Photo Friday

These are from our trip across Illinois on Interstate 80 last weekend. 

We had to go pick up the kiddos from the grandparents'. 

The clouds were all low and plump on the horizon-- they reminded me of sea creatures. 

Mom

circa 1980

circa 1986

I was going to post this on Sunday, which was not only Mother's Day but also my mom's birthday. However, it took me this long to get my thoughts out of my brain and into a coherent share-able form. So here goes.

My Mom is awesome. She taught me so many things intentionally and unintentionally and I am so grateful that I got to be her daughter. 

The top things she has taught me:

1. Always choose your words carefully. You can be honest without being cruel.

2. Girls and boys are equal in every task. She was one of the only women in her field for a very long time. Her tenacity and hard work have paved the way for so many (and they don't even know it). And this dovetails into

3. You can have a family and a career. She would leave for work at 6 a.m. so that she could pick us up after school and we could have dinner as a family. She was the leader of my Girl Scout Troop--and there she taught us how to build a fire (and cook over it), how to be a leader, how to work toward goals.

4. Always question new information. This is probably because she spent most of her time in a lab and looking at medical study results. But the lesson has taught me to be a careful consumer of information and always look to the original source. Full disclosure: when I was younger, it annoyed me to no end that she was always asking me "where did you learn that?"

5. Learn new things. She was always trying new recipes, taking classes, and reading. When I was home from college in the summer, we took watercolor classes together. I have tried food from all over the globe (one of my comfort foods is Kefta from Morocco). I have continued to take classes online and in real life (and will be going to grad school in the fall). And I have read enough books to fill a library.

6. Find time to do what you love. Yes, spending time being a mom/wife/friend IS important. But it's also important to spend time doing what nourishes you. When I was in high school, I remember she would get up and go running at 5 in the morning. On the weekends you could find her in the garden or weaving at her loom. 

7. Travel as often as you can. Pay attention to what's different. Enjoy the differences. We have traveled together, and we have traveled separately. But we are always scheming our next big trip.

8. Be a good listener. My mom is the person I call when I need to get things out of my head and into the world. I find myself on the listening end of many conversations. It's amazing how much better you can make people feel by just listening, and not merely waiting for a lull in the conversation so you can put in your two cents.

9. Be kind. The world is full of hurt, which as a nurse in a pediatric oncology ward she saw every day. The thing I remember her saying most often is "Don't be mean". And I have said the same to my children. 

10. Work hard. It's true that both of my parents have a strong work ethic. They both have masters-level degrees, and they have both succeeded in their fields. For my mom, I think it is a matter of "do the job in front of you" as well as being the eldest of 5. I learned that just because things are hard it doesn't mean that you should give up. 

This list has the potential to be never ending. I am learning new lessons every year as I go through my own trials of motherhood and finding my place in the world. I would not be the woman I am without such an amazing role model. I hope that I am encouraging my kids and allowing them the space to grow in the way my mom did for me. 

I love you Mom!

(I know you don't like the attention, so I won't do this again. But I just had to put it out there once)

Weekend ahoy!

The warm weather is rolling in and with it comes my cat-like desire to sit under the sun.
I'm planning some projects that will encourage some outdoor art-making--at least that's the intention. It's currently very windy.
With all the rain last week our basement flooded, rendering my art space uninhabitable. It threw me off my game this week, but I plan to be back in the art-making mode by Monday.
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy yourselves!

Mandalas

This week has been very emotionally rough. From Boston, to Texas, to the deluge that flooded my basement. 

I'm all wrapped up in creating mandalas today. They are in my sketchbook, on my windows in dry-erase marker, and in my tutorial over here.

May your weekend be full of love and color.

Friiiiidaaaaay!

Another butterfly wall sculpture, with a Van Gogh inspired sky.
I'm almost done with the butterfly series for this week.
Have an awesome weekend!

Happy Spring!

Hidee! I have a tutorial up over here on how to make the upcyled paper nest you see above.

I decided a while back that Fridays would be Photo Fridays and I got this amazing new camera for Christmas (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and I have found myself too intimidated by the camera to use it every day. And that's ridiculous, right? It's a tool. It's made to be used. 

Next week, the kids are on spring break, and I am going to get out that camera and use it. I'm going to spend a whole DAY taking photos at one hour intervals. I'm going to use ALL the settings and try adjusting manually the shutter speed and aperture. I'm going to use that camera and I'm going to get over my trepidations. 

Also, I'm going to work on some projects and meet some deadlines and see about getting a part-time gig for a regular cash flow. 

Spring Diorama Tutorial

Spring is nearly here, and I am ready. To celebrate the new season, we made Spring diorama globes. We used our glass globes, birds, and rabbits from the Winter Dioramas.

Supplies

Glass globes (I got mine from the dollar store--they're supposed to be candle holders)

small animals 

reindeer moss

plastic flowers

scissors 

small wooden trees

Put reindeer moss in the globe. 

Put a tree in the moss

Take your fake flowers and snip them off them stem. 

Tuck them in the moss.

Put a bunny in there and ta-daah. 

Or larger fake flowers and a pair of birds.

We have a table in our living room that changes with the seasons. It's the perfect place to put the dioramas.

(Do you know how hard it is to type coherently when you are being talked at by small children? I apologize if this post makes no sense at all)

Happy Friday!

Hi there!
I've got a tutorial up on the Pagan Village; it's Crafting a Dream Journal. I find dreams to be inspiring--it's a place where logic and rules are set aside and any combination of things can come together. Maybe that's why I like children's artwork so much; they aren't bound by what's "right"--they are just in the process of creation.

My mom is in town for the weekend--yay! So I will be spending my weekend enjoying her company. I hope that you get to spend some time in the company of people you love. 

