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

Tried and True

I've gotten a good start on Juliann's joy journal. I've been fussy cutting and deconstructing some of her papers and ephemera and I figured out and finished the cover. I think it one of the most important parts and here's a sneak peak. The rest will be a surprise. for Juliann.

 I knew I wanted to use this beautiful card for the cover. I had a couple of ideas...but in the end went with the tried and true and just gridded it up. I intended to mix it up to abstract it a bit...but in the end I just loved it just the way it was. 

I think the window pane effect is quite pretty...especially with this image. I found just the right hand dyed fabric to highlight some of the colors.

That's all I can share for now....but wanted you to know where a chunk of my creative energy will be going this week. I'll look forward to sharing it when I'm done. 

We finally have a copy of Paul's actual book in our hands...and it feels good. I'm so proud of these guys. In case you missed it....Paul and three of his seminary buddies wrote a book. You can read the details here in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2026/08/something-to-celebrate.html

And I didn't know about this until today! My heart is full.

Something To Celebrate!

There's something to celebrate in the Shupe household! Paul has been friends with Bill, Bill and Bob for 40+ years since their Vanderbilt Divinity School days, and for the past 20 years they've spent a week together somewhere in the wilderness...most often in the mountains of Colorado. They've just written and published a book called The Wilderness of Friendship in which they share their friendship journey and explore events and ideas that gave shape to their friendship. I'm so proud of these guys!

All of their royalties will be donated to the James Lawson Institute, an organization dedicated to inspire people to engage in preparation, dialogue, and research for social justice.

The Wilderness of Friendship offers a counterpoint to the consensus that there is an epidemic of loneliness among men in the United States. Four men, friends since their days at Vanderbilt Divinity School, explore and describe the values and actions of more than forty years of friendship. Among them are hospitality of place and ideas, risking vulnerability to share life fully, a shared wonder at the amazing blessings of life, and a love for the wilderness, both literal and metaphorical, where there is always more going on than can be understood in the moment. What emerges is one vision of what it means to be a man, husband, father, friend: open, teachable, and above all, joyful. 

I have a feeling that this book may be more important than perhaps it at first appears. Our country's woes have many sources, but surely one is the sad and isolated condition of its men, who have been told to stand on their own. As the authors make clear in this lovingly written chronicle, alternatives are possible!"

-BILL MCKIBBEN, author of Here Comes the Sun

"With honesty, humor, and love, these engaging essays—individually and collectively—offer a healing balm to men like the authors and to all of us, especially in these times of disconnection and conflict over gender norms. By letting us in to their four decades(!) of friendship, the authors invite us to reconnect with each other and with ourselves. A true gift!"

-ELLENT. ARMOUR, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair and Professor of Feminist Theology; Vanderbilt Divinity School

"Here we witness an extraordinary friendship forged over decades and deepened through shared commitments to curiosity, self-reflection, and justice. With honesty and humility, wit and wisdom, four friends, chosen brothers to one another, recount the stories of their shared life, shaped by seasons of joy, loss, discovery, and care. The building blocks of that friendship—intentional time together in wild places, deepening vulnerability, and a longstanding dedication to learning and unlearning—offer a counterpoint to the epidemic of loneliness. Wise, generous, and deeply humane, this book offers both a testimony to authentic male friendship and an invitation, especially for men willing to confront the privileges of whiteness and patriarchy, to cultivate deeper relationships: with one another, with the hurts of the world and with the sacred."

-ALLEN EWING-MERRILL, Executive Director, The BTS Center

Stop What You're Doing

"Radiant things burst forth in the darkest places, in the smallest nooks and deepest cracks of the hidden world." Margaret Renkl

It was time for a change of spring scenery. Today was a travel day...and for the next week I'll be in my childhood home state of Wisconsin. I've stopped everything I was doing....and pausing to do something new and different.

Detroit airport

I have a full itinerary which will include friends, sisters, a cute little two year old, and some time with the art group! 

I hope to post a little something every day...but it will likely be late in the evening as I am tucked in bed. The daytime hours will be spent being fully present with people I love. (This post was written at the Detroit airport during a long layover.)

Just a few days ago Janice gifted me a book that is going to perfect for the trip....The Comfort of Crows, a Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl. Margaret mindfully observed and listened to the creatures and plants in her own backyard for a full year and captured her experiences in 52 short essays. It's a beautiful book so far. Janice knows me well and I am grateful for friends like that! Thanks Janice!

The first chapter is titled Wherever You Are, Stop What You're Doing. She reminds us to stop and look....stop and ponder....stop and listen....stop and consider...stop and peer...stop and contemplate....stop and think. 

Oh how I'm going to love this book!

Each chapter includes a beautiful work of art from her brother. Margaret starts the book in winter...and soon I'll be reading my way into spring. 

Sharing

You're never too old to enjoy children's books....I have several favorites.

I finished the children's book puzzle a few days ago...

and it got me thinking about The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the BIG HUNGRY BEAR. I don't know if it was more of a favorite of the boys...or of mine. I'd like to think it was both.

I think it actually came from grandma and grandpa...Margie and Dave.

It's there on the left in the finished puzzle...which by the way...was just a delight!

I love the long title of the book....the soft and whimsical illustrations...and the cadence of the story. It's a fun one to read outloud and I can pretty much recite it by heart. Still. 

Hello, little mouse, What are you doing?

Oh, I see. Are you going to pick that red, ripe strawberry?

The narrator warns about the big hungry Bear....Ohhhh, how that Bear loves red, ripe strawberries!

There would be no way to protect it or hide it from the Bear....and the narrator has an ulterior motive. 

