October Crafting

October was a big crafting month.  I created silk scarves to sell at the gallery.  I participated in our community art show and facilitated other artist in learning how to weave on a ridged heddle loom.  Weaving was a very big theme this month.  I almost finished knitting a sweater, I continued my tote obsession and I achieved a dream for myself.  Walking on the beach at the end of my street.  Then going to have fun in Asheville at the SAFF wool festival.  This has been a very fun and rewarding month.

Yay! I made it!

Today I finally did it!  I walked the steps to the beach entrance at the end of my street.  I bought my dream beach cottage in 2011 after years of dreaming and searching up and down the southeast coast.  I had been vacationing here on Hatteras Island since 2002.  Everything came together for me to buy my beach getaway, but there were a few setbacks.  My father passed away and I was nearly on death's door myself.  When the opportunity came I plunged at it even though I really couldn't enjoy it.  I had planned and designed my beach life for over 15 years and I had the house and the beach , but no life.  

What I did have was wonderful friends who helped me walk out my dream by renovating and decorating my Crafty Diva Cottage.  It took until 2014 for me to move into it full-time.  God and myAngels  brought me here despite my kicking and screaming.  I had lots of fears and doubts but as I always say it takes a village and my village has helped me so much.  I am forever grateful for their love and support.  

When I moved here I was using a walker.  I had no plans except to get healthy and start living life.  I wanted to be on the beach, but I couldn't.  I didn't realize when I bought the house that it was such a little trek to actually get on the beach.  I knew there were stairs but I didn't realize that you had to go up then down then cross the dunes to get to the beach.  The stairs were my block until today.  I've had a challenging week a real growth period.  I realized that I had been making a lot if my decisions from fear instead of joy.  Today I was going to face my fear.  I had lost a lot of weight this year and was getting around pretty well.  I drive to the stairs and decided to take the plunge.  I'm so glad I did.  

Here is the walkway to the stairs.

Here I am finally on the beach.

This is the roaring surf of the Atlantic.  I can hear it from my house and I always wanted to see the waves hitting the beach.  Today I did.

I planted firmly in this sand on this sandbar in the middle if this island.  Why?  I don't know yet, but I'm enjoying the journey one day at a time.

This passage through the dune.  It's size changes depending on the storms we have

Going back down.  My house is at the end of this street.  You can't see it through the trees.  My ultimate goal is to walk down the street from my house up the stairs over the dune and then walk the beach.

Have fun today!

Craft inspiration

Enjoy crafting today!

Wednesday Weaving

We had a good morning at Blue Pelican Gallery Gifts & Yarn weaving.  Martha is visiting from WV and she decided to join us at our Fiberarts Open Studio.  Jenn got to weave for the first time and enjoyed learning a new craft.  We had a great time crafting and chatting about life, creativity and kids.  It's great for working mom's to take a couple of hours for creative fun and self-care.

Calling Tiny Artist Event

I spent a awesome morning facilitating weaving at Kinnakeet Clay- Studio & Showroom for the 'Tiny Art Fundraiser being held at Indian Town Gallery next Thursday.  I got to meet some great local artist's and had lots of fun making and creating.  My daughter joined me also and made several pieces of tiny art.  Jenn @JypSea Fabrications by Jennifer Harmon wove a beautiful small tapestry for the show.  Antoinette of Kinnakeet Clay tapped into the weaving vortex too.  All in all a very creative morning.

Beginning the Becoming 360 Training

This week I started my personal and professional development training Becoming 360.  I'm ready to branch out and expand my mind and my business.  I've taught myself a new photo app for professional ads and photography on social media and for printing.  It's been a powerful week and I've gotten a lot accomplished.  These are some of the topics I have worked on this week.

Working on self-care by going to the beach to meditate and soothe the soul and get some Vitamin D after being in the house for 3 weeks.

Working on personal and professional development through my Becoming 360 modules.

Took Nala to be groomed.  She looks beautiful.  Have a good weekend.

Business Development & Marketing Products

I've been on the computer and iPad this week working on business development, marketing my workshops and up dating social media.  Here are some samples.

Plus I finished up my scarves and putting them up for sale at Blue Pelican Gallery.

Dyeing and painting on silk

It has rained the last three weeks here at the OBX.  We just dodged hurricane Joaquin.  Still a lot of wind, rain and flooding.  Thank goodness my street didn't flood and all is well.  I spent my time playing in a lot of yarn boxes and dyeing silk.  I love the majiccraft of taking plain white silk and mixing dye and watching how the colors evolve.  You never know what will come out.  There are no predictions.  You just go with the flow.  Then the process of discharging the color with bleach and stamps adds another layer of unpredictability.  I love this process though.

Then I started thinking of my other silk art I had painted over the years and am pondering a new venture in silk art.  Taking it to another level not just creating and sharing with friends but really finding and exploring my artistic voice in silk.  Knitting, weaving and spinning has caused carpal tunnel syndrome at times.  I love fiber color and texture so much I'm going to explore silk more.

September Spinning

September has been a very creative month.  I started out the month making quilt tops from my hand crafted fabric and making felted beads and turning them into jewelry.  All along knitted cross body bags and a sweater.  I finished off the month spinning yarn  on my spinning wheel and creating art yarn on my hand spindle.  Then dyeing and stamping silk scarves while waiting on hurricane Joaquin to disappear from the radar.  I guess I've been channeling the creative and Upleveling spinning energy of the Universe this month.

Crafting Yarn to Art

I've been in a crafting vortex this week.  Ideas has been flying around my head like crazy.  I've also had the stamina to craft my ideas.  It all starting with wool.  Felting balls to spinning fiber.   Oh, what a glorious couple of weeks.

Here I am crafting art yarn for a one-of-a kind artful accessory.

Fall is in the air

Happy Fall to my blog friends.  I began my artistry in basketweaving 20 years ago.   After years of not crafting due to the fact I was crafting a very successful corporate enterprise and having babies.  I needed a quick creative outlet.  Weaving baskets was the beginning. 

Spinning Art Yarn

Yesterday a wonderful lady named Beth helped me get my spinning wheel back in working order.  It had been in storage for awhile and needed repair.  I've been feeling the urge to spin for months.  Last fall I did some drop spinning but it didn't hold me for long.  I stayed up last night spinning on my wheel and getting used to it again.

This is the yarn I spun last night.

I had planned on making art yarn and creating it on the wheel.  When I woke up this morning I had a great 'A ha!'  I could make art yarn on the drop spindle.  Why didn't I think about this before.  It was perfection.  I loved making the art yarn on the drop spindle.  It was so much fun and easy.  I'm definitely going to teach this technique in a workshop.  The ladies will love it.!

Then I attached the bulky flyer and plyed this yarn.  It will take a little while to get used to the bulky, but I loved it after I was done.

Felted Statement Necklace

I finally finished it.  There are so many possibilities.  I'm sure I'm going to try to exhaust them.  Check back to see my progress.

Felted beads

Things are coming along nicely.  Still not finished though.