in the studio: something old, something new

i love taking something that i have and creating something new from it. using vintage sewing hoops and recently acquired vintage linen fabric, i made some simple new displays for the upcoming shows.  while i need to search for a few more hoops among my things, i feel i'm off to a good pace with these.  each is able to be taken apart easily and reused. 

i added some twine around the edges for a little extra snap.  i'm thinking of adding a little mini pennant banner to each as well, if there's time & energy, displaying a little more of my vintage flare. i love their simplicity and ability to showcase my handmade goodness in it's full color. 

life stories: a prayer wreath

it's been the season for wreaths. for a number of months, I've been creating this wreath as an act of prayer for a sweet one & her family. each time I code fabrics, ripped fabrics, cut ribbon, tied them on, and looked upon it, I prayed.

a old friend now new friend prayed through selecting fabric, then constructing & creating birds to represent these sweet three.

we are honored to have presented this wreath and invite you to share your prayers as you look upon them here. take the idea and use it. share love and prayer and goodness.

color amidst winter white

a handmade addition to our home made last night. i love the colors of these fabrics. they tell a lovely color story and say "welcome home" all at once.

art show & sale THIS sunday!

come!  this sunday: spring bada bing!

plant zero.  11 - 4 

some new wears at silvertreeart (booth #38)

handmade felt dolls - inspiring!

images from the purl bee

the purl bee is one of my favorite sites to find inspiration and bursts of color in use.  i love so many of the projects that are presented.  

this one is by far one of my absolute favorites, speaking to me in so many ways.  i've become enamored with handmade dolls over time and these are gorgeous!  

check out mimi's project journal to find the pattern and instructions.  so beautiful!   and...yes...i will be making some for our daily playtime.  for both jo and i!  

a handmade how-to of eggs for spring and easter

Retro Mama's image of handmade eggs.

spring is here.  easter is approaching.  what a better sign of new life and the promise within than eggs.  Retro Mama has posted a great tutorial on her blog on making these beautiful eggs, pictured above.  i love the moda fabrics above--some of which i own.  too cute.  if you want to get together to make these, check out Fleur Fabrics Blog.  

these eggs are constructed very similarly the balloon ball pictured above (a.k.a. a balloon holder which gives a single balloon way more oomph and an incredible life span).  the balloon ball tutorial that i started back in october.  as i looked for the link to add to this post, i realized i left it unfinished. oops.  adding this tutorial post to this week's to do list, i'll offer it here soon.  in the meantime, making these eggs will be great practice.  there are little beach balls on the purlbee blog which i've mentioned in the past and will mention again, as they're super easy and fun.  

a taste of home

success on a plate.  simply put.  one of the first restaurants in richmond that i enjoyed was strawberry street cafe.  soon they became a favorite!  i love their broccoli cheese quiche.  so good.  they also have a delicious chicken pot pie that is sooo good and comforting!  truly good. when the shop next door no longer sold the pot pie on behalf of the cafe, i was motivated to make my own.  (i bet you can order them from the cafe still.)  finally i've made a chicken pot pie that almost resembles their own.  i took the first bite and thought it could have been theirs. oh...i just had to.  it's so wonderfully good thanks to the crust recipe that i'll now forever use.  i may have to tweak it a little. when i do, i'll share.  until then, i'll bake. 

and bake i must.  when you have fresh crust on hand you must have a little taste of mississippi pecan pie (pecans from ms, too).  delightful!  success on a plate.  serious goodness.  it's rich, yet not so sweet that you can't eat more than 2 bites.  it's smooth and packs a lot of pecans in each slice.  there's nothing like a good day of cooking!

thanks goes to the grand cookbook of the junior league of jackson, ms for the crust recipe.  mom found this copy recently and sent it to me in a box of goodies from home.  i used the pecan pie recipe as an influence with tweaking to fit my granny's recipe with a touch of freshly grated nutmeg-- influence of another friend thrown in.  i know!  i tempt without recipes!

my grandmother, an avid quilter, had pieces of her work  in various stages that i have inherited.  this runner i made over the weekend sewing excursion using part of an old cover that was among her quilting possessions.  when it's flipped, i'll show the handiwork on the back.  i can only guess that she made it, too.  hard to say.  could have been my great-grandmother's handiwork.  either way, i love it.  it's great on our buffet, as you see here.  i'll be incorporating more of her work into our home as i complete some of those long-ago started projects.  there's so much meaning for my spirit in this process.  i look forward to sharing.

all in a few creative days

a library trip brought a real treat.  a book i've been waiting to preview ~ and what great ideas!  

i love books that inspire and also help usher creativity.    

among the sewing endeavors ~ these shoes!  adapted from the slippers in weekend sewing.

another library find... love the author and what a great illustrator! 

a must have in the children's lit collection.

 

botanical garden find.  these remind me of our family trio.

our plum tree in bloom.  jo is using his skills with his new magnifying glass.  

we love walking out the front door to be greeted by this blooming plum tree.  anticipation of it's fruit is too much.  they're so good.  jo picks them and eats them immediately.  watching spring arrive is like taking in an amazing breath of awareness.  i am called to attend to the moment by honoring the blooming gifts, delighting in jo's find of a new creature, and discovering joy in the sounds of sweet boys playing outdoors.  we've started getting our hands dirty in the yard and it is good and rich and nourishing.  plans for the garden emerge from our dreams of home grown fresh veggies including heirloom cucumbers, butternut squash, a variety of peppers, sungold cherry tomatoes, herbs galore, and more.  we'll have flowers of many colors and hopefully draw more caterpillars than last year.  my soul is fed in our backyard.  it's dreamy getting ready for these planting days ahead!

birthday week in review

stop and smell the roses...or the tulips and lilies. 

