bright spots for which i am thankful

image from my first spiritual zine in the works.

©suzanne l. vinson, 2009.

moments *bright spots* for which i am thankful...

each time i am greeted with a welcomed face.

walking along the sidewalk and glancing the diversity in the ginko leaves.

sipping a cup of hot tea.

reading a good book.

sipping a cup of coffee.

birdsong in the morning.

holding my mug made by the loving hands of julie dean.

thinking of kindred spirits.

seeing kindred spirits.

connecting with another through my art.

loving my son + being loved by my son.

embracing my one-and-only-true-love.

getting a rock star haircut from amazing becky.

catching up with a long-time friend & her family.

setting plans with someone whom i love & admire.

receiving an unexpected letter, hand written.

making + eating gumbo. watching my boys savor the flavors.

giving thanks for our wise women + men. telling them so.

for these bright spots i give thanks. for these cherished moments i give thanks. for the moments yet to come, i ask for openness in receiving them and awareness of their goodness in the moment they arrive.

handmade holiday love [1 of 3]

the final three holiday shows for silver tree art begin this saturday with the 6th annual Ginter Park Holiday Show. come on by! you can also find my wears online in my etsy shop. new wears will be added this week!

gratitude + thanksgiving: abc cards for sharing

An amazing, sweet way of sharing thankfulness provided by a personal blog favorite Inchmark on Design*Sponge's Blog. Enjoy! We'll be printing these and sharing thoughts together. I think I'll create a set for my grandfather, too, during his recovery.

happy. thanks. gratitude. be with you and yours.

creative fall love & inspiration

ages old image that makes me laugh today in a moment

that laughter offers a moment of healing.

these days are the days that my need to sew and knit kicks into full gear. if you've seen my hands at any time, you know that they appreciate being used. you'd know that when my hands are working they are doodling, carving, stitching, loving, chopping, kneading, or gardening. these cool turned colder days where the sky is a shade of gray calls for charcoal gray polish (yes, i love it but am still in search of the perfect shade), earl gray tea (or some other favorite variety), and something warm to work with.

in seeking distraction this morning while my grandfather's recovering from multiple surgeries yesterday, i looked up some great tutorials on one of my favorite sites: Grosgrain. check out this incredible list of scarf tutorials. one of my favorites, #14 could easily translate into a liturgical stole. in fact, i maybe creating one or two. i've had one that's a granny quilt style cut for a few years that hasn't come together. one that i wanted to reflect how our edges, however jagged can fit together and also resemble something of beauty. we'll see. in the meantime, i'm completely inspired by this soul and her sweet attitude of sharing.

clergy friends: picture a collaborative project on a wednesday night or in worship whereby members of your community pick out a piece of cloth that can be placed on a cut fabric using a safety pin, where each person's piece can represent peace, hope, love, healing. something that they release. the possibilities of meaning are endless, really. these scraps of fabric can overlap, but should never fully cover another's. later hands in the community can gather together and stitch the pieces onto the stole or parament. what a visual image of community and coming together. piece work becomes peace work. perhaps a tragedy in the community, betrayal or reconciliation. take the inspiration and incorporate it into your work and ministry. a gift for you. this can work in a family space as well or among friends or other groups.

sew well. sew complete. sew the pieces into wholeness. each moment of our day can offer an opportunity to sew together good wishes, prayers, and attitudes into one warm, rich, loving bundle. today's project will be shared as i create an appliqued shirt from my son. it's richly entrenched with meaning. i find it particularly appropriate that as i applique i pray for and celebrate the man for whom my son is named, adding more meaning and ritual to this shirt.

always: more to come. peace. love. healing. touch. grace. joy. thanks.

it's just that time

it's that time to rest, renew, and reflect. (couldn't resist the alliteration. promise-i'm finished.) this weekend's concert tickets are in hand. my subtle suggestion of dinner at MeKong will be presented to the hubs tomorrow. we'll enjoy this fine fall weather and good food here at home, too. short & sweet words today.

thankful for all who came to the Ashland Trunk Show. we enjoyed ourselves there and i ended up with a new wholesale account. lots of good art & folks to meet. love being around kindred spirits. and i think i had my best display yet. no worries--more to come with three shows in richmond & etsy listings on the way. but not today. or tomorrow. or the next day. this weekend is for me and the family. good times.

it's show time again

music that speaks to my soul

photo courtesy of pierce pettis official site.

oh. it's here. this weekend. saturday. coffee & music for my soul. what is it you ask? why, it's pierce pettis in concert here in RVA, one of my favorite artists to see in show. a fan since college, i'll enjoy all the new tunes and the tunes from years ago. of course, i converted my one-and-only-true-love by taking him to a charlottesville show oh that first year of courting. each time we see pierce i appreciate his music & storytelling more. these are exciting times for our family!