Hello, Friday.

Friday! We meet again. This week was a blur. We made a bird feeder...that's up on The Pagan Village.

This weekend? I don't know what's going on. My to-do list is as long as my arm, but today I will be painting and getting together photos of women of courage for Fiona's girl scout meeting on Monday.

I'm thinking Amelia Erhart, Sally Ride, Sandra Day O'Connor, Michele Obama, Juliette Gordon Lowe, Martha Washington, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Clara Barton...

Who would you include on that list?

Quiet day

It's quiet around here. Today, we lost our cat Lunchbox to multiple organ failure. She had been a part of our lives for a long time, and she was wonderful with the kids. We're going to spend the weekend saying our goodbyes and I'll see you again on Monday.

Photo Friday

This week has been FULL. I am looking forward to a fun-filled Friday and Saturday with friends. Tomorrow we are taking the kids to Legoland, and then the Mister and I are driving into the city to see friends we haven't seen in a LONG while. Today I'm going to bake cookies, and spend some time in my studio while the kids are at school.

Enjoy your weekend!

I have a tutorial for those star ornaments on The Pagan Village if you have a hankering for some craft time.

Photo Friday!

Well how do?!

Happy Friday to you! The above collage is our December holiday round-up, as seen through the lens of my new camera (Thanks Mom and Dad!) There was music and my baby niece and gobs of family. It was the best.

If you're looking for an easy weekend project, I have a polymer clay pendant tutorial up over on The Pagan Village.

Coming up next week on the blog: silhouette portraits, some Emerson, and more fun with MY NEW CAMERA. I'm still getting used to having a "for real" camera again--and looking for any tips to help me get back into the swing of taking pictures. Have you done a photo challenge before? Did you enjoy it? 

Photo Friday and another gift round up!

Four more quick gifts for you to make this weekend! (You're welcome)

I am finishing up my gifts this weekend, and you can too! I have some cookies to bake, and owls and books to make. 

Aromatherapy Hearts

Perfect for the sniffly winter season. Make a pair and use them for hand warmers in your coat pockets.

Upcycled Card Books

Swap out greeting cards for card stock paper and you have homemade stocking stuffers, you crafty thing!

Polymer Clay Wolves

Because how cute is this guy?!

Polymer Clay Book Pendant

Know someone who's book-crazy? How about a teacher or a librarian? 

Hope your weekend is super cozy and extra crafty!

Friday at last

It has been a long week for me! But it's Friday and I am preparing for another craft-filled weekend!
Today I mixed up a batch of bird seed wreaths using my mini bundt pan as the mold.
There's lots of recipes available, but I like the no-cook varieties. I used the one from here.

Photo Friday: Four-Gift Round Up

Tomorrow is the very first day of December! Don't panic. I have rounded up four tutorials of things you can make over a weekend.

Tutu Tutorial! This was way easy, and completely adaptable to the Fancy Pants on your list. Instead of buying elastic, I used the waistband from a pair of pants that she had blown the knees out of.

Gilded Jars! You can do old jam jars OR buy a six pack of votive candles and gild those.

Peg People! These guys are Elemental Peg People, but you could just as easily do Rainbow Peg People for the preschooler on your list.

Felt Slippers! I had a few wool sweaters with holes that were beyond repair, so I felted them in the washing machine before following Martha's tutorial. I have found the best way to felt sweaters is to throw them in with a bunch of towels, wash everything on HOT and HEAVY DUTY. It took 3 rounds to go from beloved sweater to felt for slippers. I wear a Medium/Size 8 and that was enough to make 2 children's sized sweaters.

Next week is ALL ABOUT THE GIFTIES! Tune in for more tutorials and great ideas.
Have a happy, crafty weekend!

Black Friday Photo

Hey there!

I don't know about you, but I am avoiding all retail establishments for the next 4 days. Instead, I have been working on presents and walking through the woods at the end of our street.

I am planning a handmade holiday and I have been working on tutorials so that you can have one too. Tune in next week for the Handmade Gift Parade! It will include tutorials by me, plus links to some of my favorite tutorials by other crafty people.

Have a great weekend.

Trees

I dug through my photo archives and discovered that I photograph trees A LOT. In every season. Here's a sampling of some from the past few years.

If you want some good reading this weekend, I recommend "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors" by Joyce Sidman and Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Yes, it's a children's book. It's beautiful; full of textures and colors and yes, trees too.

And there's a tree-themed craft over at The Pagan Village this weekend, penned by me.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday to you! I can't believe it's November already. I guess it's time to really buckle down on those holiday presents, hunh?

Our Halloween was splendid--Fiona was a vampire and Adrian was a mummy. 

There's a tutorial over on The Pagan Village.

And tonight I'll be over at Garden Gallery for the First Friday. 

Tomorrow I'll be at a friend's house drinking copious amounts of wine and watching as many episodes of AbFab as we can, sweetie darling. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Photo Friday

Bread dough on the rise! I'm trying my hand at the Pan Dulce recipe over at Joythebaker.com
I'll let you know how it turns out.
My kitchen is freezing, so I fear that it will take forever for the dough to rise.

Old McPlummy had a farm!

Hey there!
Last weekend we were visiting our friends on their e-i-e-i-o homestead. It was a grand time. Miss Patti took the kids out for farm chores and bareback horse rides (thrilling for all), and Mr Bob let the kids stick post-its all over him and call him "Billboard Bob". He's the best--for a while (when the kids were much smaller) he was Nanny Bob, too. The weekend was the perfect mix of great friends, good food, and fresh air.
We came back all unwound and relaxed.
This weekend we'll swing back into the crazy pace that is our lives. Tune in next week for more quote-able quotes, tutorials, and photos.
Enjoy your weekends, dears!