another pillow

I can't seem to stop making pillows. What I thought would be a small (or large) quilt has now become a pillow. Kinda folky. I like it. It's a good reminder to me as well. I seem to need practice extending grace. :)

Breakfast

Because I couldn't take it any more. They are just so delicious. And horrible. A fabulous dichotomy.

The pillows

So, the drapes wanted to be pillows. Here are a few...

There's a good bit more to work with. I started this:

...and am thinking it will become a small (or large?) quilt.


It's taking awhile, as I'm doing it all by hand. It feels as though I am walking in my Grandma's footsteps...doing my hand work. Somehow, it makes life feel a bit simpler. And simple is very refreshing.







(Sorry for the gloomy photos...it's pretty overcast today)

Joy

Adding to Brambleberry Grace on Etsy. This is super fun!

Fine Feathered Friends

Please meet our friendly (and not so friendly) fowl.

A mama and her baby: Polly Stiprah and Sally Ander, respectively.

And the snarky and snively (shout out to Harriet Oleson), Selfish Duck.

(My future grandchildren may have some really unique names.)

Nope

The old curtains do not want to be new curtains. Not even a little. (Boo!) I would post a picture, but they're way too camera shy. They said I could take a picture once they have more of a pillowy shape. Perhaps a few days from now.


On a completely different note...I started this. I've only got one painting listed so far, but am hoping to get a few more up tomorrow. It's so fun to try new things!

New curtains from old curtains

...maybe.

I picked these up this weekend, and am excited to turn them into something. Perhaps a few throw pillows...but they've really been telling me they want to be draperies for the kitchen and dining room.

I can't argue with them.

They seem to know who they are and what they want to be. Ah, to be so sure. :)

Her: "You're going to be a ring bear. But you won't be wearing a bear costume."

Him: "I'll wear a LION costume! Rarrrrr!!!"

Her: "Not a lion costume. A...what's it called again, mom?"

Me: "A tuxedo."

Her: "Yeah. A tuxedo." (with authority) "Very handsome."

My favorite flowers

...drawn by the hands of my favorite 5 year old. She makes me smile. Silly girl. She's fun and funny, and I am so glad that she's all mine.

More fun: I signed up for this. I've never done a swap before, so I am really excited to connect with other crafty people. I'm so glad there are people out there that organize these things. So fun!!

No t.v.

...well, one t.v. But it's little, and it's in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom. You would be amazed at how little television we watch when there isn't one handy. I used to keep the set on, nearly all day, as background noise. Yuck. What was I thinking? Background noise is now soft music, or the quiet hum of the refrigerator. So much more pleasant.

The kids do more playing. I do more reading. My husband and I do more conversing. It's great. SO. GREAT.

And! There are far more furniture configurations that will work when I don't have to allow for t.v.viewing. Woohoo!!

the Gift

Tuesday

I was doing my morning vacuuming, and had taken the broom attachment off to reach behind the stove, when I remembered a mental note I had made for myself a few weeks ago...


We had some friends over for dinner, when I looked up and noticed (*gasp*) that there were 3 dead ladybugs and one dead box elder beetle in my chandelier. Of course I hadn't taken the time to notice them before that point, and I tried really hard not to look up at the fixture (so as to call attention to the deceased) for the rest of the evening.

That night, my radar was on, and I also noticed several of those little string like cobwebs hanging like delicate garland across certain points of the room. (My goodness, do I never clean?!) I'm sure that none of my guests even realized the scuzziness around them...or if they did, they made their own mental notes to check and see if they'll still be there the next time we have them over...and to be CERTAIN to check if they had anything hanging around their own places when they got home.

Well I can clearly remember that evening how I was GOING TO REMEMBER to get out the vacuum first thing the next morning and get rid of all the junk. But as is typical for me, I didn't remember until this morning.

Dead bugs: Check

Cobwebs: Check

Something old

Awhile ago, I wanted to paint portraits of my children. Do you know how stressful that is? I couldn't handle the responsibility of capturing their features, so I went a diffrenet direction. My son has the most interesting colic (caulick, cow lick?) that swirls around the back of his head. It makes for some intersting Christmas pictures.

The hair just doens't lie down. It comes to a lovely point at the tip of his head with hair fanning back down on the sides of the point. I felt capable of capturing that in a whimsical, loose watercolor. My daughter was a little easier to characture. It was a fun project.

These images came across very poorly. I'll try and retake them a bit later.

Friday

We spent the morning with friends. Coffee, inside play, outside play. What a way to spend the day!

I decided it had been just long enough since I picked up some brushes, and really smeared my hands around a canvas...well, not necessarily canvas per se....I've been doing a lot of painting on just about any flat surface I can squeeze into a frame or stretch across a board. Recycling old materials feels just as good on my conscious as it does on my pocket book.

There's a really great sense of accomplishment and earth friendliness that comes with a finished piece made of only the junk I have on hand.

Happy weekend!