Still {wip}

In the process...but, as promised to Kara...here are a few pictures of the wicker project:

Simplicity

I live a very simple life. My microwave broke down over a year ago, and I've not replaced it. (I often feel very Julia Child having to make everything on the stove--it's a little fancy.) I listen to radio in place of watching television. I sew by hand. For awhile, my dryer was broken, and I was privileged to have the character building experience of line drying all our laundry.

Perhaps my life is not so simple, as it is a couple of decades slow. At any rate, it occurred to me, that I am living the "Lake Cabin Life." Sans lake. And Cabin. You know what I mean? It's the slower paced style that is usually reserved for weekends in the summer. When I thought of my little home in terms of a lake cabin, it seems a little less small. If this were my lake home, BOY! We'd be {almost} in the lap of {lake cabin} luxury! My bathroom is nice, and pretty good sized, but in terms of a lake cabin...well...you see where I'm going.

I've decided to practice contentment in what I have, and I have to tell you, that when I imagine that there's a big body of water a few yards out my back door, I feel pretty content.

{green}

Because I'm having a hard time coming up with anything interesting to write today....

I give you; green.

Today's projects

To be sent out with the post...

Me and my girl

We're painting today...

I just love to watch her little mind work...

(She bought this chair at a rummage sale for $1.)

Hello, Special Rainy Day.

I think this evokes a good sense of the feeling of the day. One little corner of my home. (I'll have you note that there aren't piles of laundry on the keys. One of those chores no one notices unless you don't do it. Hooray for me, I did it today! Hence, the coffee reward.)

I found a place to put that yo-yo garland...my shabby piano, I'd show you the keys, but they are entirely too well loved for the camera.

Candles feel so good on an overcast afternoon.

Sweet rewards.

Midsummer

A lovely weekend.

Serenity Now

It's one of those days. The kids seem to want to make sure all the old boundaries are the same (Surprise! They still are!). Runs me a bit ragged. This is what calms me down. Paintings that aren't really anything. I mean, I could conjure up the self that was once an art student and come up with some really wonderful explanation for all that these ended up being...but frankly, there is no wonderful explanation. Unless it's to say that Mommy needed just a little break from reality, and what better way than to squirt a little paint on top of some canvas that used to be something else...until that wild hair sprung...the straw broke...and the new bottles of paint caught the corner of my eye. Or, if you'd like; the yellow symbolizes chaos, the blue and green are the chaos becoming serenity, and the splashes of red, energy spontaneously erupting.

(Which ever suits your fancy.)

{wip}

While walking in the wee hours of the morning (hi, Kathy!), I came across these poor sweet things. I had to rescue them.

Had to!

For one; I have NEVER been able to pass up good garbage. (Did you know there was such a thing? Oh yes!) And for another; I have been wanting wicker for a long time. I don't care that it's going to take a bit of work to bring them back....I realize they'll always have scars, and I'm okay with that. (I've never been one to worry about looks--kind of, a little)

They'll need cushions...

and a few {sort of} minor repairs...

....ummmm, I'm hoping that this will work for something. Right now the plan is to wind it around the arms and up around the top of the back. Then, I'll purchase stock in Krylon, and go to town. I'll keep you posted with the results.

My husband has noted that, if nothing else, they'll be fine kindling. (Shame!)

The best kind of mail...

...is the kind that surprises you with it's {early} arrival, and is filled with things like this:

And these:

I was the lucky winner of a drawing at The Scent of Water. (If you've not checked her out, you must. She's hilarious and brillinant.) Thank you, Megan! I love it all. The post cards are lovely and were a very pleasant surprise.

It's also fun to send mail...here's a sneak peak for my mom...a box of inspiration. (With art from my favorite 5 year old.)

Yes, I want your grandmother's old button jar!

A girlfriend asked if I wanted a jar of old buttons.

I spent the morning playing with these beauties. I don't know if I can stop my mind from making imaginary projects out of them. A jar of possibilites. What a treasure!!

Eeek!! Some are bigger than a silver dollar! (Am I the only one that gets excited about large buttons?! It's like striking gold - on some embarrassingly pathetic scale.)

Little Angels

Mom, remember these? I wanted to come up with a way to utilize the small scraps of fabric left over from my pillow projects, and remembered the little angels I used to make.

A perfect way to use up scrappy bits of material...that sounds yucky...umm...a perfect way to use up lovely bits of material left over...because you cannot simply throw them out, you know.

Brown Series

Some brown things that make me happy:

1. Brownies


2. What ever this is...I like it.


3. These girls have graduated from fridge to frame.


4. Hello, mug of coffee. I love you.

5. Amish friendship bread. (Thank you, Karla!)

6. The sandals I've worn since high school. I love that shoes never shrink...unlike my clothes. Uh huh.

7. My chair and blanket. A perfect combo for cozy reading.

8. Brown sugar, and my kitchen tiles.

It really is the simple things, isn't it?

After...

...so I liked how it turned out, but now I'm thinking it might move to a different location. I may have to come up with another clock to fit this space.

(The outside is a smearing of paints and chalks, and the inside is a bit of decopauged papers with a little more chalk smearing--all set with a clear coat of acrylic spray.)