Creative August Week Three

For the third week of Creative August I wanted to try to step outside my comfort zone every day. I haven't made a journal in quite a few years, so I got out my papers and some pretty linens and started with that.

I got out these two thrifted kits that didn't come with all the components to do a little jewelry making.

I've never tried a pre-fused applique kit, so I decided to use this one that I thrifted and see how they work.

I made an adorable vintage handkerchief into a mini-quilt box topper.

I've never tried to make anything from the selvages I save from fabric, so I hauled out the bag to change that.

I found a dusty wooden hatbox at a junk shop for a few bucks that I thought I'd try to clean and upcycle to store my perle embroidery thread.

I sewed together some chili peppers from the garden in my first attempt to air-dry them.

This little raggedy piece of vintage patchwork became a stitch practice piece, and then evolved from there.

I've not done much crocheting with chenille yarn (I've made exactly one thing from it), so I pulled one blue (far right with the Lion Chenille label) and two brown skeins (far left, no labels) from a thrifted lot to do a practice piece.

I've got one more week plus three days left in August to be creative, and I'm pretty happy with what I've done so far. Let's see if I can keep it up for ten more days. :)

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Journal Find

This is a page from my 2010 poetry journal. My handwriting isn't the best, so I'll transcribe it: If my heart survives to tell all the secrets kept inside it will be an abalone shell in which the beauty did reside. But I think I will always be lost to the tides that rage in me . . . humbling and polishing . . . I don't write many self-portrait poems, but this one isn't too embarrassing. A bit overly dramatic, but the girl I was eleven years ago went through some tough times. I'm in a much more peaceful place today.

The Numbers

Back in March my diabetes doctor changed my medication and encouraged me to alter my diet and exercise more in order to bring down my A1C, which at the time tested out at a dismal 8.3 (normal is 5.8.) So for the next two months I dealt with the increased meds, stuck to my decidedly grim diet and added a lot more walking to my exercise regime. P.S., it's never fun to be a diabetic, but over the last couple of months I've really tried to keep a good attitude about it. Attitude isn't everything, but it helps a lot when you have to make significant changes while battling a disease like this. Yesterday I performed a home A1C test, and I'm currently at 6.5. That's pretty amazing results, even for me. If I can get it down another half point before I see the doctor in July I'd be over the moon, but I feel like I've already done great. Image credit: Image by Daniele Liberatori from Pixabay

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