Now it's November

Yes sirree, it's November. Second to the last month of the year. What happened? Don't know but I'm still hanging around. Still working on getting the knee better. Back to working on a limited basis because of said knee. Had a wonderful fall this year, so there's that. Beautiful colors, walking in the neighborhood on clear mornings where the air is crisp and clean. Sometimes walking in the early morning fog, and crunching leaves underfoot. I can't remember the last time I had an actual fall that lasted more than two days. It did snow Halloween night and I did work but that's okay.

The snow didn't stay long but I guess this next season is here. The temperatures haven't been getting any higher than high 40s and in the morning it's been quite chilly. I started my 365 Days of Halloween by doing small drawings on a calendar. Not the greatest but I did it everyday. I may take some of the drawings and do more detailed ones.

There won't be a big Christmas this year. There usually isn't. My niece will get doll clothes. And there are a few things for my mom. Will be working on saving money for a big trip in the near future. But for now, I'm working on projects already started and participating in NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. 50,000 words during the month of November. I didn't finish last year but I'm planning on finishing this year. So far I have 2631 words written. That's my update. Have a great day.

Well, well...

Here I am again. Another month has gotten the best of me. First off, the weather went from this...

to this...

in 2.5 seconds. Michigan time. Yep, I didn't get a proper fall this year. I guess that's a thing of the past now. I'm glad I have some fond memories of how a fall used to be. Beautiful colors on the trees, crunching on the dry leaves on my way to school. Nice cool temps so you could have a window open for a couple of weeks after summer. Chilly for Halloween, a little snow for Thanksgiving, and then winter. And winter was after Indian Summer (which may not be politically correct these days), a time after a frost and then a week of warm temps. Nope, nada, it's gone forever. Now it's winter and daylight is short. Winter isn't official until December 21st but it's here. The only thing to do is deal with it and soon there will be fires in the fireplace.

November got away from me. Yes, I had some plans. I did do a doll show, it was okay. Made a little money and got some new contacts. I always like talking to the other vendors. I got sick. Oh boy did I get sick. Not flu sick but a really bad sinus infection. Usually I could kick it with an over-the-counter medication but not this time. I was having vertigo with this bad boy. I had to go to Urgent Care. I got a shot in the rear end so I could get some relief and antibiotics for ten days. I'm feeling loads better but then I had to take my truck back to the shop. And I didn't finish NaNoWrimo. Ugh! When it rains, it pours fish and frogs. Tackled again by the universe. But...

I'm back up. Still hanging in there. Looking for the silver lining of a whole lot of storm clouds.  This month got away from me. But a  new one starts tomorrow.

Hello November

Isn't great how time just keeps marching on whether you're in step or not? And here we are. November. We have two more months of this year left. But because Samhain happened last night and is the start of a New Year for some, I'm going to do that. Start a new year with new things (because I can) and get another rough draft of a novel done for NaNoWriMo. National Novel Writing Month. 50,000 words for the month of November. I made it last year and I will make it this year. The difference this year is that I will continue to refine and edit a draft and see where that takes me. As usual there's lots to do this month. I have one more doll show to do and that one is in Toledo, OH on November 18th. More on that later. And because my stock is way down, I will be doing more sewing to get it up again and ready for the show.

Last month there were so many drawing challenges. Inktober being one of them. I started it but didn't finish. I did manage a few drawings on the calendar on the refrigerator. My roommate did three of them.

It was fun keeping up with that. She would leave suggestions for me and I would think about it for a day and then draw it. Got keep going with the sketch/drawing thing. That's my update. Gotta get some words written. Have a nice evening.

Happy New Year!

Day 1, page 1.