the weekend in photos

what a great turnout for the Holiday Hotcakes show in Baltimore! my goodness. there were so many great artists there. so many kindred spirits in one space.

we enjoyed brunch a.k.a. my all-time-favorite-meal-of-the-day at my favorite spot for just such a meal in Baltimore: Mrs. Shirley's. Yum and yum! these glorious chocolate waffles were among the delicious food we enjoyed. so so good. the day was perfect for outdoor dining!

kacey of Found Studio's online etsy shop holds all sorts of goodness. i love love love her paintings. so beautiful. we have 3 of her tasty bacon ornaments for the tree and egg ornaments to come! kacey's work will be at our richmond holiday hotcakes show december 15th!

ana's hands with her beautiful polish! i love the work that ana puts into her pottery and jewelry. she's a potter, minister, and traveler (among other talents). ana's work will also be in the richmond holiday hotcakes show!

gary's shadow boxes are simply amazing. the boxes are constructed of old door frames and each box carries a story. i love looking into these and getting caught in a dream of the story. his photography is awesome, as one graces my happy studio. his work can be purchased from Red Tree Baltimore where gary will greet you with the best of smiles. one of these will be mine very, very soon. we hope to have a few of these at the richmond holiday hotcakes show as well!

my concentric table circles captured. i love these and they received so many compliments. had to share this image, which i truly enjoy. this great program is called ShakeItPhoto for iphone. thanks to sarah of the small object for posting about this app! i've been wanting something fauxlariod (in the spirit of polariod) and i like this program better than the other i downloaded.

new celebration circle ornaments available through the holidays to meet my blessing birdie ornaments. love, love these and the meaning that goes into the pockets on the opposite side as pictured. soon to come in my etsy shop.

and the quilt is complete. i left her with her new happy owners. she was fun to work on this past year. i have ideas for some lap quilts that i'll do next, modeled after one that my grandmother made for me years and years and years ago (okay, so i was in high school). still a few years ago.

more to come this week as my energy returns and shows, along with facilitation bereavement support groups, are a little more spaced out. until then, enjoy these kindred spirits and the wonderful work of their hands! cheers.

sometimes

sometimes what you'd planned doesn't happen the way you'd hoped. my hands were busy this weekend not in the ways i'd planned or hoped, but in ways they were needed. our family kept fort in our cozy home as we sought healing from the crud. we can't plan for illness. i wasn't able to hear the stories shared by so many women this last weekend, but look forward to the next opportunity. the next story. the next retreat.

may we adjust to these moments of illness & disappointment well. i'm ever-so thankful that my son is healthy. he is the sweetest boy who took care of us with his kindness & story telling. his stories & songs lifted my spirits. this morning he sang, this is the day before skipping off to carpool. sweet child who delights my days, be blessed as you bless others.

now to make more hot tea, to stitch a little, and to rest a lot. peace.

handmade with love

love really moves through my hands into my work. i love that i am able to use these hands to create images, wears, and meals. i love that my hands can provide healing touches and caring embraces to others in need. what speaks to me most is the connection that others have in a group or individual who finds something special in the work of their hands as we journey together. these deep, spiritual connections are why i love what i do. they connect with the creative spirit and experience freedom & empowerment in what they create with their hands.

this weekend i'll be leading 4 workshops at a women's retreat. i'm looking forward to the time in outdoor spaces and the time with women. there will be over 1000 women over the 3 days, with an unknown number in my workshops. exciting. so many hands with so many stories. so much love and so much depth that will be expressed through art + spirit groups! my heart is full. each opportunity to share the work of my hands fills and feeds me, just as the work of my hands preparing the week's menu & creating meals feeds me (and i see the literal significance, too).

creating takes on so many forms in our lives. i am thankful for the good time with my son this weekend as my love was with family participating in the ritual of celebration & sending as a great uncle has died. i am thankful that my son and i had good, good time together and with the sweetest of friends. i am thankful for a meaningful all saints day in our church, sitting beside a sacred soul. i am thankful that this past weekend has fed me with energy for the coming weekend. the creative balance meets through bereavement work + retreat spaces + art + family. my awareness is on the energy that flows into me as i work in these spaces as well as the energy that flows from me in these spaces. the coming weekend will also bring a balance for my boy as he receives good attention from his father. we are indeed creative these days as knights, pumpkin carvers, granola bakers, and makers of safe, creative spaces.

i am thankful. may our gratitudes touch others this day.