And That's When Life Steps In...

What is they say about the best laid plans?

 

It has been...a week. I suppose that just in saying that I have said enough. But this being a blog and words being a must, I shall further say this: It has been a stressful, overwhelming, and tumultuous week with most of those feelings going on in my head and in my heart, some going so far as to spill out and into my daily life.

 

Sigh.

 

So, what did I do about that? I did what I could. I vented to the people who listen. I avoided the people who don't. I got and gave hugs. And I tried to be creative when I could, forcing myself in some cases, more so for distraction than for release.

 

One of the first endeavors I relied on was my monthly project. February, of course, was dedicated to Valentine's Day crafts, so I took one evening and put together the Valentine's my little guy will be taking to preschool next week.

Two Down, Ten to Go

 

Another Pinterest-Inspired Winner

 

My weekly project was dedicated to doodling. Yeah, about that...I wasn't too successful. I had started a page in my workbook but quickly discovered two things: I should've started with a larger marker, and I shouldn't have tried to work on it in proximity to a bouncy four-year-old. At least he had some luck!

 

Upside Down Doodle So I Could See It Better

 

Now, this isn't to say that I completely failed to create any doodles. I did finish a piece I started the other week...

 

Simplicity Can Be Best

 

I had also decided to start a mixed media project this week. Here's how that turned out:

 

At least one of us was creative! <3

 

I did keep up with my daily post on Instagram. That's been the easiest creative endeavor for me to pay mind to so far. I try to also process each image a bit so that I'm doing more than just take a quick pic and post it for the sake of posting it. Here are a couple of shots from the week:

 

The Bridges We Burned

 

Backward Glance

 

Up Home

 

I also took a little time to work on a secret mission. But that's all I can tell you about that:

 

Sorry. Spy Stuff...

 

The Art House Co-Op offered up a free project yesterday, and since it was an easy enough one to accomplish quickly, I signed up. And since we had a snow day, I was able to start and finish the project yesterday. This free project was "Map Your Adventure" and I got to work about two minutes after I signed up.

 

Rough Draft Turns to Final...

 

 

La Vie

 

I need to burn the edges, of course, and crumple it up a bit, but I was pleased with how it turned out.

 

And finally, I was able to process a couple of non-iPhone pictures yesterday. I'm really happy with how they each turned out.

 

The Good-Bye Farm

 

The Memory Keepers

 

See. Even when life is in the way and getting one down, there is still time for creative endeavors. No excuses, right?

 

So, what's on tap for the rest of the weekend and the week ahead? I have some pictures to upload and several to process. We got six inches of snow last night; if the huge gusts of wind don't blow all of it away, maybe I can snap some pics. With the roll of the dice, I found that I would be focusing some creative efforts on drawing and sketching. Um...yikes?

 

Wish me luck!