Back At You!

When you share your joy...it often comes right back at you in a variety of forms. 

Sometimes joy looks like a joy cone in a cup!

Patty shared her joy back at me while having an ice cream treat! It made me smile.

These next couple of days are going to be busy. Sam and Kelly are moving into an apartment together...today has been loading the truck day with four stops and tomorrow is moving in day. Paul and I are helping however we can. Today I've been shopping and preparing meals and....and and getting ready to host them tonight before the big move in day tomorrow.  Sometimes joy looks like helping your kids....and giving them your couch! 

And sometimes joy looks like color schemes inspired by nature.  Tracie sent me a link to a National Parks Service Instagram post with beautiful color palettes inspired by Mother Nature. This is just one of several....it's worth a look...they are all so beautiful! Thanks Tracie!

Share your joy...and it will likely come right back at you in unexpected forms. 

Swirling Along

I love getting older. My understanding deepens. I can see what connects. I can weave stories of experience and apply them. I can integrate the lessons. Things simply become more and more fascinating. Beauty reveals itself in thousands of forms. Victoria Erickson

There is butterfly weed growing by the pond...and I couldn't love it more.

Every stage of this perennial is interesting and fun.

I have been busy with all kinds of good things around the condo as we head into our season of house guests. But in between things I'm in the studio plugging away at my swirl project. 

It has undergone some changes since the last time I shared.

And I'm at the point where I am using decorative machine stitches and fibers to accent and outline some of the fabrics. I think it really comes to life with hand stitching....and that's next. 

Keeping in mind this linen fabric from a thrifted blouse was my inspiration...I felt like I wanted to add in some green fabrics. There were several shades to choose from. 

I started with the apple green.....and NO...that didn't feel right. Next I tried this teal...bluish green right on top of the apple green....and that wasn't right either. So I ripped them both out and went back to the drawing board. 

I decided I wanted the linen to be the star of the show...so brought the green in with more of the blouse fabric. (see photo below) Each little section is so different....so it's like a new piece of fabric depending on how you cut it. 

So here is what I shared before...and here's how it changed as of several days ago. I ended up being distracted by the stripe in the red...and found a batik that had the reds and hints of orange and coral and like it so much better...and I put it right on top of the other. I like that the linen is now swirled all around the piece...pun intended! and there just enough green...and it feels better!

Here's a close up of some of the machine stitching....so far just a couple places where I've used the wiggle cable stitch. You can see it there in the rosy red. (This photograph is not very good. It was hard to capture the true colors.)

I'm going to try and work it in a few other places. I think the hand stitching and the beads will really help the piece. I think there will be a bead or a french knot in each of those little loopy stitches. 

The next lessons will be out tomorrow. 

Let It In!

The news is so heavy right now. Words and actions by the President and his people, and decisions being made by our Supreme Court are disturbing and disheartening. Most of them the complete opposite of love.

Becky sent me this quote.....and it's just the reminder I need right now! I have to remain hopeful...but so much of what is going on is painful as we wallow through it. I'm keeping joy in my pocket to give me strength.

Another Another friend posted an article on Facebook that offers up the word "brutiful"...a world that is both brutal and beautiful at the same time. The article celebrates Pride Month and and a new book about activist Marsha Johnson, who was both joyful and defiant.

May we live in ways that that undermine brutality, and cultivate beauty.

Let's let the joy and beauty in.  

Please indulge me as I make a few comments about comments.

As you know....I love reading comments on the blog or in emails. And I do my very best to read and respond to every single one I see. (I see being the operative words there.)

Because of a couple of disturbing comments, several months ago I changed the blog so I have the opportunity to "approve" comments before they are published. I get an email where I can see the comment and quickly publish it, then I respond when I can. If several comments are made on one one post they are in the same email chain and sometimes it can get confusing making sure I see and publish each one. Then I get an email saying it was published. So the emails pile up and there is always a chance that a comment might get lost in the shuffle here and there.

