Nancy and I had so many wonderful experiences on our trip to the UK...but those of you who follow along with me on this blog will understand how much it meant to connect with artist and teacher Philippa Stanton, also known as
5ftinf.
After a delightful lunch and a visit to the Brighton Marina, we spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening at Philippa's home having tea at her table, exploring her creative spaces, and trading stories about "consciously creative" things.
I shared one of my favorite stories about my mother-in-law Margie's unintentional wabi-sabi experiment of drying and decaying gourds. You can read about it
here.
Had I not shared and celebrated the concept of wabi-sabi I had just learned from Philippa's class here on the blog, these precious little gems would most likely have been thrown out. But Margie recognized that something special had happened....and was excited to share her story with me and now me with Philippa making it a wonderful full circle connection.
But then the circle got even wider because my story prompted Philippa to show Nancy and me her wabi-sabi experiment. She had tried over and over to dry gourds only to have them eventually rot completely. But this one was a success...complete with dried seeds rattling on the inside. She placed it on her perfectly imperfect wabi-sabi table and I snapped this picture.
Then just today....while Philippa was putting some games away she discovered a forgotten bunch of gourds in the basket where the games belonged. All but one had dried and were just waiting for the right moment to be discovered and celebrated. Is it a coincidence that it was today? We think not. It's "life making circles and connections" she told me.
Philippa's message and photo came to my phone today at almost the very moment I finished the
"Steller Story" of our visit to her home where I featured her gourd on her table. I already knew I was going to write about gourds in this blog post....you know how I love a good connection story.
You can read my "Tea at the Table" Steller Story and see many more photos from our lovely visit
here.
And...just in case you were wondering about the lone daffodil blossom in the photo here's another little story. The daffodils are in full bloom all over the UK...and Philippa's home is filled with them in various stages of life. There was one blossom on the table that I was immediately drawn to when I arrived and I pulled it into the gourd photo.
A bit later I asked Philippa to sign my copy of her
Consciously Creative book and laid it on the table. We were both delighted when she lined the book up with the lines on her table where the cover photo was taken....and there on the cover was a similar lone daffodil blossom. Coincidence?...we think not. Circles and connections....pay attention or you might miss them.
I pulled this photo from a selfie video I took while Nancy and I were walking along Brighton Beach. Although it's a goofy picture....it perfectly describes the weather we had a lot of the time in the UK. We just had to give in and roll with it. 
Then just today....while Philippa was putting some games away she discovered a forgotten bunch of gourds in the basket where the games belonged. All but one had dried and were just waiting for the right moment to be discovered and celebrated. Is it a coincidence that it was today? We think not. It's "life making circles and connections" she told me.
Philippa's message and photo came to my phone today at almost the very moment I finished the "Steller Story" of our visit to her home where I featured her gourd on her table. I already knew I was going to write about gourds in this blog post....you know how I love a good connection story. 
A bit later I asked Philippa to sign my copy of her Consciously Creative book and laid it on the table. We were both delighted when she lined the book up with the lines on her table where the cover photo was taken....and there on the cover was a similar lone daffodil blossom. Coincidence?...we think not. Circles and connections....pay attention or you might miss them. 
It was 62 degrees when I landed in Boston...and I smiled when I saw the snow had melted enough to uncover this rock at my back door in Lexington.
Almost every day I walked the country roads in the early mornings and dusky evenings bonding with the corn fields. I grew up on a farm....but never before had I spent time really looking and documenting the corn. I loved it.
I tucked it into a little envelope I made from a catalog page...and it's ready to go....and so am I. Today is the day....or rather tonight is the night. See you in the UK.
Betsy Silverman does extremely detailed collage work using JUST images from recycled magazines....absolutely no paint. The depth she's able to get is just amazing and her architecture background and humor really come through. Examining them up close is such a treat.
Another artist I loved was Kathleen George. Her modern florals are so much fun...and most of them have touches of copper leaf which catch the light in just the right places.
I had to smile when this photo came across my Instagram feed.....a little spring in London. Right now there's nothing but rain forecasted....but I'll adapt the quote I used a few days ago: 