Less Glamorous Stuff

I'm choosing to find joy in the fact that all our tax stuff is sorted and organized. We have a "yet to do" list...and then we can put 2021 behind us.  Some days you just have to celebrate the less glamorous stuff.

And on these not so glamorous days a few minutes at the puzzle table is even more important.  This new one is slow going....I have too many things drawing my attention. But I love that it's always there when I need it.

I made little piles of color during my breakfast.  

Then I assembled the little blocks of color after dinner....and I'll make new piles tomorrow morning. I love these little routines.

And there's one more photo from the storm I want to share.  

I was quite taken with the snow that blew threw the screen on the patio doors creating these little snow spots. They looked kind whimsical and kind of cartoony.

Then I played around with filters and edits....just because I could. 

I think these snow dots are so much fun!

Magical

I've been doing all kinds of experimenting with the lessons from the Water Soluble Magic course by Jayne Emerson.  There's just too much to share....some of it successful...some of it not. But that's part of the learning process. One of those experiments led me to these tiny little wool projects today....and I was just giddy.

Isn't this hand dyed wool awesome! But adding a little messy stitched edge using the water soluble fabric....was magical.

My mind is officially blown with the possibilities of the technique....and it all brought a little sunshine into my day!

I have as much photographing them as I do making them.

There are a couple videos on my Instagram page when I dissolved the soluble fabric. Scroll through the photos on the post to find the videos....every time is seems like magic.

 https://www.instagram.com/p/CZXV-5pJ7s6/

I took lots of photos after the snow storm this morning....but I just chose just one to share here.  Our birdbath is over a foot tall....and it's nearly covered. And the shadows from the morning sun on the trees created magical stripes in the snow. 

National Puzzle Day!

It was a cold and snowy day here in Maine....and I didn't leave the condo. But Paul forged out for an afternoon walk even though wind chills were below zero.

I knew January was National Puzzle month....but I just learned that today is actually National Puzzle Day! 

It seems there's a day for almost everything....even "nothing."  When I was researching National Puzzle Day....I found "National Nothing Day".....and I laughed out loud!  

A day we "can just sit without celebrating, observing or honoring anything."

But because it's National Puzzle Day it today seemed like a good day to catch up on my puzzle news. Every day is puzzle day in my house.

You all know I'm a big 5ftinf fan.  Phillipa has been a huge influence in my life and I love supporting her art.  So I subscribed to her puzzle club!  Yes...that's a thing too.  

I'll get 6 puzzles over this next year....some of them will also be in her shop....and others will be exclusive to the club.  The first one came a few days ago....and I couldn't be more excited. I LOVE stamps....and Philippa's British stamp collection is fun!

I have six box tops of pieces ready to go....and the colors are fabulous!

I'm going to work from the top down...putting the border together as I go.  A blizzardy day was perfect timing to get started during my breakfast.

Can I pause and say how much I love these plates!  They were Connie's....and even though they have a holiday feel...I use them year round. They are a smallish plate...so perfect for breakfast or a little lunch.

And this explosion of color was finished on Margie's board when I visited a few days ago....and it's in the wings for me! It looks like fun! Happy National Puzzle Day!

Knows Me Well

I got these adorable felted coasters from Sam for Christmas...he knows me well. 

I couldn't love them more.  Thank you Sam!

I'll keep a couple on the coffee table....one on the puzzle table....and one in the studio

And look what I found....just like the coral JOY Janice shared with me a few days ago.  

These were a gift from Janet a few years ago from a beach in Hawaii. She knows me well too. This is the first time I've seen it since the move.

I've put the joy on a shelf at the end of our entry hall....where I'm displaying some of my found nature objects.  Everyone who enters will be welcomed by JOY! Thank you Janet!

Connection

It's always a good day when I get to visit Margie. We trade puzzles and swap stories...vent when we need to and chuckle at ourselves when it's necessary. It's always a good day when I visit Margie...and we really connected today.

Margie recently got this beautiful card from my friend Lynn in Madison. They've never met, but Lynn was one of the many who answered over year ago when I sent out a call for cards for Margie's 89th birthday....I was grateful.

