Best Gift Ever!

Paul knows me well....and came home from Colorado with the best gift ever! He calls it a pine knob....and I absolutely love it.  His buddies teased him for bringing me a stick....but the joke's on them.  

They are all still working and Paul is retired because we've saved so much money because he brings me gifts like this....for free!  I'm just kidding....but for me it's better than flowers or jewelry.

This is where it will live for now....but it will be a perfect addition to the driftwood sculptures in my gardens.  

 

Here are the guys....together again and closer than ever! This was the 10th year in a row (other than 2021 because of COVID) that they've been gathering at the cabin.

Paul's gift got me thinking about the cabin....and a family trip back in 2012.  I thoroughly enjoyed going back through my photos...and actually found a couple of the posts at the cabin made from the pine knobs. 

Paul's mom, Margie, and her kids....at the cabin.

Paul's dad had already passed away and Nate couldn't join us....but this is the rest of the Shupe crew at the time.  It's a magical place...and I know why the guys keep going back. 

Shop the House

"The reason why a good story draws us in is because it helps reflect back to us the goodness in our own stories." Morgan Harper Nichols

I removed the two spent blossoms on my rain lily this morning.....this tidying up ritual reminds me of the beauty and wonder of the wabi-sabi circle of life in nature.  

As I continue operation "finish decorating the downstairs" I came up with a solution for a spot that had been bugging me by just shopping the house. I love using what I already have. 

So here I go again......if you have the patience for my rambling....here's another decorating story. 

It all started with this hand painted wooden bowl...I love the bright color and whimsy. 

I bought it at a craft fair years ago and it had a perfect spot displayed on a shelf in my kitchen in Lexington for a happy splash of color. But it hadn't found a home yet here at the condo and I just couldn't send to the consignment store or put it in the Goodwill box. A few days ago I literally walked around the house holding it in different places looking for a home.

I have to backtrack to my dilemma with this wall.  The large cupboard I inherited from Connie is still my favorite new piece in the condo.  Ever since I hung these art pieces I felt like it was unbalanced. Something was needed next to the cross stitch and I've been mulling it over ever since.  Do you see the multi colored tile on the left on the cupboard?  I auditioned the bowl in the stand and I loved it.  That freed up the tile. 

There was a second complimentary tile on my buffet next to my puzzle table.....you can barely see it there by the lamp.  I had an idea for both.

They became the perfect compliment to the cross stitch. The colors and shapes mimic the parcels the mother and son are carrying.

Now it feels more balanced without being symmetrical....and I love the yellow bowl in this space.  The dried poppy seed heads in the plant are just a thought at the point....they need a little tweaking.  But I'm happy this decorating dilemma was solved by just shopping the house.

And here's an update on the entry hallway.  I love the shelf....and I'll keep I'll keep shopping the house until I get the shelf accessories right. I took down the sun tile....which was the right move (thanks Patty)...and with the addition of the shelf this space feels more balanced too.  And right now....I'm liking the breathing space between the cluster and the two prints.  I'm making progress!

It Was Time

Today my white rain lily has every stage of bloom.  One bloom is completely shriveled and spent and another is on it's way out. One more opened yesterday and is just perfect today and yet another one just started to open today.  

One bud will open tomorrow or Friday...and there are at least 3 other little tiny buds coming in the center. Patty stopped by and indulged me while I celebrated it with her....we decided it's a full circle of life moment.  

Paul has been in the mountains of Colorado with his seminary buddies for the past week....so I've been on my own.  He and I do really well together....but I do like having the house to myself once in a while. I had a long list....but the week just flew by. He gets in late tonight. I've missed him....so it will be good to have him home.

The rest of this post is about decorating....so if that's not your cup of tea....just move on with your day.  I know I tend to go on and on.

We've owned our condo for 4 years...and have lived here full time for almost 7 months and I've had almost nothing hanging in the long narrow hallways.  It was time.  Most of the week Paul was away I had photos laying on the floor as I auditioned placement.  I didn't mind stepping over them....but it would have driven him crazy. 

I've been a little baffled with the narrow entry wall.  I've thought about shelving...hooks....something to break it up and give it some interest. I'd love something architectural like wainscotting....but we're being frugal with our money.....maybe on down the road. I didn't think I wanted to be greeted by coats....so hooks were out.

I still had a lot of art pieces I loved looking for homes....so I decided to make use of what I already had and got started. 

Do you see the yellow blurry object in the lower right corner of the photo?  It's the pencil in my ear....I thought it was funny it made the photo. 

At one end I mixed a collection of Jo Diggs fabric landscapes and some tiles I had used in the kitchen in Lexington.  The blue and green color palette is soothing and plays nicely with the brightly colored rug.  At this point I was thinking about adding three little plates....so auditioned with paper versions. At the other end I hung two prints from a local Maine artist. I have some ideas for the transition between the two....but that will evolve.  It needs to be something totally different.

I think the sun tile in the top right is going to go.....thankfully it's just up with a command strip.

It makes such a difference to have something on the walls as you walk in.....it's not a hollow cave anymore....it feels more warm and homey.  And I'm not done yet.

