• Around home - Blog

    Looking back at 2015

    As I started thinking ahead towards the new year and all it has yet to bring,  I decided it was time for a bit of reflection before letting go of 2015. Briefly my thought was, “Not much happened this year” and then the memories started to filter through.

    This year, collectively, our family has had the following…in no particular order:

    knee surgery

    small kitchen fire

    resort vacation

    night classes

    new driver

    honor choir audition

    wacky injuries including a 911 call

    volleyball camp

    computer programing

    pneumonia

    new (to us) vehicles

    job interviews

    neighborhood campfires

    published article

    mother/daughter retreat

    choir concerts

    deans list

    student council

    phase 2 braces

    and a new teenager(just yesterday)

    Whew! That’s quite a list even without the minutia of everyday life and events I’ve likely forgotten or perhaps blocked out. 🙂

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

    So how did I do with my word of the year?

    FOCUS | Halle's Hobbies

    Not so great, honestly.  I can’t say I entirely failed on my word. I did focus on my family when issues arose throughout the year. I had the intention of focus on myself and what I needed and wanted out of life with this word. But really when I think about it, focus on my family is the reason I am still a stay-at-home mom the majority of the time. I was gifted with a wonderful life and family. One that appreciates the gift it is that I am home most days to take care of the little things. Perhaps my thoughts on my success with focus were a little flawed, My focus was just where it was meant to be last year.

    Happy New Year! Be safe.

     

  • Around home - Blog - Crafts

    T Tuesday: Christmas wrap(up) edition

    Welcome to the very last T stands for Tuesday of 2015.

    T Tuesday : Christmas wrap(up) edition | Halle's Hobbies

    We had a lovely Christmas with family. We had my mom over for a big meal at noon. Then I started cooking again for brunch the next day. Getting everything prepped so I’d have an easy morning. We played a board game then watched Home Alone. By that time, I was so exhausted that I told everyone that they had to go to bed otherwise Santa was skipping our house.  😉

    Christmas morning brunch with Mr. G’s side of the family was great…all the hard work the previous day payed off.

    I have to show you the gift Mini-me put together for her brother…

    T Tuesday : Christmas wrap(up) edition | Halle's Hobbies

    She bought him a gift card but wanted a clever way to give it. She used a photo from Pinterest as inspiration. She thought a Mountain Dew reindeer was needed as well.

    T Tuesday : Christmas wrap(up) edition | Halle's Hobbies

    So darn cute. There is a kit-kat bar under the gift card. Good thing Santa put new toothbrushes in their stockings!!

    T Tuesday : Christmas wrap(up) edition | Halle's Hobbies

    Big J bought his sister this cute mug and a Minnesota Vikings T shirt. Skol Vikings!

    I did make one additional Christmas card this past week.

    Christmas card | Halle's Hobbies

    I tried out my new water color brush marker to give some dimension.

    Today we’ll be shoveling snow and baking a cake for Mini-me’s birthday tomorrow. 13…I can hardly believe it! Now I’ll have two teenagers in the house.

    I am also giving some thought to my 2016 word of the year as well as reflecting on 2015.

    What are you doing today?

  • Art - Blog

    Time warp journal

    After a little post-Christmas cleanup, I rediscovered my worktable. Sad but true…it had been buried under things I was setting there “just for the moment”. I should know that means weeks around the holidays.

    Never being one to leave an open space open for along…I grabbed my Gypsy journal and began this new journal page.

    time warp journal | Halle's Hobbies

    I used some of my favorite techniques. They are my go-to whenever I’m feeling the creative bent but not knowing the direction I’d like to go.

    My go-to formula is drywall tape for the background, a focal image of a person and found text to end it off.

    time warp journal | Halle's Hobbies

    I really enjoy creating little tales such as this one. Even though it may not make any sense to others…it makes me smile none the less.

    Do you have go-to techniques that are seen in your work over and over? I used to think this was a bad thing as I wasn’t growing artistically. I now see that that for me, using similar techniques over and over actually help me grow creatively.

    What is your favorite technique?

    ***I’m linking up with Art Journal Journey today with my time warp journal collage. ***