So I was expecting March to be so much less hectic and stressful than February since the grant I administer closed on Feb. 28th. Silly me! I only had to oversee the final programs, write final reports and close out all the finances. In addition, I'm seeking other funding sources to keep the coalition moving while recruiting new partners.
Although many of the partners are helpful, nobody knows the ins and outs of the partnership the way I do. That's partly my fault for letting people slide without being able to speak about the group the way they should. That left me with another overwhelming, chaotic, rushed month. I'm excited and hopeful about the future of the community because of the way things are going, but I cannot continue to be the only one responsible for keeping it together.
I need a personal life that's not squeezed into the few minutes I have between sleep and a 60-hour work week. However, did manage to go out a few times, and I completed the March BJP during the month of March! I was worried that I would get off track early in the year like I did last year. All the chaos of my month must have sparked some creativity as well. Trying to express what I feel couldn't be done with beads alone, so I ended up with embellishments and writing on my piece, too. I liked the process and the end result.
This is definitely more complicated and not as "safe" as the first two. Let me know what you think!
This has been one hectic month! I mentioned before about all the traveling I'm doing for work. I still have one more conference next week. And being in Baltimore with all of the snow was interesting. I've never seen that much snow! Even when it wasn't actually snowing, the wind blew the top layer so hard that it was like getting your face sandblasted! Needless to say, the conference goers were pretty much snowed into the hotel when workshops weren't going on. However, Gaylord National is huge with several restaurants and things to do, so we weren't bored.
I managed to pack everything into two carry-on bags like I wanted so I was trav'lin' light!
In addition to traveling, the grant that I administer ends this month, so I am in charge of encumbering all funds by the 26th that we plan to expend. The local government is the fiscal agent, so there is all kinds of red tape in order to make it happen, plus all the documentation. STRESS! But I'm still making time to be creative.
Even though I like my February BJP, it feels too safe. I'm on the edge of a creative epiphany, but I don't know what it will take to push me over. Maybe when I can slow down at work next month, it will hit me.
I am so glad I chose a smaller canvas this time around!
After all the snow this past weekend and the snow that's predicted for this weekend, I am soooo ready for spring. I like cool weather, but I'm more of a Fall or Spring girl. Winter is not my thing. So this month's theme is partly about being ready for next season...
I'm attending 3 conferences over the next few weeks - two next week and one the last week of the month. Who goes to two conferences in one week? I hate checking luggage, so I have to pack enough into the carry-on so that I have what I need, but I don't go over the weight limit. And I need a big enough "purse" to carry all my other stuff. So I guess I'll be travelin' light!
I've been collecting keys for no reason for the last year or so. When I change a lock or get a new "art" key, I keep the old ones in my scrap craft drawer. I've kept other people's keys when they were going to get rid of them. At work, there was a whole box of leftover keys from doors, cars, bikes and other things and I went through them to find odd shaped or odd sized keys and put them in my collection as well!
Well, I have found a use for them. They are the basis for my theme for the year: unlocking my creativity. Each month I will have a theme that deals with "the key" to some lesson I'm learning or "unlocking" something I need to let go of and I'm going to use at least one of the keys I've been racking up.
January's theme is the same as the overall year: unlocking my creativity and I used a master key.
Last year I chose the size of a cd. It ended up being too much and I didn't finish. I decided I like the circle shape, but this year they are just under 4 inches across. I think I can handle that! I like to use a lot of seed beads, so I need to go smaller if this is going to be fun and not just one more thing on my "to do" list.
I finished my January BJP piece this weekend. I'm not sure if we're allowed to post pics, yet, so I'll wait for the rules. I can't remember if we shouldn't post at all or shouldn't post to the main blogs for the first three months. Anyway, I'm just so happy with the way it turned out and I can't wait to start on February!
Although many of the partners are helpful, nobody knows the ins and outs of the partnership the way I do. That's partly my fault for letting people slide without being able to speak about the group the way they should. That left me with another overwhelming, chaotic, rushed month. I'm excited and hopeful about the future of the community because of the way things are going, but I cannot continue to be the only one responsible for keeping it together. 
