Budding Out

There's no doubt about it; it's spring at last.  The temperatures are warming and we've even had a few moments of sun breaking through!  The flowers are all starting to bloom, and the Rufous hummingbirds are finally back. 


This is a busy time of balancing creative work and home chores; both of which I love.  I turned over the garden yesterday and discovered billions of earthworms in a rich black loam.  Such promise for future green! 


Pictured here are the first buds from my neighbor's Star Magnolia; one of my favorite flowers. And below is the hummingbird's favorite: Red Flowering Currant.  I hope everyone is enjoying the season's transition.

A Little POW of Color

 

Remember that little birdie bag that I made for my friend a little while ago?  Well, she also wanted some wallets to coordinate with the bag, so I made these up for her.  She is now in the midst of feeling horrible from her chemotherapy, so my hope is that she can remember how much she is loved when she sees her bag and wallets.

And there's more new in my crafty world: come over to my Mercy Me blog to see what I've been cooking up.


 

A Lazy Start

It's official: spring has arrived.  When I go out, it's a little warmer, a little lighter, but still pretty grey.  We're having quite a lot of rain and cloud cover still, but the birds are singing, nesting, flirting.  The rufous hummingbirds are back, and the Red Flowering Currants are blooming.  I was out at Capitol Lake the other day and managed to have a nice moment with a Great Blue Heron.  He graciously allowed me a couple of pictures.  And, if you're interested, there's a new post on Blackwater Shoal today.

Happy Spring, Everyone!

Celebrating the Season

It's very wet and blustery here, and has been for such a long time that I'm becoming disheartened.  "Will warmer weather ever arrive?" I wonder.  Yes, of course it will.  The birds know it.  And so do the bulbs in the ground. 

To settle myself I took a deep breath and looked around.  There's something special about the light at this time of year.  It's not harsh, but rather filtered and gentle.  I feel that we're being gently ushered into summer by the light.  In honor of this concept, I curated a collection of work by some fellow artists on Etsy.  These lovely works remind me of the beauty that is our current season. 

And so I celebrate with a hot cup of tea and a sweater while I watch the rain blow sideways from my studio window.

'The Season of Pearly Light' by BCharmer

Looking Forward to Spring!

accent pillow - grass yorktownroad $56.00	Moth made from vintage hanke... MisterFinch $	Chirp, chirp - necklace - t... vadjutka $33.00
Mustard Yellow Chunkier ileaiye $25.00	Green camel, handspun Baby c... Snowberrylime $40.00	A Forest of three Art giclee... inaluxe $35.00
NOTEBOOK - sprout - set of ... storybymia $15.00	Vintage Skyblue Stripe Tape ... UniqueShiny $5.80	Collecting Lichen Bodice, al... InnerWild $137.00
Asanoha -Khaki -Half Yard, J... FabHub $8.00	Bridesmaids gifts - 2 card p... Bagitarian $26.00	Pink Grapefruit Soap with Sh... tworiverssoaps $5.00
Toadstool cotton bag katebroughton $8.00	Pincushion, home for pins - ... picciolo $14.00	Grass Stain Perfume Oil longwinterfarm $8.00

Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com A/B image testing.

Finished Bag

I was able to finish the little birdie bag that I've been working on, and I love the way it came out.  It's my smallest messenger, called the "Tomboy Satchel." It measures 8 inches wide by 9 inches tall by 3.25 inches deep (in centimeters that's 20.3 x 22.8 x 8.25  for those of you who use the metric system).  It's the perfect size for those grab and go days.  I can easily fit my 16 oz water bottle, keys, cell phone, wallets, day planner, lip balm and a snack inside.

 I'm so excited to add this little sweet and sporty bag to my line!

A Continuing Process in A New Package

It has been blustery and storming here, and on top of it, I've been sick with the flu.  So I've been hunkered on the couch drinking tea and snuggling the kitties.  And thinking.  And remembering.  And I realized that the process of my grief is going to be lifelong, and that I have a lot to say about it.  Writing about it feels healing to me, but at the same time, I recognize that my "Handmade Life" blog isn't necessarily the right platform for such a specific topic. So I started a new blog, dedicated to the exploration of grief and healing and what it means to be present in my emotional process.  This means that I will likely not talk much about that topic here anymore, so if you'd like to read about it you can follow me at Blackwater Shoal. 

I'm finishing some projects tonight, now that my energy is coming back, and will report with photos tomorrow of the little birdie bag that I'm making for my friend.

A Little Birdie Love

I've started working on a fun and special project for a loyal customer of mine who has recently been diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  She begins her chemotherapy sessions soon, and she wanted a new bag in which to carry her things to the hospital.  She had a special Aunt who recently passed away and who also loved birds.  As a special request, she asked if I would applique a little birdie under the flap of the bag so that she could look at it and remember.  And of course, the bag should have a pink theme!  Here's a sneak peek at the little bird; I just finished it last night, and will put the bag together today.  I think she came out adorably! 

I found the pattern for this bird in the super sweet book: "Little Birds," put out by the Design Collective.  The whole book is fabulous and inspiring; I highly reccommend it!  The designer of the bird that I chose is Anita Peluso, and you can find her work here: http://www.bloominworkshop.com/