New girls...

::so beautiful::

::the surprise of memories::

::lost in wonder::

:: finding the poetry::

::growing strong::

::only in dreams::

::no sleep for a beauty who seeks adventure::

These little mavens hold many messages which I have gathered over the last few weeks. In the past I have created small groups of Party Girls (party hats) and Glamour Girls (crowns) but this time I added a few Dream Girls (black caps) to the mix. Each of the girls wears a dress of inspiration and carries a golden heart filled with love, patience, kindness and forgiveness. I love that no matter how many of these girls I create over time they all have something different to say. The four girls in the top row are 3.5" x 4" and the three girls in the bottom row are a wee 2" x 3.5". I'll be adding them to etsy later today or first thing tomorrow. I'm off to runs errands and tie up loose ends...what are you up to on this gorgeous Tuesday?

Block Party...

Block Party

(it takes all kinds)

Not much to report today except that I'm happily busy painting, baking bread, trying to finish Annabel (the curse of the simple sweater is that it allows your mind to wander and so I found myself repeatedly making mistakes and having to pull stitches back), folding loads of laundry, giving the chickens some free range time and starting on a weekend of yard clean up with three kiddos who had no school today. I finished the painting right up there very late last night and am loving the colors, the mood and the energy in this piece. I know which house in Block Party would be mine the question is...which house would be yours?

lost in wonder...

The first snowflakes drifted through the air this morning so light and sparse and beautiful. It was yet another reminder (along with darkness at 4:30 pm) that autumn is behind us and we are heading gently into winter. Right now as I try to write this post, four men are cutting concrete and using a sledgehammer right outside my studio window. I'm not sure what they're doing or how long the mind numbing noise will go on but luckily I have a field trip planned. I'm heading to Owl Lumber to pick up a few large boards and some hopefully lots of scrap wood for painting. The collage I put together in my last post led me to an a-ha moment about a way to work larger and I'm super excited to get started on something. I was planning to start on a group of Party Girls and Glamour Girls this morning and have my wings, words and blocks all ready to go but they will have to wait until this evening. They are very patient girls and I realized yesterday just how long they have been missing from my shop. I worked late last night and have almost completed my 2nd 6" x 22" painting and will share that tomorrow. I've got beans in the slow cooker for dinner, just ordered lots of the best bacon ever to put in the freezer for soups, pots of beans and sunday morning breakfasts which is another sure sign of winter is upon us. Stay warm, be well and may you find yourself lost in wonder today.

In between dreams

in between dreams

6" x 22"

(a closer peek at in between dreams)

You know that time of the night in between dreams when rogue thoughts randomly appear and interrupt your slumber? This piece is kind of about that chain of events which changes the course of your thinking ever so slightly but just enough to matter. This is about those visual or verbal morsels which hang over your dreams like a cloud waiting for a break in the action to make an appearance. They can come from your something you saw, something you heard, something you meant to do. They can be from just yesterday afternoon or from your childhood. But, they are like a string to unravel and follow, a key to what you know to be true, a treasure waiting to be discovered.

late night work...

Hard to believe it's been two weeks since I've been in this space. The days have fluttered by with many good things for which I needed to be fully present. There were two birthdays to celebrate in ways big and small, visits from family and an emerging writer's work to see performed live on stage, bulb planting with oh-so-many first graders, days way to warm to let go and days much to short to seem real. So after an unanticipated absence I'm back here and in the studio giving voice to the images and ideas that have been finding there way onto to post it notes, the backs of receipts and scraps of paper. I am in love with this time of the year and the sense of gathering and that it brings. Looking back, looking forward and remembering to enjoy the in between is what has been on my mind as I've been away. Last night, when the house was finally quiet I found my way back into the studio and started on the 6" x 22" panel shown above which had been patiently waiting for me. Once I started working it was hard to stop so I took some advice from Earnest Hemmingway who was known for saying he never stopped writing until he knew what came next. That makes perfect sense to me. Having somewhere to start is a good thing and though it doesn't necessarily mean you know where a thing will end it opens the door to finding out. See you soon...

nesting and knitting...

A new round of houseplants have found their way into my autumn nest. As I washed slipcovers, vacuumed out closets and tidied up before my mom and dad came to visit last week I had to face the fact that another couple of indoor plants had died. I'm great with outdoor flowers, shrubs and trees and I'm rocking the raised bed garden and have huge pots of herbs thriving just outside my kitchen door. But once a plant crosses the threshold and comes into my house it seriously has no more than 6 months to live. I water them, talk to them and need their cheery green company but I just can't seem to meet their needs over time. So, I have a couple of new, gorgeously alive plants and as usual I'm very optimistic about our relationship : ) Over the weekend I received and rolled six lush and lovely skeins of Quince and Co. yarn and started Annabel. It's been so long since I've knitted something on size 10.5 needles and it is knitting up so quickly I find it difficult to put down! If I can tear myself away from the meditative garter stitch I will begin working on two beautiful 6" x 22" panels that I picked up in the city yesterday on a mini field trip with a friend. I hope the middle of this week finds you all warm and well and I'll see you in a few days when I have some work to share.

Side project...

Hi there. I think I've mentioned before that I'm helping out with Sage's elementary school garden and now it's harvest time. Over the past week when I wasn't in the studio or getting little people (and not so little people) where they need to be (or finishing up knitting projects and reading this book) I've been busy helping parents and children harvest what's growing in the school garden. I am in charge of coordinating the dishes to be served at the "taste of the garden table" at tomorrow's Harvest Festival. Things were a bit stressful earlier in the week but everything is falling into place with lots of volunteers and helping hands now. I chose to pick lots of tomatillos for my dish and am also busy cooking other things and cleaning for my parent's visit this weekend. However, for dinner on this chilly and rainy Thursday, I'm planning to make a quick pot of tomato bisque to serve alongside it's bff grilled cheese. I couldn't resist the super lovely watermelon radishes (pictured above) at the farmer's market last weekend and am wanting to use them in some type of salad tonight...any suggestions?