3-22-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

Sarah was a librarian.
The daughter of a preacher, she was destined to either be a teacher, a nurse, or a librarian.
Unless of course, she married... which Sarah vowed never to do. She just couldn't do it.
She knew she was born to educate... to lead... to be surrounded by famous words of authors long gone. It's not that she disliked children, or the idea of marriage... it's more that she had had enough of the drudgery of taking care of endless hungry mouths and heaps of laundry. She had been to missions in the south of China for over a decade, and she had had enough. Yes, it was noble work....
but so was reading... so was studying... so was instilling in the minds of the young how important it was to always be learning... always be exploring worlds hidden in the depths of deckled edged pages.
And so she furthered her education at a time when women barely went to school past 4th grade.
Yes, she was harassed... Belittled by those with small minds and deep pockets.
And yet she persevered.
Well done, Sarah... well done.

3-21-17



Time flies by so very fast.
The photos for today's post were ones taken back in 2012... not long before we moved back to PA.
Seems like yesterday in lots of ways. I had gone to the dentist, 
and then was enjoying an incredible bowl of wonton soup at one of our favorite places to eat. 
It was a good day, overall. 

... and ... it's one of the few pictures of me that I like (course, it helps that my daughter took it).
Hope your day is going well... see you all tomorrow.

3-20-17



It's "Maker Monday!".... my weekly post where I feature something the daughter and/or I are working on.... 
and (hopefully) encourage the maker lifestyle.

I am getting to the point where I am almost done going through all the extraneous stuff
 in the studio space, and clearing out things to sell and such. 
Which means, I am narrowing down things to the point where I feel I can work 
on projects that I have been looking forward to working on. 

One of the pieces, is this one.... just completed this weekend.
I was gifted this gorgeous FRENCH reliquary piece (the cross) to work with.
An antique, it is made of bronze and enameling, with stamping on the back.
Being large, it demanded something impressive.
I decided to make it into a full 5 decade rosary piece, suitable for wearing as a doubled necklace,
 or even hanging on the wall. It is a massive 32 inches long. 
I have complimented the cross with vintage cobalt blue glass beads, vintage faceted cat's eye glass beads 
... and lots of brass and bronze beads and findings. The OUR FATHER bead is a gorgeous antique faceted Czech glass bead,
 accented with brass bead caps. All the wire is a tarnish resistant brass, fashioned into an infinite pattern. 
This makes the rosary much stronger, and less likely to break. 
The wiring alone took me over 8hrs to complete.
The centre, is a hand cast bronze piece by a fellow Etsy artist.

This attention to detail, and intentional use of specific materials is what I strive for in all my work.
I hope you like it. 
See you all tomorrow.

for the weekend


History interwoven
lives spent in fields, golden
wheat reaching for the sun

-------------------

today we had a great visit from an older gentlemen out to buy some rusty stuff I had lying about.
And in the midst of our conversation, stories erupted from generations gone by, 
local lore about farms, hills, lives well spent...
which reminded me of this photo I took, and inspired today's haiku.

3-17-17


 Hard to believe St. Patrick's day here. It is one of my favorite holidays.
The photo for today's post is one of my mandala prints. 
It started off as a photo I took of some clover in out yard. I love it. 
I hope you all have a great St. Patrick's Day.... wherever you are...
and I will see you all tomorrow.

3-16-17


This year, perhaps more than ever before... we have realized the importance of clearing out,
using things as much as you can (and in new ways)... and of salvaging and fixing things up.
To this end, I thought I would do a series of posts on clearing out and organizing, and living a simpler life.
I hope to do one once a week (Check out previous posts on Thursdays!)

---------------------------------------------------------

This week I was able to clear out a bit more of the things in the studio.
My goal, is to get supplies down to the 3 or so things I love to do....
and raise some cash selling the things I am not keeping.
This week, I went through a couple tubs of things...
supplies for making mobiles and such
supplies for making books and journals
I also had a bunch of vintage ceiling lamp glass shades that I thought would be super cool as hanging candle holders...
And some very cute vintage cookie cutters... my thought with those was to make a funky mobile...
But alas, you can't do it all.

Happy "clearing out!"
(do it in small chunks. It's easier that way)
See you all tomorrow.




3-15-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

I've been reading lots of books lately, one of the "perks" of having my back acting up.
So I've tons of stories twirling in my head.

 A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Third Girl by Agatha Christie
Rise Up (a book about Janis Joplin) by Ann Angel
My French Whore by Gene Wilder
Who Do You Love by Jean Thompson
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

...and it is this last book, Miss Peregrine's that evokes a story-line for the photo for today's post.
I imagine these are interesting souls with amazing talents...
(and obviously wary of the person taking the photograph).

What will you come up with?
See you all tomorrow.

3-14-17


...everywhere here is officially having a SNOW DAY...
make yours count. See you all tomorrow.

