I wasn’t planning to have this piece finished this week, but as I was working on another piece for The Afterglow Collection, I realized I had enough time and energy to put together one last cherry blossom piece for the season.

For the last few months I’ve largely been focused on crafting the smaller, less complicated pieces that are part of my repertoire – and for my production grant through Creative Saskatchewan. I’ve gotten through a great deal of lapel pins, bobby pin pairs and hair clip pairs, and started my way through small and medium fascinators. There’s still a lot left to complete, but it feels good to take a step forward and work on something that requires a bit more from me.

In a way, the process of working through increasingly more difficult projects mirrors the way that my recovery from cancer has been going; my energy and creativity didn’t come back all at once, but has been returning at a slow and steady rate over the last year.

While this piece isn’t hugely complicated or time consuming, like last week’s effort, it’s beautiful in its relative simplicity. And it’s not a set back in the aforementioned progression to more difficult pieces; it was a strategic choice. I was planning to start another big project, but then I got the opportunity to attend a convention the first weekend of May – and decided to try and wrap up some of the smaller pieces. Smaller pieces tend to sell better, and I wanted to have an abundance of new pieces for this show since the last one I went to I was not as prepared as I wanted to be.

That said, it might be a good time to announce that I’ll be appearing at Pop Con YXE  next weekend – booth 334 in the artist’s alley.

I wasn’t sure I’d be attending Pop Con YXE (formerly Sask Expo) this year. I had so much on my plate at the beginning of the year that I didn’t actually sign up for this convention during the normal application period. Big thanks to Eva with Prairieland Park for responding so quickly to my email last weekend inquiring if there might be a space still available for me.

I also hope to be at Ganbatte Con this year, which I did actually sign up for – though I haven’t heard back from them yet. But, these will most likely be the only two events I attend this year.

I was hoping to complete several outfits for the Saskatchewan Wearable Art Gala this year, but I’m not feeling so good about my chances now. The pieces for the Wearable Art Gala are actually part of my production grant – but pressure is pressure. It’s April already, and I still have quite a few small pieces left to complete for my production grant.  Even if it’s just in my head, and the work needs to get done before February of next year anyway, I’d rather not put the pressure of another deadline on top of that.

Anyhoo, that is all I’ve got for today. I hope to see you guys again next week at Pop Con YXE – otherwise, be sure to check the blog against next week for more crafty, whimsical art projects!

If you like this set and want to see more of my work in the future, be sure to join the Mailing List to get notified whenever an update is posted. You can also follow me on Instagram and check out my Youtube for videos showing my crafting process, travel, shopping, and gaming. 🙂 Check back here again next week for more crafty projects, and at the end of the month when this set and more will be dropping into the Shop!