Lovely World

snow lace

Lovely antigue lace fabric: a gift from my mother.

Reminds me of the snow finally blanketing the ground. More snow expected tomorrow evening.

Merry Christmas.

xo Maribeth

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