Make Room

I have been collecting art, craft, and sewing supplies almost my entire life! I've purchased some....been gifted quite a bit...and have stumbled on all the rest. 

But once again I have reached a point where I felt like I was being swallowed up by my stuff. The state of things in my studio had become a barrier to how I envision using this fabulous space....and it was time to do something about it. Again.

Today was my first target date.  It was the one day of the month to make donations to Ruth's Reusable Resources, an organization that collects school, office, as well as art and craft supplies for teachers. I filled the trunk of our car with supplies I had outgrown which included scrapbook papers and cardstock...beads and buttons....and ribbons and yarn...and well as precious bits and pieces of this and that I'm hoping teachers will find useful. It felt like a wonderful drop in the bucket.

I've been working on this first pass through the studio for several days....

...and I know there will be more to donate in the months ahead.

My ultimate goal is to MAKE ROOM.

• I want to make more room for the things that I'm actually using and let go of the things I've outgrown or don't see using in the future.
• I want to make room for others to join me in the studio for a class or art play. Currently...even though it's a big room with several zones...it's not set up to accommodate others.
• I want to make room to spread out and work on a big project without having to take over the dining room table....although sometimes that still might happen too.
• But mostly....I want to make room to breath...so the creating I do there can feed my soul.

I had an indoor awe moment this afternoon as I was cutting up this butternut squash for a chicken stew. Such a beautiful bright orange! 

Janice and Jay are coming for dinner and cards....and all I have to do is warm it up.

 

Tall One

I was hip deep (literally and figuratively) in my upstairs studio project most of the day. I want to share a little bit about that....but that will have to be another day. I'm too tired tonight. 

But in between tasks....I thoroughly enjoyed getting back to the flowers in my puzzle. It's just a delight. The colors are so vibrant and it was fun watching the flowers come to life.

But now it's time to get back to the background orange....and I don't even mind. Partly because I got better at it when I was working on the top....and also because there are just less pieces to choose from. That will make it so much easier. 

Once I fill in what you can see....I will push the puzzle ALL the way to the top of my table I'll be able fit in the last four rows at the bottom. This is a TALL one!

Balls In The Air

I related to this story of the day from Flying Edna:  "trying a new set of stretches that go in every direction at once so it lines up more with her life"

Yup! That sounds like me right now! And ironically enough I am trying to stretch more. 

I feel like I've got a lot of balls in the air going in every direction....and I'm just bouncing...rolling... and throwing them around the best I can. All while finding nuggets of joy in the sometimes crazy full yet wonderful life I get to live.

I checked a lot of chores off the list today...but here are some of joy nuggets:

I spied these really cool seed pods out on a walk....

and I found a place to enjoy them for a while.

I finished my String of Pearls page in my watercolor journal. It has been just the right painting project...just doing a few little pearls each day. 

The next time I paint...I'll be ready for a new color scheme. Although this page does need a companion.

I love this view of sun through the trees this time of year just before it sets.

And finally...Paul and I watch for the doves every day during happy hour.

The seem to gather based on the light relative to sunset....because they've been coming about five minutes later each day. But they still come....and we're quite fond of them.

This and That

There were animal tracks here and there on the pond this morning...and Paul and I got a kick out the curved paths that the creatures took. 

You have to look closely because they don't show up well in the photo.

And some little creature walked all the way across.....thank goodness the ice was solid. And how do they know? 

It was fun to run into Anne at Maine Needs today...she was just finishing a shift as I was starting one. Anne is the one who clued me into the good work of Maine Needs.....and I'm so glad she did.  

As I was shopping for a family with young children I was looking for age appropriate books to add to the bag. I found this little art piece/bookmark in one of them and it made me smile thinking about who might have painted it. It looks like it's part of a larger piece...and I wonder how many other bookmarks there are out there tucked in books. I included this book in the bag and I hope this little art piece makes someone else smile too.

I was so excited to finish the upside down top of my puzzle after dinner.

And the best part is I got to spin it back around....

and now I get to work on other colors again. Woo Hoo! 

Balance

Becky sent me a link to this photo....and it took me right back to our childhood and the little country elementary school we both went to. Anyone else grow up playing on the monkey bars? 

I was actually scared to death most of the time I was on them and I was one of the kids who couldn't hang upside down from my knees. Was I the only one?

Was it a strength thing? A balance thing? Or just a confidence and fear thing? I'll have to ask Becky if she could do it.

I am reimagining parts of my studio space. I'll explain more about that later...but it is where most of my time and creative energy is going these days. It's a change that I have been thinking about for a while...and it was just time to do something about it. I believe it's going to propel me forward in the next phase of my creative life.

But I am still trying to infuse (pun intended) some other creative projects into my days. It's all about balance. And that is not necessarily my strength.

I've been wanting to get back to my fused stripes project. The last time I wrote about it was October 4th just before guests arrived. And many of you know that not long after that....everything shifted in our lives when Margie fell.

