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This whole week has sort of been a blur... and I apologize for not writing much.

I am (hopefully) in the process of getting better... but getting better is taking longer than I would like it to..
and it feels like I am getting nothing done... nothing accomplished... and am just taking up valuable space.
And so... I have been posting "pretty pictures" instead.

Sometimes it's like this.
Also... BAJ is away on a business trip...
it's my mom's birthday back in PA... and she's sick
and it's the one year anniversary of my father's death.

I hope you all are doing well... being creative... and enjoying the beauty in the everyday.
...and I will get it together soon :)


About the photos for today's post: the top photo is a super macro of a poem that's on my fridge...
and the bottom shot was in a magazine.
I love it!!! and took a close-up of a portion of it to include on this post. I also altered it... )

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Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water,
 or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.

--- John Lubbock


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Hope you are all enjoying the weekend.
I had the opportunity yesterday to borrow a teeny tiny lens from a friend... and these photos are a sample of the result.
So cool. I love being able to take photos of things that are super tiny...

Photos were taken with my P&S pocket Kodak... and a small lens from a dead camcorder.
Who says you need fancy (expensive) equipment?!

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Today was filled with chores... mailing stuff, doing (alot) of laundry, working in my Etsy store... So much to do.
And yet, I am thankful that today I woke up NOT in severe pain... and that I was able to do what I wanted and needed to do for the day.

such blessings

*photos by Elaine A. Russell
(photos are from plants on my front porch... taken this afternoon)

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... and today... the acupuncture visits resumed.
It's a good thing.

About the photo for today: I have always loved antiques... and I spotted this wonderfully beaten up doctor's bag at an antique shop back in PA a few years ago. The owners of the shop had this little vignette set up... and I simply couldn't resist taking a shot. Later... I fixed the color a bit
*(dang flourescent lighting)*... and added a vintage edged layer to it.
Hopefully... the end result depicts the old-time feel I wanted...
and the "medical" theme for today's post.

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Louise Bourgeois was a famous artist, painter and sculptor who passed away last May.
I was recently introduced to her work by my daughter... who loves to surprise me with these tidbits of fantastic-ness.

Anyway... Ms. Bourgeois was once quoted as saying...
 "An artist can show things that other people are terrified of expressing."

I love that.
And I hope to surprise and excite people with my photography as well...



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I've been in alot of pain for several weeks now.
It's my own fault. I had stopped going to acupuncture because I thought I was getting better enough that I didn't need to go so often... and I keep backtracking to the brink of severe pain.
It's a vicious cycle I suppose.
I don't like going so often... and yet, if I don't... I really pay for it.
And so... Tomorrow starts a series of frequent visits... with the hopes that I can (finally) kick this.

In the meantime... I am trying to concentrate on the positive...

~~~

About the photo for today's post: I took this photo a couple of years ago... on one of my trips back to PA.
It is from the Susquehanna National Forest... and it features my favorite fern... the maidenhair.
I once had a dream of doing a photo book of Ferns of the US... perhaps someday I will be able to do that :)

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It's been a rough week.
The weather; I think; has alot to do with it.
It's been incredibly hot and humid (for here)... and threatening rain off and on...
 never really making up its mind.
I too have been in a whirlwind of activity... trying to organize some of my craft stuff...
percolating... trying to be productive... waiting for the sweet rain...
Finally... it poured.

It was if the entire ground rose up and breathed a sigh of relief.
And so did I...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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I read somewhere yesterday, that as a generation... we are losing our memories. We are so used to texting... sending emails... IM-ing and such... that we don't have any tangible examples of love notes. We have lost the art of sending letters... leaving notes to each other... writing out words of endearment to each other.
I am as guilty of that as anyone... and tend to not keep in touch with loved ones and such by way of the written word anywhere near as much as I used to.
One of the things my mother holds most dear... are the love letters she and my dad sent to each other.
 I totally understand... and hope to share similar memories with BAJ...

(*photo by Elaine A. Russell)

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As a reward for doing so much work in the garage/ studio... today we set out for an artist date.
It started with a fantastic meal at Red Brick Pizza... (seriously excellent)...
and ended with several hours... and more than a few sips of mocha... at our local Barnes & Noble.
I highly recommend artist dates... and exploring all the treasures at your local bookstore... and plan on doing alot more of this in the future.

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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It can be hard to let go.
I have saved all this fabric for years and years... long after both my grandmother and sister passed away... thinking I would sit down and do things with it all... and it just never happened. Then... I thought... at the very least... I could sell some of it... and use the money towards something else; or give to charity.... but that didn't happen either.
And so... It all went today. Most of it is being donated to "Project Linus"... that makes blankets for children in hospitals and such... and the rest of it went to homes of fellow Freecyclers. One person is using it to make clothing for her children... one is using it to make blankets for the homeless... one is using it to make costumes for the SCA.
8 large tubs of fabric are finding their way to new homes... new projects... new ideas.
I think both my sister and my grandmother would be proud :)


*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Like the beetle above... I have been chomping away at a very large task.
As of today... I have completely gone through all the fabric... most all the craft stuff....
all the paper/collage stuff... and it is good.

I still have alot of vintage glass to go thru.... alot of little toys/ bits/ bobs...
and of course; all my jewelry stuff.
But... it's getting there.

And soon... like the photo of the window box below... I will be able to sit back ... and enjoy :)
woot

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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Well... it's Friday in Albuquerque... and the sun is setting on another hot day.

(photo by Elaine A. Russell)

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well... I finally did it.
I finally got through the last of the fabric that has filled my attic for the past several years. It was a combination of: stuff I had bought... stuff I inherited from my sister... and stuff that was my grandmother's. I started off with about 28 super large bins of fabric... stuff that was as old as the 1930's... to present.
There was denim, flannel, corduroy, Chinese brocade silks, polyesters, cottons, silkies, shiny, lace, eyelet, madras... fleece... and so much more.
 I saw lots of started projects... and lots of scraps of clothing I remembered as being handmade by my grandmother...
I went through it all.

Along the way... I gave away 6 tall kitchen garbage bags full of scraps on Freecycle. I kept 7 tubs for myself for future projects
( 3 tubs of cotton fabric, 2 of flannel fabric, 1of quilt tops and pieces, and 1 of misc fabrics ).
And tonight I finished up by listing the bulk of it on Craigslist. I am offering 6 super large tubs of fabric... plus quilt batting... plus a pillow form... plus the tubs.
I am hoping it will all sell quickly... but it feels sort of like the ending of an era...

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Every time I go to the VSA (I have a friend who works there)... I am blown away by the awesome art.

The VSA is... "an international nonprofit organization founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts."

All I have to do is wander around there for a bit looking at all the wonderful pieces done by the day artists...
 and I totally feel rejuvenated... alive... and inspired.





*photos by Elaine A. Russell