Of Visual Interest...

Been a while since I've been around... Much going on and not a lot of time or energy to devote to blogging.  Actually, I must confess that I've recently discovered Pinterest and now, unfortunately, I spend more time ADMIRING and "PINNING" crafts and "diy" projects than I do DOING them!  Ugh, it's terrible!  I need an intervention!

Today, however, I went out into the garage and grabbed my old coffee can full of "hardware" - nuts, bolts, screws, washers, etc.  I've been collecting such "treasures" for years - much to my husband's dismay - always expecting to one day find the perfect project for which they could all be used.  I thought, at one point, that I could learn to weld and turn a pile of rusted metal into some beautiful, sculpted piece of art.  Ha!  Welding is an art, in and of itself, and I am NOT gifted thusly.  Whatsoever.  Anyway...

So I dragged out the coffee can and dumped its contents onto a large piece of craft board, left over from some long-ago school project for which I'd bought too much stuff because I was in a last-minute panic (I know you know what I'm talking about!).  As best I could, I sorted the pieces by type: screws, nails, bolts, washers, weird and unidentifiable things...square things...things that looked like bolts, or maybe screws, but had washers around them that wouldn't come undone...  I ended-up with eight, sweet little piles of metal; some of it rusted, some of it shiny and new-looking.  I was enchanted.

The original idea was to grab some pieces and glue them to something...an idea I'd found on...yes, I admit it, Pinterest.  I was going to make a trivet.  Or maybe a really cool little gift box.  But, instead, I just sorted everything and realized I had a really cool picture on my hands.  Visual interest.  And I figured I should just quit while I was ahead...

In With the New...

Is it just me or do you, too, find yourself overwhelmed at this time of year because you put things off until they simply can't be ignored any longer?  Things that could have been done pleasurably and with ease turn into odious tasks because you try to do in a matter of hours what could have been done over the course of several days...

Although this is EXACTLY what I did this year (as I always do), I have to say - I'm really happy with how things turned-out.  All of my gifts were handmade; baskets of honey-roasted and spiced nuts, toffees, bbq sauce, fig spread, garlic confit, peppermint bark - I even did little paintings of pine trees for the gift tags.  It's something I've dreamed of doing for years, making everything myself.  And maybe, just maybe, I've learned something; maybe next year I'll start making things the week before Christmas, rather than two days before...

Anyway, I've been off this last week, doing little more than relaxing, Isabella's home from college for winter break.  The family's been spending lots of time in our jammies, eating bad food and watching movies.  A few nice hikes thrown in for good measure, just so we wouldn't feel too much like sloths.  And, for me, a little bit of crafting, just because I felt the need...

My fascination with mushrooms seems to have...mushroomed! I got a field guide and a "grow your own" kit from my mom for Christmas and I've been out taking photos (although that camera - the "good" one - has pooped-out again, so I'll have to wait to post those pics).  I just can't seem to get enough of the little fungi..

(These were crafted with Fima Modeling Compound)

At any rate, I'm ready for this new year, ready to use this clean slate to full advantage.  I hope you all feel the same and have lots of great things on the horizon.  Happy New Year!  May it be happy, healthy and creative!