Crafty

I was hoping to post pictures of the new furniture in the living room. Alas, the fact that I'm not fluent in German yet has created a bit of a problem. I thought for sure we'd asked for assembly but apparently it was lost in translation.

There's not much to actually assemble except for putting the decorative top and bottom on one cabinet and all the drawer pulls and such. We also need to move the sofa back a bit so maybe tomorrow.

I think I've mentioned before that my part time job is at the craft shop on post. I scheduled a tote bag class for September. I needed a few extra hours on my time sheet (I'm required to work 20 hours per week) so today I spent time making the sample tote bag to display in the shop. It turned out pretty good.

It's a new pattern and the first time I made this particular bag. Luckily I've had some experience because there at the end, the pattern kinda left me hanging. I made it work and made notes so I could recreate it when I'm teaching the class.

So, now time to turn my focus to writerly pursuits. Hope you all are having a great day!

Holland Redux

Today I'm off from the part time job and I plan to hit it hard with the writing. We got some cute new fabrics in the shop and I'm dying to make something so I promised myself that if I finish the first draft today, I can sew all day tomorrow.

I got the pics of St. Basil's Cathedral from the Keukenhof off my other camera. It took 65,000 bulbs. I couldn't get high enough to get the whole thing in one shot but it was incredible. The pictures are in order from right to left.


Hubby was able to convert the wooden shoe video so here it is. The farmer is a lot of fun and an entertainer. The video is about 11 minutes and it takes a couple of minutes for him to actually get started. Sorry about that. A filmmaker I am not. I hope you get the idea, though and enjoy the show.

I hope you enjoy this bit of Holland too. I'm thinking a new German recipe for tomorrow. Anyone have a preference?

Creative Tunnel Vision

I'm off from the part-time job today and before I lose myself in the Congo, I spent the morning working on a quilt. I started it right after Christmas, hoping to have it finished in time for my nephew's birthday. Turns out, that was a little too ambitious as his birthday was four weeks ago and I'm still working on it.

I mention this because (you knew there was a reason, right?) I find that when I'm writing, I write. No other craft allowed. Right before Christmas, it was flip-flopped. I worked on gifts for family and friends, sewing and crocheting my heart out, and hardly wrote a word. I get this tunnel vision and when I'm involved in one creative pursuit, it's like I'm unable to express myself in any other form of creativity.

I'm trying to combat this strange focus because 1) I like to sew, quilt and crochet and love to give homemade gifts, and 2) I'm trying to find more of a balance between writing and the rest of life. So, on the days I don't work at the part-time job, I've decided to devote a few hours in the mornings to the sewing machine - at least until I have the projects earmarked for gifts finished. And that list isn't short.

What about you? Do you have more than one creative outlet? Do you find yourself, like me, battling one-thing-at-a-time-itis? How do you keep the balance in your life?