Back In The Loop October 2023 Catchup Over Coffee
October Adventures: A Trip Out of Town, Crafting through a Broken Ankle and learning how to accept help when you need it!!
October is a month that brings about the beauty of autumn with its falling leaves and cozy vibes. This October, however, was a rollercoaster of events for me. It started with a trip out of town, thrift shopping with a friend, blogging, rug hooking and culminated in a fall that resulted in a broken ankle. Despite these challenges, I managed to find silver linings in the form of creative pursuits and crafts that kept me occupied while I couldn’t move around much. In this blog post, I’ll share the highlights of my October, complete with pictures of some of the projects I completed during my downtime.
A Trip Out of Town – Kamloops BC
My October adventure began with a long drive through the magnificent Rocky Mountains. The scenic route had its share of awe-inspiring scenery, lots of road construction and more than a few bear sightings (not able to stop and get pictures unfortunately). I was very happy to arrive safely at my destination.
The Fall that Led to a Broken Ankle
After a fun filled day of shopping with a friend and lots of laughs and great vintage finds. I carelessly missed the first step on the way out of her backdoor and as the saying goes “the first step’s a killer”. The pain was excruciating, and suddenly, my mobility was severely limited due to a broken ankle. My wonderful friends and family have ensured I am well looked after. Everything from buying groceries, dropping off meals, staying overnight to ensure I can maneuver on crutches and a cast, to checking on me daily to see if I am okay. I have a follow up x-ray next week to see if I need surgery – fingers crossed that I do not.
Being stuck at home with a broken ankle is frustrating, to say the least. I can’t indulge in one of my favorite pastimes, which of course is thrift and vintage shopping. If you have been following the blog you know that I usually post weekly a ThriftyTreasures Thursday (link to the last one), so for the next couple of Thursdays I am going to revisit some older posts that I think you might find interesting like this one which has links to a previous year of crafty challenges I did with my friend Amelia (You Can Always Start Now).
Crafting Through the Downtime
Since I have limited mobility, crafting is always a wonderful way to keep spirits high and my mind engaged while being immobile. I completed a few projects that had been on my to-do list. Here are a few highlights:
Handmade Greeting Cards: I am still crafting some greeting cards and am concentrating on Christmas. I have decided to make a few of them available for download. I invite you to take a look. Digital downloads.
Rug Hooking – I finally finished the ballet slippers and made a musical note mug rug (coaster) and my version of the Ukrainian flag (both musical note and flag need to be whip stitched – happening soon). The note and flag are going to be gifted at Christmas.
I had mentioned in a previous post that I was working on some car air fresheners. These are my prototypes. I am still trying to decide if I should add the scent to them or make them an “add your own scent” – basically you can add whatever oil or spray you want (so long as it is a clear oil or spray) and then reapply as needed versus me adding the scent and when it fades the freshener would no longer be useful…..hmmmm what’s your advice?
I also squeezed in time to make a cute t-shirt for an upcoming birthday boy and some Santa gift tags. I saw the gift tags at Crafty Morning and decided to make a similar version – I love the belt buckle (tab from a pop can).
In one of my past thrift hauls I got these vintage crocheted doilies – when I saw them my mind immediately thought wow they would look great dyed black and used for halloween – spiderwebs perhaps? What are your thoughts?
Despite it all October was a good month – while I couldn’t thrift shop, I found solace in help from my family and friends and crafting, which always keeps my spirits high.
This month served as a reminder that life can throw unexpected twists and turns our way, but it’s our response to these challenges that defines us. Sometimes, it’s the moments when we’re forced to slow down that we find the time and inspiration to unleash our creativity. As October comes to a close, I am grateful for the lessons learned and the beautiful projects I had to show for it.
Oh yeah and I’m binge watching CSI:Las Vegas (back to the beginning) 🙂 Any suggestions on binge worthy shows?
Here are a few freebies that were offered on the blog – I invite you to take a look and please download (free) if any of them intrigue you.
You certainly did make the most of your forced stay at home. Looks like great projects completed.