To recap, in January I decided to try my hand creating digital papers for junk journals. I originally thought I would use Canva - the software that many Etsy sellers use. It's easy to figure out, but it's also very limited in its clip art unless you pay for the premium version. I decided it was much easier to create my own designs using Procreate on my iPad. After a month, I decided it's even easier just to buy a kit from the Etsy sellers. Most junk journal kits only cost a couple dollars.
In February, I checked out a book from the library on crochet patterns. I originally thought I'd look for an interesting stitch or two to make a new afghan. Instead, I ended up making a 10 ft long scarf with 36 different patterns. That was a really interesting challenge - just perfect for those cold February days. But I never did follow through on picking one pattern to make an afghan. Maybe next year.
In March, I went back to Procreate on my iPad and wrote a graphic novel based on a Coding Critter called, Blazer the Dragon. I renamed the dragon, Ruby, (because there are no female dragons in fairy tales) and wrote a story about how she saved the town from the attacking googlins with her marshmallow catapult. It was cute and very fun to draw since all of the characters were totally imaginary.
I ended up giving the book and the coding set to Hazel for her 5th birthday. Getting Ruby, the dragon, to run through her tricks was a bit underwhelming for Hazel (she figured out how to work the remote in about 2 seconds), but launching marshmallows into her sister's mouth with the catapult was a much bigger thrill.
In April, I found a book at the library on gluten-free baking. My first attempts were successful in that the baked goods came out looking like the picture. But the trouble was the taste. Taking the gluten out of a baked good takes away all the flavor (unless you call cardboard a flavor). I finally found a recipe that I liked - a breakfast cookie made out of cinnamon, raisins, and almond flour. It used butter and maple syrup to hold everything together. I'm not really sure if that's "healthier" than plain old muffins or bagels made out of wheat flour and eggs.
May's challenge was to work on my long-distance biking. I tend to bike 3-4 times a week, but I just can't seem to ride farther than 20 miles. Part of the problem is the terrain in Colorado (extremely hilly). Unfortunately, another part of the problem is probably just age. But I did manage to complete some fairly strenuous bucket rides by the end of the summer and pushed my range up to 26 miles on my regular bike and 32 miles on my eBike.
In June, I spent some time fooling around with my watercolor paints. I have a very tiny palette that I carry everywhere with me (including on bike rides). It holds 12 different colors that I frequently swap in and out to fit the seasons. Theoretically according to color theory, I could limit myself to 3 or 4 paints and just mix up any colors I want, but it's much easier to just dip into a ready-made green, purple, or orange, rather than trying to mix up colors from a set of primaries (especially when you're sitting out in the hot sun or the cold wind).
In July, I joined a high protein fitness challenge. This was another effort to improve my biking endurance. I started making Greek yogurt protein smoothies for breakfast, and I'll admit that they seemed to keep me full a lot longer than the oatmeal breakfasts I'd been having. But just like the gluten-free challenge, not all the recipes were appealing, especially the one implying that cottage cheese and chocolate protein powder tasted just like ice cream. It doesn't even look appetizing.
In August, I took a class on Nature Journaling. That was a lot of fun, and with phone apps, you can discover the name of just about any plant based on a photo of its leaf or flower. The only trouble with nature sketching is that you have to really get up close to see the details on the item you are trying to draw. That's not always easy to do, and it's especially tricky if there are bees buzzing around.
I devoted September to bike maintenance. This was partly because I broke the gear cable on my bike and it needed to be replaced. This wasn't really that difficult, but it did take me a long time going back and forth between the YouTube how-to video on my computer to the bike stand in the basement. I also spent a little time working on my eBike's brakes. Most eBikes come with hydraulic brakes, which are supposed to be more efficient, but they squeal like crazy. Supposedly, cleaning them with alcohol should eliminate the squeal, but it didn't work for me. I finally just swapped the front and rear pads, and that seemed to do the trick. Hopefully, both bikes will just keep working, but given the age of my regular bike, I'm not too confident that it won't have more problems.
In October, I always get out my fountain pens, because October is nicknamed Inktober in the Urban Sketching world. But like usual, I didn't stick with pen & ink sketching too long, because I much prefer adding watercolor to my drawings. In pen & ink sketching, you're supposed to add shading to your drawings with crosshatching, rather than dark paint. I did, however, try to add more detail and vary the line width in my initial sketches. Then, I took a class in calligraphy from the Parker Arts Center later in the month.
In November, I found an online class in fabric books. I really enjoyed it. We started out with off-white muslin squares, and every day we would manipulate the fabric in some way - either painting, stenciling, sewing, etc. At the end of the 30 days, we bound them together into a book. Sometimes it was a little frustrating waiting for the next day's lesson, but on the other hand, I might have skipped one or two of them if I'd had them all at once.
My final challenge in December was to learn how to play the game Roblox. Roblox is an online game platform where users create their own 3D experiences or play ones created by other users. It's extremely popular with kids, especially my nephew, Lincoln. Well for me, it was a total disaster. First off, I tried the game, Expedition Antarctica. All you had to do was move your little character to several different base stations until you made your way to the South Pole. I couldn't even make it to the first station, because I kept falling off the icebergs into the water. Evidently, you aren't allowed to swim underwater to the station. I was trying to use a trackball on my iPad, like Lincoln does, but I couldn't run and jump at the same time. Then I switched to an "easier" game called, Adopt a Pet. Again, I never could find the pet store. I just kept running into other players' houses. So much for that challenge. But overall, I think it was fun trying new things each month, so I think I'll continue in 2025. Maybe Goldie will have something simple I can try out on my iPad.