I hung this shelf this evening.....and I'll fiddle with it tomorrow.  It's companion is a little further down the hall opposite the dining room....creating a nice flow. (you can see it in the above photos)  Or at least that's the plan....and it sounds like "decorator language."

I used the same strategy for the long hallway going to the master bedroom....the photos sat on the floor for a nearly a week. It's a variety of old family photos, an art piece from Angie....and a special poem written by a friend for our wedding.

The only new addition is the silhouette of Paul we got from Paul's mom and it became the focal point. I may tweak some of the photos that are in the frames...it's a work in progress.  It was time to just get started!

Some

"Today I'm going to give it my some."

I don't know who to give credit to for this quote....but I chuckled when I read it the first time....and I thought of it again today.  It was a full day of a little of this and a little of that...I gave a wide variety of things "some" of my attention and effort. 

Today I'm celebrating a little line-up of leaves my neighbor Patty dropped off on my back patio. She carefully laid them out calling them "early heralds of autumn."  What a delight! Thanks Patty!

I stopped in to see Margie today...and she had another finished puzzle on her board.  

I think I've missed a few....she gets them done pretty fast.  We laughed at ourselves as we talked about puzzle challenges and strategies. One might think we were talking about something important like solving food insecurity or how to guarantee voter rights. But sorting and color strategies are important too!

And here are a few photos from my morning walk down a street with my favorite zinnia garden.  

There's nothing quite like wabi-sabi zinnias....and that season is just getting started.  Consider yourself warned. 

But there are still plenty in their full glory.  There's nothing like the color pops of zinnias.

Closer Look

"Dive deep into the present moment and be delighted by the joy you find."  Morgan Harper Nichols

This small clump of flowers caught my eye  on my walk this morning and I paused to take a closer.  I'm so glad I did!

The variety of stages of the blooms was fun....but the the centers were incredible!!!

Every single center is different....and they remind me what you see when you open a new box of mixed chocolates.  Ha ha....I just made the connection as I wrote that of different "centers" and chocolates! 

I couldn't stop looking...and I couldn't stop taking photos!

It would have been so easy to just walk by. I'm so glad I've gotten in the habit of taking a closer look if something catches my eye....it almost always pays off. I hope something caught your eye today!

Easily Amused

A fabulous dry air mass moved in overnight making for a delightful day.  I caught up on some yard work and found this piece of bark...and I was smitten.  I was also reminded how easily I am amused. 

The perfect oval is just amazing....and it even came with its own little lighter colored frame.   

It was like a little viewfinder.....so I spent a little time just looking at things through it.  The first photo has a new rain lily bloom in focus...and the second one has the bark in focus.  Cool.....don't you think? I'm going to spare you the rest of the photos I took. I hope something amused you today!

"I Spill Things"

It's always a treat to go to the "Art in the Park" show in Mill Creek Park in South Portland.  Other than being beastly hot and humid....it was a delight to be in this beautiful setting looking at art.

I always have enjoyed the gardens in this park...and I need to go again when it isn't so hot and there's a little more indirect light. 

I didn't buy a thing....but there was an artist who was mounting her little etchings on foiled origami paper....and they were very sweet.  It got me thinking.....I have origami paper!  

The artist used whole pieces for her background....but I was inspired to cut some of mine into strips for a quick creative experiment today.  I auditioned a few things as a focal point but set it aside until I was inspired.

But then I came across this little snippet again from Angie's stash. It made me laugh out loud when I found it a while back......and it made me laugh again today.

I think it's perfect!  I love the juxtaposition of the fancy papers with the reality of spills. It kind of made my day!

Boho Flowers

Yesterday it was wonky stripes.....today it was boho flowers.

As I wade my way through my studio I often come across bins of scraps from previous projects. ...I don't throw anything away. This time the distraction ended with boho flowers.  

Boho...short for Bohemian: "styles that are defined by a lack of structure, opting instead for carefree layers of pattern, texture and color."

Sounds about right.

I've done lots of versions of torn and cut paper flowers from painted and commercial papers and catalog scraps. Today's project started with a box of scraps from brightly colored catalogs....mostly Gudruns World. 

You can see what I did with them in these posts:

http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/04/who-i-want-to-be.html

http://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/04/life-of-its-own.html

Once I started mixing and matching the pieces....there was no turning back.

Using matte medium under and over the pieces I mounted the flowers on a simple bookpage. These pages are pretty heavy so work well and I like the simplicity of the vertical words.

At this point it was OK....the concept still had potential...but these needed more definition....and/or a new twist. The black outline on the red striped petal gave me an idea. 

So I did a little outlining and embellishing and suddenly the flowers came to life....in a cartoonish boho kind of way.  I am going to search the catalogs for different stems next time.....these foiled papers weren't quite right. 

I trimmed it up and mounted it on a a natural notecard....I'm kind of tickled with this little experiment. 

This is still one of my all time favorite torn paper cards.

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/04/happy-to-you.html

And speaking of flowers....the 38 inch puzzle is done.  This was a fun one....from the first inch to the last!