Sunday, December 30, 2012

Sea much clearer...




As we embark for our annual family camping trip to the sea, I am busy packing all things necessary for us to keep warm, fed and busy (games, crafts, books) as well as some important Mum items which include;  these, a new handmade journal, sketching book, a timely arrival of this, various knitting projects and walking shoes...I am excited to do my annual craft project with the kids (stay tuned) and spend time with friends and family.
This time of year, as we embark on a fresh, new horizon, seems to bring some longing for shift, change and focus...and somehow the sea seems to make me see more clearly.
Since resolutions have never quite worked for me, I tend to be left feeling like I did not live up to a promise to myself (never mind not wanting to tell anyone for fear of inquisitions on how things are going with that 'resolution')...my little word of intention was a simple, quiet and constant for me throughout the year.  
so...
Dear Trust 
I have held you close all year and you have been a beacon of strength and reassurance, 
you are not forgotten & will stay with me now more than ever,  for you have brought me to a new space and you quite simply made this gal a wee bit stronger.

Last nights sketching/painting in my journal titled; 'She had the whole world in her hands'...

Thank you Trust, now make room for the next intention for it is soon to arrive, perhaps as I sit by the sea, cold wind in my hair (well, if I had hair), ocean crashing, mind clear.
So from the sea I am sending you wishes to your wee corner of the world for the most happiest of New Years, dear,  kind ones, filled with all you love most and maybe a special word of intention?

If the Angel 
deigns to come
it will be because
you have convinced
her, not by tears but
by your humble resolve to be always
beginning to be a beginner.
Rilke


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Perhaps...



I was going to pop in here today to share a yummalicious herby homemade tomato soup recipe, 
discuss a recent realization I had while teaching art to 4th graders, 
ponder on how many fun handmade christmas projects are in the making, 
share how often I feel overwhelmed these days in various facets of daily life...
however, that all just seemed to fade to the sidelines, 
as this morning it occurred to me that all this thought of Christmas 
and what to get and how much there is to do, 
the places to go, people to see...
well, it is just downright overwhelming indeed...
and then I thought about gifts I would like to give and receive, 
truly give and receive...
gifts like...
Peace
Faith
Trust
 Forgiveness
Joy
Compassion
 Acceptance
Second Chances
 Courage
...aren't these really the gifts that fill us up (with happiness)?  

And so, as much as I know my 7 & 9 year olds will not understand that I am giving them a gift of Patience...
I plan to quietly, continuously work on this gift and a few more to give throughout this Season & New Year.  
With that said, I will probably have to find that Lego set and those special earrings along with my other gifts of Comfort & Joy.
Tis' the Season fine folks...Tis' the Season

Thursday, December 6, 2012

starting to feel...

a lot like Christmas...had some time today to sew up a wee holiday tree made from an old felted sweater, up cycled and relived into a sweet little diddy, 

adorned with  sweater scraps and vintage embroidered pieces...just to make any coat, shirt, blouse or sweater yell 'Hey, tis the season!!'
Here is spreading a little holiday spirit your way!

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

small, little wonders...

i was gifted my first Rilke book of poems by my beloved and most awesome sister in 1985...that seems so long ago now..but I have held this book and his writings (countless to number), 
 close to my heart for as long as I can remember..
when times get tough (recently a bit more frequently) 
I open up and dive in, nourished and enlightened 
and brought back to a focal point within...
so, in case you are not particularly familiar with Rilke, 
I thought I would share...because oh, my how I love him so...enough so that we put his words into our wedding vows...(not these below), 


'If only we arrange our life
 according to that principle which counsels us 
that we must always hold to the difficult, 
then that which now still seems to us the most alien 
will become what we most trust 
and find most faithful.'

good night and be kind to yourself...

Thursday, November 29, 2012

new dreams...



Dreams are illustrations...from the book your soul is writing about you.  
~Marsha Norman


It would seem that recently new doorways are opening & not just the dream type...to very clear places...
Here's hoping that life is being most kind to you fine folks.

