kindred spirits of the best kind

kindness is shared when kindred spirits meet.

each moment is an experience of newfound energy & growth.

seeds are planted. watering ensues. over time there's a bloom.

my kindred spirits speak in words unspoken.

subtle smiles, eyes brightened, and soothing tones.

my kindred spirits happen upon me at the right moment.

they are present at the right step in the path.

how did we get so lucky to find one another?

like the bread kneaded by loving hands,

our time together kneads us in loving ways.

our experience of justice, love, and peace is intertwined

in the expression of presence.

we see each other.

we know each other.

there's no boundary because we exist together in the same space.

aah.

breathing room.

speaking room.

being room.

thank you, kindred spirits for your loving presence. thank you for the hands that love and the hands that knead. my meditation on kindred spirits is linked to the writing that will be posted on a darling blog soon! more to come. always.

creative peeps: Real Small Art

Real Small Art is a really creative project that I've just learned about. From the site:

Real Small Art League is an ongoing effort to inspire random acts of artistic kindness and creative awareness. A growing number of artists make, post, document and give away tiny works in surprise locations. We believe a little work of art can go a long way.

Real Small Art League members only post original artwork in publically approved areas, like community bulletin boards or creative businesses with a mutual agreement.

In 2009, Real Small Art 2.0 began includes posting creative work in geocaches.

In 2010, Real Small Art began Free to a Good Home, sending tiny paintings to nominated recipients.

You can submit the name of someone who should receive a really awesome piece of art. one of 500. Very cool. Share kindness. Share creative love.

creative peeps: Wood & Wool Stool

Ingrid of Wood & Wool Stool creates these lovely stools. i'm truly in love. serious creative love. my tastes move toward functional objects with simple design with bursts of color. these stools fit the bill. and the garlands. and the quilts. so, so lovely. enjoy looking at Ingrid's site and her blog as well.

second of the final three!

This weekend's show Handmade Holiday Craft Show is by far one of my favorites. There's such a good energy this close to the holiday break. Folks are generally cheerful and appreciative of the creative spirit in the room. Fun times. Come on over if you're in RVA and we'll share in the spirit together.

a stop on the journey

The Necklace Project is a new journey which i'll be participating. In a nutshell, each month the necklace will be sent along to a new set of hands. Each pair of hands will add a charm, made or dedicated by the individual who has received it. Each will wear it, journey with it, and record the journey. What fun. I'm tickled to be among so many other creative women who will be a part of this journey. You can follow along on the blog: In the Wish Studio, a fairly new favorite of mine. There's more to the story. Read about The Necklace Project as well as many other insightful, thought provoking articles on the Wish Studio blog.

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!

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.

wren - in a box

here's the shadow box that i used to create a special piece of wall art for the amazing & talented divinitygirl, a kindred spirit & ycw friend in tennessee.  she has her sweet second, wren.  when she shared his name, i immediately knew i wanted to create something with one of my "suzanne trees" as divinitygirl named it with a bird.  i made the bird by hand stitching, using some sweet fabrics from the recent fabric swap.  the background fabric is a robert kauffman purchased at fleur fabrics. 

i love it!  too sweet.  it's fun to think of different ways of celebrating all these births!   enjoy!

a new birdie has arrived!

what joy to see a small child just after entering the world.  each is a gift.  as i was watching a sweet birdie sleep, one among her generation was being held high for mom and family to see. what joy!

my heart is full!  i am wishing friends with children good tidings, good times, and good sleep.  welcome, wren!  welcome, julia!

sweet

yay fun! i've been inspired by a new find...the small object. http://www.thesmallobject.com i warn you, her stuff is great. i really like the creativity that pours forth. i'm inspired. AND check out the great free downloads on her site. I LOVE sharing...and she's got the ticket. watch out, i may need to share something soon, too!

so...here's the thing: i am dreaming a little. scary, i know. dreaming of how i can carry my arts into the next level. the business i want to open. how to be the mother, wife, artist, minister that i can see. i can taste it. i just need all of that to bubble up and over, whatever that means.

to top things off...i have not 3, not 4, but 5 days off...5 days in a row. i'm so excited that i'm FINALLY going to create my upstairs studio that i don't know what to do! thanks to some of a friend's barn, another friend's glorious help, and richard's carpentry skills...a little paint, a few nails, and some time...i'll have a snappy studio (and pictures to share)!