new series! feather love. in process.

feathers bring such delight.  i love my collection of feathers in my kitchen window altar.  they're so lovely to look upon.   often i think of my dreams not as clouds but as feathers.  one day when i have enough feathers gathered, my dreams will spread wings and fly.  

as such, feathers are becoming as significant to me as circles.  

feathers are carrying the wisdom to new spaces. 

i've been sitting with these for weeks.  

do they receive color?  are they white + black?  

both?  

still sitting, but not for long.  these are meant to fly!  

in the garden: digging in.

my new dress from parsimony! before i got to digging in the dirt with my dirt digging attire, i spent time soaking in all the goodness of the blooms in the garden. 

oh, my lenten rose trio! 

then i changed and sat near the soil, pulling unwanted plants from the garden walk.  love my story plant: a hair plant i need to remember the proper name for.  

happy to share some lamb's ear, peachy pink chrysanthamum, and greek oregano.   

i'm looking for a few new story plants for the garden 

if you local loves have something to trade or share. 

in the studio & at home: glimpses of the work of my hands.

at home...

patching a tear in our favorite bedsheet.  i love how the stripes ((from a thrifted tshirt)) 

work with the magenta thread on the gold sheet.  love.

a magic feather to add to the project that's taking place at spirit cloth.  

make one of your own for yourself or to send to jude.

another view of the magic feather by lamplight.  

sitting in our cozy blue chair with a sip of something good.  

loving my tonic water + stitching evening.

in the studio...

a nest of creative goodness for the creativity kits.  

each cigar box is filled with items to help your creative juices flow! 

creativity kits stacked below.  love these!  

i love that these go, go, go at each show. 

i love what they become for folks: 

an intention, creative acts, art journaling, a reminder to create.

in the studio: the work of my hands ((for a dearie))

sacred stitching for hazel wren.  enjoy, sweet one! 

in the studio: painting hands.

i love images that tell a story, 

and these tell a story of a loving creation in process. 

((absolutely one of my favorite photos of the entire process. love, love.))

yes. a look of pure concentration, getting lost in the creative flow.

what better than to end the story in images with feet, planted in this sacred space of the art+spirit studio.  i love seeing, touching, remembering, sharing everything about these photos. i love that my friend rani ((since we were 12 was with me as i created, taking these images)).  i love so much these days.  it's a good space to occupy, rooted in this sacred space, rooted as a sacred soul centered in knowing.  present to others. leaning fully into my call & my voice.  sacred steps. sacred marking moments.  sacred stories.

photos by frick frack foto.

in the garden: along the front of the house.

the dogwood continues to show its best year.

the clematis is the largest its been. i really need to make a proper space for this to grow tall.  

thinking about how to accomplish a good trellis from repurposed wood in the shed.

my favorite guacamole hosta of my various hostas.  

love, love this plant with its shades of green and large leaves!

sweet coral bells that just opened their blooms, 

with the shadow of some of our tiger lilies. 

 woo hoo! love these!

my japanese poppies returning for their second year. 

i love the shade of these orange beauties.  

they're saying goodnight for the evening in this image, 

but you get the idea of their abundance.

sacred spaces: what pours from the dirt

i love that those who know me know that i notice the small things. a dear soul remarked yesterday that i have inspired her to see beauty in EVERYthing. she's also the darling who said that my facebook posts are like benedictions to her day. oh, my. let's say i'm flattered, humbled, and took a time of silence to make sure that what i have to say is worth high praise.

then i began to notice the small things. the movements of my irises pushing up from the earth. i watch and behold their strength, their purpose. i take note of the beauty that encircles our cozy home. i look at my feet, where they are planted and i look up and around with purpose.

our cherry tree against the backdrop of the beautiful sky it's planted beneath.

the quiet corner that was aburst with busy a season ago. now the poppies are solo and we wait. we wait to see what life will emerge. what surprises will be in store? hairy balls, moonflowers, sunflowers, cosmos? what seeds have buried themselves and are in hibernation?

cilantro that has carried us through the winter on it's second seeding.

my wonderful purple helleborus peeking, almost ready to open.

mint pouring from the earth, stretching a few square yards. running my hands slowly over the leaves released the most wonderful aroma of this chocolate mint mixed with some of the other varieties.

