Progress on the Novel

I am really having fun with NanoWrimo this year! I have not quit--still going! Here is a screenshot from my stats on the NanoWrimo.org website, so you can see how I'm doing. Happy writing today--I have some crafting and art journaling plans for the weekend, and my birthday on Saturday. Woo hoo - 52!

EAT, WRITE A NOVEL THIS MONTH, DREAM OF PUBLISHING IT, STITCH

WOYWW #179 - Watercolors

I hope you have a happy work table today, and are truly using that crafty time to relax, express what's on your mind, and experiment a little. 

Julia Dunnit helps us visit lovely work tables around the world right here at What's On Your Workdesk Wednesdays.

One of the things I love about art journaling is using my journal to try out new products and ideas. I had bought a pretty watercolor palette of metallic colors--didn't know how they would turn out. But I love them! I was playing around to create a fun page to come back and journal on later, and the metallic watercolors are still shimmery and sparkly when they dry! They dry fast too. I used my heart stencil for this little lady's face, and then decided I wanted my journaling lines up in her rainbow hair.

So glad I discovered these watercolor paint brushes that you can fill with water, and not worry about a messy cup of water to dip in. Instead, you just squeeze. Wish they had made these when I was little!

So, about ten minutes later, here is what these pages are looking like. I love to keep coming back to art journal pages to layer things on! 
Not much progress on the butterfly scarf this week--I travelled this weekend, and I'm doing NanoWrimo [National Novel Writing Month] at NanoWrimo.org. If you write at least a 50,000 word novel by the end of November, you're a winner! And you probably have a story on your hands--several nanowrimoers have been published.
So this month it's NanoWrimo, knitting, my angels, Christmas cards, and the gingerbread house! Woo hoo! And here's a little snapshot from Halloween last week of my sweet daughter and two nephews, I think my sister is in the background there--I forgot to take a good picture of our chili buffet! But trust me...very yummy. And I showed my family the lovely things LLJ made for me, and they were so excited to see these beautiful handmade items from across the pond! (go back a few WOYWW's if you haven't seen what I'm talking about.) They oo'hd and ahhh'd.

Halloween night was trick-or-treating, big family chili buffet, watching The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, fresh brownies from the oven and lots of laughter with family.

Eat, WRITE a novel this month, Dream, Stitch.

Have Your Say Today in the USA

A Suffragette

Today Americans decide who will run our country for the next four years. My 18-year-old daughter got to vote in her first presidential election. She was excited, and reminded me how important it was, especially, for women to vote. Once upon a time, women fought for this issue--the right to vote. My voting precinct is at a church down the street--and I'm headed there now to have my say! Happy voting Tuesday everyone! Another great thing about this day is that tomorrow, we won't have to see all those nasty political ads polluting our screens!

Sunday Threads

As long as the earth remains, there will  be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.

Genesis 8:22

NanoWrimo - Here I Come!

November is National Novel Writing Month. When you join NanoWrimo at www.nanowrimo.org, you are making a commitment to write 50,000 words this month. The whole point is to focus on the pure output, and leave the editing and worries to December and beyond.

If you love to write, it's fun! Although it's a challenge, even though all that is required of you is pure writing, it is good for you in so many ways. For one, you have to write every day. When you write every day, you become a better writer. Period. If you love to write AND art journal, like I do, your journaling even gets better. Also, you may end up with a real novel on your hands. That's exciting! Even if you start this out and do not know what you are doing, if you write every day, and write 50,000 words this month, you will have a story.

I write in my very own genre, called StitchLit, because most of my bigger works have been about stitchers! I can't help it...I write what I like.

My daughter, also a writer, is taking on this challenge with me, and she is doing quite well already. So, off I go to catch up with her! I fear this may infringe on some of my crafty time this month--but I hope not too much. I still have to stitch, play with paper, and color something every day! In the meantime, I will try and keep you updated on my NanoWrimo progress--even if I quit!

Eat, WRITE, Dream, Stitch

Art-Journal-Every-Day Fridays--Marigolds in the Mail

Marigolds are the guardians of the garden--I plant them around tomatoes, herbs, and veggies to help other plants stay healthy. Once upon a time I was an advertising copywriter, and the catfood product I wrote for contained antioxidants, including marigold extract! I thought that was cool, and imagined to myself that everytime I pruned my marigolds, the antioxidants were getting into my system!

My husband has an interesting stamp collector stash, and gave me all these marigold stamps--so I made a bouquet, right in my art journal, to remind me of all the special hours I've spent in my garden, communing with the marigolds. Happy Friday!

Eat. Write, Dream, Stitch, and stop to smell the marigolds! It's healthy!

Joseph's Favorite Attitude

A cat pours his body on the floor like water. 
It is restful just to see him.
William Lyon Phelps

Okay...he's not fat...just fluffy. I had to share his favorite pose--he lays like this all the time!

Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch, Purr