Monday, November 19, 2012

quiet the busy...

It would seem I have become a sporadic blogger, I am afraid...life gets so busy at times it just isn't easy to come to my little space here in the webular world...but suffice to say that it's getting colder here in sunny California..finally! and with shorter days and fires burning at night (sounds romantic and dreamy, but really occurs more often due to lack of heat in this old home)...thoughts are running to what to create for holiday gifts...I love this time of year, but somehow this year it seemed I had not even shoved the last Halloween box in the attic, and there were Christmas trees everywhere...not even a gobble gobble in sight...I want to slowwww down and enjoy each season, do I have to start hearing 'Jingle Bells' two weeks into November at Michaels?  And the business of traffic and crowds is loud and all around out there.


So, to quiet the busy I sat down to finish some reclaimed tiles & other unfinished items this past weekend and plan to list in the shop here soon.  
What I found was the soothing, slowness of mixing colors and ripping vintage papers and doodling, journaling, knitting, exploring new creative endeavors...these things are comforting and quieting and are preparing me for gift giving and the season approaching...
How about you? How do you keep calm with the onset of these holidays?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

on cutting hair...and lightening loads...



so due to the fact that I have been a bit home grounded and unable to venture past my wee post box...secluded in the house with two children who are sadly enough suffering from double bouts of ickiness...
..i have found out that
 a.) I do in fact, clean a good closet and am not tied to possessions in any way, 
b.) crafts become craftier when you only have so much to work with 
c.) one needs to stay clear from the internet when one has time to loligag about 
d.) the whole home schooling thing is a tough one now that we have had to juggle and catch up and stay on top of things...i give these mum's some serious credit 
e.) i like to cook
and lastly (well, really I could go to Z)...getting my hair cut today
 was a gem of time secluded just for moi...
and man oh man do i love short hair...
somehow it feels to lighten the load,
feels so easy,
young and free...
that's all i got...
ta ta  you fine feathered folks...

Monday, November 5, 2012

beautiful bones...


so you say the heart has no bones...
                                                                                      stop right therei tell you,
 i have felt it breakdown 
 grow and soar to new heights
it has spoken to me in the still of the night
with a mind all its own
it has 
loved, 
inspired,
 feared, 
elated, 
dreaded 
and pleaded...
to the bone.
so, i ask you now...
does your heart have bones?

Sunday, November 4, 2012

be...

be happy for your health
be thankful for strong bodies
be calm in yourself
be grateful for all that is around you everyday
be in each moment
be free with your love to all whom you love
be kind
be real
be good to yourself
be it a trip to an art gallery
yoga class
 zumba...whatever...just be good to yourself regularly
be sweet to little ones always
be sharp and know that everything has a purpose
be simple...

these are my thoughts to you today..
because all we can be..is...well, all we can be.
ta ta lovelies

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

happpyyy halloweeeen...


here's sending you witchy wonderfulness 
and ghoulish goodness on this halloween to all you fine lovelies...

Monday, October 29, 2012

what it looks like..

the last few days have found us in the swamps with fevers reaching 104, sleepless nights marked by coughing, feet brushed with egg whites (it really does work for fever reducing), little boys who just want to cuddle with their Mum, weird dreams occurring during shorts stints of sleep, lots of water and ginger ale being consummed...well, you get the idea...being sick...sucks...


especially after the high of a birthday...such is life when one is 7...and 45, I guess...so I did manage to squeeze in a creative endeavor today, of which you will have to stay tuned for an update tomorrow...
hope this finds you healthy and sleeping like a log, for that is a most delightfully, wonderful vision at this point....
happy dreams to you...not the type where your elementary school nurse is hovering over you with a thermometer and a rubbing alcohol cotton swab, wearing a clown nose and rubber gloves...yikes!
tata for now...
sweet dreams
fine folks.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

yesterday...

