Hopeful

 "New year new me! I mean not really...but it is a good excuse to feel hopeful!" 

This quote is from Adam J. Kurtz who has become one of my favorites voices on Instagram. His witty words of wisdom cut to the chase with just the right amount of honesty and humor....and a touch of irreverence. 
https://www.instagram.com/adamjk/

The start of a new year is a good time to feel hopeful.....especially this year when there are so many things to worry about.  There may not be a whole new me in 2022....but I hope there's a more healthy, more hopeful and a more intentional me.  Happy Joyful New Year!  

I posted this photo on New Year's Eve back in 2015.  I've added a few more to my Christmas garland collection since then.....and now they're all packed away for another year.  https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/12/felt-garland.html

City Lights

There aren't too many things I love more during the holidays than all the lighting that comes with it. I took all the ornaments off the tree today....and we'll leave it up for a while longer with just the lights.  The 12 days of Christmas last until January 5th....so maybe that will be the day we'll take it down.

Paul and I recently took our annual Portland city light tour....always a joy. The lights around Portland are colorful, festive and fun.  I've written about them before but they're worth revisiting....and this is just some of them.  

A little glimpse of my tour guide.

I have a confession.  After I moved the last big puzzle of the cozy Christmas scene to the dining room table....it only lasted one day before I picked it up and gave it away.  I knew it wasn't right for me....and giving it away felt liberating.

I didn't even hesitate starting this festive city lights puzzle I picked up in Concord with Anita. Yes it's a scene....but it was only 500 pieces and it had clear layers and the blocks of color that I'm drawn to.  

I started it the day after Christmas.....

....and finished it the next day and I loved every minute of it. I'm already sorting the pieces for the next one. 

One of my favorite things about this puzzle was that the city lights were metallic. 

Rainbow Doors

How lucky am I that I share my life with someone who is willing to help me search for rainbows!  You're a good sport Paul!

This bright yellow door caught my eye on our morning walk earlier this week. There was something about the bright pop of color in the monochromatic winter landscape that made me pause.

And it got me thinking.....could we find a whole rainbow?

So over the last couple days Paul and I have been looking at holiday doors....and the answer is a resounding YES....we found a whole rainbow.  

Good Excuse

"Reset, readjust, restart and refocus as many times as you need to." 

I'm excited to dig ease my way in the studio and get back to some creative projects. I'm revisiting a batik piece I made more than a year ago and reinventing part of it for something for my sister-in-law Alyson's new home. It's a very simple project....and I'll report on it when it's done....but today it's just about adding texture to the fabric with simple top stitching.  And it's really just a good excuse to post this colorful photo with my thread choices.

I stitched it onto some very lightweight flannel because I didn't want to add bulk....the hum of my sewing machine is music to my ears! 

I've always said....stitching changes everything....giving the piece a little texture, interest, and definition. Or at least that's what I tell myself.

I posted about the batik piece here: 

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/04/back-to-batiks.html

 and here:

 https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-splash-of-color.html

Three Scrap Collage

"Things are shockingly possible."    Adam J. Kurtz

I make little 4 x 6 calendars for a few people every year including my friend Becky. Her themes change from year to year.  For 2022 I used the three scrap collage idea I posted about here:  https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2021/07/patienceand-inspriation.html

I used art snippets from my stash which were mostly a combination of watercolor and gelli prints. I think February was my favorite.

After I glued on the little collage....I stitched around each one.

I posted a little video on my Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/p/CYATTKppkGY/

Fresh Snow

"Success might just be doing your thing your way and having that be enough to feel content." Adam J. Kurtz

We had three inches of fresh snow overnight which made for a lovely walk this morning.  And when we came across this tree it literally made me stop in my tracks.  

Simple

Here's to a simple Christmas Day....and time to get the 100 piece puzzle done. 😉 I'm grateful for a fun Zoom call with Paul's family....it almost felt like we were all in the same room.  All is calm....all is bright.

Shifting Gears

Merry Christmas Eve....and by the time most of you read this it will likely be Christmas Day.  So Merry Christmas...from my home to yours.

If there's anything we've learned in the last few years it's knowing how and when to shift gears. We've had to learn to go with the flow and make peace with...and maybe even embrace whatever comes our way.

So this is my Shifting Gears Christmas Eve Story....and it's OK if you don't have time to read it. It is Christmas after all....and you probably have better things to do. 

I started this puzzle almost exactly a week ago.  I loved the artist rendering of a cozy and idyllic Christmas scene and thought it would be fun during Advent.  

I don't tend to do many scenery puzzles....I like clear definitions of shapes....grids, rows of things, and rainbow patterns are more my thing.  But I was drawn into this nearly perfect Christmas scene. Aren't we all?

The border was easy....and because my table is small I generally work on the top and push it up and connect the border as I go. But when I began to work on the endless dark sky and branches at the top it was HARD....and I wondered what I was thinking.  But I found some strategies and had just enough success to keep going. It's good to be challenged once in a while.

Then just a few days ago it was time to start working on the roofs.  I sorted the pieces....and organized them by shape in some of my box tops....and once again I was overwhelmed. All the pieces looked the same. Was I having fun?  I wasn't sure.

I need to pause the puzzle part of this story....because right at this point in time we had a shifting gears moment for our family. Out of necessity and caution....we needed to postpone our family Christmas.  It was the right thing to do based on our circumstances and the details are not important for the purpose of this story. But all of a sudden it was just going to be just Paul and me for Christmas....and that was going to be OK.  We could easily shift gears....and we would celebrate with the family sometime in January.  All would be well.

