Happy Halloween!

It was a bright and beautiful day after a night of beneficial rain. The wind was brisk...but the sun was warm making it a wonderful day for a walk. 

And because of the wind and rain...the ground was covered with leaves. I love October...I hate to see it go. 

I couldn't believe the intensity of the red and yellow in this leaf...especially when I held it in the light! To think that this was bright green is awe inspiring. 

And the light and colors in the kitchen window were awe inspiring too.

Happy Halloween! 

I've enjoyed these little guys on my window sill all month long.

It's time to tuck them away for another year.

We had our one token trick or treater stop by just a few minutes ago....

with a wagon collecting food for our neighborhood food drive. 

Way to go Liam and family! 

Engaging and Entertaining

I finished a fabulous puzzle today...called Vintage Library. I've done it before...and I know I'll do it again. 

I left just enough pieces yesterday to finish during breakfast. It's always nice when you can start the day finishing something. I'm not sure there was anything else all day long I actually finished.

I enjoy puzzles with foil accents.

There are some great titles...and some seem like they are real books. But most of them seems to be a play on words. Who knows!

Here are a few fun ones:

Breakfast Epiphanies

Brave New Squirrell

Finding Magic in the Mundane

The Evil Twin Defense

The Perpetual Optimist

And I love one of the last title I put together this morning.

Kismet, Coincidence & Happenstance
The Daydreamer's Library

It's nice when a puzzle is engaging...and entertaining. 

Whatever Helps

Call me crazy but I dream of a world where equality isn't debated, kindness isn't rare, and joy isn't reserved for the lucky.  Paul Avellino

It's hard to cope with the barrage of alarming news these days. There seems to be so much cruelty...revenge politics...and abuse of power.. The list goes on and on. It makes my head spin and my heart ache.  

I want to stay informed...but it gets to be a lot sometimes. So I have to keep doing and enjoying things that counter the chaos. I have to do whatever helps my aching heart.

It helps that I was able to tuck a snippet art card almost everywhere I went yesterday.

It helps that I had earned some art money to spend at Mardens to buy things for Maine Needs....and Jeannette was my cashiere again. 

And it helps that there was a rainbow of beautiful strings and yarns near the checkout.

It helps that I got to deliver the big red Marden's bag of goods when I went in for my shift at Maine Needs.

It helps that Paul and I donated couple bags of groceries to the Food Bank donation box our neighborhood is sponsoring.

It helps that I got a text with a photo of a thriving pencil plant split I sent home with Becky. And it helps that our text exchange led to a long phone chat.

It helps that it seemed like the right time to put the festive lights on Connie's cupboard in the dining room for these darker days. And it helps that we had Paul's chili for dinner.       

 

And....it helps that I got an adorable fall card from Ayla.

There's more...but you get the idea. 

Whatever helps you get through the day....do that. 

Short and Simple

As I have gotten older I enjoy being home more and more. Today was nearly a full day out....so I'm going to put my feet up and keep this post short and simple.

I sent this photo montage to Alyson this morning with the caption there are still rainbows out there....on my morning walks.

We need rainbows.

This...may be my favorite.

Just Start

As I mentioned a few days ago...I was inspired by Dotty's Random Acts of Art project. I knew I was going to use snippets and scraps...and I was anxious to just start.

I may do a few different versions...but for now I'm sticking with a familiar format I used when I made some calling cards with my contact information a while back. 

They are easy to assemble and stitch...and a good size to tuck here and there. I'll add something on the back...but I'm not going to include my name or any contact information. I want these to be completely anonymous.   

I was tickled with this one because I found a use for something I didn't love. 

A week or so ago I did a cyanotype experiment...and until this morning I thought it was kind of a bust. But with a little cutting....and paired with one of my photo kaleidoscope prints...I think it works. The white zig zag stitching is just the right finishing touch.

The print started with these lobster claw rubber bands from the summer. Most of the lobster was eaten while Becky was visiting. 

I've always thought there should be a use for these. Maybe I found one.

Have I mentioned that I got a new toy? I bought a UV light so I can make cyanotypes inside on a rainy day...or even at night. And the best part about it is that Kelly can borrow it for cyanotype art lessons at her school.

I placed the rubber bands under the light on the treated paper for about six to eight minutes. (The light is sitting on my printer...it's the closest flat place next to an outlet...the cord is short.)

The light is small...and was very reasonably priced. I know I'll use it this winter.

This is what the rubber band print looked like when it was done processing.

And this is what it looked like after I rinsed it in water then diluted peroxide. I thought the wonky shapes were interesting...but I was a little unsure of the design. Cutting out chunks of the shapes was the game changer.

I used a few more of the rubber band chunks to make this card. I paired them with a piece of a watercolor doodle and a bit of black and white paper. 

I'm actually now quite fond of these little blue rubber band pebbles.....so I'll probably print them again. 

I have seven cards made so far...and more in progress on my table.

