Despite the rubber gloves, I have destroyed 9 out of 10 freshly painted nails so far this week. We’re getting ready to sell our house, and that has meant, so far, three days of intense deep-cleaning. We are pretty clean and tidy people, but you know those areas you just don’t normally get around to … well, there was a lot of, “Ew, gross, gross, gross!” being muttered.

The bulk of the work has been done, but I’ve got another list of things to do for tomorrow, so it will be quiet around here this week. Hopefully by next week we’ll be in “maintenance mode” and I can squeeze in some creative time. ‘Til then!

Somewhere along the way I came across these cool runner’s ID bracelets. I like the idea, because then I don’t have to remember to take my regular ID out of my wallet for a run (or remember to put it back after a run). But I don’t like the idea of spending that much money on something I don’t really need.

So, being the “I could do that myself” person that I am, I made up my own (DIY hack) version. It is essentially a friendship bracelet—remember those?

I took small bits of vinyl and sewed them together on three sides to make a little pocket. I slipped a piece of card with my emergency info printed on it into the pocket and cut slits in the ends of the pocket so the bracelet could slip through them. Then I stitched down the ends of the bracelet and added some velcro for a closure, and voila!

It’s not quite as polished as that shiny silver version, but I can change the info at a moment’s notice without spending more money, and the vinyl does not stick to my arm like I wondered if it would, because the bracelet sits beneath it and keeps it off my skin. And I can make additional bracelets to match any outfit, if I please.

I have to admit, it was sort of fun making a friendship bracelet again. It seems I’m not the only one who’s been up to the knotting business lately, either.

Happy Monday!

I’d like to keep moving in the same direction, becoming more comfortable with myself and growing into myself more and more, both as an artist and as a person. With that in mind, I’ve set some specific, attainable goals for 2012:

1. Continue to grow as an artist, building skills (maybe take some more classes) and developing my personal style. This includes focusing on my “likes”: ink, graphite, watercolor, mixed media, themes of storytelling, imagination, and the relationship between people and animals.

2. Increase sales of artwork online and pursue possibilities for selling in brick-and-mortar stores locally. I’ve already got one wholesale relationship with a local yarn shop, and there are a lot of other shops in this town where I might build similar relationships.

3. Become a recognizable figure in the art world. I’m not talking celebrity here, just becoming an artist whose work some people might recognize and admire, as I do with so many others. That’s a pretty ambitious goal (even feels a little self-important) considering how many amazing artists are out there, but at least one goal has to shoot for the stars, right?

4. Make time for some “background” projects that I enjoy: sewing, crochet, knitting, paper-cutting, etc. I want to continue to cherish the rich heritage of making things by hand that are both useful and beautiful. This includes continuing to have a “handmade home.”

5. Become a runner. I have liked to run in the past, but until last Summer I was never fit enough to really enjoy it. (You know, when you’re past the point of feeling like you’re going to die and can actually relish the feeling of using strong muscles?) After a spontaneous 5k run on the beach, something I’d never done before and didn’t even know I could do, I realized just how much I love running. Sadly, I took too many months off from exercise and am back at the start, so this year I’d like to get back in shape and then set some “beginner” goals: participate in some 5ks, maybe work to a 10k by the end of the summer. I’d like to make running a more regular part of my life.

There are other bigger, more personal goals floating around in my head, but I think these smaller things will contribute to the bigger things. By pursuing dreams and taking care of myself, I will hopefully enjoy positive outpourings into my relationships, my family, etc. That’s the way to do it, I think, one small bit at a time.

(The artwork you see here are two pieces done as birthday gifts at the end of 2011. A bit different from my usual, but tailored to the recipients, and I’m quite pleased with them.)

You know, New Year’s Day was never such a big deal to me. It was just another holiday to celebrate with good food, friends, family, etc. But lately it’s really becoming my favorite time, a time when I really do feel like I’m putting away the old (as great as it may have been) and starting completely fresh, with a whole new beginning and lots of possibility stretched out in front of me. I like that feeling.

I think I did pretty well with last year’s goals. My theme was Freedom, Focus, and Flexibility, and I think I achieved all of those. I made a few handmade gifts, but I didn’t feel pressured to make anything just because I could, and I shopped Etsy a lot more for the rest. I focused on finding the creative things I love to do the most and developing them. I moved at whatever pace fit at the moment, which was at times quite productive and at others way more than sluggish—and that didn’t bother me!

For the whole, specific list of last year’s goals, you can go here. I’ve continued to branch out into my artwork and feel very satisfied with where that stands. I put more time into making items for my shop (rather than for gifts), and I took on a little more networking and polishing of the business side of things, ‘though I still haven’t put a huge amount of effort into that aspect. I kept some creative background projects going here and there, but I found myself so wrapped up in drawing that I didn’t feel a strong desire to do anything else most of the time.

Most nights I get to bed earlier than I used to, which means less creating time, but I’m ok with that at the moment. (Sleep is good!) I’m still working on being a better mom. There are times when I know I’ve done great, but there are also ways I know that I lack. I’m not aiming for SuperMom here, ‘though I know it’s easy to carry unnecessary guilt when you’re a mom. I just think there are always ways you can improve on anything you do, and I’d like to do that.

My six simple, achievable goals were good ones, I think. All considered, I’m satisfied with how 2011 came out. How about you?

(I’ll be back Friday with my goals for 2012.)

This year for the (great) grandmothers, I made some little felt birdies for Christmas. (You may remember me making similar here. That was a trial run for this round.) Fun fact: the legs are made from paperclips, and the noses are cut off from toothpicks!