Now back to the puzzle...was I having fun?  I still wasn't sure.  I can only remember one puzzle that I abandoned and didn't finish.  I've done some hard ones...but I keep at them and see them through.

I realized that this one was barely going to fit on my table from top to bottom....so it's wasn't going to be easy to start working on some of the more interesting parts at the bottom. So I shifted gears.

I moved it onto a couple of boards and put it on the dining room table. Christmas dinner was going to be postponed and Paul and I didn't need the whole big table...and the boards will allow me to move it aside if I needed to. Maybe I'll finish it....and maybe I won't. But moving it gave me options....and some relief.

So I started working on one I bought when I was shopping with Anita. It's colorful...and doable....just what I needed while I shifted gears. I did half today for Christmas Eve...and I'll do the other half tomorrow on Christmas Day.

Sometimes you have to let go of the what might seem like the perfect Christmas scene...or day....and shift gears.....

...and keep it simple and doable. This one has just 100 pieces...I can do that! 

Merry Christmas! May your gears be oiled....and easily shifted! 

Celebrating Gifts

As I get older I'm learning that shared experiences and caring about each other are the best gifts we can give and receive. But it's hard to deny how fun it is to get actual gifts. So today...on the eve of Christmas Eve....I'm celebrating creative gifts from some special people.

What better way to begin than with an actual little gift box from Patty. This sweet porcelain box is a nice addition to my Christmas caroler moment...and will be a fun place to hide or store special little trinkets.

And how cool are these colorful spatulas from Janice. They're tiny....and I love tiny.

This hand painted card came from Lynn.....her art is scattered all over my house and I'm honored to have another little piece.

I'm a big coaster fanatic fan.  These adorable wool mitten coasters were made by my neighbor Jody and the Peace coasters were a gift from Margie.

Speaking of coasters....I've written about this before...but this gift is worth revisiting. Sam got a kick out himself a few years ago finding this handmade puzzle coaster....blending two loves. It has a permanent spot of the coffee table.

And then there's chocolate....this truffle collection is a visual work of art. 

It came from Becky and Andi and includes Aromatic Cornish Apple, Armenian Apricot, Menton Lemon, and Egyptian Sesame.  It actually came with a guided tasting manual with detailed descriptions of each piece. I'm waiting for our family Christmas gathering to start sampling

And aren't these beautiful....a gift from the BTS Center where Paul is on the board.

And as if the timing was planned....my card from Roseanne arrived today for our exchange....and I love everything about it. I love the torn paper look....and what's not to love about a little Christmas Joy.

And the green is metallic....I love a little bling!  

I'm grateful for these gifts....but mostly I'm grateful for the friendships.

More Slow Stitching

I've still been enjoying a little slow stitching in the evenings now and then.....continuing with the English paper piecing squares.

This time I'm using batiks.....I love the vibrant colors and textured patterns. When I get a good variety of colors I'll start stitching them together. 

But I also did a little experiment with some metallic fabrics and made a little Christmas tree ornament.  What I like most about it is that it is all done by hand....while slow stitching.

After I stitched the squares together  I added a felt backing.....a little stuffing and a few beads.

I made it for my friend Anne....we were supposed to get together with her and her husband Dana this evening....but ended meeting virtually instead....but I did show it to her on screen.  

Anne had given me this little bauble she made in an online class with Izzy Moore....and I wanted to make something for her tree.  

The Light

"There is a perfectly still moment right before dawn, when the sun gathers itself and then steps into the dark world and everything is so filled with light that any doubts from that long night are barely a memory. It is the way of all things...that the night ends and the light returns. The light always returns."  Brian Andreas

Happy Winter Solstice!

It's kind of a funny that we say...today is the shortest day of the year. Of course all days have the same amount of time...but today had the least amount of light.

For those of us who don't mind the dark days we celebrate that. And we all celebrate that after today the light starts to return.

The light always returns.

Roots and Wings

Paul took this photo on his walk this morning...I think it's stunning and this serene setting is the perfect lead for today's story. 

Some of you know I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. In addition to the land the farmhouse was on....we also owned acreage in a few other spots within a few miles from home. One of those spots was just down the road along the Rock River...and it was always a challenge to farm.  

Some years parts of it would flood either ruining the crop or making it impossible to plant in the first place. But probably because of those nutrients from the river....when it was farmable it likely produced well...so my dad kept at it.  

Farming...and all that went along with it are where my deep roots still live. I shared some of those memories in this post way back in 2016: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2016/06/my-dad.html

Just today, my sister-in-law posted this photo and shared something very special our family.  

Carol and my brother Rich owned the farm after my parents passed...and started raising their boys there. They spent a lot of time down by the river.

After my brother died Carol sold the farm but donated 16 acres of land along the river to the Rock County Wetland Conservancy. It's now an official Rock County Park....trees will be planted and hiking trails made.  This particular spot with the sign was cleared for parking....making it more accessible for people to enjoy.

Another photo from Paul's morning walk.

Now that this land is not being farmed...the migratory bird population has boomed....they love it by the river. I can't wait to visit this new park.

Rich dreamed about turning this land into a park....and Carol helped make it happen.  This farmland is part of my roots....and now it has wings.  What a wonderful Christmas gift.