Summer dreaming....

Every summer we rent a cottage on the coast and our whole family, brothers, sisters, kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews of all ages enjoy playing together. Part of my enjoyment on these long, cold winter days is thinking up things to do. Whether we ever do them or not doesn't matter, but it certainly gets me through these snow filled days. I have made these little journals for anyone that wants one. The idea came from the beautiful little thank you card I received from my friend Deborah on which she had sewn two simple little leaves to a piece of white card stock. Of course I had to try it, too. I just added many pages of colored paper and called it a book.





So it's called: "hot sticky buns and journal drawing at our cottage every morning". The fresh out-of-the-oven sticky buns will be the lure for some ( I have a great overnight cinnamon rolls recipe) and the paints and colored pencils will do it for others. It's a way to get the kids involved in the creative side of life before they head off for their very active swimming/gaming/biking/whatever day!

The Importance of Hands

I study hands. A lot. I never knew I did this until recently. When I think of a person and imagine their face I can also see their hands. For instance, I can remember my best friend Kathy Crosby's hands from our high school days. The way they looked and the way they moved. Put a bunch of hands in a room and I can tell you who they belong to. My sister's hands. Long delicate fingers. My kids hands, Sean's calloused from playing the drums and Sarah's well manicured. And, oh yes, then there are Keith's very distinct hands:). Double jointed or is it triple jointed?!

My hands have aged and changed these past few years. They have age spots and my skin, when pinched, takes a few more seconds each year to relax back to normal. I would spend hours watching my mother's hands go about her chores, teaching me to knit or sew, so it was with sadness I held them in her last years...long fingers, nails that were kept trimmed for her, bones covered with transparent skin. My grandmother's chubby soft hands that went along with the rest of her body. Slightly curved fingers from a touch of arthritis. I was completely taken with my husbands hands when we first started dating. Just right. I watch hands when someone holds a cup of coffee. I secretly study them. Weird. My father's hands. Delicate dark hairs, on shortish fingers, hands a little shaky these days, and then there's my intake of breath when I first notice the new wedding ring. Not the beautiful simple smooth piece of gold he had worn for the last 50+ years, the one that left an indentation in his finger when he took it off, but a new, edgy, thing. Square edges. It looks like an art deco door placed on a beautiful antique center chimney cape.

I'm just sayin'.

Happy Valentine's Day

Painted Fabric....

...wonder what for?

Woke up this morning, glanced at the thermometer and my heart momentarily did a jig...48degrees!! Oops, 4 POINT 8.

A Long Time Ago...

I recceived my latest issue of Quilting Arts yesterday and was especially taken with Mary Hettmansperger's collaged fabric panels. I love the way she's used every kind of flotsam and jetsom and made it all work. The shapes are interesting and everything is blended. And it reminded me of this piece I did 35 years ago, when I had no idea what I was doing and it shows. Which is why it's been hanging in the basement all these years. I guess I liked it (or what it stood for) enough not to throw it away, and now seeing Mary's work , I can define what it is about mine that kept it hidden. Brown yarn?! What was I thinking. Everything just thrown on top willy nilly. But I loved the nubby fabric and the shells. Maybe I'll clean it up and hang it for inspiration, of what not to do!

I Made This...

In her new book "Living the Creative Life" by Rice Freeman -Zachary (which looks beautiful and feels so good to touch) she asks the question, 'What does creativity mean to you?' and follows with several artists giving their answers. All different, all valid. It's writing. Drawing. Arranging a vase of flowers. It's looking at everything as being full of possibilities. Instead of seeing what is, look for what could be. Instead of just making a cake, make it an artistic adventure! So, when we were invited to a 'dead of winter we need a break Mexican party', I saw an opportunity to try something new and impress my new friends. Not sure about the impress part but they sure did clean up this cake:

Tres Leches Cake

According to my friend Brenda, who knows all about things south of the border, this is a traditional dessert. It's dense white cake to begin with and when it's cooled you pour sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and whole milk mixed together all over the top and let it soak in. Then you cover the whole thing with whipped cream and decorate if you like. Straighter lines of fruit next time. Nevertheless, at the end of the day I felt creatively fulfilled! Sweet tooth satisfied, too.