Last evening I was cleaning up my Joyful Puttering emails and I came across a few comments I didn't see so didn't publish. I think I found and read them ALL....and tried to publish and respond to what I could. And it seems like a few emails alerting me to a comment actually went to spam...and I read those too. 

Clearly it's not a perfect system...and I am far from a perfect tech person/blog administrator and I wish that I didn't have to do it this way. But I have a better idea now of where and how to look for comments as I go along. I don't want to miss even one. 

If you are still reading...THANK YOU for hanging in there and making it to the end.

Your reward is a beautiful rainbow hanging on the fridge thanks to Eli. I'm especially fond of the eyelashes on the bottom clouds. 

Eli knows how to let the joy and the beauty in what is sometimes an ugly and brutal world. 

Sentimental

It's a good thing when morning errands can include a visit to Bug Light Park....still one of my favorite spots to visit.

We had a house for a handful of years within walking/biking distance from the Bug Light...so it's a bit sentimental. 

Ten years ago Sam worked several summers giving tours at the Portland Observatory. 

The observatory is situated on one of the highest points in Portland and was built in 1807 to alert merchants about incoming cargo ships.

You can read more about it in this post when I took one of Sam's tours: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-room-with-view.html

And when my sisters and brother-in-law visited in 2018 we got a private after hours tour that I wrote about here in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2018/10/winding-down.html

At some point during that timeframe Sam acquired a whole pile of poster size prints of a sketch of the view of Portland from the observatory. The art was done by Douglas Alvord.

He gave several to me to use as I wished. I actually used one for some gelli printing...but still have several left. 

So when Kelly asked for my help making Sam a book...I knew exactly what I recommended for the cover.

I wished I would have taken photos of the back and the inside covers. This view of Portland wraps around to the back, and she used other parts of the sketch for the end papers on the inside covers. 

It really came out great!

I taught her how to do my favorite buttonhole stitch and she hopes to turn it into a hand drawn coloring book for Sam. I think the book will be a quite sentimental.

Art and Pool Play

Kelly and Eli were back today for art play and a swim. 

Eli worked on hand drawn (by Aunt Kelly aka Aunt Mo) and hand colored painted (by Eli) cartoon characters Stitch and Angel.        

I think they're just fabulous! I love that Eli had all her own ideas and made all the decisions about what to use (markers and Stabilo woody pencils) She cut them out and made and mounted them on the heart mostly all on her own. 

I helped Eli make a quick little hula skirt for her stuffed Stitch....apparently that's a thing. She did a little bit of the machine stitching...but threaded the elastic through the waist all by herself.

While Eli was busy at one table....I helped Kelly make a handmade book for Sam's upcoming birthday on another. I'll share that project tomorrow because...it deserves a post of its own. It was a busy and productive morning in the studio!

We finished the day off with a swim. A perfect day of art and pool play! 

We're all going to sleep well tonight!

Birds, Inside and Out

We had an unusual stretch recently where the birds seemed to have disappeared. Maybe they were off sightseeing or visiting relatives. We'd see a few each day...but usually they keep us constantly entertained at the feeders and bath during the day....and especially happy hour when we have a front row seat.

But whatever they were up to....they're back....and that makes us happy! We have goldfinches, bluebirds, nuthatch, sparrows, robins, woodpeckers, titmouse, cardinals, catbirds and our beloved Maine bird, chickadees. And I'm certain there are more.

I have been trying to get bluebirds to nest in our birdhouse...but no luck yet. This year the chickadees moved in and that's good too. And we're certain that the eggs have hatched as the parents are constantly going in and out.

AND....I have birds inside too. 

Right now I'm working on one I've had for a long time and have done before....Geninne Zlatkis birds.

It's a tall puzzle so will take up the whole table front to back. 

So when I finished the first row...I was able to push it up on the table.

