I said I was going to get back to blogging about 6 months ago. I think that was a bit premature. I don’t think you can really plan on doing anything big so soon after a move. And being a single mom of 3, it’s hard to get any craft project of substantial size actually finished. So while I’d love to get back into my paper sculptures, that will require that I have dedicated studio space that will be left undisturbed inbetween work sessions. (working on it… stay tuned!) Fortunately I’ve stumbled across a new-to-me crafting technique… MICROCROCHET!!! These teeny tiny little dolls and bears and whatever else I can think to make can be finished in one or two sittings, depending on how intricate I make them. I can even pack a tiny bag of supplies to slip in my purse to drag along to Wyatt’s fencing practice, or waiting rooms & whatnot.

I stumbled across these sweet little miniatures by an Italian artist named Mariella on etsy a few months back-  but it took awhile to find crochet hooks small enough for me to try it out. I’m catching my groove using size 10 and 12 crochet hooks (about .75 mm) from Crafts Bits & Pieces in Fairport, NY. I started off with little bears, and a pug or two. I swear I’ll post a mini album of these mini creations soon- but if you’re a fan of twitter, I post photos of most of the things I make right after I’m done on there. I don’t use any patterns, I just free-form them as I go along.

I’m always looking for new suggestions on what to make, so feel free to leave a comment with an idea for a creature etc.

There are a few things that I hold a tight attachment to after I create, (example, my kids ) but in general I try to release my objects d’art as often as possible. This accomplishes 2 goals, first- it makes other people happy to get something handmade and unique. I enjoy seeing their appreciation, and I think it’s better that the objects are valued instead of ending up in a box or lost somewhere in the house. And second- can you imagine the amount of stuff I’d be carting around right now if I just hoarded them?

Of course there are all sorts of UFO’s flying around my house too. Before you call area 51, UFO in this case are “Unfinished Objects.” Sometimes I get into a project far enough that I feel artistically satisfied with the process, and I don’t need to finish immediately, and sometimes the time-lapse allows them to evolve into something else. (for example this blog was going to only document stuff I make, but it’s kind of become a diary of sorts)

I used to go to a Craft Club sponsored by Mothers & More Rochester (yes, that’s my goofy mug on the far right in the pink shirt ) every month, that often had UFO nights, where we’d bring a project to work on while we chat. I’ve let my membership in M&M lapse (to my chagrin, but at the moment life hasn’t been accommodating enough for me to get to gatherings, but I miss even just being on the email loop…) So I think I’m going to re-up soon. I miss the girls, Facebook just isn’t enough!

Where was I going with this post. Oh yeah! So this blog has been a bit of a UFO lately, not that I think it will ever be truly finished, but I figured I’d give fair warning that the next few months are going to be crazy busy, and maybe I can start blogging again in the summer…

I’m feeling cranky, I don’t mean to be, but it’s been at least a week since I’ve gotten to sit down and make something… Took the kids to one of those paint-your-own pottery places earlier today. They got the chance to glaze some mugs- but I had to assist so I didn’t get to make anything myself. That normally would be fine- but I’ve spent nearly the whole week in meetings, and hardly any time getting stuff done, so I feel frustrated…

I’m going to stick the kids in bed and then start designing a little bride to cut out on my paper cutter. I want to make some cake toppers for my shop… Tomorrow I’ve got an illustration to work on, based on The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai. I’m vectorizing the original, erasing the boats & Mt. Fuji & modifying the rough of the waves to look like dollar signs. I’m going to try and cut it out with the Silhouette too…

But nothing’s getting done ’til I get some mommy time. Let me get these cuties to bed…