Wishing Everyone A Joyfilled Season

 

I wish you all a happy winter, a joyous holiday and a super 2024.

And I have to get back to my sorting and purging as the end of 2023 is fast approaching.  I have surfaces clear, not I need to tackle shelves and the floor.

I'm also working on goals and my word for 2024.  As I look at goals for this year I did okay, not outstanding but okay.  I'll tweek those a bit before I'm firm on them and, as in years past, I adjust quarterly.  The word is a different story.  That stays with me all year.  In 2024 I have highlighted two of the many on the list of possibles.  The two are FOCUS and BELIEVE.  Focus is a biggy, I am so easily distracted it's a wonder I get anything accomplished.  Believe is another one -- I need to learn to kick the critic out of the studio and believe in my own instincts.  When the critic gets in everything stops -- I have a hard time moving forward.  Does anyone else have that issue?

I think I'll put the words in big letters in an easy to see spot on my two work surfaces. I have manged to get more stones done and will be putting some in the Gallery Uptown January exhibit.  And I've really had fun with the poinsettias.  Here's another one...

Now it's time to get back to work, I'll be back next year.

The Best Layed Plans...

 I started December with a plan to do a small painting and clear a section of clutter every day.  Well, it's day 9 and I have 2 done and one partially done.

The problem was the clutter clearing.  I had a pile of art journals and writing journals and, of course, I had to go through them to see what I had done.  Among the written ones I was reminded of something I had done with a Jane LaFazio class and I immediately had to look to see if I still had that class on my computer.  I did so I decided I had to make another one -- a Christmas one.  This is one that I put on the back of a denim vest.

They're fun to make and I have lots of red and green fabric.  Since I didn't make a new table runner this year I'm making one of these for the center of our kitchen table.  The process is addictive so I may make a few of them.  Perhaps they'll become another table runner, the first one I made many years ago has seen better days. I've since made them in a variety of styles and sized. I enjoy putting the parts together and then in the evening while watching TV I add embroidery and other embellishments.  

So sewing a patch every day has replaced the daily painting but the clutter clearing continues.  As long as something else I find doesn't distract me.