I'm going to put something on the back of these this evening....and since I will be out and about most of tomorrow I will start to distribute them. I am volunteering at Maine Needs...so will probably tuck a few into with some of the orders. 

I still don't have a name for this project...but I'm mulling it over. 

Maybe it doesn't need one....I just needed to start.

Web of Interconnectedness

I'm not sure that my heartfelt joy about this post about interconnectedness will come through...but I'm going to try. Please bear with me. 

And for those of you who might not have the patience for my rambling stories...here's a photo of the stewartia tree that is right outside of my kitchen window. The speckled peach and yellow colors of the leaves that were once bright green make my heart sing. 

Under the header of my blog is this quote by Charles de Lint:

I do believe in an everyday sort of magic...the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone. 

Ann B. sent me a copy of an essay from the New York Times yesterday....and I didn't read it until this morning. It was titled Personal History by Melissa Kirsch. The opening line was: The good things in our lives are the result of fantastic webs of interconnected prerequisites. 

Sounds a little like that everyday magic Charles de Lint talked about doesn't it! 

In her essay...Melissa encourages the reader to think of something you are grateful for...it doesn't matter if it's big or small. Then trace the present-day gratitude back through all the causes and conditions that gave rise to it. Thinking through this circuit of prerequisites amplifies the gratitude, and the interdependent factors that helped bring the object into your life.

Yesterday I celebrated this simple little faith card. It's printed on heavyweight paper and its bold red color and classic lowercase font makes it visually appealing. I've hung onto it and displayed it for years on my bulletin board.

I had a feeling it came from Melodee W. from Lexington...and sure enough it did. Melodee emailed me early this morning reminding me of the story of its origin. After I got Melodee's email...I read the article...and there was no stopping where my mind went next.

Here's my web of interconnectedness as I traced my gratitude for this simple faith card back through the events that made it land in my hands again...and find its way into in my joy journal.

• Melodee and her husband purchased a gourmet home cooked meal for 6 or 8 from the Hancock Church Youth Group auction many many years ago. Melodee made word cards for the dinner that I believe were at our place settings that were inspirations for conversation and laughter. It was a fabulous evening with church friends...and oh my...what marbelous meal we had. 
• Melodee would not have had the occasion to make the card if Al and Carol Bukeys...beloved supporters of Hancock Church....had not offered their gourmet dinner for the auction. 
• Before Paul and I bought the condo...we had a little vacation home in South Portland and we offered it up for bid at many Youth Group Auctions over the years. Melodee won the bid on at least a couple of occasions for her knitting group to gather...knit...and explore Portland. Why did she choose us to be part of the dinner? Maybe it was because Paul was the minister...or maybe it's because she felt connected to us because she and her friends enjoyed the opportunity to stay in our home because of the Youth Group Auctions.
• Ann....who sent me the article.....was chair of the search committee that called Paul to be the pastor at Hancock Church. She and Narriman were instrumental in helping us feel welcome and at home in Lexington and the church. If that search committee hadn't taken an interest in Paul (We were in Madison at the time)....we would have never found our way to the church...and that wonderful gourmet dinner.
• Ann happened to send me the Chain of Gratitude article on the very same day that I shared the faith card in my post.
• And because I had been playing with scraps and snippets and glued that snippet belly band into my journal I looked around my studio for something to insert into the little pocket. 
• And there was the faith card on my bulletin board...the perfect size to fit under the band.
  
• And only because Melodee follows the blog did she see the card in yesterday's post and knew immediately that yes...it in fact came from her.  And...she took the time to remind me of where it came from.

Oh what amplified gratitude I feel today because of this wonderful web of interconnectedness.

Thank you Ann...and thank you Melodee. 

And thank you to the faithful Hancock Community...who embraced Paul and me all those years. 

Precious Little Scraps

I've been trying to tidy up...and play a little bit in the studio. I'm so easily distracted...so it's a slow process. As I excavate my surfaces I'm finding all kinds precious little scraps. Every time I say that phrase I think of my dear friend Connie who had a file for everything....including one labeled "Precious Little Scraps." 

Taking inspiration from the Visual Sentence class I took from Jane Davies....I'm randomly glueing a few tiny scraps together that seem relate in some way. I'm thinking of the scraps as letters...and I'm trying to make little words...and sometimes add an actual little word. These words may get developed into sentences.

The letters in this word include a snippet from a greeting card...a half circle from scrapbook paper and a tiny little cut off from a watercolor experiment. 

I thought they made a sweet little three letter word...all it needed was a little HOPE.

It landed in my joy journal that we made during our last art group exchange. 

It works like a little tab to turn the page and adds a little interest to this small pocket page.

On the opposite page I added a chunk from a snippet roll I found in my stash. It's a lot of snippets glued to adding machine tape then stitched. I didn't love it after I made it.....so it got added to a pile. But a chunk of it works fine here...just for me.