It seems like not very long ago at all, he was wrapped like a burrito in a hospital blanket, that sweet baby smell...I miss it so...
wasn't it just yesterday that he came home to sleep in the bassinet next to our bed only for a few days then had to return to the NICU for heart surgery?
 wasn't it only yesterday that I laid awake with knots the size of watermelons in my stomach?
 that I cried so hard and from a place in my heart I never knew existed?
 that I wondered so many things about the nature of life,
the why's and what's and how comes?
wasn't it just yesterday that he ate his first solid food?
...giggled that infectious giggle,
 walked on the beach,
wrote his name,
started pre school,
 learned to ride his scooter?



All those countless people who told me how fast time would go when you were born
my dear amazing son...
they were quite right.  
Filled with so many wonderful, breath taking moments,
all of them (of course some frustrating ones as well)...
but for each moment I must remember and I do my best,
to try and cherish, bask in your warmth and happiness...
for you are the most...
well, really, there are no words to describe...
my heart is filled and grows each day...
Happy 7 Year Birthday
sweet one.

Monday, October 8, 2012

mud makes me happy...



This past weekend I woke up in the dark, made a kale smoothie, loaded up my family...

sunrise on the way...

(yes, that is duct tape so my shoes don't get sucked up by the mud)

met up with some wonderful gal pals and I ran in a Mud Run, I have never ran a marathon, nonetheless an obstacle course in the mud and sludge...but let me tell you, it was awesome!

 I am not a runner by nature (prefer yoga and swimming and such) but I trained a bit for this run and in that process I have grown to like running a little more, am I going to run everyday & start signing up for marathons...nope, but the whole running thing is rather therapeutic.


(it appears i am alone, but because they stagger the start there are not a lot of people running so no i am not coming in 1st or last!)

In life we have to focus and most of the time live in our 'stuff', when running I let go and there are no real thoughts in the old noggin...just the rhythmic sound of my feet, breath and whatever song is coming through my earbuds. 

 This run was as challenge and through the process of physically pushing myself, I learned that it really does feel good to set a goal and reach it, to push hard for something and reap the benefits both physically and mentally.  
I liked the mud, I liked the sludge, I liked running to my own beat, pacing myself and conquering the next obstacle be it barrels in muddy water, tubes uphill in the dirt, rope swings over deep mud, crawling on all fours in sloshing brown dirt...it was truly fun.
Having my little family there with me, and friends who I did it alongside with (well, they were ahead a bit if truth be told) was even a better part of it.  My wee ones got to watch me emerge a dirty mummy mess but a happy one at that, for I had done it! 


donated shoes get cleaned and given to needy folks around the globe

 Dr. Brunner's soaps had a foam shower down after, it was so cool

there were some sights to see...

 and after a clean up and change, there was a free beer afterwards for all the runners!

Your weekend might not have been so dirty, but I am hoping it was just as fun!

Friday, October 5, 2012

one of a kind...


 There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.  And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.
~Martha Graham


Have a downright lovely weekend.
you are one of a kind...you do know this, yes?

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

quiet pondering & rabbit holes...


What I am actually saying is that we need to be willing to let our intuition guide us, and then be willing to follow that guidance directly and fearlessly.
~Shakti Gawain

Well hello there, it's been a bit quiet here lately in my wee space...
"Have you fallen down a rabbit hole? " you might ask (surely you must think so, as pictured below)...
Well, no, but who doesn't want to sport a blue dress once in a while and follow Alice into a world of adventure and imagination? (ok, no blue dress)

I have found myself pondering though about so many things these days...
about following intuition, really listening, paying close attention and giving it time to unfold, trusting the unfolding.
.
.
.
 I have stopped visiting blogs that shimmer and shine with a faint hint of unreal life... if you know what I mean.
I have found myself feeling so small in it all, trying hard to not compare and contrast my life and all that I do/have...
not doing it anymore, no way.  

Because really, all we have at the end of the day is our real lives and I do the best I can, love what I have and am so thankful constantly, while continuing to challenge the safe zones, explore, stay true and real to myself and those around me.  
 I quietly ponder it all.  