2018. A new book in my life. Right now, I'm feeling pretty good. I got on the scale this morning and was back down to the weight I had before Halloween. Last year I wanted to lose 10 pounds. Well, I lost 12. That's a way to get a new year started. The beginning and end of last year threw me down a hole of dead fish and I struggled to make sense of things. But there were some nice points last year. Yes, I shall start to write down the nice times and events and personal progress. Last year I:

• Challenged myself to read 39 books and succeeded. I read for fun. My goal for this year is 45 books and include more non-fiction.
• Visited South Haven with a friend. I really like that town and saw a great lighthouse and went sailing on a sloop.
• Got in touch with two young ladies I used to take care of. It was a great reunion. This year we plan on seeing more of each other.
• Reconnected with a costume pal from university. My new partner-in-crime.
• Discovered the town's wonderful library.
• Designed new dolls that I will start creating this year.
• Got into an upcoming doll show in the spring.
• Got a part-time job.
• Went up north with new partner-in-crime, saw more lighthouses and finally visited Mackinac Island. That was fun.
• Made some new friends.
• Saw an old friend from high school.
• Bought myself a new light box for myself for Christmas.
• Wrote 4 new short stories that will be edited this year so I can find an e-zine for publication.
• Got new glasses. I can see!
• Finished NaNoWrimo (National Novel Writing Month) with 50,411 words. I will be participating again this year.
• Made my Halloween costume and wore it to a party. Got 4th place. 
• Went to Bewitching Peddlers of Halloween art show with partner-in-crime.
• Went to a teddy bear show with another friend.
• Went to the DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts) with a college friend who is one of my biggest cheerleaders. We sat in the Atrium and drank wine.

I'm sure there were a few other nice things, good things that happened but this year, I will write them down. Let's make that a thing to do in 2018. Let's remember the good things that happen to us and not give the bad things so much space in our heads. 

Have a great first day.

December: First Drawing

I got a new book for my Bullet Journal and here is my December page. I was thinking about starting a new one in January but no, I decided that December needs a month. I'm working on this to be a production month. We'll see how that goes, especially if I get a spot in a doll show this coming spring in 2018. So here is my first drawing for December.

I'm also continuing the straightening of my work area. As you can see, I've had my patterns in two cardboard boxes and I could never flip through them to see what I wanted to use. So I went through them and about five are going to the thrift store for someone else to use. The rest will go into the clear container in order of whether they are doll patterns, regular clothes patterns, or costumes.

The cutting table has been cleared off, I put away some quilting things that I won't be working on for a bit (I'll go through that box later), and cleared off the daybed that had fabric, drawings, and other stuff on it. I'm getting there. Ready to start something new. I also printed off my NaNo writings and they are ready for reworking and/or editing in January.

December

Here we are. A new month. The last one of 2017. I thought I would be able to leave November on a good note. And pretty much, I did. I finished NaNoWrimo (National Write a Novel in a Month) with 50,411 words. I am very proud of that but then I had to go to the optometrist because I was having problems seeing and it's been awhile since I had my last exam. Yep, got hit with a huge bill. The frames weren't that bad it was the lenses. My prescription had changed a lot and then all the stupid tests they did... well, it added up. But now I will be able to see better. A creative type needs to be able to see.

Okay, so I get used to that bill and then a tire goes flat. November 30, at night. At least I made it back to the house and didn't get stuck on the road. I not only needed one new tire but four. It seems like it's been awhile since I last got some and all were rotted out. Great. Another bill. Thanks universe.

On the plus side, I did do 50,411 words. That feels good. I also got the ending to a short story I'd been working on and came up with another short story, so for 2017, it's been a good year for writing. Now to get back to creating things. I so miss making dolls. That, I will work on this month. Production. Have a good month.

Gonna Figure Things Out

Yep... everyday is a new day and you just don't know what you're going to get. Have to remember not to take things personally because most people I won't see again. I'm talking about the latest job. I did get a walk in this morning. Beautiful sunrise. I'm looking at it as a good way to start a new and good day. And to stop overthinking things.

I really do like the neighborhood I'm in. There are two ponds very close to each other and the past two mornings I was able to see a grey heron. The first time I think we scared each other. Yesterday while I was having lunch, I saw a hawk take a bath in one of the ponds. That was a new one. And a few days ago, a coyote pranced across the backyard. This is the part I like about living in a small town. Nature.