In order for me to move along on the project...I had to know how I was going to finish it. I know I'm going to wrap it around the canvas that currently hangs in the living room (if it's successful)....but I needed to know whether I was going to top stitch or not. The substrate I want to fuse it to is very stiff so would be difficult to bend or roll to be able stitch in the middle.

So I made a practice piece a few days ago.

I fused this simple stripe piece so I could audition some stitching. I wanted my big piece to feel like a painting rather than a quilt.....but I also absolutely love the look of stitching on fabric. So I had to experiment. 

My first thought was to stitch in the ditch....which just means stitching on the lines where two fabrics meet. This usually gives some definition and a bit of texture without being too much.

It was OK...lost of starts and stops and pulling threads to the back. I also found it's so easy to stray off the line a bit and those stray stitch lines really showed up on the dark fabrics. 

I know I missed a few places...

but if you look closely you can see the med gray green stitching lines outlining the pieces. I like it...but it wasn't the answer. I think it would be better not to stitch at all rather that just stitch in the ditch. 

Next I tried some slightly wonky topstitching over the entire piece....and immediately it felt right...ish. So I think it's the answer I was looking for and I don't mind that it makes it more quilt like. The linear lines are still a bit painterly.

The light/med tone gray/green thread I chose doesn't show up very well on the lights...but it's good on the rest. Maybe a shade darker?  Maybe a combo? Hmmm.

Translating this to my big piece is the next hurdle. Stay tuned.

Joy In The Snow

"If you choose not to find joy in the snow you will have less joy in your life but still the same amount of snow." Thich Nhat Hanh

Every year I look for a chance to use this quote....it makes me smile. 

I found joy in the snow on this blue sky sunny morning.

I was especially taken with how the snow collected on the Queen Anne's Lace.

The pond is especially pretty covered in snow.

It was a good day to find joy in the snow!

This post reminded me of the time I actually made joy in the snow on my way to church back in 2018. I had my tall boots on and couldn't help myself as I was crossing the green.

Piece by Piece

We got a dusting of snow this morning and I loved seeing where it landed. 

We got a few more inches this afternoon and evening but I didn't get back out. So I'll take a morning snow walk and check it out.

It's time for a puzzle update! So this is your exit cue if it's not your thing. You know I'm passionate about my puzzles.

I had to change my strategy on Marita's gift puzzle. The vase of flowers got too tall to work at the top....the reaching is just not ergonomically good for me. 

So I split the puzzle in 1/2 and moved the pot and what I had done of the lower flowers off to the side. I had to put sticky notes on the photo so I could keep my orientation while I finished the upper flowers. But they're done...and were so much fun....and I finished the top border several days ago.

Parts of the rusty orange background were fairly easy like where there was white on the right or or the very dark parts on the left. But mostly it's just tedious. You have to look closely to see the progress from the photo above.

At first I sorted the pieces by shade....but there are sooo many midtone ones. So I sorted them by shape...and that helped. But there are still so many spots where I have to just try one by one....piece by piece. Some days I find only 2 or 3.

Then just today while I could still maneuver the partial puzzle on my table I spun it upside down...and that was a game changer. I'm making much better progress. The new orientation...and the fact that I'm working closer to my has made a big difference. 

It's still slow....and I won't let it defeat me. But I'm having to dig deep to find joy in this part of the puzzle. And that joy comes when the 42nd piece I try slides effortlessly into place. And I'll do that piece by piece.

Getting to start the bottom 1/2 of the flowers will be my reward.

I took this photo a few weeks ago to show the limitations of my table. It's an old library table so has shelves on both sides...and I can only sit in the front. I love my table....and don't want anything different so I just make it work.

In case you're wondering...the wooden highchair is from my childhood and I remember sitting in it. It's one of my  most cherished possessions. 

Pearls

There were some interesting ice dots on the pond this afternoon....or maybe they're pearls! And do you see the heart with that magnificent right edge!

My friend Patsy has always had a String of Pearls plant or two that I've admired...but I've never had one myself. 

This watercolor of String of Pearls caught my eye on Pinterst and I followed the source back to a print sold by Society 6. My first thought was it would make a great watercolor for relaxation design.

I found a page in my watercolor journal where I painted the word CREATE....and the page needed something else. So I started painting tiny meditative dots pearls in between tasks and chores in my studio as I dig out from all the plopping and messes I've made since fall.

I'm using a technique I learned in the Watercolor for Relaxation class. 

Once I painted a dot...I let it sit a minute then with a clean wet brush pull out the paint in the middle or push it to the edges creating a watercolor ring of sorts. It gives some of the pearls some interest and texture....and I'm just doing it on some.

As I go along...I may add more pearls here and there. It's going to take a while...but that's OK with me. Just a few minutes a day every now and then is an enjoyable and relaxing diversion.

