Crochet Mandala No. 1

Ever heard of a Mandala?  It's a spiritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism that represents the Universe (there is more to it -- let Wikipedia tell you about it).  Over the years though, it has become popular in the art world.  Search for Mandala and you will find drawings, paintings, tapestries, mosaics, and, of course, crocheted mandalas.

I have been working on more fiber art to hang in my home -- dreamcatchers, wall hangings, weavings, and now Mandalas.  This is the first one I completed a few weeks ago.  I love the colors.

I'm trying to decide the best way to hang it on my wall and figure out which wall.  I am planning on converting my (now) office/messy craft space to a full on office/art studio -- at least as much of a studio as I can create.  I think I will hang my first mandala in there for inspiration.

Until today, it had been a month since my last blog post.  I am working on some ideas and planning to post more often.  Converting my office to a dual space is part of the plan so I can make a concerted effort each day to create, write, and, hopefully, grow my blog readership.  I have been hanging on to these mandala photos for a bit and thought it would be a good way to jump back in again.  Life moves so quickly and the future is constantly becoming our present.  If we don't make efforts towards our dreams now, we might not have the chance later.

Hope you are enjoying your week!

All in One Week

I have not done much creatively this week and I need to remedy that soon before I grow antsy.  This has been a very full week.  A week that has been full of love, feelings of being overwhelmed and out of my element, and foreshadowing of the busy months to come.

My family and I made the decision to work with a local animal rescue group.  We all have a love for animals and want to give back.  My husband, Jay, and I made the decision to foster dogs for a while.  Last Sunday, we took in two small pups - a 7 month old Mini Schnauzer and a 4 year old Pug.  Did I mention that we also have two of our own forever dogs and a 15 year old cat with an attitude?  It's a menagerie in this house.

The day the dogs arrived, everyone was very excited.  Jay and the boys gravitated towards the puppy which meant I gravitated towards the pug, the underdog.  As the week has gone on, the pug has won all of our hearts.  She was rescued from a puppy mill where, it seems she was bred a lot.  She has since been spayed, had an eye issue treated, and had a couple of teeth pulled that weren't well.  She is the most gentle, sweet, and loving dog I think I've ever met.  If ever there was a lap dog, this is what one looks like.

The mini schnauzer was treated poorly by her previous owner and was rescued.  By the second day in our house, she thought she owned the place.  She only weighs 5 lbs but she thinks she runs with the big dogs.  I had forgotten how much work a puppy can be.  She is loving and playful --- and ornery and into EVERYTHING.  She is very curious and has chewed up a few things in the house.  We have a fenced in yard but she is so small that she can fit through the wooden slats (and has).  So she only goes out on a leash now.  For every moment of exasperation, there are multiple moments of "you are the cutest little thing!"

Neither dog has really lived in a house so neither is house trained.  It has been a lot of work and I'm pretty sure my house now smells like an episode of animal hoarders despite our best efforts.  I was pricing deals on good carpet cleaners online this morning so we can take back the carpets (I am open to suggestions on decent carpet cleaners).  On the plus side though, I have seen these sweet pups be loved and give love back to us and one another.  The pug sleeps on my lap and is very soothing.  The mini schnauzer loves to be held and babied.   There are moments where I wonder how we can keep doing this now that school is starting and my boys' sports and activities are starting.  However, then I think about what these dogs' lives would be like if they hadn't been rescued.  I can see it in their faces that they are so grateful.  They just want to be loved and give love.  How can we not help them?  I am learning that giving back, really doing something, takes persistence and determination.  It would be easy to give up with excuses about how much work it can be or how busy we are.

My forever dogs have been so wonderful through this experience.  They are gentle and loving and sweet.  I make sure they feel loved too.

 

In addition to fostering this week, we had a birthday.  My middle son turned 10!  He is my wild child, my creative soul, my worrier, and such a light in my life.  He is witty and fun and sweet.  His worrying keeps him up at night and almost every morning I find him sleeping on the floor in my bedroom with his quilt and pillow.  He shares my fear of the dark and the adult wisdom to know that bad things happen in this world and they could happen to us.  My 10 year old self was the same way.  Summertime and lack of routine adds to his worrying.  Now that school and football are starting, he will slip back into being a 10 year old again.  My life is so colorful because I get to be his mom.  Also, I love his morning hair and sleepy face.

