.



while the sun creeps
not so subtly behind the dresses of trees
almost translucent from the wind
it's finery all blown down around her ankles
gusts of crisp air blowing the edges about
waiting for someone to dance with
someone to talk to
someone who will care what is said
is done
is thought
is felt
.. with no reprisal
no disdain
no reprimands
as to what should and should not be done.
to just be
to watch the sun
to bask in the warmth
to sit idly by
drinking coffee
or a glass of wine
... and wait for the moon.

.


wild feathered frost
decorates each leaf and twig
while I make coffee


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)...

***

 this week I (finally) decided on paint colors for the house.
Just the interior walls; mind you... but it is a relief.
See... I love paint.
I love color.
How to decide when there are so very many wonderful choices out there?

But then I had to consider the paneling in a couple rooms... 
and vinyl flooring in the kitchen and bathroom... 
oh... and the various 70's carpet...
anyway.

 It got me to thinking ... about fun things to do with paint cards.
You know, the kind you pick up at home improvement shops...
Here are some ideas I found:
(and some I've actually done!)
and then I found these fabulous links:

 1
2
3
4
5

(love this last one)

for the weekend


Just a week or so ago... the house looked like this.
Chilly mornings... followed by warm, sunny days....
sure signs of fall in the air...leaves having turned and fallen... gracing the roads with a carpet of splendid color...
bees humming while gathering their final haul for the year...
and I was still able to wander about the yard barefoot... enjoying it all.



and then it rained for 5days... off and on... with a decided nip in the air.
Birds huddled closer in the trees... deer came in the yard to scavenge from my compost piles.
And then we got snow. Just a little mind you... and nothing that stayed... but a sure foretelling of things to come.


Fall is coming to a quick end... my friends.

And so... (and partly because I've been sick)... I've been sleeping in later... resting more often
...unable to get it together enough to get much done... or so it seems.
The plus side of this... is that I've found some marvelous links to share with you all.

Here is a great video... with links here, here, here, and here of the artists is mentions.

Here is a great article I saw online...with little "tricks" to simplify your life.

Here is a wonderful article... when someone is hurting... and you just don't know what to say.

40 of the most powerful photographs ever taken

... and HOPE from the fabulous peeps at LEGO.


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).

***

---sometimes you have to just go with the flow.
.and the flow is good.

Today's links are all about
art, writing, and living a beautiful life.

Papillon sur la branche
River Garden Studio
Creative HQ
Studio Waterstone
Caspiana
Guy Named Dave
And She Speaks
Iori Tomita
Gregory Colbert
We Eat. Happy.


***

the photo for today's blog post was taken by my daughter, Kristin M. Russell
...who also happens to be a fabulous artist

.





i took a walk the other day
pondering life's mysteries
and stumbled in a hole; socks soaked in sweetness
and upon looking up
discovered the most gorgeous colors
yellow, green, orange
but more than that
ochre
spots of blood red
bits of rust
worn areas
traces of where caterpillars once nibbled in the sun
basking in the heat of the day
not knowing how lovely it would be come fall
when the frost comes
the sap rises
and the leaves turn
like works of art
by some traveling painter in the night
thoughtfully
gloriously
so as to make me stop
wonder
look up
socks be damned

.



quiet evening
meandering about town
surprised to find this!

*****

I love trees.
And I like to challenge myself these days with trying to learn/relearn all their names.
And so I was greatly surprised to see this ginkgo tree here in town... 
thought I would have to go to Asia or some such to see one! 
Anyway... it was gorgeous.

read more HERE
and HERE

.










this autumn stillness
as tender as the frost on
the leaves of the trees

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 my baby, Sabrina.
I had to take her to the groomers this week to have her nails trimmed; 
as I usually do it... but couldn't find my tools... 
and they really needed done.

 While I was at the groomers, I got to thinking about all that hair... 
and then I started thinking about things to do with all that hair. 
When I was a teen, we had a Siberian Husky... and she shed SO very much
--- we were always joking about knitting a sweater with all her fur...
and now I realize... there are people who actually do that.

 And so...
today's "upcycled" links are all on crafting with dog/ cat fur.
a lady who is doing this exact thing!

Specific Info from "E-How"
How to recyle pet hair: here
How to use your pet's hair: here
How to make yarn from fur: here

Book on Amazon: Knitting with Dog Hair
Book on Amazon: Crafting with Cat Hair

Portraits of people wearing clothing made from their pet's fur




for the weekend



It's been an interesting week. Lots of rain... and I feel like I didn't get near as much accomplished as I should have. And now, I'm sick. I am sure it's the Lupus... but I am trying to rest alot anyway this weekend.... or at least... that is the plan.
That said... I am happy to have internet here at the house.

I had a very wise woman/friend come up to the house this week... and she gave me some insights as to color choices for the paint... and layout suggestions for our living room furniture... which was wonderful. I feel like I now have a "course of action" so to speak once I get things thoroughly cleaned and have most of my stuff here; instead of in storage.
Considering it's just the daughter and I moving everything... I think we are doing fairly well.
And we will (no doubt) have a sale for all the stuff we brought with us... that we really didn't need too... along with some stuff that was left in the house.

