Late Summer Sunday

Just a few Simple Noticings on a beautiful late summer Sunday!

Janice's hydrangea against the gray shingles....

...and pearly raindrops puddled here and there.

A perfectly imperfect coral bell leaf I noticed in my garden.

And finally.....a moment of awe.

Just Like That

I don't think I would have had the band width to explore the comment issue today....but just like that it seems to be resolved for now. A good reminder that with just a little time...sometimes a glitch works itself out.

And just like that I finished my wooden puzzle....and I've already begun the process of taking it apart. You have to be very careful with these wooden ones...you can't just scramble it up like a regular one. 

There are birds...flowers and butterflies embedded in this beauty. It was a challenge and a delight...and I loved every minute. 

Thank you Alyson!

I came across an image of an orange zinnia that I was compelled to cut out....and I knew what I had to do. 

I found just the right gelli print to continue the flow from blue to orange for a tag.  The gelli print was on a book page...so there is also the flow of words. I'm quite tickled with the high contrast and simplicity.

I folded the print and the zinnia around to the back....and just like that I have another two sided tag. 

So much more fun than figuring out tech stuff.

And...the laundry is done too! 

Close Enough

I wanted you to know that I'm having trouble again replying to comments on the blog. And I just learned from Judy that she is trouble even making a comment.  I have no idea what's going on. I struggle with technology...and get frustrated pretty easily so just walk away and go work in the studio...or sit on the patio and watch the birds. And that's just what I did this afternoon with Patty. We had a delightful time together.

I tried the things I know know to try...and I will consult with Clarke, my tech support, this weekend. So if you're able to comment, thank you. I still have to publish is on my end...but I can still do that with the ones that come through and I enjoy reading every one. But I might not be able to reply. 

Oy!

In the meantime.... all I really need is a handful of little lanterns.

I have a generous neighbor who is always happy to share her Chinese lantern pods with me. This little pile will be the first in my wooden bowl of fall findings on my table. 

I know it's not quite fall....but it's September...and that's close enough.

Doodling with Dolly

While watching a PBS special on Dolly Parton this afternoon (which I recommend)....I added some simple collage elements to my indigo/purple page in my concertina. I'm not sure I'm done...and it may be hard to even tell what I did...so I included the before photo. The color difference is just the difference in time of day in the backyard.

I wanted to soften some of the purple....so I added black and white lettering accents I cut from a catalog. And of course....a few white dots with a paint pen. Never leave me alone with a paint pen.

When I'm filling in a space with paper or fabric...I use tracing paper to draw a pattern. I place it on top of my chosen filler...and cut it out.

I auditioned this black and white pattern and didn't like it...so used the same pattern to cut out the words that ended up in the space. They were softer and more subtle. Dolly Parton was soft....but certainly not subtle! She was a force to be reconned with.

Curiously Long

Today was a take care of the house kind of day. I had some carpets and rugs cleaned....and cleaning begets cleaning....and that's never a bad thing. 

If you've been following along for a while...you know one of my mantras this time of year: it's all about the stem!

I enjoy all the colors of summer....but I absolutely adore the colors of fall. And when I'm looking for pumpkins and gourds....it's all about the stem! 

I do like a good curl...but I'll take curiously long too. 

This gourd found a home on my patio fence. 

I'll be keeping my eye out for more interesting stems.

A Little Help From a Friend

Subtitle: Bobbing in the Breeze

I told Judy I would share a Devilsbit bloom when it was fully open...so here it is! The blooms are tiny puffs of purple on very long stems...so they bob in the breeze making them hard to photograph without holding them still.  I was snapping away trying to hold them still....when all of a sudden I got a little help from a friend. 

The minute the bee landed on another bloom it came into focus without my thumb needing to be in the photo. Isn't it nice to have a little help from a friend!

The plant itself is pretty nondescript. The leaves are low to the ground and kind of scraggly...so not a handsome plant which is usually a requirement for being in my garden. But I love the blooms...and it's tucked in a corner garden by the the patio with all my hummingbird plants. Our tiny friends are bulking up for their migration...so frequenting the feeders and the flowers. 

