for the weekend...



...the days seem to be flying by... and yet I am trying to fully enjoy each and every one.

My sleep schedule is wonky...  and I find myself awake at rather odd times... and yet... it seems to be working out alright. Allergies rearing their ugly head... and so... finding myself more awake at night... when they seem more relaxed. Working in the studio... listening to music... watching old episodes of CSI...
Lazy... yes... and yet... productive as well.

And so... I break open the wine... fix a good dinner... and contemplate the fact that I am getting another year older... perhaps wiser... certainly more --- open. Eased-into. Like a pair of old jeans... canvas Converse... and flannel shirt.... which seems to be my "uniform" as of late. 
No pretensions... no expectations.

And yes, stuff happens.
Life is not perfect.
Bills come due... money can be tight.
Relationships can be.... trying, shall we say... at times.
Stress, life, the news... comes knocking on everyone's door.... like an unwanted solicitor from that church ...
and we deal.

We are strong.
Have a good weekend guys!




photos from this past week...

friday finds




I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

There has been so much ugliness in the news...
sometimes you need to step back and just absorb some beauty
to counter-act it all...

Here are some of my fav "pretty" blogs:

Antique store Still Lifes
Living Life in a Flower
Sweet Paul
The Simple Things
Paris Parfait (Tara Bradford)

***

photo is of the tree by my patio... in the sunshine...

warm and nourishing
liquid light for some healing
deep down in my bones

***

I made soup yesterday. It was good.






if you think .... someday...
sometime... I will be that person
....just don't wait too long...

***

it's looking a little apocalyptic out there.
winds blowing
sky dense and thick with dust
sunshine a hazy shade of the end of times...
no birds singing...
--- and so I sit with my coffee... working in the studio.



cottonwood queen
gathering her babies up
and tucking them in 

***

We have some glorious cottonwood trees in our backyard.
It's a clump of trees... that I assume spread from one tree... and I love it.
We have fought to save our trees the whole time we have lived here... from nurturing those 
that weren't doing so well in the desert... to protecting ones that our neighbors have wanted us to take down ( and took us to court over).
 I hate to see trees cut down (unless absolutely necessary because of disease or such)... and I think our trees know it.
And are thriving now.

MondayUPs




Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.
In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

 I have often likened the current times ... to the great depression of the 30s.
And I've been reading on the history and such of that time... .and the years before that.
Coincidentally... I was looking at Tramp Art the other night... and learned that
Tramp Art was most commonly seen in the years right after the Civil War (1870's) to the 30's.
And while most pieces of tramp art were small (as they were carried around by itinerant artists)... some of the art was also created by people who did have homes... but were trying to express themselves through what meager art materials they could get....
such as matches, cigar boxes.... random wood... bottle caps and such.

 And so today... I am featuring great Tramp art... 
some of the best upcycling around...










for the weekend...


Sort of a "day in the life of..." kind of photo montage... 
But it will give you an idea of how I spend my days.
Making stuff...photographing stuff... listing stuff... mailing stuff...
I love what I do.

This week, my dear hubby was in Switzerland. Yah.. I know.
Wish I could have gone too... but it was not to be.
(and I am very glad he is home now).

And so... while he was wandering around Geneva... 
I rested alot... worked a bit around the house and in the yard... took a couple walks... got groceries...
Listened to some great music... watched some old CSI episodes... took photos... ate some awesome food...
(I stopped at a new Vegan restaurant here in ABQ... and got some great food!)

Bought some more supplies for the studio... including a fabulous new kiln!!!
And (mainly) worked in the studio ... designing and creating new items for my Etsy shop.
Life is good.


friday finds





I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

This week... my husband has been traveling for work.
I love to travel... and go whenever I can.

This week I am showcasing blogs from all kinds of different places---
won't you travel along with me?


Alice in Paris Loves Art and Tea (Novia Scotia)
Arctic View (Alaska)
Yelena Bryksenkova (a Russian born woman, living in the midwest USA)
Venividi (a Polish man, now living in Ireland)
Susannah Conway (UK)





the wind softly blows
life... quietly waking up
as the sun shines on

***

it's a lazy day here...
soft music on the stereo, 
doors open... a light breeze wafting through
hot coffee and toast
a cigar lightly smoking in a vintage ashtray




coffee understands
the heaviness of my eyes
and my sleeplessness

***

it's been raining (off and on) for a couple days...
and it is much cooler outside...
which is wonderful.
This more temperate weather has allowed me to do some work in the studio...
but alas... has also really stirred up my allergies...
which are slowly (but surely) driving me insane.
Thank the gods for coffee.
incessant beeping
bulldozers digging up road
my morning alarm

***

had a rough night sleeping... (dang allergies)
and early this am I kept hearing this beeping
I don't own an alarm clock... and it wasn't my phone...
It took me awhile (in my foggy state)... but
I finally realized it was construction equipment working on a road nearby.

