Little Things

And I mean that literally!

Is it silly to get excited about the tiny little punched dots from my tag project? I think not! These dots are from all over the country....and a few from outside of the country!

I was collecting them in a small pottery bowl...but just this morning I transferred them to a little bottle. They make me smile and I think they would make Margie smile too.

It sometimes literally IS the little things that capture your heart!

Connections

"I can almost feel it, beneath my parka. Not quite, but almost: burgeoning, blossoming, a murmur of springtime." Jason Fargo, One Painting Got Me Through Winter

Happy Spring Solstice!

At the top of my blog there are three words: Collecting, Creating, and Connecting. All of these things deeply feed my soul....and these days I seem to need to embrace them more than ever. 

I still have the dried blooms that I collected from my amaryllis on my dining room table reminding me that there is beauty in imperfection. And I am hip deep in creating several projects for Becky out of the ephemera she sent me reminding me how I love to be generous sharing my skills and my craft.  And I have re-connected with people that I love....and have had delightful email conversations connecting with readers of this blog and supporters of my tag project. 

THESE are the things that keep me grounded during these chaotic and scarry times.

Lynn K from Maryland (I know a Lynn K from Wisconsin too!) gifted me an article from the New York Times called One Painting Got Me Through Winter by Jason Fargo. It's a beautifully written article about the impact that one painting had on the author. And as a bonus it was very beautifully presented in such a unique way. If you read it...be sure to read to the end scrolling past the advertisements.

I'm not sure if the gifted link will work...but I'm going to try: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/18/arts/design/mondrian-flowers.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5E4.RkRD.jhUFkN2nvJpM&smid=em-share#

Thank you Lynn!

And Dotty just shared a photo of the bonus bookmark I sent her from my tag project...and the book she is paring it with. She celebrated the fact that she was starting a book from a good friend and pairing it with a bookmark made by a good friend. 

And Dotty might be tickled to know that I'm using one of her bookmarks in the Daily Joy book that was gifted to me by another blog reader...Louise. 

And it pairs especially well with today's entry. 

And how could I not love Tracie's collection of Richard Scarry books she shared with me.

It is not lost on me that this is a connection about a collection in response to my creating the little Busytown book for Max. 

Which by the way....tracking tells me arrived in Madison today. 

Collecting • Creating • Connecting = JOY!

Joy Things

It was a full day...filled with so many joy things....I just have to share.

I spotted some snowdrops in the garden this morning. Spring is coming and that's a breath of fresh air joy thing!

I finished the wooden fox puzzle this morning during breakfast.

The fox head...actually ended up connecting to several pieces that formed a body that mimicked the whole shape of the fox puzzle. I don't remember that from the last time.

I hope you can see it....because it's a fun joy thing.

I saved this chicken as the last piece...a silly joy thing.

 

I went to visit Jane this afternoon...and we took a little beach walk. 

That's always an awe-inspiring joy thing.

Jane's rainbow bottle collection always brings me joy....

...and my pleasure in seeing a stained glass piece I made in her bathroom is a proud joy thing.

I wrote about making it back in 2015 in this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2015/08/thinking-outside.html

And on my way home from Ocean Park....I made a stop at Marden's. I had another $65 to spend from more generous donations from my Words of Encouragement project. This time I was looking for a few items often requested for setting up a new home. 

I bought sheets, a blanket, kitchen towels, a set of plates, and several bottles of shampoo. And I couldn't help myself...I also bought a package of underwear. I didn't make much of an effort to add things up in my head...I just kept putting things in my cart knowing that Paul and I would cover the difference. 

Look at the total: THAT.....is a how did I get it so close again joy thing!

Now I have two big bags in the car. 

Maine Needs is in the process of moving...so they haven't been taking donations for a few weeks so I still have the other bag. 

I will be at the new facility on Saturday to help unpack and setup. That...is a big jump up and down joy thing! 

I hope you had some joy things today!

Fox Within a Fox

The morning sky was so soft and pretty.

If you haven't ever done a wooden puzzle...I highly recommend it. I'm enjoying this one....and it's going together pretty fast.

This colorful fox was a gift to Margie from Lynne F. I remember the first time Margie put it together.... she just squealed with glee with how it felt to slide the pieces into place. 

Many of them have animals and special shapes...like this wolf. Or teeny tiny pieces that fit just perfectly.

And the light was just right to see the etching of a small fox head when these pieces were put together. A fox within a fox! Do you see it there on the bottom?

What Was I Waiting For?

Subtitle: It takes as Long as it Takes!

I started re-making this lampshade in February of 2023. That's more than two full years ago. 

The lamp that it goes with was a hand-me-down from Linda W. as she was downsizing...and I enjoyed it in my guest room in Lexington for many years. But the fabric was starting to break down and fraying at the edges. 

I knew I wanted to redo it...and I found this polka dotted fabric in my stash that I thought would be fun.

The yellow in the Lexington guest room was not as obnoxious as it is in the photo.

I love this little vintage lamp and the way it fit perfectly on the vintage desk from my youth.

I enlisted the help of Patsy...who has made several of lampshades using this stitched panel technique. The first step was wrapping all the wire with seam tape giving me something to stitch the panels to. Then during a visit to Patsy's place in Perry in February of 2023....I started stitching on the lining panels. 

It was fussy work...and a little hard on my hands...so I had to take it slow. Once I got a panel stitched on...I trimmed it up close.

Once the lining fabric was finished it was time to start stitching on the polk dot panels. Again...I took it slow. Just a panel here and there. Then in November of 2023 I took it with me on a girls weekend hoping to finish stitching on the colorful panels. 

But on the very first evening I injured my thumb.....and all the stitching came to a screeching halt. I wrote about that trip here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2023/11/one-thumb-down.html

In the months following that trip I did finally finished the polka dot panels...but held off glueing on the trim. Which...by the way...is a hand-me-down from Connie. Was is the right choice? Did I have the right glue? How would it look around that scallop bottom? I wasn't sure...so I just set it aside.

But a few days ago I wondered what I was waiting for....and I started glueing. Turns out my favorite fast drying craft glue was just the right glue...and the scalloped edge around the bottom was no big deal. I just glued a small section at time...secured it with a clothespin and waited for it to dry before moving on.

And just this morning I finished it.

Over two years in the making...this precious little lamp has been reinvented and is back on the vintage desk in my dining room where it belongs. It's a little bit of Linda and a little bit of Connie...two of my very favorite people. And now it's a whole lot of me.

The desk is shallow...so the narrow profile of this lampshade is one of the things I love best.

What was I waiting for? Maybe I was waiting for this rainy day....and it just took as long as it took.

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!

Showing Up

Thank you for all the amazing comments on my Busytown book project. I am grateful for all the positive feedback. 

Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.   Brené Brown

It was a lovely almost spring like day in Portland and I headed downtown with a couple of neighbors and joined a peaceful protest in Monument Square. This is not usually in my comfort zone.

But there was so much energy and a beautiful sense of community with these like minded people.

I am so glad I went.

No matter what your politics are....how can you not believe that

 "HATE WILL NOT MAKE US GREAT."

Vulnerability is not winning or losing. It's having the courage to show up when you can't control the outcome.  Brené Brown

Or how could we not want to MAKE LYING WRONG AGAIN.

Or to MAKE RACISM, SEXISM, & HATRED WRONG AGAIN.

And who doesn't want a world where we experience and grant MERCY for those most vulnerable.

Thank you Becky and Rochelle 

for encouraging me to show up!

The willingness to show up changes us, it makes us 

a little braver each time.  Brené Brown

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.