settlers peace

Creative Fuel

The invitations were ordered, received and ready to mail, senior photo shoot this weekend and prom plans made! So what else have I been up to?

• A little bit of this and that. I made a top with the Schoolhouse Tunic pattern, love it and hope to make more!
• Devoured the book by Jenny Lawson, "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" and laughed until my sides hurt. The fact that the first 100 pages were like a flashback for me, made me feel kindred in some twisted way, I guess to say that all of those memories, while seeming so absurd at the time, actually make us who we are, and they're pretty darn-good stories to tell once you make it out the other side!
  
• Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon is an awesome read, especially with all of the Pinterest sharing going on. I've found myself withholding my creations afraid to really let it out into the world. Then in the end have to ask myself "What if we give it away?" and I have to answer, it's just too hard to hold onto, let it go.
  

• I'm feeling very inspired by old blocks, patterns and fabric, and wondering how to make something old new again. The mind churns......

Oh my goodness! I've been trying to learn to post from my new iPad, and have been having an issue of them disappearing when I hit a wrong button, and I just found them!!!! So exciting! Now maybe I can attempt to be more consistent. Hope that your weekend is full of wonderful discoveries as well!

 

For the Love of Pinterest

How do I love thee, let me count the ways......

Yes, it is that bad, I even have the app on my phone.  It has been a constant source of inspiration and distraction from my loss of time in the sewing room.  S.  is recovering quite nicely and has regained almost all of her independence, given that each arm still has a cast or a brace.

It seems that I passed the Pinterest addiction to both of the girls, too.  O. has been pinning things left and right, an interesting insight into the thoughts of a college girl.  She had even given in to the crafting bug because of Pinterest, for a moment.

She had grand ideas of going into production of key fobs, but that seems to have dissipated.  I enjoyed having her ooh and ahh over my stash for the time that she was up there though.  I bet she'll be back before long, how can she not find something else to make on Pinterest?

Another reason I love that site, well, I get to 'pin' all kinds of things for all kinds of reasons, my own reasons.  And sometimes it is something that I really want, enough to give it is own board.  And then there are people in your life that are observant enough to notice the fact and take action on it.

Yesterday I had a mysterious package in the mail from a bead company, and inside....

This amazing, tiny work of art.  I'm still giddy from the surprise gift, such a treat.  Thanks, Kathy, much love and hugs coming your way!

So, do you 'pin'?  Come on, join the masses, it's like a magazine in your computer every day, with just the parts you want.

Lunch with Andy

Today I fell in love.

I've been delivering meals to shut-ins for a few months now.  I don't have a regular route but I fill in as needed a few times a week on any of the various routes in the area.  I've seen parts of town that I didn't know existed, and I've lived here 25 years.  I've met a variety of people and seen every kind of living condition possible.  It seems that some are pure inspiration while others serve as a warning to maintain my health and care for my relationships.

Today I met Andy, a Louisiana cajun to the core, transplanted here many years ago.  He welcomed me into his kitchen, with it's bright green cabinets that he crafted himself so, so very long ago.  We had a good chat going and moved into the only other room in the house that he actually uses-his bedroom/living room.  With the sun streaming in the window and me taking a spot upon the foot of the bed, he shared World War II stories, stories of family, and of recent trips to the grocery store.  I was soaking it all in.

I love a good story, but I was also soaking in his surroundings.  The house was neat-as-a-pin, with hand crafted goodness all around.  The bed was made with a quilt, a crotched afghan laid across the foot with homemade toss pillows at the head.  His late wife's sewing machine as his nightstand.  It simply spoke volumes to me of the cherished life that they had shared together.  Happy with the many ways he's been blessed in life, he gave me a tour of the home, making sure to note that when they moved in 60 years ago, the only thing they brought to their new home was a toothpick!  Now tiger oak cabinets sit full of crystal and old velvet pillows from the 60's line the sofa in the front room.  The Christmas tree stands sheltered by plastic, ready to glow in the main window come December.  He announces that he'll be 95 come tree lighting time, and I sure hope he makes it.  It was hard to leave, but with an extended invitation to return for more stories and chat, I'm already ready to go back.  

My heart is full.  

 

Cold Play

Snow began falling this morning, temperatures dropping, and all is quiet around here. D. took the girls to the local lake-dam to slide down the hill, that's as good as it gets around here.  I, on the other hand, had some fun of my own kind in the snow.

I only wish that I had gone out earlier and bundled up more.  Now that I'm back in and warm, I'm even more inspired, maybe the snow will hang around a bit tomorrow. 

 

Tangled Inspiration

This weekend I found my self in a Zentangle workshop.  For some reason this came so much easier that basic doodling.  I guess I'm a doodle flunky, I over think it too much.  This is my first attempt at home.

I'm pretty happy to have a use for this journal that I made back in 2003.   It has sat patiently awaiting inspiration to fill the pages, they are small, measuring 2 1/2" x 5 1/2", as size that is not too intimidating.

 

I am also feeling rather inspired by this assortment of journal and quilt goodness from Tuscan Rose.  I made a guess at identifying something on her blog and she awarded me a prize, how cool is that?  I am seriously loving the old quilt blocks and fabric scraps, metal bookplates, and the tags are yummy, yummy colors and prints!  Oh, just what to create????

 Hope all of your tangles are inspiring.

  

Finding Inspiration all around

   

   

 

 

 

 I am taking advantage of the enjoyable weather we are having to get out and about and see what's happening in nature.  Also loving my new mug from Anthropologie full of green tea and a stack of reads.  Ahh, spring, I just love all that you bring!
    

Jump for joy!

I have to laugh at myself sometimes, how much joy I can find in simple adventures.  We were recently shopping at an Anthropology store, which is pure joy to begin with.  After several trips into the backroom to check on something for us, we got to follow her in there!!!  Now I know that the store employees probably don't give much thought to what the storeroom and the trek there looks like, they see it everyday, but me?  My eyes were popping out of my head, wheels spinning, oh yeah, the bulletin board for employee notes-gorgeous, the lockers-precious, stacks of linens and inventory to make one drool.  We finally rounded the corner with the store displays piled high, and a ladder for us to climb, my heart almost skipped a beat, I tell ya!!!!!!  Turns out that we came out of the storeroom empty handed, but a head full of visions and eye candy to last awhile.

Man, if it were not for the long commute, I think that I'd apply for a seasonal job, just to soak up more inspiration, heck, I'd even be the stocker!

Hope that your day is sprinkled with joyous opportunities!

WooHoo and Laundry

It's that time of year again, oh yeah, school!!!  It's always such a mixed bag of emotions for me, you would think that departure from two pms-ing girls would be all joy, and it is, but there is a certain sense of loneliness that kinda tries to creep in.   But I'm gonna shake it off, there are too many fun things to do and too many cool people to do them with!   And if you allow it, even the color combinations in the laundry piles can be inspiring!  Surely something can be done with this, quilt, journal page, other than, you know, doing laundry........

So the dreams have been big, and so are the piles around me, and if I just have to stop and step over them to be creative, it will be the right choice!  I just haven't done that yet.  

Another Woo Hoo is that Lori has won the two garden inspired quilt books from the last post!

She does such amazing things already, but hopefully these can inspire her somehow.

Well I'm off to tackle tall piles, or maybe leap them in a single bound, if possible!  Surely something more creative than laundry next time!