't happen this time.  I'm waiting for Maya to get to her heels and see if she can figure it out.  There's way too much turning and decreasing on the heels and my little brain just wasn't making it happen. But I got them done and I'm back on track.

Borders for my Bless This House quilt.  I'm being creative with my borders because of lack of fabric and funds.  These two will go on the sides of the quilt and I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the top.  I have started appliqueing the one border.  Probably the easiest thing I've appliqued in a long time.

I got the collar on my dragonfly blouse but it doesn't fit.  Sometimes commercial patterns are screwy. Now I have to take the collar off and re-cut a new one. Great.  I'll have to really get into a good frame of mind for that but I'm so close to getting the thing done.  Maybe by the time I do, the weather will have changed to something more appropriate for spring.  I think we should just do away with the whole Groundhog Day thing because this year, he was way off.  I totally feel for the people who still have a boat load of snow.

I continue to work on getting my creative energy and good vibes back.  I have a dollie to do for a giveaway. See ya!

Goodbye April

Can you believe it? Again, the month has flown by. Unbelievable. Still working on giving myself some credit on the things I got done and worked on this month and not worrying about what I didn't get done or work on this month. A constant battle this is.

Here's what I did:

• Bless This House quilt top pieces have been put together, working on borders
• worked on blue blouse and collar is attached
• 2 out of 3 commissions done, one commission was pushed back until June
• 2 out of 3 books read
• nothing on edit 5 of Map Hunter I, letting it rest while I work on the next book in the series
• started rough draft of Map Hunter II
• no new dolls, but started painting faces for Day of the Dead ornaments
• fixed my socks and knitted the heels
• started mixed media painting

Now that I look at this list, not bad. Not great. But not bad. You have no idea how hard it is right now for me to say, not bad and be okay with it. I've been given another day. With luck, another month. Yeah. I'll keep at it. Hope you do too.

Been Slacking

Sorry for no new updates.  So here we go.  I had three commissions, one after the other and the fourth was postponed until June.  That kind of threw me for a loop because I was in such a 'go get 'em' mode.  When the adrenaline is coursing through my veins, you just wanted to keep going.  The postponement brought me to a screeching halt and the adrenaline took a nose dive.

Here we go again.  The doubts, fears, and other crap us creative types deal with on a regular basis, decided to body slam me.  Really?  So I told myself that it was time for a break.  That I had been working hard (which is a good thing) but I'm also allowed to take a break.  And I did.  And now, I'm back.  I have another commission to work on.  Two paintings, size 24 x 36.  Huge!  I haven't worked this big since undergrad.  Will this be a challenge?  You bet.  And I'm ready.  I'm getting excited about these paintings.  I got my first degree in art, specializing in watercolor painting.  These paintings will be in acrylic.  Something new to me but I'm raring to go.

I'm back to working on dolls and hope to have pics soon.  Been working on my latest quilt and I'm almost done with my blouse.  I've been working on my kid book series, book two actually.  I thought I was ready to send out book one but when I started working on book two, I noticed that I needed to add some bits to book one so that book two would flow better.  Now I've decided to hold off on putting the series out there until I've got more written.  In the meantime I will work on some shorter stories and put them on a writing website for me.  Stay tuned.

I'm still working on my second pair of socks.  The heels are giving me fits.  This is what I get from not continuing knitting on a regular basis.  That will be remedied too.

Carry on people!!!!!

A New Month

We are almost a quarter through a new year. Can you believe it? Amazing. I really feel like I'm so behind. I know I always say this but, didn't we just have Christmas? Come on now! I'm back in the coffee business. My mom sent me her French Press and I have coffee in the morning. Yay! You have no idea how loopy I've been for lack of coffee.

The first three days this month were great. Writing new material, designed two new dolls for commissions and got them started, trying to keep abreast of doing more reading for the month, and started sewing a blouse for me. I also rearranged all my writing into folders. Main folders for short stories kids, short stories adult, screenplays, long books kids, long books adults and within those folders a folder for each story and the different files under those stories.  My document page looks so nice and neat now and I'll be able to keep track of different drafts and edits for each story. Yes, I'm still a crazy lady and have signed up to do Camp NaNoWrimo for the month. My goal is 30,000 words for Map Hunter II.

I wasn't going to write down which projects I will attempt this month because it usually changes and I get other things done. So I guess I'll give it a go for this month.

• Finish Bless This House quilt top
• Finish my summer blouse
• Finish three commissions
• Read three books
• Get through edit five of Map Hunter book I
• Rough draft of Map Hunter book II
• new pieces for an art show the end of the month
• Finish my second pair of socks

Nuts?

Yes, but this is me. The commissions will most definitely get done. You know, those pesky things called bills just keep coming in. I'm also getting things prepped to start a writing website. I'll talk more about that in the near future. But you've seen the list and you can ping me and make a comment if I slack off.

Cheers!

Works in Progress

Here's something quick. The piggy is coming along. After adding more Paper Clay, I stuck him in the oven on warm all day so he could dry. What a concept. Now he's getting a paint job.

You can see his little squiggly tail.

I finally got back to my Bless This House quilt top. I'm working on the top panel. The two black looking circles are going to be a huge spider. My theme is, you guessed it, Halloween.

These are going to be sister bunner dolls. I've got to get more Paper Clay and fix up two wood bases I have that were going to be for something else.  I also, finally, fixed my sock. Silly me decided to work on it at night, when I was tired and I messed one of them up. Then I tried to fix it and made it even worse. So I put it away for almost a month and now, it's fixed. Time for the heels this weekend.

Pictureless Post

For the past three months I've been having problems with my right thumb. I figured it was either tendinitis or arthritis. Well it got so bad I finally had to go to the clinic to have it checked out. It's arthritis. Figures. I cried. I finally figure out what I want to do with myself and I'm off to a great start and this. Several prescriptions sucking up money I don't have, the purchase of a thumb splint and I'm still here. I've also added some natural things to my diet. Ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, tart cherry juice, Glucosamine complex, Vit E-alpha, and topping it off with some exercise by knitting and working with clay.

Getting old sucks but I will not let this get me down. I will continue on making as many heads as I can before I can't use my hands at all. Who knows, they may find a cure by the time I reach 80. It's starting to feel better. The meds are kicking in and I have a lot of catching up to do. So stay tuned.

New Socks

After four different tries, I started my second pair of socks. I'm using a finger weight yarn cannibalized from another pair of socks I started years ago. I was going to attempt a smaller needle and I'm glad I didn't. I'm still using a size 3 and will stick with that until I get better at  making socks. I would like to try a size 1 with the light sport weight I used with the blue pair. My tension is also getting better.

Two toesies! The markers help me remember the front for when I start to do the heels.

Here's the yarn again. I have a new follower but for some reason I can tell who you are. I will find out. Welcome! Thanks!