If you look closely at this photo just above and to the left of the fragrant flowers sign is a green hummingbird with the white neck that was feeding all afternoon as I sat outside to read...write and doodle a few days ago.

And there you can see the tall spiky...and and oh so precious Devilsbit blooms....bobbing in the breeze. 

Here's the scrappy base of the plant nested and hidden among all the other plants. 

Speaking of purple....here's what I was doodling....the last couple of panels in my rainbow concertina. My goal over the next few days is to add some collage elements...either in fabric or paper before I do any more doodling or painting. Here's a view of the whole thing.

And here's what I was rereading....and just finished. 

Paul headed to Colorado this morning. He'll spend tonight with his sisters...Alyson and Liz, and our nephew Langston. Tomorrow he'll wake up to "Still the Best Morning of the Year"....the title of the Epilogue he wrote for the book. It will be the start of a wonderful week in the Wilderness of Friendship. He'll most certainly be getting a little help from his friends! 

I wrote about the book here in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2026/08/something-to-celebrate.html

Another Joyful Journey

Juliann's joy journal traveled quickly across the country to Washington State and was just delivered to her home late this afternoon. The whole process is a such a joyful journey. Getting the papers...figuring it out....making the journal...tracking it to its destination....and finally hearing from the recipient. 

Here's a reminder of what Juliann sent me. I used the backside of some of these papers.

Here's a quick view of how I puzzled it all together into her joy journal. If you're interested in all the details....please read on.  If you are reading this in an email and the photos are distorted, I recommend you link to the blog for better viewing. You can click on the title and it will take you to the blog.

Juliann wanted to have blank spaces to collage and plenty of spaces to write poetry. She has actually been taking a "found poetry" class this summer. I think I want to know more about that! 

The background of the covers is hand dyed fabric fused onto heavy paper (my go to recycled mailer)....and the front cover features a beautiful card she included. 

I had a hard time figuring out which pages to share...so I end up sharing almost all of it. Not all...but almost. I apologize for the long post...but I know there are a few  of you out there who might have interest.....and maybe some of you are still thinking about sending papers. Or maybe even make one of your own.

I'll be doing this for a while. Updated guidelines can be found on the Your Joyful Puttering along the side of my blog. I weave it around my life...so you just have to be patient.

I had fun with the inside cover. If you look back to the photo of her papers ...notice the dark "TREASURES" card in the top right. It's a flyer from the New York Public Library and is a beautiful navy blue. One of the first things I did was cut around that half circle separating the two pieces. The half moon cutout on the triptych reminded me of the top of a pocket....but the cut-out was on the bottom. So I trimmed that part off and cut another half moon on the top and stitched it into the book for a pocket. Then I turned the rest of it into little pull-out card with the rest of the card.

WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER?  The opposite page was a lovely image Juliann included and to give it strength I baked it with lined paper. The quote along the edge is from the bottom of the card from the front. I just love using all the pieces and parts of all the papers! There are only just a few scraps left.

Plenty of lines for writing...and the colorful paper was a large piece from her stash I used in several places.

This little page had a pocket where I tucked one of several little jars she included. It could hold a sweet little quote or poem if Juliann is so inclined. I was tempted...but I held back.

This is a piece of my scrapbook paper that coordinated so beautifully with the journal...and was the perfect backdrop for her leaf that I fussy cut.

On the back of that is another pocket from one of her papers and a vintage postcard from my grandmother inside. It's address to Miss Katie Daniels and is postmarked 1918.

Juliann provided the green envelope with a sticker on the front that said "good words for later."  I stitched it onto another piece of paper so it could become a page....lined the envelope with that same scrapbook paper and filled it with good quotes for later. This is the envelope I nearly glued shut while ironing on one of the birds on the page before. The flowers are hiding the spot where it stuck!

Juliann included a long cream envelope that I folded in half to make a couple pages. I added the floral border as a pocket which holds my calling card...and opened up the end to create a side pocket. 

Inside is a zine I made out of a photo copy of a mixed media art piece I made a long time ago. The colors didn't copy very well...but it could be collaged and altered in a variety of ways. I mostly loved that it was a perfect fit in this side pocket. I always include a few things from my stash....but somehow my stash never gets smaller!