Mind blowing!

The wind was howling all day long so Paul and I kept our quilted window shades down making the condo dark and cozy. Just what it needed to be.

A few days ago I learned an amazing nature tidbit from Suzy Grindrod, a Madison friend I met just one time through Becky when we had an art day together. 

Suzy's instagram photo

As an early childhood environmental teacher Suzy takes great delight in pointing out holes in the ground telling her students (and her husband) that something lives down there! Recently a friend pointed out that during the winter you know when there's something actually down there because hoar frost forms at the opening from the condensation from their breathing. Suzy said her mind was blown in the caption of her Instagram post...and I responded that mine was too! Totally AWE inspiring.

I'm going to be on the lookout!!! 

Also Suzy's photo

I looked back...and sure enough I had photos from that art play date back in 2016. 

This is a bird's eye view of Becky's table that day. 

And this is a sweet little art piece that Suzy made. 

The little fish pull through the viewfinder.

Onion Rings

 "First it is an intention. Then a behavior. Then a habit. Then a practice. Then a second nature. Then it is simply who you are." Brendon Burchard 

I've been trying to paint a little bit every day. For now I'm back to painting simple shapes because it's so mindfully mindless and I need to build some confidence again. I'm also looking for pages in my watercolor journal that need a companion. I did the page on the left a while back....and over the last couple of days I painted the one on the right. And added a few fabric swatches. 

It doesn't matter that it's wonky...and super simple.

Dotty commented on yesterday's post that she experienced an inside moment of awe while she was cutting into cucumber.  Truly: total miracle, that cucumber!...she said. I couldn't agree more....cucumbers are AWEsome!

I felt the same way when I cut into this red onion. How incredible is it that nature produced something as beautiful as this...and I get to experience this miracle every time I slice into it.

And that got me thinking about my watercolor. 

So I added some onion rings to some of the purple spaces in on my watercolor page....and I like it so much more!

Inside Awe Walk

Yesterday's post prompted Tracie to do an inside awe walk....and the first thing that caught her attention was this beautiful bowl of oranges in her kitchen. The color...the shadows....the dotted background...it was awe inspiring! Thanks Tracie!

Dacher Keltner identified 8 wonders of life that can inspire awe. They can be found anywhere...inside or out. And they can be a simple as a bowl of fruit on your counter. Awe is in the eye of the beholder! 

Nature

Music

Visual design, art, and culture

Moral beauty, other people's kindness and courage

Collective effervescence, that feeling you get at a ballpark or yoga class

Spiritual experiences

Epiphanies, big ideas and dreams

Life and Death, the feeling that everyday is precious

Wonder and Awe

Subtitle: Awe Walks, They're Good For Your Health!

Marian sent me a link to an article from Huffpost which linked to a Podcast from the Am I Doing It Wrong series. The article and the Podcast feature the research Dacher Keltner has done on wonder and awe...and how having more of it can change our lives. Marian knew this was right up my alley!

I'm not going into too much detail here...even though I want to. I recommend you read the the article if you're interested which links to the Podcast. I enjoyed both. You might too.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dacher-keltner-awe-wonder-walk_l_676f0658e4b0063e00bc064c

Dacher defines awe as an emotion you feel when you encounter vast mysteries. I think I've experience this when I say something makes me stop in my tracks or make me pause. I hadn't thought about these as moments of awe....but now I get it. 

He goes on to describes a study he did with 75 year olds and the positive effect that experiencing awe had on their health. Some of the participants in the study were told to go on what he called a awe walks....paying attention to things with childlike wonder. They were to pause and notice things...both big and small and take in the vast mysteries that were all around them. 

That's what I've been saying for years...in my own way.

There was a notable positive effect on people who took the awe walks. 

I took an awe walk today in the woods. It was cold...but I bundled up and took my time and had an attitude of childlike wonder. The most memorable moment was when I came across this fallen tree. Paul and I sit on the patio...or on the couch in the winter and look at the trees in the woods almost every day. They're tall....but we don't have a sense for how tall they really are from our chairs.

This one on the ground seemed to go on forever...and the fact that I was able to walk from one end to the other gave me a real sense how tall this tree actually was. It gave me a feeling of awe. And if was was actually a child...I would have tried to walk the whole length balancing ON the tree.

The study showed that once people started searching for awe, the more awe they found....and this gives me a new framework to think about what I already knew. 

The more you pay attention and take the time to look closely....the more you will see I've always said. Now I know I'm encouraging you to search for awe....and I can say even it's been scientifically proven to be be good for your health!

Alyson and I took a break from our photo exchange after Margie's fall and during the holidays. There was just too much going on. 

But we've started back up again...and I just realized today that taking photos to share with her was another way that I searched for moments of awe. I've missed it....and I'm glad to have it back in my life. It's good for my health!

This is the photo montage that I sent her this evening....highlights of my awe walk in the woods.