This weekend we have a soccer tournament and the pug is meeting a possible forever family.  I will be so sad to see her go but I would rather shed a tear because I'll miss her, then shed a tear because she had no chance at life.  I am tired and still a bit overwhelmed with everything going on right now but routines will be re-established and my family of five will stick together and make a difference in this world.

Happy weekending!

My First Weaving

A couple of weekends ago I decided to create my own makeshift loom out of a piece of cardboard and some twine. I used dowel rods to separate the twine. Then I just started using yarn that I already had lying around and tried my hand at weaving.

I had no real design in mind. I figured I would make it up as I went and I did.

Eventually it started turning into something. At that point I decided I wanted it to end up looking like some kind of patchwork sweater. A "Cosby" sweater, if you will.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I tied off the bottom with some more of the twine for a messy kind of finish. Then I wound some green yarn through the loops at the top and secured them to a stick. I actually have a box of sticks in my craft supply collection. I found a bunch outside one day for another project and then just kept the rest. You never know when you need a stick, I guess.

All in all, I love the folksy, colorful, and natural elements in this piece. I'm trying to figure out where to hang it in my house. I think I'm going to tackle some smaller weavings next.

Hope you enjoy a lazy, creative, and fun Saturday!

Sunday Dream Catching

Spending part of my Sunday dream catching and listening to folk music.  What's on your Sunday agenda?

Sharing Real Life #1: Essential Tremors and Creating

This is my first post to share the less than beautiful pieces of my life. I think the mix of beautiful and more challenging pieces is what makes up a pretty great and well rounded life anyway.

This past weekend, I decided to work some of my seed bead stash to make some colorful, layering necklaces. I used to make a lot of jewelry. I still love to do it but I don't work on it often because it can be frustrating to me. I have Essential Tremor Disorder, which is a very common movement disorder. That means my hands tremble involuntarily and it can be hard to work with small beads. Most days aren't that bad but I do have some bad days. Last weekend I had a crazy bad day (for me) and I was getting frustrated trying to bead. I decided to put together a quick video to share my frustration.

Luckily not every day is this shakey. My concern is that my tremors will get worse as I grow older and I will be limited in how much I can create. I want to create as much as I can now and then figure out how to continue to create as I grow older. I don't feel sorry for myself and I don't want others to feel sorry for me either. That's not why I shared this video. We all have our trials and burdens -- it's how we live with them that really defines who we are.

Mint WIP

I know, I'm totally a cool blogger imposter. I do know what WIPs are though so that counts, right? WIP = Work In Progress. Technically I could call myself a WIP, however, I am referring to actual works of mine that are in progress.

A couple of months ago, I became completely obsessed with the color 'Mint'. It's not a color that I typically think about or use. I'm usually more a bright primary color type of person. It started one day at work. I was working in a Microsoft Excel document - jealous, right? I needed to highlight some cells for my own personal use and I was bored with my regular colors. I checked the additional colors and thought, "Hmm...I'll try mint for today." The rest of the day I got excited to see that color. I started to think about mint yarn, mint paper, mint paint...I truly became obsessed. After work on that same day, I drove myself, and my 40% off coupon, to Hobby Lobby and bought some mint yarn. I also bought an ivory colored yarn. I didn't know what I was going to do with it but I felt better just having it in my possession.

Ahh...better already...

I realize the level of nerdiness I have now entered.

I started crocheting some granny squares. After a day or so, I decided that I wanted to make another blanket. I still loving cuddling under my other blanket so why not start a new one?

It won't match anything in my house. It may end up being a gift for someone I love. Who knows when I'll finish it, given my history with crocheting blankets. BUT - I love it already and it's satisfying my mint craving.

Crochet-Embroidered Wall Hangings

Just a quick post to share something I created recently. I have been wanting to add more color and texture to my walls so thought I would create some crocheted pieces to hang on the wall.

I had some of my favorite yellow yarns left from other projects so I used them to crochet some different sized circles. Then I used some felt and thread that I had to work on some embroidery and add text and more color. I really like how these turned out and now just have to figure out where I want to hang them.

Hope you enjoy a safe and fun holiday week!