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I was excited to receive a package of goodies from Nicole of Garden Mama earlier this week. It was filled with all sorts of things - a lovely card, photo postcards, an embroidery book, an ornament, shells, a tiny blank book, a handmade felted acorn pin, driftwood, and a collection of stones.
Nicole recently hosted the Artful Stone Swap. I have long admired all of the stones Nicole finds on her walks on the beach, and she has admired the crochet-covered stones I have made. A while back, I had emailed Nicole and told her if she sent me some stones I would cover them with crochet and send them back to her. Well, here they are! I have already set to work coming up with a group of the stones to return to her, all adorned in their fancy dress.
I am so thankful for the community I have found through my blog. How else would Nicole and I have connected in this kind and creative way?
Thank you to all of my readers. XO Maribeth
I found some breathing room at home today, amidst the comings and goings and responsibilities. This need to stand still in one place has been an ongoing theme for me as of late. I believe that it is my mind that needs to settle. The world will turn as it may. I need to choose how I will respond to that turning.
Have you seen this?
I recently participated in the Artful Stone Swap hosted by the ever lovely Nicole of Garden Mama. I enjoyed this swap very much, both the making and the receiving.
I covered my stones in a coat of embroidered cotton and duponi silk.
As I began to receive the stones from my swap partners, I realized that I had neglected an integral part of the project: picking a word to accompany the stone. The words shine, peace, and potential arrived with the stones in my mailbox, along with the most lovely letters explaining why the women had chosen these words. I am now in the process of planning a second mailing to send my word.
And why did I neglect this detail? I am too busy, and I was especially busy over the last couple of weeks as I got ready for the Twist Fair. I become scattered when I am too busy, unable to absorb anything. I have begun to look at the ways I am over-scheduled with responsibilities (and my family as well). There must be a better way.
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My have listed a number of new things in my etsy shop, Lovely World Handmade.
Go and have a look, I hope you enjoy.
The Twist Fair was a lot of fun for me. I did well, and met some great crafters and customers alike. Many of my little menagerie went off to new homes. I was a bit sad to see some of them go (oh, that sweet blue camel...), but the thrill of imagining them enjoyed by new owners made the goodbyes much easier.
I have been decompressing over the last day or so. I am happy to have some free space in my head to imagine new ideas and projects. And also some time to get some very necessary housekeeping done. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours ironing clothes from an overflowing basket - very meditative.
Last evening there was a large forest fire on the mountainside behind our house. I love our friendly little rural neighborhood - we received phone calls from all our closest neighbors alerting us to the fire. It was not so close that it posed an imminent threat to our house, but we kept a close watch on it anyway. Amazingly, the firefighters were able to put it out before it got very late into the night. There were no easy roadways for these firefighters to access the mountain - just old logging roads and footpaths. They must all be exhausted today.
I have begun my Lovely World Handmade Shop update today. You will find some pinecones there now, with more to follow as the week progresses. My little Buddha is enjoying all the pinecone loveliness. I hope you will too. XO Maribeth
I gathered up all of the pinecones I have made over the past couple of months and put them in a basket. They will travel to the Twist Fair with me on Friday. Each one has a cord so that it can be hung - on a door knob, a cabinet pull, an inspiration board, or wherever a little beauty would be appreciated. They would also be nice simply displayed on a shelf or nature table. I think some people might like these for Christmas as well.
These are a labor of love, with the scales sewn on one by one by hand.
Any that are left over will be put in my etsy shop. I have been woefully neglectful of my etsy shop - but that will all change after this weekend, so keep an eye out for a big update.
I received this missive from my son. It is nice to be loved.
Lovely Things:
This morning there was snow on the mountain range that forms our narrow valley here in the northern Berkshires. The white coat of snow reminded me of some birthday gifts I received from my friend L: a cotton boll and a goose egg. I thought they looked nice paired with one of my crochet-covered stones.
I am on the home stretch of my preparations for the Twist Fair, which takes place November 12th and 13th. For those of you close to Northampton, MA, please come on over to the fair and say hello. It looks to be a great group of crafters. Visit Twist for directions and other information about the fair.
You never know what you will find in a public trash bin. Last week I found a terribly worn copy of a McKay's Colored Classic version of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There." This was likely published in the early 1900s. From the outside, it definitely looks like it deserved the trash bin. But, inside I found these vividly-colored illustrations. I have carefully removed them and will add them to my ever-growing collection of lovely paper ephemera.