3-13-17


Today SHOULD be a "Maker Monday" post, here on my blog...
but I will be honest, I am not sure that I have finished anything this week. 
Yes, I've worked on lots of things... not the least of which, is the cleaning out of the studio space.
But... this weekend, I was in bed most of the weekend (as I was last weekend).... trying to get to feeling better. 
With the weather changing so... it has flared up my lupus, and several of these mornings, it's been all I could do just to get up
 and about and do a few things that absolutely needed to get done. And, I've been helping down at my mother's more,
 as her short-term memory seems to be fading quite a bit. 
However, today she and I went for her yearly physical, and it was noted that she was in very good shape
 (and has even gained 10 pounds). ... which is awesome. 
So... for the rest of today, I think I will rest a bit... and resume our "normal" schedule tomorrow. 
Hope all is well with all of you.... see you tomorrow.

3-10-17


Today was a nice ending to a rather emotional week.
I invited my mom up for dinner, and we sat by the fireplace and enjoyed some of the last of our firewood.
See you all tomorrow...

((this is one of my fav mandala designs that I have done. 
It started out as a photo of our garden flowers this summer. 
I love it... and am thinking of making it into fabric sometime))

3-9-17


This year, perhaps more than ever before... we have realized the importance of clearing out,
using things as much as you can (and in new ways)... and of salvaging and fixing things up.
To this end, I thought I would do a series of posts on clearing out and organizing, and living a simpler life.
I hope to do one once a week (Check out previous posts on Thursdays!)

---------------------------------------------------------

I am here to tell you... that just when you think you've gone through stuff...
you figure out you've got more.
In part, it's because I've decided to concentrate on making a few select things...
and unloading supplies and projects that I haven't gotten too.
It's a hard thing.
I see the potential in things, and have the ability to do a fairly good job with stuff...
but living with a chronic illness dictates that there is only so much you can do at times.
And it's time to let go.

Today I went through a couple more "bins of things"...
and I am sure there is much more to come.

Keep creating! And don't despair about letting go of things.
Your clearing out... may just be the ticket to inspire someone else.
See you all tomorrow.


3-8-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

The wind howled like a freight train at midnight as it ravaged through the town of Ithaca, Ny in the near spring of 1926.
Casey, a long haired mutt had been left to guard the house while his family slept.
Little Pepper at his side, a new pup that had been abandoned down the street... Casey made his rounds.
Casey didn't know what to think of pepper... mostly, he was just a nuisance to the much older Casey.
He didn't want pups. He didn't have pups. They just wanted to play all the time.
And Casey was too busy doing his job to pay attention.
So it was with much frustration tonight that Casey couldn't find the little bugger.
He figured maybe he had crawled up to sleep with one of the kids... preferring to hide in the blankets on a night such as this.
Which was well and good, Casey thought. Out of my way....

That is... until he heard the yelps. Distant, forlorn...
Casey knew little Pepper was in trouble.... and he began to listen more closely.
It was in the distance, the yelping...
Casey wandered out of the house... and down the street. Into a back alley
... feeling his way along the dirt pathways that led to some garages. And then he knew.
Recently, one of the city workers had been fixing some old lead pipes... perhaps?
... perhaps... and then he heard Pepper again.
He was stuck down a drain hole that had been mistakenly not covered.

Casey sprang into action. Grabbing some rope hanging on the side of one of the sheds, he kept one end tucked in his iron jaws.
The other, he pushed down into the hole... hoping ... waiting...
and suddenly... a tug. Pepper had found the other end.
Now began a little tug-of-war game... or almost... as Casey pulled little Pepper up from the depths.
A tear ran down his fur as he realized just how important his "little buddy" was to him.
How he enjoyed having this little shadow of a pup around.
He pulled harder.

As the wind howled, so did Casey... with a howl of shear joy as the pup came to the surface and was on solid ground.
Giving him a little nip on the ear for causing such a fuss... Casey led him home.
At last.

3-7-17


This is a digital collage I've been working on.... not sure if it's done... but it seemed interesting.
I love working with old photographs, and combing them with my photos and artwork.
I am not sure if this is something I will explore more in the future... but for now... 
keep creating!

See you all tomorrow.

3-6-17


It's "Maker Monday!".... my weekly post where I feature something the daughter and/or I are working on.... and (hopefully) encourage the maker lifestyle.

This weekend, we concentrated on the studio (basement). 
It's been a long work in progress, and I suspect it will never really be where I would like it to be... 
and that is ok. It's a work space. 
Half of the space is pretty much dedicated to work spaces for jewelry, painting, sculpting 
(and a section where the washer & dryer, etc are). This is, as they say, where the "magic" happens.
The other half has been in various stages of disarray since we moved here. 
Currently, it is still housing boxes of books that are going to a friend. 
It also has things I have listed online for sale, and the front area...
 is now designated as a workshop area where we do the upcycle projects.

It's getting there. 
Time to go through more stuff.... list more stuff... make more stuff.
See you all tomorrow.


3-3-17


I had sort of an epiphany last night.... funny how that tends to happy at 3am.

