Valerean

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Take That, Bad Luck

Last week I burned two fingers on my working hand while making dinner (I'm clumsy with it), and then tore off a third of a nail on my non-working hand because it had split down the middle and I thought, hey, why bother getting the clippers -- just tear it off the broken bits. How badly could it be? P.S. Always get the clippers. Anyway, my Christmas bad luck is still going strong, but I'm combatting it by working daily on keeping my energy and happiness levels high. Here are three things I did on the same day that really made me happy instead of depressed. Using this recipe I made sugarfree cinnamon roll chaffles (like waffles but safe for diabetics), which were delicious and add something to my very limited breakfast menu. I'm continuing to crochet the granny stitch rectangle throw every day, and on this day when I was finished I realized it had grown too large to photograph on the table -- it really works up fast. My guy and I visited a bookstore,...

The Inspiration of Others

Sometimes I need to be reminded that by creating art I belong to a community of makers who do the same. I think it's the isolation; I need to get out and get inspired by others in person when I can, or seek out their creations when I need comfort or a boot in the creative butt. The county quilt show did that this year, and so does the Orlando Weavers' holiday show when they come to town every December. I've attended it for three years now, and I always score beautiful hand woven art yarn and kitchen towels, but more importantly, I can be around other makers and talk with them. Had a blast at the show this year. :) I invested in some native made jewelry with pearls for Kat's Christmas gift, but because she's not coming to visit us this year I can't see her opening them. On the upside, it was nice to be able to ship her gift direct to her from an indy jewelry shop in the islands. I got myself a pearl bracelet from 14carrot, my favorite Etsy selle...

Medicinal Purposes

I admit, Black Friday and Christmas shopping is usually wasted on me. I try never to step foot outside the house during the madness after Thanksgiving, and I thrift or make most of my gifts for Christmas. This year I needed to boost my spirits after the bad news, so I decided to do a little shopping from indy sellers during December for someone who rarely gets gifts: me. These silver beads from LadyBirdBeadsCo are both new and vintage, and go nicely with the silver and garnet frog brooch I thrifted. I'll be using these as stitch embellishments next month for the first of my calendar project tote bags. These three mystery fat quarter bundles came from FlatWaterMuse . I (obviously) don't need the fabric, but I needed the mystery. Love all three sets. Now I'll just have fun with them. 14carrot, my favorite Etsy seller, really came to my rescue with a handmade pearl bracelet, three adorable quilt tags and two bags of charms and jewelry findings that I c...

Last One

The final lot I thrifted for 2025 arrived right before Thanksgiving, and there was much to be grateful for. Twenty-one skeins of clean, odorless unused yarn with the original labels, and four types/colors came in multiples. What I thought were five skeins of my favorite Mandala yarn in Serene turned out to be seven. These retail for $8.99 each at Lion Brand; you're looking at $62.93 in yarn right here. Lots more treasures came with the yarn: 30 small vintage skeins of plastic canvas and needlepoint yarns, 25 packages of vintage seam binding, a kit to make an amigurumi puppy, new and used knitting needles and a huge bag of crochet hooks. There was even a ball of hemp cord for jewelry making. Although I know it's worth more I'll price the skeins at $5.00 each resale, that's a $105.00 value. Everything else I'd say is worth $25.00, for a total of $130.00 for the lot. My max bid was $35.00, but I ended up paying $34.00 due to my strategies. That...

Doing Versus Making Do

The afghan I made out of yarn scraps was meant to last another month, but my hands seized up with a bad arthritis flare so I kept working on it until it was large enough to use on cold nights. Very happy with how it turned out -- certainly colorful. I'm still hand quilting the pink only quilt, which has been fun but also a bit of a bear to manage. Crochet is good for me, too. It helps me work out a lot of frustration and aggression, like what I imagine punching a heavy bag is for a boxer. I just don't have wear the clunky gloves. :) Seriously, being able do something that I love (crochet) as physical therapy in order to keep doing I desperately don't want to give up doing (quilting) has also helped me deal with the depression over the limitations and fading abilities of old age, too. Going to the quilt show this year also helped my spirits tremendously. No matter what condition I'm in, being around quilts and the people who make them makes me happy. N...

On the Upside

My inner child has been crying a lot this month, but things are finally starting to calm down. Tomorrow is my guy's birthday, which is always fun for me. There is only a little over two weeks left before December 26th arrives, for which I have to think up a goofy name. Happiest Day of the Year tops the list. Then in just under three weeks New Year's will arrive, and I can start on my first calendar quilted tote. I'm really excited about this annual project. While I've been coping with the bad luck and downs of the holidays my work on the granny stitch rectangle throw has really helped me get my hands, my head and my heart in good places. I'm out of the splint now and my sprained finger is much better, thanks to the physical therapy aspect. I know the throw probably looks ugly to everyone else but I love the un-Christmasy colors, and I'm proud of myself for finally figuring out this pattern. Above all I'm glad that I didn't give up on m...