Inspirations Abound

In March where I live, Spring is defintely apparent all over.  From everyone's complaints about their sinuses and the tell-tale yellow dusting on everything to the buds and flowers on trees and shrubs, you can't get away from it.  Spring is like nature's caffeine spurt.

 

The past couple of weeks have been the opposite for myself!  Other than occasionally making jewelry for my Etsy store, I haven't done a thing.  It's definitely not for lack of inspiration, because I have a head full of ideas!  Therein lies the problem - I need to get organized to decide what to do first.

In the warm months I am an avid gardener - and I can't wait to fill up my landscaping with tons of new (and unfortunately expensive) annuals and perrineals.  If I haven't been going to the nurseries, I've been wanting to go and load up on plants.  Two summers ago I was so proud of my garden and my goal this year is to do it again.  There's something therapeutic about pulling up the driveway and seeing tons of color and life.

I've also had my brain wrapped around some new jewelry ideas.  I've been asked to provide several pieces to my kids' school for their annual silent auction.  It's always a huge success for them - a ton of people come everything gets sold!  It's very important because as a private school, they rely on donations and fundraisers for a lot of their capital.  I'm really excited about the prospect of having my name and my designs spread here locally.  Word of mouth is crucial for artists and let's face it - there are millions of items of jewelry on Etsy.  It's difficult to get discovered. 

This auction has me really re-thinking one of my personal preferences about jewelry.  I am not the type of person to buy or wear or even make a set of earrings/necklace or necklace/bracelet that matches.  I like to make pieces that will coordinate well together, but not necessarily look like they were made to go together.  That's part of my creativity.  That's my taste.  However, I know many people prefer sets.  I'm debating on putting together a couple of sets of necklaces and earrings just for the auction and seeing what kind of feedback I get.  I will update on how that goes!

Any knitting news? None at the moment.  I did make a pair of fingerless gloves a few weeks ago.  They got snapped up by a friend (I was happy to give them to someone who would wear them and not just photograph them!!).  I casted on for my own set and you'll never believe what happened to them -- my dog ate them.  I'm serious!  He is three months old and he loves to chew on yarn.  Obviously I was livid - but I was only halfway through with the first one.  I haven't been inclined to restart because it is getting too warm here to wear them. 

I have been thinking about this cardigan lately

It's Berroco's Rill.  These flowy cardigans are so popular right now and I can actually see myself knitting and wearing this in the summer over a tank.  Of course, it would cost me around $85 to knit it in the recommended Seduce yarn.  I'll wait and see if it goes on sale or if I can find a good sub. 

Till next time!