My goal was to keep them organic-looking, “homespun,” so I didn’t allow myself to be precise or correct mistakes. There’s a little voice inside my head that is screaming about this, because although I very much love imperfection in other people’s work, sometimes I just can’t handle it in my own. But, truthfully, I do still love them just as they are.

Then the kids picked out little wooden birdhouses and worked together to paint each one. I rather expected them to be a bit of a mess, with two artists at work in their own haphazard styles, but I’m actually loving how the birdhouses turned out too. I think they’ll be a hit.

Well, so, Christmas is close, and I’ve shown you what I can of handmade gifts for now. The shop is on holiday through January, and I will be, too, ‘though I’ll probably be popping in here and there as I feel inspired. Hope you enjoy this last run-up to the big day!

At the beginning of the year, my bloggie friend Glenda invited me to participate in a personal swap with her. (You can read about my swap package for her here.) So earlier this week, when I checked the mail, I was excited to find a box waiting just for me … and it did not disappoint!

Glenda has been a friend (and fellow stitcher) since my very earliest days on this blog. She’s followed my creative journey and supported my little business. She has always been an encouragement and a joy to know, as well as a kindred crafty spirit. Given all this, her thoughtfulness in putting together my package was no surprise—she obviously spent a lot of time scanning my Etsy favorites and Pinterest photos to find out just what would suit me, and she did a fantastic job.

Besides the neat stitching on this sweet little ornament,

and the lovely needle keeper with my recurring “trademark” tree theme,

and this gorgeous tissue case—oh my goodness, look at how beautifully it is put together!—

she also sent vintage buttons with magnets on the back (which for the moment are stuck all over the lamp on my desk) and a little notepad with another of my favorites, dandelions.

To say I am tickled pink would be an understatement. Glenda, you’ve nailed it, and this is just like getting an early Christmas gift! Thank you so much!

Every time I end up with a scrap of fabric that’s really too small for much, I toss it in a glass bowl on my sewing table. I dig through that bowl sometimes when I need just a tiny piece for an applique or a fabric loop or something of the like. Unfortunately, that bowl has started to overflow, especially with the current rush of sewing I’m doing on my Project to make a handmade home.

So last night I took the whole pile downstairs in front of the TV, and with the help of my rotary cutter and ruler, I chopped all those pieces into tidy pre-cut squares ranging from 1.5″ to 4″. I’ve always wanted to piece together the smallest scraps into random patchworks, maybe a quilt or a cushion, and now that will be so much easier should the mood strike me.

It took hours to do, but it was worth it. If nothing else, they look prettier and take up a lot less space this way. I’m going to do my best to cut as I go from now on to save myself some backache! And now that I’ve got all those squares cut out, I’m eying up this little beauty:

I already have a perfectly nice cover made by my mother-in-law, but if I’m remaking the whole house, and my sewing machine is doing so much of the work, it deserves a fresh outfit too, doesn’t it?

Hope your weekend is good!

Happy Fourth of July to my American readers! ‘Though it’s a holiday here, I’m taking a few moments to wax just a wee bit philosophical, not something I often do on this blog because I’m too busy with the makes. I thought it was good timing, as we celebrate the history of our country, that I’m thinking about the history of things that are hand made and the way I fit into that history.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been reading the “Little House” series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I’d read several of them as a kid but never finished the series, and I’ve found that books I’d read as a child mean something totally different to me if I read them again as an adult. I blasted through them one after the other, and I’m actually sad they’re over now. Laura sure could write, and she manages to tell an honest story of the kind of life she lived; it was full of hard work and some hard times, but at the same time, I sense there was something simple and beautiful about it.

I think the books have deepened my understanding and appreciation of things that are made by hand, too. Back in Laura’s time, people didn’t make things simply because they needed something to do in their spare time (you know, while the washing machine was running or they were waiting for an e-mail). They made things because they needed them. Yes, they made them beautiful, for the pleasure or the satisfaction or whatever it may have been, but those items were functional and often necessary too. And they made something out of everything—nothing went to waste.

It’s made me think more about things I could make for my own home that are both useful and beautiful. I already admire homes that have hand made touches to them, but something about this reading has made me long for that simple beauty of things made carefully by hand. I have a few things around my home, but not many, because I’m too busy doing more outward-focused things. Yet as I looked around, I realized there are ways to add small touches. Take, for example, the bit of hand-me-down crocheted lace that I used to tie back curtains. I needed something, so I sorted through the things I had on hand, and found the perfect lengths of old lace, yellowed with age and given to me somewhere down the line. They’re simple and pretty and do the trick.

I think if I continue to keep my eyes open, I may find more small ways that I can capture a sense of the beauty of long-gone times, a way I can be a part of that rich history in a deeper way than I have to this point. It’s not about not appreciating all the advancements we’ve made, not at all. I’m pretty sure Laura’s family would have thrilled at a vacuum or a hair dryer. But it’s about remembering and honoring the value of making a home by your own hand, whatever century that home might be in. That’s what I’d like to do—and I think Laura and Ma may have been proud!

It’s almost time to go home. I’m trying to savor every last minute and looking forward to the slower pace I usually stay in for the first couple of weeks after we return home.

Have a good weekend!

Over the weekend I found myself spinning in circles a bit trying to decide what I felt like working on, so I took some time off to make up a few treasuries for the Etsy teams I belong to. I thought I’d share my favorite here. It’s got my current favorite color combination as interpreted by the talented members of the EtsyMom Team.

If you like what you see, click over and leave your comments or visit the many talented artists that were featured!