the branches of the dogwood stretching out against the sky.

and my joy: our plum tree, filled with buds on all it's glorious branches. while i don't play favorites in the yard, i love, love this tree.

and one of my sweetest helleborus plants, open fully. my eyes are open to the small things that pour from the dirt. from the mixture of soil and love, presence and life.

may we each be open to taking notice of the small things.

in the studio: friendship wreath

a friendship wreath in the making for Elizabeth Thalhimer Smartt

representing a wonderful circle of women who surround her.

a friendship quilt on its way to its new home.

a fuzzy image of the meeting between wreath and book,

each created by the women whose gathering first took shape over stories shared

ending with these gifts: a lovely wreath and the awesomeness of this book.

ready to be received.

the friendship wreath received well, hanging at its home

where the friendships here are tied together,

gathered through this special woman.

the themes of friendship influencing the creation of this wreath:

blooming.

ties that bind.

a little birdie told me...

"i love rik rak!"

blog birthday! we've turned three!

on the 14 october 2007 i welcomed you to this blog. since then i've written about motherhood, ministry, and the arts. sometimes one side of the discussion is present more than another. sometimes there is silence. but always, i have found appreciation and welcome from you. you are kind, caring, and thoughtful. you have emailed and commented. you have sent good energy and encouragement. i know you're there.

sometimes if i think too hard i worry about what you'll think. but mostly i don't because this is a safe space for my pondering, reflection, prayer, life stories, recipes, photos, art, invitations, and so much more. i've been dreaming lately about how to express my thanks. how to say hello! and i'm so glad you're here.

so...i'd like to invite you to say hello! and let me know what you value most here. you may just want to say hello or perhaps mention a favorite post or post series. maybe 2 of you or 20 of you comment. maybe not. either way, it's our birthday and i'm so glad. it's a celebration and i've invited you to the party.

now for the presents! for three of you folks who share a good word on this post through a comment, you'll be given *through a random number generator* a present. i like giving away presents. comments will be welcome, but the opportunity for the gift(s) end on sunday, october 17th. it's a birthday month! my mother has a birthday this month, and my grandmother's birthday just passed. my love and my mother in law celebrated birthdays as well. these made and make me me. they gave me life and continue to influence my art, my love, and my daily acts of creativity. in honor of them, i gifts include some of my prize creations and a special block print:

peace to you and yours this day. happy birthday, reverend artist mother.

here's to many more! cheers!

life stories: a new color

a new color story to share. market treats coming to the etsy store with a BIG Ol' shop update! it will take me a few days to get it all up and running, but well worth the time and effort.

preserving is good balm for the soul

plum preserves are the best.

the color is amazing. simply lovely.

canning using one of my aluminum pieces from my grandparents' home

connects my hands to theirs. a long tradition of canning in our family

brings me to this moment, to this jar.

and to keep the final scoops in a little jar for immediate use,

placing all the skimmed foam on top,

ready for some plain organic yogurt. mmm...

a fresh, beautiful bounty...

life stories: stretching moments

there are moments when stretching takes shape in daily rhythms, like the practice of yoga. where our muscles are stretched, awakened. there's a path that this stretching takes: releasing the muscles aids in bringing me fully into the present. being present to the stretching clears my mind and allows rest and recovery. i am who i am in that moment, fully alive, breathing deeply and sending peace and love through each stretch. (my blonde arm hair looks so, so hairy in this image...but it's really not so hairy...really)

there are other moments where the stretching takes a different shape. where the once stubborn resistance meets a moment of clarity, where reconciliation happens at table over wine, bread, local foods, and dessert shared. where the stretching isn't just about your muscles and mind, but about all the muscles, heart strings, and resistance meeting a letting go. there's a point in stretching where you must release. this stretch as pictured above reached across six years. yes. 6 years. it's one that was met with tears, thankfulness, and gratitude. there's a release where we are each fully present to the moment, even if the moment is a bit surreal at times. even if the moment is all that's known and the future unknown. it's a stretch that's proved to be good for all involved, where reconciliation, love, and gratitude will stretch on, reaching other relationships and providing the necessary spaces for life & healing, in self and others.

sometimes, always, it's a stretch for me to say: i was wrong. but sometimes, often, those stretches bring me fully into the present: binding my heart, mind, body, and soul.