The End of September

Wow it sure has been a busy month here.  I can't believe the last time I wrote here was way back in August.  The weather is turning colder, the leaves are starting to change, and I all of a sudden have cravings for apple cider and pumpkin bread.  Can you believe how bright and happy these mums are?  There's nothing like a big pot of mums to celebrate fall coming.

I bought some in every color for my mom's birthday:

I think this fall is going to be great.  I'm about to start working on a fun crocheted baby afghan for a friend who's expecting, I've got about three different knit cowls going, and also some knit fingerless mitts. 

I even had time for a nature walk one evening after I mowed the lawn.  I love the way this grass looks near sunset.

Today I decided to make a fall themed treasury on Etsy, just because thinking about fall makes me happy and relaxed.  If you want to look at these great items closer, just click on the image below and you'll be able to peruse their shops.

I'm not usually big on making treasuries but it sure is a fun way to network and chat with other sellers on Etsy.  I'm definitely finding a bunch of new favorite artists and makers from this group of items.  I think each of these items makes me want to go rake some leaves, pick some apples, and make a fire in the wood stove.  Yeah, it really is finally fall here in Kentucky.

I saw this sweet orange cat recently while stopped at a gas station with my mom.  He was very friendly and totally comfortable just hanging out while people pumped their gas.  I wonder what his name is.

Last month I went to a drag race and a mud race at the county fair.  It was so cool!

This big pack of turkeys hangs out in the yard in the mornings and in the evenings now.  Poking around for caterpillars I guess.  Not sure what they eat.  It was a pretty big deal though, every one of our cats was looking out the window and even my dog too that day.  They continue to be the top news story around here, among the cats.

I worked on a very cool family craft project with my mom and my sister.  We made these very bright and happy stepping stones with glass pieces and concrete.

 Here you can see the planning stage where the pieces are set up on paper first. 

 

Here's what it looked like after we mixed up the cement and put the pieces on top.  I need to go take a picture of them all now that they've dried.  They all look very pretty and sparkle very nice in the sun.

Later I took pictures as my mom and sister planted some small trees in the yard.  Cats helped, in their own special way.

On a random side note, it's a little bittersweet to not be participating in the local holiday arts and crafts fair this year, but at the same time I'm so relieved!  It's a whole lotta work crammed into just a little bit of time... and I am excited to be able to take the fall and winter seasons at a slower, more relaxed pace this year.  Come this December I'll be kicking back in the recliner, nice and warm by the fire, knitting and crocheting fun things instead of turning into an assembly line of manic production for my booth inventory.  Maybe next year I'll try again, just to see if it's for me.

Meanwhile I've listed some great child legwarmers in my shop.  I think these fun stripes are so cheerful.  I'm thinking about inventing an adult fingerless mitt or full mitten from these.

I hope everyone out there is having a nice fall and getting to do some relaxing, comforting things. 

The Butterfly Bush and Rick Astley

Well the summer heat is back.  It feels nice though.  I stepped outside to take some pictures today while my sister was out mowing our gigantic and overgrown lawn.  It's always nice to stretch my legs and feel the sunshine after sitting inside crocheting or drawing all day.

Nice Day

Well it sure was a nice day out here today in Kentucky.  I can't believe how cool the temperature was today.  Almost sweatshirt weather out there.  I'm feeling pretty good right now.  Things have really been busy though.  I worked on a brand new happy banner for this blog... not totally satisfied with it though.  It's looking pixelated for some reason.  I sure don't feel like fixing it right now... will have to come back to it later.

I'm trying to make myself sit down and write some serious goals for my art and craft.  Otherwise I get this floating feeling like I know I need to be doing something but there's so much to do I don't know where to start.  Definitely gotta get those goals down on paper soon.  Probably need to tack them right to the wall here by my desk so I can feel like a clear focus is coming back.

Lately I've been helping my neighbor Dawn get her Etsy shop set up.  She takes really pretty sunset and nature pictures.  She's yet to have her first sale.  I remember the raw anticipation before I had my first online sale...and I also remember the sheer joy and pride after achieving it.  It's an awesome feeling to know that somewhere out there, someone liked your stuff enough to pay for it!  I think I actually squealed out lout as I sat at my dingy little desk at the temp job where I was working as a switchboard operator at a hospital in 2009.  What a crazy stressful job that was. 

I remember the first sale was this painting called Blue Dots. 

I remember I was going through a pretty difficult mental and emotional journey during that time.  It's strange to look back on the art I was making then.  I can definitely tell I'm still finding myself as an artist.  Looking at this painting does make me excited to create some new art work though.  I really feel like I've been neglecting that side of myself.  Sometimes that part of my brain just isn't able to be accessed though.  The fiber artist part of me is really churning out the cool ideas but the drawing/illustrator artist part of me seems to be a little bit dormant right now.  Sometimes I do have to scramble for a scrap piece of paper really quick and jot down a sketch or an idea that pops into my head for a drawing though.  I think I need to go back through those little pieces of paper and see if I can get inspired again.

I am having a lot of fun making these baby sweaters.  People seem to really like them.  I kind of wish I had one in my own size to wear!  Hmmm... might have to work on inventing a pattern for that.

 Well I hope everyone else is getting to take some nature walks and enjoy the weather out there.  Me and my dog Gilbert sure have.  For now it's back to work here in the studio...