Crafting up a Storm!

I am doing well on this round of chemo, my energy levels have been good.  I have been able to hang out with my super cool family and craft up a storm.
The weather here in Arizona has been warm, then cold and rainy then warm, then cold and rainy.  It is a bounty of weather when we usually see clear skies.  I love the variety and we are having fun taking little walks out to explore the wet park and neighborhood.  Luci is less sure about the rain so we have to reassure her regularly that the sky is not falling.  Our winter will end soon so we are enjoying the chill.

On to the crafting storm!  I have been inspired by several creative ladies and I want to mention them because  they lift my spirits on a regular basis.
One amazing creator is Geninne from Geninne's Art Blog.  She takes her inspiration from nature and shares that regularly.  Geninne taught me to carve stamps with the detailed tutorial available on her blog.  She even wrote a book about carving stamps called Making An Impression.  Geninne is an accomplished painter as well as a gifted photographer and she shares her work with a humble pride that I love.

I recently found incredible crochet inspiration from a lovely lady named Lucy on her blog Attic 24.  Her style is so vivid, she chooses the best color combinations and creates beautiful and fun crochet projects.  I used her tutorial to create my tiny bunting and I also used her patterns to create tiny flowers, stars and hearts.  Lucy's blog is full of unique crochet and beautiful photos of the English countryside where she lives.  I love seeing what Lucy is up to, she inspires me to continue crocheting.

I thank both Geninne and Lucy for the work they do to share their lives and their art.  I feel like my crafting is better because of the influence of artists like these bright ladies.

Let me show you what I've been up to lately.

I've had the urge to work with clay, but since I am a novice I did not want to spend a lot of money on my first practice creations.  I found this great air dry clay at Target of all places.  It is Crayola brand clay that came in a nice size tub for just over $3.  Yea!  I wanted to make some small little dishes to hold my bits of nature, so I tried an experiment.  I took bits of the clay that I warmed up in my hands and smooshed them against some medium size rocks.  I like the way they turned out.  You can sand the dried clay, but I liked the rough look with unfinished edges.  I painted one silver and I like how you can see the texture of the rock, the rest are unpainted.  The clay is a bit chalky but I liked it and will use it again.

 I crocheted this cute little grey bowl to hold my crochet stones.

 I crocheted this bowl and put one of those artificial candles inside, it makes a soft glow at night.

The red thread I used for the flowers is called "Liberty", what a great name.  The company that made the blue was not quite as creative with "Dark Blue".  Funny.

 This is a leaf I made with a pattern from an online library book, I just can't remember which one.  I love the Greater Phoenix Digital Library.

I crocheted a few hearts, they are bumpy and will look nicer after a light pressing.  I asked Isabel is she would like tiny heart bunting and she said "Only if they are black."  So I am going to try some black hearts, I'll let you know how they turn out.

I crocheted this tiny owl.  I love the color of the yarn, it has brown, orange and green shades.  Who?

I made these clothes pins into tiny arrows for my bulletin board, they are sweet and add a bit of sparkle.

I love small projects and have had a great time crafting these little things.
I go again for chemo on Thursday, I get a little nervous a few days before, but everything always turns out fine.

I hope your week is going along well and have a great Valentine's day.

Tiny Bunting! and Flowers

Take a look at my latest creation!

I am taking the crochet up a notch!  Yes I crocheted mini bunting!  You can see that I am excited.  It is a project I was not sure I could complete.  I stuck with it and feel great about the way it turned out.

I am not well enough to run the shop but I like sending people things so I joined Swap-bot.  Basically you sign up to swap handmade art under a given theme.  I joined a matchbox swap for February and sent it off yesterday.  I included these crochet flowers in the package.  I can't show a photo of the matchbox until my partner receives their package.

I was so excited about my bunting I just had to share.  

I hope your week is off to a stellar start!

Crafting Away the Blues

Howdy!  Just a quick update.  My chemo is going well, with only occasional sickness.  Doc says this round is really strong stuff so as long as my white cell counts stay good I will keep getting the maximum dose for my size. I just have to manage the side effects.

I am having fun hanging out with my family, they take such good care of me.  I am literally crafting away the blues.  I've carved a few stamps and now I am trying different crochet patterns.  Keeping my hands and mind busy helps me pass the time in such a positive way.  When I finished a recent crochet project, I actually giggled with pride.  There is such a boost that comes from creating something.  I am using that to lighten my load and my life.  So I leave trails of stamp shavings, paper scraps and bits of yarn but my family doesn't seem to mind, whew.

So let's take a look at what my camera witnessed this week.

My latest stamps.  I love the tree and the camping lantern.

I like the crocheting river rocks trend that I've seen online, I had to try it.

I crocheted two glass stones as an experiment, I like the dark blue color.

I've tried a few patterns on the rocks, so fun seeing how they turn out.  I am going to leave a few of them at the park to give away.

I enjoy nature.  I love how the stones bring crafting and nature together.

I even tried a pinecone cozy.  Funny right. 

We've been eating a lot of fruit.  The red fruit is Aujou pears.  So good.

When we go for walks, Esteban helps me pick up pieces of nature that inspire me.

Here is my handsome husband near the community center and park where we walk.

I wanted to take some pictures with two of my favorite nurses, but they were too busy.  So here I am at the hospital getting the juice of life.  I love the tiny tv's that are hanging on an arm.  We can each watch what we want while we wait.  I made the hat too, that orange color is one of my favorites.

I leave you with a touch of Luci Love.  I made that pillow and she keeps putting her head on it, she even twists around so she is positioned over it correctly.  It is one of the cutest things I've ever seen.

Have a great weekend!