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Happy Juneteenth and Summer

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I hope everyone is well and ready for some HEAT. Temperatures are soaring. Which means tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and melons will just burst forth in growth. We had a nice Spring in the Chicago area – a little coolish so it’ll be good to get things growing. With the warming temperatures come allergies, my nose has been sore for about a month now or I don’t know maybe longer. It’s not too horrible and I am able to sleep well at night with NyQuil Cold and Flu – powerful stuff and only one dose is required. Warm weather had brought on seasonal cleaning activities. The winter coats, hats, scarves, mittens, gloves, comforters, and other blankets are laundered and stored. The garage is partially swept. The bike is slowly coming together. Condo association meetings are occurring regularly. Review of contracts and other documents to bring change are progressing as fast as my bandwidth can manage. Good thing is that a few hours were carved out to finish sewing the purple top. The finis...
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Spring has Sprung

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There are flowers blooming, birds chirping, and quite a bit of craft time.  Each of the snowmen and the battle gnome had their wash paint completed and glaze (Woodland Scenics’ Scenic Cement ™ ) and glitter applied. Here are the final project photos, no more words required. Another project has been re-started. This purple linen top was originally sewn by me to go with the purple linen pants that were altered in Consistency! (November 12, 2021 – I can’t believe it has been that long).  The Before Photo The pants went from unused to being a wardrobe staple. I was trying to do a repeat with this top. I don’t remember the origin of the idea to try to make it into a wrap top (the bad thing about infrequent blog posts) – perhaps the voluminous material available? This New Look pattern, N6700, has been my inspiration.  The color is a challenge, its not the best for me and my pale skin but the pants have been a great neutral. Because I wanted a top that is less blah, I have used...
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January Tradition

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Looking back at the blog’s archives, I discovered that a January post has occurred EVERY year since Planet Nice Crafts' inception in 2018 and now 2025 with the 8 th is no different. The holiday season is wrapping up with Lunar New Year in a couple weeks and of course Valentine’s Day next month. We have had a wonderfully cold winter here in the Chicago area. I am completely serious, I much more prefer 20 degrees than 45 but I do have limits, single and negative digits are pushing it. It just feels right to be a little chilly and hopefully with experience and wisdom, I know how to handle it better and better. The sunlight has been spectacular and even now, the longer days are noticeable. On the other end of the emotional spectrum, the pictures of the wildfires in the Los Angeles area give a feeling of horror – thinking a lot about the people who have been affected. In January posts of the past, baking is a major topic and is no different in 2025. There were six fruitcakes, three t...
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To Glitter or not to glitter – that is the Question

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Hello Friends! How are you? Can you believe it is December – where did 2024 go? I finally had enough material and emotional bandwidth to put together a post. There have been several miracles and changes this year and one of them is finishing the medallion and posting on Odyssey@Etsy . Here is the finished piece: Final Medallion Wall Art It was finished in July and required help for the mounting and faux frame. I posted it on Etsy and even entered the Etsy Design Awards but alas we did not receive notice. We did exceed the goal of completion in October. Soon after it was finished, travel was amped up with two weeks overseas in August and three trips in November. Overall, travel was smooth and weather was kind providing nonturbulent skies and dry roads. Today, I just posted on Odyssey@Etsy and @planetnicecrafts on Instagram some photos from a pit stop in Columbus Indiana just south of Indianapolis. A pretty awesome town with a mixture of architecture. I have not posted the photos here ...
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Cicada Summer

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Hello Everyone! I finally had a moment to breathe and do a bit of Photoshop and writing. The reason why you haven’t heard from Planet Nice is that the life schedule has been in upheaval for the past 2-3 months. Here at Planet Nice we are at the whim of the major economic driver (aka full-time employment 😊!) as it supports the Craft blog and PlanetNiceOdyssey@Etsy. So, all I can do is give it my best. We have moved on from the celestial events of the early Spring to cicadas. Lots of them! There has been a background hum since May with some other noise effects thrown in there. I first spotted the actual 17-year cicadas on May 24; I noticed the emergent holes about a week or so earlier. 17-year Cicada in Chicago Area They haven’t been too pesty, it has just been noisy but in a few weeks I think they will have moved on back to the Earth and the annual cicadas will then have a turn. As adjustment to shifting schedules takes mental and physical energy, crafting or any creative time is m...
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