And I love it when I sit down with my breakfast and there's a pile of color waiting for me that will become a bird. 

And just like that...I have a purple bird! I'm loving all the birds...inside and out.

Make Something

There are lots of house and garage projects and chores that need my attention....a few of which I'm plugging away at....but I'd really rather just make something.

Thank you to Lynn Giunta for the reminder to just go ahead.

As I've shared...I've been doing little practice pieces for the Swirls 2.0 class...but just recently got started a more traditional swirl I hope I can develop as a final project for the class. It's got a long way to go with more stitching, fibers and fabrics...and finally handwork and beads.

My color scheme is inspired by this linen which is from a thrifted blouse I bought several years ago. I've always loved it and so far there are three chunks of it in the piece.

Here's how it started as I tried to get the right swoops and curves. It's kind of tricky.

Much of the paper collage background will be covered...with words peeking through here and there. It's an interesting base for a fabric piece...but it's Izzy's way. ....and I've grown quite fond of it.

The paper is all from a Gudrun's catalog.

Here's where it was yesterday before I started adding decorative stitches and fibers. 

Basically this is the bones of the piece. I tried to alternate been house chores and stitching today. I had a couple of missteps with adding the right green...but I'm working on resolving it. 

I'm making something! 

Just Do You!

The white clover continues to bloom in the yard...and I snapped this photo before the mowers came this morning. I have one lone pink clover blossom in the front yard....and it made me smile.

Be the pink clover...and just do you!

And while you're just doing you....you might as well do joy! 

Do you see it?

This is the wide shot...but I wanted to share this view from my chair. I'm not sure you can see it even if you zoom in the photo....but it's quite clear from my happy hour spot! 

Patty gifted me this sweet wooden joy...and I love it hanging in our tree.

Thank you Pataty for just doing you and sharing a little joy with me.

Pride Project

Subtitle: Over the Top

And all of  sudden it's summer! HHH....as Roseanne calls it: Hazy....Hot...and Humid! I had an early morning swim....then I was grateful to be inside with the air conditioning. 

I don't know what I love more...the burst of purple catmint...or the subtle shadows on the pavement at the pool.

Sometimes Often times I make things that are a little over the top....not knowing when to stop. But if there's an occasion that over the top is perfectly acceptable it's Pride Day!

Pride Day is wonderful and glorious explosion of color and joy. 

I started this rainbow pride project yesterday morning before the parade and finished it last evening. I fused the fabric on first and edged the rainbow shapes with decorative machine stitches. Then...using the cable stitch I talked about a few days ago....stitched the rest from the back with thicker threads and yarns in the bobbin. I'm obsessed with this stitching technique and you never know what you're going to get until you turn it over.

It's a little wonky and wild...but I think it's a joyful over the top Pride Project!  

This is how it started....all fused fabrics...even the words. 

Perfect Parasol

Today was Pride Day in Portland...and Paul and I attended the Pride Parade and some of the festivities at Deering Oaks Park. It was all about LOVE and JOY!

We carried our pride flag...and were proud to be celebrating with such a diverse group of people. The turnout was quite impressive!

I found the perfect souvenir.  I have actually wanted a small parasol for times when I want some protection from the sun...and we found the perfect parasol at the festival. 

I couldn't love it more!

It was so heartwarming so see all the businesses...organizations....churches....civic groups...and families that marched in support of love and acceptance. 

LOVE IS LOUDER! Love Your Neighbor OUT LOUD! 

I actually started a pride project this morning I hope to finish this evening and share tomorrow.

But I remember making these pride cards a few years ago....a concept I want to revisit.

And here are a few other of my favorite PRIDE  photos I found on the blog.

Patty's rainbow Pride Pigs....

and Sesame Street Pride!

We have fond memories of marching in the Boston Pride Parade with Hancock Church!

And I found this image from a Portland Post a few years ago.  I love my city for proudly embracing Pride! Happy Pride Month!