Too many projects, not enough time.

she/her Living in Japan since 2013. Just doin' some art when I can.

[aurora-winters]

Crafters!

I'm curious what your pin cushions look like. Not just the design, but how they look in-use. I usually place my thimbles and safety pins on top of needles like little accessories. That way they're always there when I need them.

Also, how many of your needles are threaded? I've got 5 somehow...

[impetuousdesigns]

I have a pin cushion for pins and occasionally a needle. My mom bought it from a coworker who makes little things out of traditional African fabrics. If you lean your head to the side a bit, you’ll see that the pincushion looks like a woman!

I also use a magnetic pin… cushion? It is where I keep in-use needles. I don’t have a dedicated crafting area, but I do have kids and a cat. The magnet is useful for finding escaped pins or needles. I just sweep it across the floor to catch anything pointy I may have dropped!

[impetuousdesigns]

Fancy fox shrinky dinks to pass the rainy afternoon

⬆️Before (left) and after (right) shrinking

⬇️Nighttime fox turned out really cool

[impetuousdesigns]

Doing some repairs

…well, trying to do some repairs, but Eva is helping.

[impetuousdesigns]

Item: A Set of Dice Rarity: ⏶ Common

Do you consider yourself a lucky person when playing?

Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.

I’m a magnet for natural ones.

[impetuousdesigns]

Ha. That’s enough.

[impetuousdesigns]

I used this series of study books for N2 years ago, and I found them very helpful at the time. Kanji, vocabulary, grammar, there are books for each. When I moved on to N1, I got the same series again. Before study was interrupted by life, I was feeling frustrated by the style of these books: lists of things to memorize and a couple questions all designed to be completed on ONE DAY?!

Then at the end of the week there’s a review quiz.

I remember getting to the end of the week of pages and then feeling like nothing had stuck from day to day. I could rarely even complete “one day” of study on one actual day. I slogged through to almost the end of the book, but then I felt I couldn’t dedicate enough time to studying to be able to take N1.

Then! 2026 arrived and I renewed my goal!! Since I’ve already bought to books, I want to keep studying with them, but I feel like I need some inspiration for making this slog less of a slog. How would you spice up studying using these books?

[impetuousdesigns]

Fun little two-day project: a watercolor and embroidery diptych!

[impetuousdesigns]

Found this photo of colored pencil drawings I did of my aunt's cats a couple years ago!

[impetuousdesigns]

So many small holes in my fitted sheet, so I’m trying to repair it in a pretty way that’ll match the other sheets. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun!

Oh, how did the holes get there? This darned cat.

[impetuousdesigns]

I’m sure new holes will one day be opened in my fitted sheet, so for now it just has a scattered smattering of embroidered repairs, and they’re pretty cute 😊

[impetuousdesigns]

So many small holes in my fitted sheet, so I’m trying to repair it in a pretty way that’ll match the other sheets. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun!

Oh, how did the holes get there? This darned cat.

[impetuousdesigns]

My kid asked me to make her a “fancy ice skating shirt,” so I did. I took apart an old haori (jacket worn over a kimono) and turned it into… something magnificent?

[impetuousdesigns]

Finally went ice skating!

[impetuousdesigns]

Used up some of the scraps and some of the stash on this heart pillow the kid requested! She chose how to divide up the sections of the heart and which fabrics to use, and she sewed all the seams on the right-hand half of the heart.

While trying to lay out the back fabric, of course Eva had to get involved!

[impetuousdesigns]

Been splitting my time between a lot of projects lately, but today I got back to the tiny, clay, fox medallions. Had some snow over the weekend, which inspired these grey foxes in the snow.

[impetuousdesigns]

My kid has been asking for a Tamagotchi, so I made this. 😂

I used polymer clay and pressed a space into it with the bottom of my cinnamon shaker. I put the little unicorn person (oni?) and glitter in then filled the space with resin. I slid a paperclip in the top while the clay was soft, because that was the best solution for attaching a strap.

I’m pretty pleased with how cute it turned out 😊

[impetuousdesigns]

I looked and looked for a frame that would work, but none of the triptych frames I found were the right size. So, I made a dinky one! The individual embroidery pieces are stretched around little frames I made that can be popped in or out of the bigger frame.

The base fabric for these embroideries was a bit weak, so it pulled in some places. I didn’t notice when it was in the embroidery hoop. 😢Too late to really do anything now, and I also just made this for myself anyway, so there!

[impetuousdesigns]

I did a bunch of tests on fabric last year: embroidery, appliqué, stamping, and more! I accumulated these little “sketchbook” ideas and wondered what to do with them. Aha! I needed a new kotatsu (heated table) blanket, so I pieced the fabric sketchbook pages together. Great success! And the kitty likes it.

[impetuousdesigns]

My kid is obsessed with this little Furblet (new generation of Furby) and asked me to draw it then also wanted to make an Aquabeads version. We didn’t have the exact colors on hand, but we did our best!

(She has decorated her Furblet’s ears with “earring stickers”)