Cicada Summer

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 minimal – even the reading has sputtered to a very slow pace. BUT I have spent time on a couple less involved activities that give an inkling of the same sense of accomplishment and growth as crafts. The first is these Art on the Square pages from a gift subscription of Games World of Puzzles. One doesn’t have to think about art principles when doing these which during busy times is a relief.

Dragon Result of Art on the Square

I would have thought this is the Loch Ness monster but there is a dragon in the sky so I’m going with Dragon Taking a Bath. This was done in pencil but I was encouraged to step it up a notch and I used ink for the next couple.

Art on the Square in Ink, Incomplete

What could it be?

Pegasus Result of Art on the Square

A Pegasus of course! I liked the ink, in some areas like the background it gives a freer approach and that comes through with the final result. No safety net of erasing. I just started the third one and I have a feline feeling for it. This has been a great exercise in trying to see negative space.

Current Ongoing Art on the Square

Another low bandwidth activity that gives a hint of creativity/craftiness is collaging with stickers.

Sticker Collage Books

I remembered these sticker books during Craft Room Inventory 2023. And they have come in handy as a diversion during stressful times. Each page takes about 45 minutes to an hour.

Mariana Trench Sticker Collage

One of my favorite pages from the Ocean book.

Vatican Museums Sticker Collage

The Museum book is in progress so I am not sure if this will be my favorite at the end.

Looking at these pictures gives me a very happy feeling – other positives to these activities are that they are very portable, especially the sticker books and can be used as conversation starters or the actual activity can be shared between people. I am not a craft/creative snob and I think activities like these have much value.

Speaking of portability, the project I presented last time – the medallion – is the opposite, not very portable. Progress has been slow as medallion painting has finished and now its frame and mounting is being slowly worked. It is going well and the goal is to finish and have it at PlanetNiceOdyssey@Etsy by October.

Medallion, Final Paint

I am thrilled at the result. I am still deciding the best background color for the mounting frame. The color study had a grayish beige/greige/mushroom – which I am sure would be fine, I’ll have to revisit.

PlanetNiceOdyssey@Etsy had quite a bit of activity and then has also been on auto-pilot. Before the schedule upheaval, I gave in and created little product videos for each of the listings. I have never thought myself as TikTok-like material but when you are trying to sell, I guess your comfort zone is forced to expand. The videos must have satisfied the Etsy algorithm because soon after, there was a big purchase of the bean bag chair cover that I created in 2019 and documented throughout on the blog – the buyer also purchased the remaining fabric. I am so pleased that I am looking forward to PlanetNiceOdyseey@Etsy’s anniversary in October and I deem it already as a success.

I’m sorry I don’t have more but I hope you have had good adventures. Enjoy the start of Summer! Drop me a line anytime at planetnicecrafts@gmail.com or in the comments below. The response time is erratic but it does happen!