 

jo's actual birthday - birthday cake.  cake three.  birthday three.

cake two.  party two.  

[first cupcakes at school + birthday parade & song fun]

window decor.  sewn fabrics in a chain.  fish on the end.  

these make me happy.

all of jo's friends and our friends played well together, with excitement building for each in the days before his party.  we gathered at the house for some worm painting, "fishing" with felt fish & handmade pole, food, flowers, and good conversation.  party preparation takes time and energy, but i took my time each day or two making something for the party & casually thinking through what would be simple + meaningful to jo on his day.  we achieved success with a good party, no tears (that i remember) and a good day following.  

sometimes these events are overwhelming for our son.  he's so young and still plays so much alone or with an adult.  i want to nurture him in appropriate ways to be social but also to be his autonomous self.  i, we, are proud of our son for his growth, his learning, his bright smiles, and most especially his love for others.  

we have played slow in the snow each day since his birthday weekend.  we have traveled with friends.  jo befriended families in 2 of the 3 restaurants between baltimore and metro d.c.  it's been a full week.  not for rushing or worrying about details, but full for the space our friends & loved ones occupy in our lives, in our hearts.  thanks, friends. 

today...

my thoughts are with a friend who is beginning stages of labor.  love you, black betty!  

my thoughts are with many i left last night with the bereavement group.  peace to you.  

deep breath.  open eyes.  fresh day.  

soak in the sun streaming through the kitchen window. 

enjoy this moment.  enjoy this day. 

cheers.

birthday plans - installment no. 2

as with life, the posts on this blog weave through sacred musings, life with a preschooler, and life as an artist.  the way i think and live and move creates a space where these are mingled together, thus, reflections on life and death - liturgical movements - and birthday party plans all together.  i don't think i need to say this if you read my blog with any regularity.  the contrast strikes me particularly this morning.  

a fancy topper for the cake.  

jo, in true self-portrait fashion, with a snazzy 

new fishing pole and happy-to-be-dangling fish.

the strawberry cake. jo's request.  

sipi's strawberry cake from tessa kiros' falling cloudberries.  

the big birthday surprise.  

a jo-jo tent fashioned by mom on a sunday afternoon.  

richard is in charge of finding the suitable sticks for the unit.  

while i created this tent, i used the concept of this tutorial by meg as i processed my design.

birthday plans - installment no. 1

hello.  hello.  do you like my hat?  why yes, i do, i like that party hat.

printable coloring sheets as party favors from little brown pen's shop.

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!

materials for support

hello from my dragon!  he's working hard in his kitchen making cheese stick soup.  yum.  if you don't have the recipe, i'm sure he'll share!  here's my light and joy before you.  he's my reason for getting warm today and proclaiming "snow day".  

among the items on our "to do" today, i wanted to invite you to take a few moments to sort through unused crafting supplies.  here's why:  many of you know that i am contracted to lead support groups throughout the year.  some are for families of those living with chronic illness, while the large majority are for bereavement support.  the winter 2009 group will begin in february. 

for those who would like to participate, we are accepting donations of materials that can be used in sewing projects.  items such as: fabric, felt, ribbon, buttons, beads, needles, thread,1/2 used bags of batting and poly-fill, scissors, sewing notions, fabric markers, fabric crayons, sewing machine, etc.  you get the idea.  

richmond, va drop off locations include:  ginter park baptist church on the northisde of richmond, va, grace baptist church near carytown in windsor farms, and fleur fabrics located in the fan.  directions on each of their pages.  if you have materials to share, please do.  check out fleur fabrics' blog and info about the new fabric swap that will be ongoing in the shop.  her swap was a huge success.  (you'll see me sifting through fabric + a cool pict of my basket.)  i found some great fabric for the group there and at the richmond craft mafia's craft swap.  if you're out of town and would like to send items, you can mail them to me.  Contact me via email found on my website and I'll give you my address.  Anyone who goes to the trouble of mailing items receives one of my latest blockprint cards + magnet (as seen in the image below) as a generous way of saying thanks!

my attention is split these days among the support group planning & prep, making new wears for the gallery shops, adding plans to the book proposal, and hey--caring for the family, with a few other projects thrown in-between.  

so far our self proclaimed snow day has been really fun and productive.  joseph helped me do some printing today using the "antique wood blocks from india" that i found at the RCM's craft swap.  They are a nice compliment to some of my own not-so-antique blocks.  i'm dreaming of new prints incorporating newsprint blocks from yester-year.  if you find any, let me know.  i'm always happy to do some custom art trading!

now for an afternoon of books, hot tea, coloring, and happy times.  cheers!

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!

preview of things to come

some have asked what creative juices are flowing.  here's a peak at the spring line of brooches and the newest blockprint.  Once carved, I'll share the prints.  

the labels are from one of the tutorials on the top 100 tutorials of 2008 list i've mentioned previously.  they're great for my immediate need.  i love making my own, but will likely order some at some point...  pictured left to right:  white silk, lime cotton ribbon, and cream cotton ribbon.  this is the only ink color my printer is up to printing these days, so that narrowed my choices.  they're cute, though.

enjoy!  let me know what you think, too!  i'll be adding some really nice greens into the mix, but have concentrated on pinks, reds, and blues (can you tell?).  cheers!