So, I was thinking how I am working and working (and we all are) to just pay our bills and survive.
It's exhausting. And in a perfect world, we could focus on what we really love to do, and the money would follow 
(to quote a popular book). Sometimes that happens, and it's awesome. And sometimes it doesn't... and it can be soul-crushing. 
We do work that we have to, in order to get by. And then there is work we do to feed our soul. To make us happy. If you/I .... had only a year left of our life here.... what would we be concentrating on doing? Course, there is the concept that you could live a year or so on credit cards and never have to pay... but that's not going to happen. So.... what would you choose to spend your "free" time working on? As artists, it's always been a dilemma for me --- because I love to do so many things... and do (relatively) ok at lots of different things. But if I had to choose my "top 3" ... it would be photography, jewelry making, collage,  ... and needlework (embroidery/crochet/quilting) thrown in for good measure (oh.. and haiku... but there are no supplies for that).
So then I started thinking about all the supplies and projects I have the makings for in the studio.... and it occurred to me that if I narrowed things down to those top arts... I would have lots more supplies and such to sell. And there you have it. The cleaning out is about to get a major influx of stuff to unload. AND.... should I have some free time... I can wholly concentrate on those top things that really make me sing.
The "catch" being for me.... is to forgive myself for collecting all this stuff... 
for not completing certain projects...
and allowing it to be passed on to someone else.
Are you with me?

-------

The mandala for today's post was created from one of my original photographs.
This one started out as a photo of the sun shining on the red pines (and a blue spruce) and near our house.

3-2-17


This year, perhaps more than ever before... we have realized the importance of clearing out,
using things as much as you can (and in new ways)... and of salvaging and fixing things up.
To this end, I thought I would do a series of posts on clearing out and organizing, and living a simpler life.
I hope to do one once a week (Check out previous posts on Thursdays!)

---------------------------------------------------------

With Jim being (mostly) unemployed for the past couple years,
we have been concentrating on cleaning out our stuff... paring it down to what we really need and such.
(I highly recommend this).And there are lots of advantages... more room, you get to eat on the "good dishes"
... and spare cash if you decide to sell some of it.

I also help to take care of my mom, and along with checking in with her, we get her groceries, pay her bills,
do some cleaning, do her laundry, .... stuff like that. Last week when I was down visiting,
I decided to clean out some of her "extra" containers.
My, oh my. I think this stuff multiplies itself at night.
There was Tupperware from the 60s and 70s... jello molds, old cookie tins, jars of all varieties...
all kinds of cups and old containers.... even plastic silverware (I hate plastic silverware).
Anyway. This is what I pulled out of 2 cupboards to pass on to someone else.

I get it. When you have leftovers, you want to save them, and it seems weird to put them in bigger containers.
So you end up saving all these containers so that you will have the "right" size container when you need one.
But. If you have a kitchen like mine, space in cupboards is at a premium, and to fill it with random containers seems a crime.
You know what you need and what you will reasonable use.
Don't be afraid to discard things you won't use.
Recycle them or pass them on to someone else.
It's ok... really, it is.

See you all tomorrow.

3-1-17


Back in June 2016, I started a new "series" of posts... if you will... 
 And so on Wednesdays; I've been posting an old photograph to inspire your creativity.
Write a poem!   
 Plot out a short story.
 Have inspiration for a piece of art or composition.... let your artistic soul shine.
--and occasionally I write my own sordid story or poem. 
 (you can click on the photos in this post to make it larger to see).

~~~

Hazel sits
in her adirondack chair.
It has two seats...
but she is the only one there.

She smiles for the camera
but no one knows
She is in love with a ghost
who flees when the rooster crows.

He comes like a thief
and steals her kisses
for it is he
that she truly misses.

She will join him one day
and run into his arms
and their love will be ignited
and she will succumb to his charms.


2-28-17


Sometimes everything seems to happen at once.
The brakes went on the Jeep... and we need new tires....
my camera died (so sad) 
Money is tight... work is sparse...
and yesterday, somehow, I hurt my back. Stuff happens.

It'll be ok. But there are days when I feel like we are all a ball of rubber bands... 
being pulled in this direction... that direction...
good news! ... we bounce.
We'll be alright. 

But for tonight, I am taking some meds and resting. 
I will see you all tomorrow.

for the weekend


gently falling snow
dances and twirls with the wind
nature's loving waltz

---------------------------------

During the last bit of snowfall, I was able to take some photos of snow on the trees.
The first mandala design below, was created from a photograph I took of the sunrise
 peaking through the snow covered trees out my front door. 
The second mandala design below, was created from my photograph of fresh snow
 on the pines at the edge of the woods near my house. 
I love how these both turned out. 

Making these mandalas is a lengthy process where I take my original photographs and tweak them in several programs to create a zen-like design. Lately, I've been adding some of my "spirograph" like designs on top of them as well. It is very restful to do; and I hope the folks that see them also gain that sense of peace.
See you all on Monday.