That is what I came here to say today...so, if it seems quiet around these parts it's due to this simple pondering.

It is necessary to have quiet moments in time...all the time, would you agree?

Hoping you are simply fine wherever you may be.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

these days...

i am reading this
and feeling overwhelmed at times and not sure where i am headed or what the heck i am doing...but that is just fine because i have these...
amazing wee ones...
 and i am doing this
 and risking..
 and making this
 and standing my ground (with myself)...

and being free (because of them)...
 and being free...because of me
how are you these days in your necks of the woods?

Thursday, September 20, 2012

coming up flowers....


vintage
kimono
silk 
flowers 
that
is...


in the shop soon

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

cooking to a beat...

Sometimes when i cook,  i listen to music...
who am i kidding, I always listen to music when I cook!
and when the sun is just right I dance while i cook to this music..it is a lovely time of day...
tell me, do you do this too?

Monday, September 10, 2012

white is nice

Although I am a lover of color, every wall in my home is painted white, I am smitten with white as the perfect backdrop for anything, I like to paint the sides of my canvas' white no matter what colors i use on the front, I use a lot of white in my paintings these days.  I suppose it is my huge love of Scandinavian design, I cannot get enough white...it feels so clean, fresh and well, simple.



So, on that note it is time to simplify & whiten up my shop, so I am in the process of making the time to give my  wee shelves a whitelift (that's a facelift with white)...whattya think? do you like white as much as I do?

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

reclaimed love...

in case you haven't visited me over here (I normally do not share blog posts)...here is a little colorful love to share with you on this most hot, california day (i am not rubbing it in, but man oh man is it hot here in the country not far from the sea)...


stay cool you cool cats....

Sunday, September 2, 2012

little is big...

It was unplanned, unexpected and unforgettable...that we got a puppy this summer.  This is because with 2 already very big dogs, it would not have seemed we would have had room/time/attention for another quadruped...but boy oh boy what we never realized was that was exactly what was missing from our pet situation! 


Meet Zeke, his personality is that of a quiet older gent, although upon greeting acts like a wild little man, he seems to regard himself as a rather large dog in a small dog suit and he lets it be known, he is quite confident and secure in his long, short legged body.  He cuddles like nobody's biz, but informs you clearly if he wants to be  left alone.  


It has made me realize that little can be so big at times and that there is a huge reserve of love just waiting to be unleashed and received.  So here is to small packages which bring joy, laughs, love and so much more! 
Hope your long weekend is going marvelously.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

long gone...




it has been so long that i heard a creak in my little online space when i opened up here...i blinked and summer was gone, beach outings, friend meet ups, cub scout camps, swimming, stay cations, art at home...oh the list goes on...but the bottom line is that life goes by so incredibly fast (as everyone says) , and it is so true, so i lived in the moments as fast as they slipped by, i lived for each moment (some quite frustrating and challenging, i am honest for crying out loud), so that is my excuse for absence, but i am back...and in this time out, i have thought of blogging and of how i feel so small in the blogging world, how my little creative input seems very diminished in the shadow of so many others, but i digress, i do not want to compare...so where do i go with this space? i suppose to share a wee tidbit of creative dabblings...the good, the bad and the beautiful messes...got me?

so if you follow me or visit here, how about a shout out? i would love to hear from you and what you fill your lovely time with....warmth to you, as i have plenty to send it is flipping hot here in so. cal. in the countryside not far from the sea...go gently you lovely ones....

Saturday, July 21, 2012

scenes of summer...

 these days i am, in the midst of some busy days, focused on taking in each moment and wrapping myself in being thankful for the little things...
 big dog kisses
 cobwebs under the stairs...discovered by a wee man 
 impromptu camping excursions...
 road naps...
 warm sand
quiet, calm afternoon sun...
 lawn boogie boarding
walks with friends...

what are some of your favorite summer scenes?