The Virus Chronicles Part 2

The fog is clearing.

I truly believe that creating and the act of doing art saves your mind, body, and engages your soul. And that’s what I’ve been doing. Lots of it.

Glitterfest is actually going to happen (October 11 in Tustin, outside, socially distanced and masked up) Yay! So nice to have a deadline to work towards.

That may have been a big part of my angst during this mess. No deadlines…no priorities…big plans, little plans, everything cancelled so there was nothing to work towards. 🙁 So the days are better and returning to some sense of normalcy.

So in the light of creativity moving me forward I’d like to share a few things that have been inspiring me.

I’ve pretty much sewn myself an entire wardrobe (to go nowhere lol) and watching sewing videos has been educational and entertaining. Let me introduce to a couple of my favorite YouTubers.

Welcome to the Fold Line. These videos are put together by two gals and if you like fashion and sew for yourself you have to watch these trend episodes. They waltz through all the things for the upcoming season then match them to indie patterns. So much fun to see the things you can customize to your own fashion sense. Even if you don’t sew your own clothing it will give you ideas of what to look for when your shopping. Definitely worth a watch.

One more…

This is just one of many but Chase Jarvis does some fabulous interviews of creatives, thought leaders, and popular personalities. Great to listen to when you’re doing something else. Always something interesting.

I’ll be back with more …there are many!

Susan

Charming Trinkets

The Virus Chronicles

Or stories from quarantine…or pandemic play by play…or tales from behind the mask…

It seems like I’ve disappeared. I really haven’t. I just have been hiding from some forms of life since February. I don’t think I’m the only one. Let me go back and fill you in on what’s been going on.

Back in January and February I was finishing up a business plan for a brick and mortar creative store. Almost ready to commit to commercial space I found out my parents were having some health issues….and there was a deadly pandemic on the horizon. My dad turned 90 in February and that was the marker for his health decline. Numerous hospital visits and my Mother, in trying to take care of him, fell and broke her hip. They both went into rehab but my Dad never came out. All of this went on 3000 miles away from where I live.

Stay at home orders were in place when my Dad passed away. There are more things going on around his passing that effected me emotionally but mixed with the virus threat it put me into retreat. We stayed home. We only visited with each other. We did all the quarantine things. Creativity took a hike.

All of the spring and summer shows cancelled. Not surprising. I felt like my creative brain was cancelled. Don’t get me wrong spending time with family was pretty wonderful. We had lots and lots of quality time to chat, connect, cook, and bond. We dove headlong into a bunch of home DIY projects …like 20 different projects all at the same time. (no they’re not all finished)

My creative retreat took me back into lots of sewing. I dug out patterns, made some of my own, and spent hours alone at the machine. I made myself almost an entirely new wardrobe…that I have no where to wear. But it was meditative and allowed me to take my mind off all the other things going on in the world.

That pretty much brings me up to date. This is my first public and/or social media post since February.

Surprisingly there are a couple artisan shows that are going to go as planned this fall. This news has plucked me out of my funk a bit although I feel a little off course. Grieving different aspects of life takes you off course. But I’m finding my way back through creativity…and looking forward to doing a few normal activities.

See you soon,
Susan

Ice Resin Design Team 2.0

Well, to say I’m thrilled would be an understatement…!

It was announced today and the team for Ice Resin in 2015 includes …me!

It’s an honor and a delight to be involved with such a great group. After my 2012-13 involvement with them I have to say I missed them all last year!

Here’s the new team…

Ice Resin Design Team 2015

Here’s to an absolutely creative and artsy 2015!

Please be sure to join me in all the creative festivities!!

Come by and like my page…Susan’s Charming Trinkets and be sure to look up the Ice Resin Design Team on the Ice blog

 

Until next time,

Susan