winter update 2020

Happy New Year! I hope your year is full of wonderful goodness. I have been busy crocheting some orders for my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet. I have also been making some paintings and collages. Do you have any goals for the new year? Or any wishes? Please let me know in the comments. Ciao!

Blue Mood/Winter Blue

December 2019

One of our hyacinth macaw babies!

Feather Blitz

January 2020

Spring 2019 update

It's mostly been a cold, rainy spring here in New Jersey. We have had a few nice days, though. I went to the park one day to read and write in my journal. It was fun! 

Our baby birds have gotten so big! In exactly one year and a day, we had six babies. That's virtually unheard of for hyacinth macaws. We feel incredibly blessed. 

Speaking of blessings, my dad finally helped me get a book shelf in my bedroom. Finally! Now I can display some of my books, which makes it much easier to peruse my collection than if they were in boxes. Can you tell I love books?

I've still been crocheting up a storm and making art, of course. I made a few paintings this month. I also crocheted a bunch of cat beds, a mason jar cozy, a headband, and some other items. 

It would mean a lot to me if you would check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet, where I sell some of the items I crochet. I also accept crochet commissions. Thank you!

March 2019 update!

     Hello, mates! It's the early morning here in New Jersey. I'm awake so that I can feed the baby birds. I figured now is as good of a time as any to update my blog. 
     Last week, I was able to make some art! I made six pieces of art on canvas or cardboard and three pieces of art on 4" x 6" postcards. I was so happy to finally be able to make some art! I'll share some pictures of my art below. Please don't forget that I am @EricaBerrie Instagram. I share more of my art, crochet projects, etc on there.
     I've also been crocheting a bit. Recently, I've made an ear warmer, a wreath (for a customer), and two hats. I also worked on the granny square lap blanket I had started back on Christmas day at my cousins' house. I love having at least one large, easy crochet project going at any given time. If you're interested in buying any of my crocheted goods or commissioning me to crochet something for you, please check out my Etsy shop, Green Owl Crochet. Thank you! 

One of the hats I made! March 22, 2019

Bermuda Circles (mixed-media on canvas)

Angelina and Erica March 2019

Tanager Senna (mixed-media on cardboard)

Yes!! (mixed-media on canvas)

crocheted motifs, oh how I love thee! (February 2016 update)

I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day. I exchanged gifts with two of my friends to celebrate. Alas, because of the post office being sluggish, I didn't get my gifts before the holiday. That's okay, though! I can be patient (sometimes). I also exchanged Valentine's day cards with people from my postcard exchange club and some of my pen pals.

I've been crocheting a fair amount of motifs. I love to crochet them! Do I have a use for them? Not usually. But they are fast, fun, and easy. What's not to love? 

I made two paintings last week. I also started on another one. It felt good to whip out my acrylic paints again. I so rarely paint. I really should do it more often.

November Excitement!

If you know anything about my life, the title of this post may seem like somewhat of a misnomer. However, despite the limitations imposed on me by my disabilities, I'm finding ways to have fun and to be connected with my community, friends, and the world in general. And I think this is exciting! 

Of course, I've been keeping up with crocheting and mail art. Recently, I made an autumn wreath, a cowl, an ear warmer, and a chicken sweater. The chicken sweater is for a chicken rescue in the UK, but the rest of the items I got paid for (yay!). Also, I've been writing letters, keeping my journal current, and writing a few poems. Outside of my usual home life, I've been going to support groups, doing volunteer ESL tutoring, going to church activities, taking a Spanish class, volunteering at an animal shelter, and doing yoga.

Enjoy the pictures of a recent piece of mail art, a jar cozy, and the autumn wreath!

June 2015 Update

I know, I know... I've been neglecting this blog. Nonetheless, I've been making mail art and crocheting a lot lately. I've mostly been making postcards while at the cafe in the bookstore or otherwise away from my studio area. As a result, I have limited materials. I'll include a picture of what my "art on-the-go" kit looks like. I have two pouches I carry around with me: one pouch has just papers (scrapbooking papers, random ephemera, etc) and the other pouch has some random supplies like a glue stick, some markers, etc. As for crocheting, I recently made two guerilla art pieces that incorporate crochet: a mason jar cozy and a rock cozy. I'll include pictures of both projects. Have a good summer, all! Cheers!

July art & a poem!

I've been crocheting a lot, but haven't really been making as much art as I'd like. Here are some pictures of the mail art I have made. Also, I'm including a picture of my mom holding my first-ever blanket! It's a yellow baby blanket made with a simple V-stitch. Also, here's a poem a wrote at the beginning of July:


Stumble

Laying in the grass,

my head on your belly,

I gaze at the sky.

We talk about what

it means to be

fully alive.

I don't want to merely glide

through conventional motions,

I say as I watch a heart-shaped

cloud pass by.

I want to stumble on a

path that is my own,

then rise, slightly bruised,

but better.  

two playful spreads

Here are two spreads I created yesterday. Mostly, I was simply experimenting with the rubber stamps, chalks, and ribbon I bought recently. It was fun to just play and not worry about the outcome. By the way, I did one spread in my small, spiral-bound sketchbook and the other one in my larger, bound sketchbook. I used brush-tipped markers, rubber stamps, ink, buttons, glue, chalks, and ribbon.Good times!