I glued it in to the journal only at the very top and bottom so it acts as a belly band...or another little pocket. I tucked in this faith card that had been hanging on my bulletin board for years. I have feeling that this might be from Melodee W. I'm not sure...but I've always loved the simplicity of it. 

And now I love it tucked in my journal.

I think a precious little scrap project may be brewing inspired by Dotty's Random Acts of Art. 

I will develop the idea a little further....come up with my own name and turn these little word clusters into something I can quietly share around my community.  I think it will be fun. 

Here are more of Dotty's Random Acts of Art hidden around her community. I've enjoyed following along with her project on her blog.

Small Sacred Moment

Life often interrupts our plans.

It shifts the path we thought we'd take,

the map we were certain of,

and the story we imagined would unfold.

And yet.

In the middle of the detours and the waiting

It still surprises us with small, sacred moments of joy.

The laughter that that bubbles up in the unexpected.

The kindness we didn't expect.

The strength we didn't know we carried.

It is both the noise and the quiet.

The breaking and the mending.

The ache of what's lost and the wonder of what's still being found.

Life is rarely just one thing.

It is the paradox, the tension, the both/and.

Life was never meant to be perfect:

It was meant to be lived.

Rachel Marie Martin, Finding Joy

The way the light was shining through this young locust tree by the pond made me stop in my tracks. It was a small, sacred moment of joy.

     I hope one of those today.

Fun Little Joy Journal

The colors of Patty's hydrangea leaves are absolutely stunning this time of year!

As are the colors in another neighbor's hydrangea. These fall pinks...yellows and oranges make me so happy.

I decided to forge ahead on Tracie's junk joy journal and mail both pieces at the same time....so that has been my creative focus the last couple of days. 

Tracie included this heavy calendar cover (?) that was beautiful on both sides that I wanted to use for the cover of the journal.

Rather than just fold it in half and use it as is....I cut it into strips....alternated the sides....and stitch them back together using a zig zag stitch. 

I reinforced the edges and spine with fused fabric....and added a little topstitching to make sure the fused fabric stayed put on the glossy paper. 

This journal is filled with an interesting assortment of papers that Tracie sent me. She has two grandsons...Anders and Five. 

There are several references to the number Five in the book...and some of Anders' sweet artwork. There are also some vintage coloring book pages and a few other miscellaneous papers. 

Tracie included a butterfly napkin in her pile. I separated the layers and glued it onto a piece of lightweight cardstock and cut it out....and cut it in half. I glued one side on the inside cover...and the other half on the inside of the back cover. I think it looks great against the background paper.

I think it worked out pretty well.  It's a fun little joy journal...and my personal bike courier will take it to the post office tomorrow. He'll get a nice tip!

Joy is on the loose!

Makes My Heart Sings

One of my neighbors has winterberry in the woods in his backyard...and I got up close today take a look. I love the tight clusters of bright Christmas red berries nested along the branches. They make my heart sing! And soon the leaves will drop leaving just the berries. 

We are having dinner out with our oldest son Nate tonight. This...on the heels of lunch with Sam and Kelly a few days ago also makes my heart sing! I love spending time with my adult children. 

Speaking of winterberry.....here's a little digital doodle project from way back in 2015.

I created the berries and pine branches using the drawing tools in my Pages Program placing them the photo of the bottles. I had forgotten how simple little projects like this can also make my heart sing! 

I wrote about it here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/12/christmas-doodle.html

I used the same bottles to create this image.

"Joy on the Loose!"

I'm adopted this joy on the loose phrase from Dotty straight from on her latest blog post. I couldn't love the vibe of it more. 

Dotty unleashed her joy in an art challenge called Random Acts of Art! Her mission was to create small works of art to leave in public spaces and places for others to find and...maybe even take home.

This was her first little piece. How fun is this. I love this challenge!

Latching onto this fabulous phrase...along with my visit with Ida yesterday...has helped my creative joy start to get a little loosened up. 

I spent this morning outside doing a few more put the  gardens to bed chores. It was a day after a full inch + of rain...so it felt good to be out celebrating the dampness. Then I headed to the studio.

After just enough surface clean-up yesterday...there was enough space to tend to some unfinished business. I had just a handful of pages to finish in Tracie's altered journal....and it was the perfect project for me.

I used some of my baby powder prints for the last pages...and smiled when I remembered that this was the post I made up a word inspired by a comment from Dotty. Refojo: refocusing my joy!

That's seems to be just what Dotty is helping me do again today!

I think the powder pages layer up nicely and will give Tracie some starting places for more art and collage.

I still am going to make a junk journal for Tracie with some papers she sent me...but I think I'm going to get this journal in the mail. The junk journal will have a whole different feel...and include some her grandson's art.

My hope was to give these to her in person back in September...but unfortunately she and Loon had to postpone their trip to Portland.

So a little joyful puttering is coming your way Tracie! It's joy on the loose.

This view makes me so happy! I have another journal to alter waiting in the wings....I'm going to do the same thing for Roseanne with her own papers! It's kind of becoming a thing that I do.