Dog Days of Winter

I know, it's really the dog days of summer, Sirius the Dog Star rising and all, but as I was wandering around my clean house, looking at my very organized shelves and wondering what else I could do, I thought to myself "what's going on?" I could go work on the chickadees, but I needed one of those distance days from them. You know, overworking them and needing a break. I could go walking, but I already did an hour aerobic class and a 2 mile walk and the wind chill was dropping significantly. Where did all this TIME come from? Winter. Snowed in. No outside chores save shoveling. So, I've been lighting a fire in the afternoon and curling up with gardening catalogs and books. I have finished 3 I picked up at the library, (nothing great) and will soon start Loving Frank, a story about the woman who loved Frank Lloyd Wright (I think),
on loan from my sister. Next, from the newly formed China Village Book Group will be Three Cups of Tea.
and of course after having read Deborah's blog about The Invention of Hugo Cabrey and hearing the cheers from the audience when it won the Caldecott Medal I had to check it out. Winter stimulation. Hibernation. All good.

Chickadees

Take this:

and this:
and this:

put them all together, and that's what I've been working on. Things just magically come together during the creative process. They start to 'gel' without you consciously knowing what's happening. The pieces, like a puzzle, start to fit together and before you know it you're mind is saying, "hmmmmmmm". That's why I think the artist date is so important. And shopping. When I shop, it's not so much to buy things as to mine new ideas.

So, it started with a walk in the woods. You may remember this picture from a previous post.

The rows of trees, the solitude, the quiet, all made me wonder about where all the birds and other animals were hiding. Nothing moved, except me. Those trees stayed in my mind for days. And then I read an article about those little chickadees that make their way to my feeder at the same time every day for breakfast lunch and dinner. They must be constantly active during the day to maintain their body heat because every night they can lose up to 15% of their body weight. And they survive the long cold nights by bundling together. What a sight that would be. "Hmmmm."

The background is painted with acrylics, as are the little chickadees. As of now, I'm not sure enough about the whole composition so I don't want to put it out there quite yet. But at least
my mind is working again! Hooray for that!

Sorry, no blogging...

Lately I've been dealing with a lot of emotional stuff that's been a little overwhelming, as it can be, so any creative thoughts I may have had have been pushed out of the way. BUT, I still have enough energy left to appreciate the beauty and humor surrounding me. And I do see a light at the end of the tunnel...figuratively speaking, of course.

And what a little pig this pine grosbeak is, hanging upside down to eat! You should have seen all the apple parts he had covering his beak.

A Little...

I did manage to do a little crafting over the holidays. I saw these sweet owls on someone's blog, (sorry I can't remember who) but figured out how to put them together with some hand dyed wool I had in my stash.

Snowshoe-ing

It's what you do during winter in Maine when there's already 2 feet of snow on the ground. If you can't beat 'em and all that...

...and of course there's the beauty to enjoy. Happy New Year everyone.

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 25

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 24

Friends...to share life with; friends who give great gifts.

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 23

Wishing you...the joy of Christmas Greetings you'll be able to save from year to year

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 22

ANTICIPATION...it's not the presents under the tree that I'm waiting for; it's the little tushies that will sit in these chairs and draw beautiful pictures for their Nana and Papa!

Not to mention that today begins the long march toward SPRING!!! More light!

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 21

Feed your body and spirit with all good things this coming year...

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 20

notice the beauty of color

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 19

enjoy a little DECADENCE...ours is homemade peanut butter balls! YUM!

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 18

HOPE....springs eternal!

Holiday Greetings, Wishes and Thanks, Day 17

Many years ago my little brother Patrick made this ark for me. Some of the original animals have survived, and over the years I've added more. Nothing matches except the pairs, two by two. Some are hand carved, some are those great plastic ones you find in gift stores here and there. I love unpacking it at Christmastime. It always makes me smile, which I know happens in millions of other households as memories are carefully unwrapped. Take time to remember.