Clayathon 2019 happened this weekend. The plan was to hop in the car early Friday morning, get down there before lunch time, set up my table, and have three full days of productivity and socializing before packing it all back up Monday afternoon and heading home.
Only instead, I came down with a stomach bug Thursday night and was up every few hours being sick. By Friday morning I could do very little more than crawl from bed to bathroom and back again. It wasn’t pretty. So, I spent Friday in bed. Saturday was better. I was able to eat, and I took a shower, but I still spent all day in bed with a fever. Sunday, things were looking up. I even re-unpacked all of my clay stuff and set my work table back up in the dining room. But I was too tired to do anything more than make a single retro cane.
Monday, though… Monday I woke up feeling like myself again. It was glorious. And I had already taken the day off. So Monday became my own personal Clayathon: one day to crank out everything that was on my must-make list for the weekend. It was all of the fun of immersing myself in my craft, but none of the hanging around with friends that I’d been looking forward to. So, it wasn’t ideal, but it was the best I could do with the one day I had.
I did, as it turns out, crank out a lot of work. And I worked all day – first making the pieces, and then sanding, buffing, and otherwise finishing them. And I didn’t do everything I wanted to do. I didn’t make any of the new cane designs I’ve had knocking around my brain. And I didn’t make any new bangle bracelets. But I did fill the orders I needed to fill, and I made a barrette as a gift for my boss, which I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and I made a nice handful of items to put in the shop. They’re there now, if you want to take a peek.
I’ve actually made quite a few improvements to this little shop of mine over the last few weeks, but that probably deserves its own post.
So, what is This Week in Pictures?
It’s a roundup of the microblogging I’ve done on Instagram all week. This includes photos I shot for Project 365 and any other extra images I may have posted.
Photos taken with 📷 (Canon EOS 80D) or 📱 (Samsung Galaxy S7).
Ready? Cast your mind back to this time last week…
Saturday
So glad to be feeling slightly more human today. I got out of bed and took a shower, which is great progress as far as I am concerned.
Sunday
So, the Clayathon is out of the question. I still have a fever. But I had just enough energy today to set up my work table at home, and make one little retro cane. Tomorrow I’ll do something interesting with it.
Monday
.
(In my defense, though, these pieces are all just out of the oven. Nothing is actually finished. There’s still a lot of sanding, buffing, and other finishing tasks ahead…)
I have been a machine today. All of these pieces, 100% finished: sanded, buffed, and ready to be enjoyed. This helps make up for my weekend of being sick, for sure.
Story for Monday
Tuesday
My first cup of coffee since Thursday.
Wednesday
It’s the hundredth day of the year, and the trees are starting to bloom.
Story for Wednesday
Thursday
Some days I don’t wear anything handmade. Other days, like today, it’s all me-made: polymer clay earrings, sewn blouse, and knitted sweater.
Friday
One of the perks of having a kid who works at Starbucks is when you give up your lunch hour to drive him to work, he can give you a free Frappuccino for your trouble. Icy delicious drink, open windows, and Guster on the radio ♥
Thanks for taking a peek at this week’s photos! If you want to see this stuff as it happens, please feel free to follow me on Flickr or Instagram ♥
SAME WEEK PREVIOUS YEARS (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
I really missed you at Clayathon , Lisa. So HaPpY you are feeling better. You got so much done❗🎈🎉
I missed you, too! Looking forward to next year 🙂
Stomach virus!! So happy you are past that and feeling good! Sorry you missed the trip but what a trooper to do your own!!
You and me both! I gotta say, the older I get, the more traumatic stomach bugs feel. Ugh. So glad that’s over. My “personal clayathon” was great for the feeling of being productive, but it definitely missed the social aspects I’ve come to look forward to every year. It’s nice to emerge from my bubble once in a while 😀