Lovely World

spring colors

Everything is still gray and brown around here. Even a bit of grungy white snow on the north-facing slopes near the house. I suppose this neutral landscape is what sent me looking for color in my work room over the weekend. I pulled out a bag of hand-dyed wool and was amazed to find such luscious color within. I had somehow forgotten I had such treasure hidden away. The fabric reminded of the watercolors I have been using for painting.

I am working on a new collection of wool songbirds. I sold all of the ones in my etsy shop during the fundraiser for Save the Children earthquake relief in Japan. I want to give everyone who participated in this group fundraiser a huge THANK YOU for helping out. Because of your generosity, I raised $148.50 from sales in my shop. I know that the other crafters involved were very successful as well. I am honored to have been a part of this effort.

I'll be back with some finished birds before long. I am working out a new bird pattern for spring as well. It feels good to be doing some focused sewing after a spell of primarily painting and knitting. I am participating in the Twist Craft Fair in early May, so that has given me focus as well.

{I found some color in my daughter's room as well - her violets are blooming like crazy.}

Be well. XO

calendar and book

{Calendar Week 13}

Book 12/52:

Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs

"We loved our lives more than we ever knew, and at the end felt the bounty of them, as one would say in church, felt the richness of their missed opportunities, or just understood that they were more than we realized during the living of them and a lot to give up."

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Thanks so much to all of you who made a purchase from my etsy shop during this fundraiser for Save the Children earthquake relief. The fundraising will continue through tomorrow, so if you would like to participate head on over to my etsy shop, or to the Crafting for Courage blog!

crafting for courage sale begins!

The Crafting for Courage sale begins today! I hope that you will consider making a purchase to support the Save the Children earthquake relief efforts in Japan. You can find the blog which showcases all of the items for sale with links to the shops here: Crafting for Courage

I am offering 3 hand-dyed wool songbirds and an original watercolor painting of a girl gently supporting a bird as it prepares for flight. 100% of the money made from the sale of these four items will go to the charity. I will donate 25% of all other sales from my etsy site as well. You can find my shop here: Lovely World Handmade

crafting for courage

 

 

I have joined with a number of talented, open-hearted women I have met through blogging in order to raise money in support of earthquake relief efforts in Japan.

We will be making and selling our works of art and craft, donating 100% of the proceeds to Save the Children, a well-respected organization that is doing important work in the devastated northeastern Japan. This organization is providing critical assistance to children and their families during this time of chaos and heartbreak. I know that one of their goals is to provide as normal as possible environments for children to recover in, in order to lessen trauma.

Here is how the fundraising sale will work:

The sale will run from March 24-28. A collective blog, Crafting for Courage, will showcase all of the items for sale, with links to the particular etsy shops where you can purchase the item or items that catch your eye. I will link to the Crafting for Courage blog just as soon as everything is uploaded - so please check back over the next day or so. Also, if you go directly to my etsy shop, you will find the items that I am donating to this cause clearly labeled by tomorrow evening.

Please consider making a purchase from the sale. You could treat yourself to something special, or perhaps find a thoughtful gift for Mother's Day, a birthday celebration, or for your children's teacher as an end-of-the-year thank you.

Another way you can help is to write about and link to this sale on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter. Further, if you would like to participate in selling an item or items from your etsy shop, please leave a comment here and I can get further information to you. I thank you so much for opening your heart to lend a hand to those in need.

Participants:

Joanie, Sonia, Margie, Lisa, Pat, Jill, Nanou. I'm sure there are more out there I am unaware of as I write this - so check back over the next day for the link to the sale!

I also want you to know that the lovely logo you see above was made by Joanie, incorporating the beautiful hand-carved dragonfly stamp made by Margie. In Japanese culture the dragonfly symbolizes courage, strength, and happiness.

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The only way to end the danger is for each of us to do so, and to say to others, I am your brother. I am your sister. We are all humankind, and our life is one. Thich Nhat Hanh

calendar and book

{Calendar Week 12}

Playing with color.

Book 11/52:

Daniel Pinkwater's "The Neddiad"

(If you haven't already, do yourself a favor and check out Daniel Pinkwater's bear books as well. They are too funny.)

ordinariness

I recently heard a radio interview in which a man stated that he believed the most profound freedom is found in the state of being perfectly ordinary. Ordinary is the place in which we simply are. We are not striving. We don't have to be better than anyone else. We do not seek recognition and reward. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. It is not an entirely new concept for me, but I guess I would say I was ready to hear this again and go deeper with it.

Are we a culture that values the ordinary?

What about children? Do college admission offices look for ordinary children for entrance?

Does ordinary feel constrictive to you, or expansive?

Ordinary: commonplace, usual, average, customary, regular.

What does extraordinary mean to you? Is it possible to sustain a sense of the extraordinary without becoming exhausted?

Is the ordinary life the place from which true creativity, a creativity without ego, grows?

Do you find freedom and rest in being ordinary? Or does it bring panic?

Can you see connection in the ordinary? Does being extraordinary perhaps separate you?

Can the extraordinary act exist without the ordinary person to perform it?

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The essence of it is to let yourself see how much clinging to how you want your life to be is nothing more than a process of self-torture. Drop it, and allow yourself to fall openly and unguardedly in love with your life as it is and everything in it.

 Saki Santorelli "Heal Thyself: Lessons on Mindfulness in Medicine"

Umbrella, light, landscape, sky

There is no language of the holy.

The sacred lies in the ordinary.

Tao Te Ching

haircut

It was hard for her to take care of it by herself. Sometimes we fought about it. She asked for a haircut and I said yes.

She is more aware of herself now at 10 years old, and how she fits in with her peers. It is my job to help her find her way. I secretly like that the haircut make her look younger.

calendar and book

{Calendar Week 11}

Book 10/52:

Tom Rachman's "The Imperfectionists"

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I've been quiet here lately. Hope to be back more frequently. Have a nice Sunday and start to the week.

finding home

Although I arrived home on Sunday, I am still playing catch-up (with housework, emails, mail, work responsibilities, and the like). While in Miami, I was able to notice the contrast between true rest and the busy here-and-there life that I usually lead. The noticing was quite profound, actually.

The trick is how to translate a more present, mindful state of mind to my life no matter what. I began taking a look at the ungrounded, chaotic patterns of my life last year. I found myself involved in so many activities (volunteer, personal, family) that I never had the chance to focus on any one thing at a time. And I found I was often running late. And I began to resent the to-do lists I would write for myself, simply to remember what it was I had to do.

I have cleared some space. I have been saying no more often. I know that "learning to say no" sounds somewhat cliche, but it is an extremely powerful thing. With it has come an unfolding awareness of my boundaries. And saying no doesn't just mean to requests that I get from other people. It also means saying no to things, activities, chores. This is a work in progress. Having grown up with a mother that rarely ever said no, I will probably be sorting through this for the rest of my life in one way or another.

{I took these photos of gulls while sitting on the beach last week. They were flying so low, right above my head. Probably looking for something to eat.}

calendar and book

{Calendar Week 10}

Book 9/52

Annie Dillard's The Maytrees

This is a beautifully crafted book. Here is one paragraph that struck me:

What gave adults the cheer to tolerate their hypocrisy? Even his mother praised generosity and hoarded; she preached industry and barely worked. Perhaps every generation passes to the next, to hand down to yet more children, an untouched trunk of virtues. The adults describe the trunk's contents to the young and never open it.

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I'm home from Miami's warmth. It is snowing as I make this post. Thanks for all of your traveling well-wishes. I had a marvelous time.