Quick! There's only one way in the whole wide world to save a red, ripe strawberry from the big, hungry Bear!

Cut it in two.

Share half with. 

Sharing is a good thing!

Busytown

I thought I would share the little book I've been working on for Max's birthday as it's been a big part of my creative daily practice for quite some time now. (If you are reading this in an email and the photos are distorted as they often are, I suggest you link to the actual blog.)

Max is the son of my goddaughter Emily...and they live in Madison, WI. He's almost 2....so not a blog reader....so it will still be a surprise. 

It's really more of a craft project than an art project...and I had a lot of fun cutting and pasting it together.

I've been fussy cutting images from this thrifted Richard Scarry book and repurposing it into a little handmade book for Max.

Margie had a greeting card organizer box with small file folders....she was a loyal card sender. 

I repurposed one of the small folders for the cover of my book...it was just the right size and weight. I love using what I have...and in this case especially loved using what Margie had! 

I collaged the outside with words from the book and fused a strip of cloth on the spine. 

I used white card stock for the pages and created a textured blue and green background using my gelli plate. I did a one signature 5 hole simple stitched binding technique.

I spent quite a bit of time fussy cutting images from the book and inserting Max into the vehicles and scenes. 

I either cut out a window and put a photo behind...or sliced an opening in the scene and slid in Max. I had a blast...often giggling as I went along.

It was hard to actually start glueing...and especially hard to figure out the cover. But once I started...there was no stopping me.

I tried to mimic the larger lettering in the book...using a red paint pen and outlining the letters using a fine tip black.

I love the little parade heading to Busytown...led by the little mouse in the wheelchair followed by the tiny gardner car and Max in the taxi.

I glued things down with a glue stick and sealed everything up with gel medium.

On the first page I pointed out a few things to look for that would be on every page: the sun, airplanes, Max, Huckle, Mortimer, Lowly worm and a little love. There are lots of other things to see on the pages...and whoever is reading it with him can point out things to find. As I was cutting I really appreciated the whimsical art of Richard Scarry. I just love all his little characters and tiny details.

This little part on the inside cover made me smile. I so wanted to use this little table...but couldn't figure out where....and this was the perfect spot. 

I used almost everything in the photo....even the iron for the fusible fabric binding. And the lighthouse is a nod to the fact that it was made in Maine.

Not everything makes sense together......I just used the images that I liked the best and tried to create a somewhat cohesive scene.

Notice that Max is ACTUALLY in a pumpkin and I chuckled when I slid him into the corn stalk. Like I said...I giggled my way through this.

Max peeking out from behind of the phone booth tickled me.

Do you see the bear in the lookout tower....

looking at Max the bear in the hills! That tickled me too!

The whole family is in the bus...including Aunt MaryAnn! I do feel part of this family!

Thanks for coming along with Max to Busytown and making it to the end of this post.

Back To Mud

I've been doing a little hand lettering practice almost every day.  It doesn't matter what I write...because it's just for me. So I've been using versions of a passage from Broken for You, by Stephanie Kallos, a book I read many years ago that still resonates with me. I'll put a photo of the actual passage I've been using at the bottom of this post if anyone is interested.  

I am taking some liberties with the passage...changing or eliminating words here and there....but the idea of Wanda and her studio belongs to Stephanie Kallos. And I guarantee....there are errors. 

Here I used colored pencil again to fill in most of the negative spaces blending the colors as I went along. There's something visually soothing about blues and greens.....it looks like summer.

Then I switched to watercolor.  

I started with just three colors: blue yellow and pink....made some mud in the middle...and mixed all my own colors. The magic is in the mud.  These are old tubes of paint from Connie...and they seemed to be just fine.

I was reminded how rich hand mixed colors can be and how well they 

can all go together when they are mixed from each other.  It's good to get back to mud....and I need to remember to do it more often.

I actually stitched the black lines on the paper before I did the writing....you can only tell if you look closely.  I wrote out the quote in light pencil first and erased the lines after the black pen was good and dry.  I still made a mistake I had to fix. I think it's inevitable...so I'm embracing the imperfection.

Then I painted. I watercolored just the bottom half of each line...and after it was dry I went in with a damp brush and softened some of those lines creating almost an ombre effect going up in some places.  I think the white spaces at the top add a lot of interest.  

The rainbow joy part of me always wants to use the bright vivid colors.  But when I actually mix my own colors....I am reminded how beautiful and bright they can be while also being a bit muted.  And I love adding in the neutrals.

Wanda's way....is my way too.

The enormous bulletin board on the other side of my studio...the side of my room that hasn't really been organized and cleaned yet. I'll get there eventually.

"See What Emerges!"

 "If you're a little bit stuck and not quite sure what to do. - have a little fling of some paint, make a few marks, and just start stitching.......and see what emerges."  Izzy Moore

Izzy's little Confidence Kickstart project has become a little book.....I think it's kind of fun! 

  

I made the front and back covers out of a second sheet we made on heavier weight paper with a little less stitching. I joined the covers by fusing a piece of fabric as the binding and added a little stitch line on each cover. Then I did a machine blanket stitch around the outer edges.  Finally.....after some fancy folding and glueing of my long piece I attached the cover to the book with gel medium.

I added a few more hand painted fabric dots....and a little "joy" to the cover....

and a little book was born.

It's got three 2 page spreads with those continuous black stitching lines connecting from page to page. No one but me....and now you....know that those black lines started with "joyful."  I can picture those stitching lines being readable words....or a phrase that carries from page to the next. 

Here's the back cover....and I'm pretty happy with what emerged!

Thanks for the kickstart Izzy!