Juliann included a map of her area...her town is actually on this page.

I added a tiny clothing tag from Cherie as a tab on this blank page. If you remember....Cherie's journal featured clothing tags! Then she sent me more to share and I love how it connects the joy journals a bit.

I love this tiny center page...and the fun graphic behind it was on the back of one of the papers in the stash. I cut out the characters and glued it onto the light cardstock.

Here's where the little wild landed. In hindsight I wished I put it somewhere more prominent. The mushrooms are from the notecard she included and with the circle topper...it makes a sweet wild tag.

This is the other end of the cream envelope...with another side pocket. Juliann included several sheets of some thin graph paper...and I made her a couple tiny booklets with it. One of them is in this side pocket.

A tag from a local artist here in Maine fits in the other half of the floral border pocket..and a leaf from Juliann made a cute tab. I backed it with extra paper before I cut it out to make it stronger.

Several weeks ago Candy sent me a pocket booklet with lots of little things to share. Two of her little folded hearts are in this journal. I used one of them as a second little booklet using the lightweight graph paper and tucked it into this pocket.

The coffee cup image I believe was from a magazine. I created a pocket and had fun with the insert. 

I loved this quote Juliann included....but it was pretty long. Using more of the fusible bird tissue...I created this insert. The magnificence of seeing makes me smile.

This little jar made a fun tab.

And finally...another fused bird and a postcard that became a back pocket....filled with more quotes for later. Phew...if you're still reading...you made it through another joyful journey! 

Simple Noticings

Dotty planted a seed a couple of weeks ago in her comment on my "Enough" post about a simple bloom. She called it a Simplicity of Noticings. At first that phrase sounded awkward....but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Dotty is a student of words. She's a writer and a poet so I pay attention to and sometimes wrestle with her words....especially when she coins a phrase.

Noticing....is a a action. Slowing down and taking the time to really look at the world around us. It's important and often joyful. 

Noticings are the products of that effort. A tangible image or even just a brief moment of awe that we can carry in our mind and hearts and sometimes even hold.

So it begins: simple posts every now and then of what I'm going to call Simple Noticings. Of course....I've actually been doing this for years.....but now I have a new name for it. 

A few days ago I noticed that my Devilsbit is starting to open. Each one of these tiny balls/buds will open into its own tiny flower until the whole thing is in bloom. I find the process utterly fascinating!

Then I noticed one further along! Oh how I love celebrating simple noticings.

On My Mind....

....and On My Table.

A silly post...about a couple of things that made me smile.

I usually start the morning Wordle puzzle with something that's on my mind....or a word that seems appropriate for the day like rainy or party.

I checked on the tracking for Juliann's journal this morning and was surprised that it was already in Seattle. I mentioned it to Paul saying it must have gone by plane....when I thought I paid for ground. So that's what was on my mind. I could have gone with plane...but ground is what came to my mind first.

Since ground was too long....I shortened it to round....which led to blood. Got it in two tries! Score!

I've been wrestling with the bottom border of my wooden puzzle. It's been slow going...but I was determined to connect it before moving on.

I found an interior piece that led me to see that this was the edge piece that finally closed the gap. 

Does it look like and edge piece??? Not really....but it's what I needed.

It's a silly thing....but I'm smiling at at my finished border. Now I can keep plugging along.

Still on Track

Back in November of 2024 I wrote a post called Right on Track about Paul's goal of riding his e-bike the same distance as around the world at the equator. He got his bike as a retirement gift from Hancock Church in Lexington when he retired six years ago. He set a goal of 2,500 miles each riding season for 10 years to reach the almost 25,000 mile goal. At that time...after 4 years he reached 10,000 miles. He was right on Track.

Two years later...THIS is was what his odometer read today...15,000 miles. He's still on track.  

Almost every day it's not raining he heads out in his blaze orange or neon yellow long sleeved shirts after asking me if I have any errands. Parking is easier on his bike and one reusable grocery bag fits perfectly in his back basket...and locking a bike at Trader Joes or the post office is so much easier than parking a car. 

He's always on track for being helpful!