MondayUPs



(my journal made from recycled papers, and cardboard)
***

 Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.
In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

One of the new sections in my Etsy shop is called CREATE.
My goal for this section... is to list a bunch of handmade journals, notebooks, sketch diaries...
all made from recycled materials.

 I have done very little bookbinding in the past... but it is a subject that has always interested me.
A couple years ago; I was guest teaching at a craft show... 
and one of the perks was that I could also sit in on a class.
The one I chose... was on simple bookbinding.
We even got to make a little journal that we could keep.
I've been hooked ever since.

 And so today... I would like to feature some links to help you make a journal of your own:


 WikiHOW
a YouTube Video
links on Pinterest


There are also some great books on Amazon 
(I buy mine used... or you can check out your local library for them)


 Re-Bound
Making Handmade Books
Bookcraft



And then I wanted to just show some cool journals that were 
made from recycled materials... to give you a little taste...









It's definitely a time for new beginnings.

This week... I was finally able to purchase a new kiln. It is a Kingpin 88, stainless steel wonder.
One that is capable of firing all kinds of clay, fusing glass, baking enamel onto metal... the list goes on.
I first fell in love with PMC at a class I took at Rio Grande back in 2009. The class was taught by Yvonne Padilla... and it was awesome. Unfortunately, buying a kiln was out of my reach at the time... and I've been quietly squirreling away funds since then. I have used a hand-held torch to fire my PMC... but my torch also died quite awhile ago... and things just got put on the back burner so to speak.

But dreams can come true. Things can (eventually) fall into place.
Sometimes we just have to be patient... and wait for the right time.
My time is now.

And so I went to Rio Grande. I asked questions. I checked out kilns.
I came ... I saw... I (nervously) bought.
And when I came home... there was this lovely cocoon hanging from the tree that overhangs my driveway.
It was not there before... or I never noticed it before... but there it was.
New beginnings.

friday finds




I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Last week... I gave you some links to some general poetry sites.
This week.... I want to "focus" on some more "visual poetry"
kind of sites:

wink
the habit of being
elkemay
john walker
moodswings

***

the photo for today's post is actually 3 photos of mine...
all layered together.
 ... the poetry of trees...





grateful and blessed
relaxing in the sunshine
leaves bursting to life

***



tiny white blossoms
thrusting forth from the moist earth
portents of springtime

***


running in the sand
playing "catch me if you can"...
happy granddaughter


MondayUPs


Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.
In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

I love an occasional glass of wine.
(preferably white... reisling... or chardonnay)
And I seem to have accumulated a few corks around the house.

As I love to recycle whenever possible... 
I got to thinking about things I can do with recycled cork...

Of course, at the top of my list... is jewelry:


then I thought of household stuffs:

((planters, wreathes, baskets... 
votive holders, floor mats, lamps
.... cork boards, flooring, magnets))


and I thought about birdhouses:


and furniture!



... and then I thought about ART:



So ... next time you have a glass of vino... 
think about recycling the cork :)


Across the street... the redbud tree is blooming. It is stunning.
I am not sure why they call it a redbud... it should be purplebud ... or fuschia explosion ... or some such.
But alas... it is lovely.

We are in the midst of spring here in ABQ. Warm days..... 60-70s... light breezes... cloudy skies...
It is wonderful. I love this weather... and this time of year (except for my allergies).

And so... the past few days have been filled with some  light spring cleaning ... jazz music... (allegra)... and coffee.... fresh fruit and easy meals.
Tonight I have made some Jamaican spice chicken... and paired it with fresh fruit (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)... 
cheeses of several varieties... crackers and a delicious white reisling from Germany.

And I am back in the midst of jewelry making. It's hard in the winter here... as my studio has poor lighting and is not insulated.. .but in the springtime... it is wonderful. And I am glad to be working again.
 I have been digging out the gemstones... the mixed metals... and crafting some lovely new pieces.
Please check out the shop...

--- and enjoy your holiday weekend :)



friday's finds



I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature... just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Even as a young child; I remember my grandmother extolling the virtues of
a great Yeats, Katharine Tynan, or Austin Clarke (all Irish poets) poem.

I have always loved poetry... and am just now getting "old enough and brave enough"
to write my own (albeit humble) Haiku.

And so... today's finds are all about poetry...
...here are some general sites:

The Poetry (website)
50 Poetry Blogs
Top 100 Poetry Blogs
Poetry Soup (all things Poetry related)
Poets Who Blog (a massive list of poetry blogs)

***

the photo is one I took the other morning.... listening to the "poetry" of the sunrise birdsong.