Ars Gratia Artis

So my friend Emily and I were discussing 2018 and the plans we have for the coming year. She has a beautiful post on her blog, https://riverandlakedesigns.blogspot.com/2017/11/be-still.html about her motto for the year and it got me thinking about what I want to accomplish during the year. 

One of my biggest issues is that I need to create but I usually look at making something with the idea of whether or not I can sell it, which isn't exactly a bad thing but makes me nervous about trying different crafts, artwork etc. 

So I have decided that my motto for 2018 is ARS GRATIA ARTIS. Art for the sake of art.

 To give myself the OK to just do something because it looks interesting, not just because it looks like it will add to my business or be something I can sell. I get burnt out if I don't try new things, and I am tired of feeling pigeon-holed in not having time to new things. 

So, for 2018 I am going FINALLY use my embroidery machine. The vinyl cutter. Try out the leather carving tools I have. Maybe I'll break out some paints (I'm a *really* bad artist, but that's not the point, right? ha!). Do more coloring with Curly - hey, those adult coloring books are pretty cool! Maybe try a pottery class. Or quilting. Or any of the million other ideas I have in my head of things I'd like to do some day. "Some day" never comes if you don't make time for it, and then you sit there saying, well, I wish I had tried that. 

I am going to remind myself more often that sometimes, it's fun to do something just for the experience of trying it. So that's it, art for the sheer love of creating. 

Thanks, Emily, for making me think on that :) 

Pottery at Work

Recently, I was looking over the checking account, as we do almost daily around here, and I noticed that my spending on breakfast and lunch has definitely gotten worse lately. I thought, hmm. How can I make it easier for me to bring leftovers or sandwiches?

Well, I was reminded that I have beautiful pottery from www.hughespottery.com that I love, and a desk at work where it can be used safely (and the company very nicely provides really nice break rooms, so I can also wash them easily) so I decided to bring a set of dishes in to work. I now have a plate, soup bowl and mug, and a full set of silverware at my desk and the spending has gotten better. It still happens, but it's much easier to bring in leftovers (or soups for my desk) when I know I have a way to eat them.

If anyone ever wondered, yes, it may look silly to eat ramen noodles or PB&J from such beautiful pottery, but it does make it easier to want to use it!

Thanks again to Charlie and Rowan from Hughes Pottery for my gorgeous dishes. I can't wait until I can add to my collection :D

Am I the only crazy one who has dishes at work?

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog! As you can see, I love castles, although I think it's probably good I don't actually live in one!

So, I'm Ascelinne, and I live in the North East with my husband, 3 cats and my 6 year old daughter, whom we'll call Curly. My eldest daughter, Miss B, is 21 and she lives out of state, so we tend to miss her all the time. This blog will hopefully be about all the crafting things I love to do, including crocheting, cross-stitch, sewing and my adventures in using my embroidery machine and my vinyl cutter. I've been making medieval clothing for about as long as my eldest has been alive, so I hope to have some posts that might be of interest to others. I am also trying to get my financial life back under control, so there will be posts about the trials of attempting to make more money and spend less! Anyway, I hope that you can find something of interest here and maybe we can share ideas with each other.