In the meantime... I have a stack of books from the local library that I am wading through... and found some wonderful tidbits of places online to share with you this weekend... like these:

* This is one of the books I am reading from the library. It's really good.

* How to date a Ball Jar. Good info... especially as I tend to collect some of them (I love the blue ones).

* Hank and Spool! Supplies for embroidery and such. I hope to do alot more embroidery and quilting this winter.

* Then there is this lady... who recycles bits of old wool sweaters to make new things

* poems from Portugal. Because everyone needs more poetry in their lives.

* and I am thinking of buying this for my coat HERE --- it's so cute!

* a friend sent me this link to a Vermont Bookshop... they have wonderful reviews and such; worth a look...

* an interesting article on BUZZFEED

* and this article... which should have been titled: "I'll be Happy When..."

* and there is always MARTHA. Martha, martha, martha.

* This weekend was a penumbral eclipse... and a Full "HUNTER's" or "Red" moon... and so I thought I would include a link to a wonderful astrology site ..... here

* music I'm listening to today

* a complete list of all the Wizard of Oz books... which I would love to read

* benefits of writing in coffee shops. See? I always said it was a good place to write.

~~~~~


Anyway... I hope you all have a wonderful weekend... and enjoy some of these links.
See you on Monday!

((the photo for today's post is one I took yesterday of the woods next to our house))

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).

***

I am missing working in my studio.
I realized the other day, that it's been at least since the middle of July
that I have been able to do any real work...
either because we were fixing up the house,
selling the house,
packing up the house and moving cross country
or having all my stuff in storage.
Anyway. I hope to get things up and running again soon.

In the meantime, here is some "eye candy"
for creatives who like to make jewelry:


Hocuskocis
P.S. - I made this
Cheryl Kremkow
Ariel Gordon
Honestly WTF
Pretty Things
Sweet Bead Studio
PMC
Lp's Beads
Treasures Found
Moira Coon

tango on the hill


It's been an interesting week... or rather... 10 days since we moved into the house.
We've probably loaded up 10 or so truckloads ( a small truck borrowed from a friend )
of our stuff out of storage... and we still have quite a bit to go ... 
but considering that it's rained for 4 days now, 
I think the daughter and I are doing OK.

We've been making meals and such... 
(although sometimes it feels like an episode of  CutThroat Kitchen)
with 1 pan, a crock pot, and very few utensils..
using mainly the cooktop, 
and having only a dorm fridge in the house.
(and no table or chairs yet).

We got all our utilities up and running...
and today we had internet installed in the house.
It was a fiasco... and I won't go into details... but the bottom line is that I do have internet
...which is good. Very good.

I got a letter back from the State Board of Nursing... 
and it looks like I have to take some classes (online) before they will schedule me for the testing.
But... I have internet now... so I can do this from home much more easily
than if I had to travel back and forth to the library or some such.
Just a little 2-step back and forth here... or so it seems.

In fact, this whole past couple of weeks has been a tango of sorts.
Little progresses made forward... little setbacks backwards...
but in the end... I think we are doing OK.


It is lovely up here on the hill. 
We have had several mornings of frost, and it is like a forest of diamonds when I look out.
We started a compost pile (mostly apple cores and such from making applesauce and pie)
and we have seen deer --- and a really HUGE rabbit.
I am finding that the front deck is perfect for sipping my morning coffee.

At night... it is amazing.
Even though we are in town.... and there are some street lights sorta close by,
we get some pretty amazing sky/star views.
I need to find my tripod to get some better photos... but the bottom 2 shots on this post... 
were taken while standing on my front deck... a couple nights ago.




limbo

I am posting this from my phone--- ah technology.

A few weeks ago, I had internet installed at my mom's house. Last week; I called the company to have them move the router and such to my new house--- only a block away. This will (hopefully) be done at the end of this week. However; since I called them... The internet has been down at my mother's --- and although I've called them a couple times; they insist it should be working. I must be delusional; I suppose... But it's definitely not working. And so at this point; and after much nashing of teeth and muttering to myself... I've decided to just hold off and not post until it is at the new house and up and running.

Until the, dear ones... Be safe, be happy, and be well. 

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).

***

I've been busy this week working on the house a little...
cleaning...
moving some boxes in from the storage unit...
thinking of paint colors...
You know how it goes.

And so... for today's post on blog/web sites that I love,
I thought I would feature some of the first blogs I found--- all of whom are artists.
...wonderful little morsels of goodness to cheer you :)


Katwise
Jen Osborn
Teesha Moore
Jesse Reno
Judith Scott
Anahata Katkin
Flora Bowley
Terri Windling
Stephanie Hilvitz
Suzi Blu

.









black boots in the woods
puppy toes tread alongside... 
looking for rabbits

.









golden blooms waving
gently in the autumn wind
takes my breath away

.









a new day's dawning
bright and shining with the sun
is dancing with fish

for Monday


We are (potentially) signing papers today to buy our "soon to be ours" house.
I will keep you all posted...