I'm behind on my NaNo but I have the weekend off so I will be catching up. My plan is to edit some old pieces while this new piece is percolating in a drawer somewhere. I've started clearing more things out and downsizing yet again. More things will be going to charity by the end of the year. I've got things set aside for the spring subdivision yard sale next year. Working on changing some things; not waiting until the new year. Have a good day.

New Stuff

Finally got a chance to cut out some new things. I've been asked to do a few more Cauldron Critters (on the left) and I'm trying a free pattern of a troll by doll artist Ute Vasina. I love her work and it was very nice of her to offer one of her patterns for free. No instructions, so I'm truly winging it. She is posting pics of her troll as she's working on it on Facebook. We'll see if I can get this little guy or gal finished.

That's a big problem that I have. I can design it. I can start it and get it to being almost finished and then I stop. I don't finish it at all. I'm working on that. It's a big problem right now. But everyday is a new day and I just have to keep going. Sometimes I have to start again but I will not give up. So I guess I'm still on the creative wagon.

I have 13,114 words for NaNoWrimo. I'm sort of up-to-date. I want to try to get ahead by the end of the weekend so I won't have to rush around November 28th.  That's it for now.

November

It's November. Wow! It came so fast. It seemed to take forever for October to get here and now it's a sort of fond memory. I saw snow fall on my walk yesterday and now I guess fall is over and winter is setting in. We all know it's going to happen if you live in northern climes so, well, it is what it is.

I will be participating in NaNoWrimo this month and will be posting my word count soon. Have a lovely day!

Yikes!

Oh my goodness! I am doing things. I just keep forgetting to post. My brain is a bit scattered because I'm trying to finish off some things for an upcoming craft fair and get my grey cells wrapped around a new project. Plus I'm behind on NaNo (word count today is 13,278) and I'm glad there's a write-in at a local restaurant that is close by. The second holiday of fall is next week and I may or may not have an invite. If not, I will make chicken bog. I'll still make chicken bog because I'm having a taste for it. I've just discovered chicken bog. It's like a thick chicken soup. Some people just use broth, chicken, and onions. I will add some mixed veggies and then the rice. That's what makes it boggy and thick. I had no idea but it's yummy. So here we go.

This is Ambrosia. I started her awhile ago. Like over a year. She's been staring at me and wondering when she was going to get the rest of her outfit, so today, she finally got sleeves and we have another date on Friday to finish her clothing. I actually had fun making her sleeves. She's ready to be finished and I'm ready to finish her.

While online, I saw an article about a museum in Japan that has rocks with faces in them. All naturally done and I thought that was interesting. I quickly sketched what I saw on the rocks and will use this as a jumping off point for something else. I don't quite know what that is but it will be a lot different from my initial sketches. This is another one of my sketchbooks that needs to be filled. This year is almost over.

#clothdoll #halloweendoll #clothwitchdoll #orangeandblack #pencilsketch #sketchbook

What's Up

I'm proud of myself for finishing up a project and able to cross it off my long list. Now I'm on to other projects and keeping up with my sketchbook. I'm trying to figure out what to do with toilet paper rolls. I saw someone else do a thing, so I'm going to try my thing. If this works, great. And I just threw away a bunch of these.

Here's my start to my latest face in my watercolor sketchbook. I also used the salt technique on wet paint.

I get fresh eggs from a friend. She got new hens and they finally started laying. Can you tell the difference between the new hen and the more mature hen's egg? I think it's just too cute. Both were yummy and I can't wait until the get bigger. The green is spinach and there are some shallots in there too.

I am behind on my NaNo but will continue to catch up. Right now the word count is 9325.

#sketchbook #watercolor #fresheggs

Wow!

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late. Unbelievable that we're in a week into another month. Yikes! Okay, I'm trying to keep up with NaNo and a bit behind but plan to catch up today. Word count right now: 4759
I just got notice that I got a spot in the Krankie's Craft Fair in December, so I will be working like crazy to get some things done. Still working on some challenges: a book challenge (personal) through Goodreads and get my next two sketchbooks filled by the end of the year. I'll be working on my Cosmic Smashbook for awhile yet but it's time to get in-progress pieces done.

#sketchbook