Then out of the blue....Lynn thought of Margie again and sent one of her beautiful hand painted cards.  I was so touched by the connection between these two wonderful people even though they've never met. Both were teachers....and both have taught me so much.  

Thank you Margie and Lynn!

And I couldn't help but make another connection.  Paul's sister Alyson and I exchange photos almost every evening....things that catch our eye...mostly in nature. But there are no rules....it's just a way to connect.  

Yesterday she sent me these five photos of the frosty ice crystals that had formed on her lanai windows.  I thought they were magical....and seemed to speak directly to Lynn's snowy blue scene.  

It made me think of the lines of the triangle from Maine to Colorado to Wisconsin.....and how connected we all really are. 

This was going to be the lead today....but it ended up being the least important joy in my day:

 I tipped over 150,000 view/clicks on my blog today.....150,096 as of this evening.  How is that even possible....it boggles my mind.  

I'm so grateful to those of you who take a little part of your day to read my joyful putterings....and I love all the connections I've made here....many of them with people I may never actually meet. Thank you!

This post is my 2,571st post.

 

Some Days

"Trust is not built in big, sweeping moments. It's built in tiny moments every day." Brene Brown

Some days all you need is a little dusting of snow on some red berries....

                                  and a little shared joy.

I'm grateful to Janice for sharing this JOY with me.....three letters with a lot of power in the home where they live.

Something New....

....something blue.

Oh the joy of learning something new....I made a tiny fiber bowl.

A few months ago I told myself I wasn't going to sign up for any new classes for a while.....but that didn't last long. I should have said I wasn't going to sign up for a new classes unless one really caught my eye. I just started "Water Soluble Magic" by Jayne Emerson.  I've played around just a bit with water soluble fabric but am only just beginning to imagine how I can use it in my art.  

I can't really describe the process because it's a paid course...

but I can share some photos. And I can express my delight that for the first time it doesn't matter how bad my free motion quilting is.

The stabilizer fabric dissolves in warm water....

and here it's drying over a small bowl. 

I'm pretty proud of my first little bowl!

And it reminds me of another beautiful snowflake photo by Aleksandra....this time on something fuzzy and blue: https://www.instagram.com/p/CY8tbCRMhbC/

Sunrise

"Know that you can start late, look different, be uncertain, and still succeed."  Misty Copeland

This view of the sunrise this morning made the chilly walk totally worth it.  

I put together a couple 3 inch collages from my watercolor experiment....and a few other scraps.

The little swirl tucks into the pocket.

I actually could have tucked this swirl in too....but I didn't think of until it was already glued on....and it's actually a nod back to the morning sunrise.

Small But Mighty

We may be a small group....but we're mighty.   

Our older son Nate was unable to join us....but Sam, Lise, Margie, Paul and I had a delightful family Christmas today.  

I mostly share images on the blog....but today I'm sharing the faces of the people I love.

And then there Kyle.

I'm still enjoying my string of lights in the bay window in the dining room.....they added to the festive mood.  Merry Christmas everyone!

It's Christmas!

 "What is left for us to do in the broken world but love?"  Gabriel Andreas

My son Sam and his girlfriend Lise are due any minute from Boston....and we're actually going to celebrate Christmas tomorrow. Margie will join us....and it will be good to gather.

I wanted the condo to feel festive....so I got out my little tabletop tree....and it was pretty as the sun was setting.

The best thing we can do in this broken world....is to love each other....and gather when it's safe.

Speaking of Christmas....I was the lucky recipient of a few gifts recently.  

My sweet 5 year old friend Eliza sent me some of her artwork....including this hand painted ornament.

Eliza also sent me one of her favorite books....and now it's one of mine.

It's a delightful book about Charles' search for a wishing tree.  But it's also about looking...and doing...and connecting....and finding out that wishes can really come true.

And if that wasn't enough....a wonderful surprise bundle of fun came from Roseanne. I'm always on the lookout for interesting papers for collage....and these Chinese book pages are just beautiful.  

Roseanne also sent one volume of a set of The American Educator Encyclopedia. Isn't the cover beautiful! I'm thinking an altered book is in my future.

It really does feel like Christmas!