Woah Nelly

I have been realizing that I need to slow down a bit.  This feeling comes in cycles, and I've discovered that I can honor it and be at peace, or I can fight it and feel like I'm fighting all the time.  Let's just say that sometimes I don't make the right decision.  Thankfully this time I can see the pothole before I get to it and hopefully I can swerve before I deflate something.

Today is "farm day," which is one of my ways to slow down.  I will go pick up a load of mulch and then spend an afternoon pulling weeds.  Although it sounds like a terrible chore, I find it meditative.  Laundry is also on the list, and cooking up a nice dinner.

Recently I made a scarf for a favorite customer, and I decided that in honor of my slowing down I would add some handwork to the project.  This scarf features one of my favorite prints by Heather Ross.  It's called, "Swimming Sisters."  I made a Pinnafore for Bronwyn's school picture out of it, remember?  I hand sewed the topstitching, and then added little embroidered "x's" along the border.  These reminded me of the X chromosome, and so I felt all the womanly godess-ness flowing from me.  It was theraputic and wonderful. 

See?  When I listen to my own needs, I feel better!

Rejuvination

What a lovely weekend we had!  It was sunny and warm.  I got to hang clothes on the line, plant sunflowers and lay in the grass with my sweet daughter whilst listening to birds.  Ahhh.... And for Mother's Day, I was presented with a lovely hand-decorated box and handmade bookmark.  Both were done by my daughter, which is much more difficult for her to create than you can imagine.  When I opened my gifts, she beamed with pride.  And that was the greatest gift of all.

Keeping it Fun

Before I say anything else, I must send out a big Happy Birthday to my dear Brother.  I love you!  Oh, and Happy Birthday also to Pete Seeger; I love you, too, but not as much as my Brother!

Bronwyn and I spent the weekend in Portland, Oregon because there was a Mother Daughter gala at Stonehenge Studios, the boutique that is now carrying BCharmer goodies.  We delivered wallets, zippies, scarves and headbands for the event.  I am tortured by the fact that I forgot to bring my camera on this trip (It was the first item on my list and I actually remembered to bring extra batteries, but No camera; unbelievable)!  So I will show you photos taken upon our return home.

While visiting the Studio, I met the most wonderful artist.  Her name is Billie and she's of advanced age (a Lady never tells).  No longer able to run her sewing machine well or to get out as much as she used to, she picked up her needle and thread and started creating the most beautiful aprons.  Of course I had to have one!  They are made with the most wonderful fabrics and they are full of hand stitched goodness.  Her work can be found at Stonehenge Studios, which is located on Corbett St in Portland.

Today I'm wearing my new apron while I'm cleaning and cooking and it has made these tasks so much more enjoyable!  This has me thinking that there really is something beneficial about ritualizing the banal.  Doing the dishes is not the first activity that springs to mind when I think "fun." But a simple act of intention, like donning an apron before the chore, makes that job feel more pure and purposeful somehow.  Somehow I feel connected to my foremothers/sisters and I realize how easy I've got it compared to them.  Thank-You, Billie, for sharing your talents and for helping me feel more in touch with the joys of the moment.

After the Rain

We are having the most tumultuous weather right now.  It rains, it's sunny, it hails, it rains sideways, it's sunny.... rinse and repeat, as it were.  In between squalls I went out to investigate the plants.  Thankfully, all were unhurt.
Left, is a lovely lupine whorl.  And then the apple blossoms.  My clothesline even looked pretty!

I did a photoshoot yesterday featuring some of the tissue scarves that I've made.  Here is one that I call, "River's Bend."  That cotton voile really has my heart!

Making Time

This is just a quickie to keep some momentum on my Blog. 

A little spring cold has come for a visit at our house.  First Bronwyn and now Brian and me.  Luckily I have garlic and vitamin C.  That usually puts up the "No Trespassers" sign for unwelcome microbes.  But I've had to slow down a bit to take care of myself and my beloved family.  This slowing down business provides the opportunity to look at what's going on around me. Walking in my yard I see that the apple blossoms are emerging; they're so beautiful!  And the garden is mostly planted now. It's still to chilly for the tropical plants such as tomatoes, squash, and basil, but it feels great to have my cool crops in.

 I'm still working on my orders for Stonehenge Studios, and I'm almost at the end now.  Bronwyn and I are hoping to drive to Portland for the weekend to participate in the Mother's Day Gala that Stonehenge will be hosting.  It should be lots of fun if we're feeling better! 

Here is a Tomboy wallet that I made with a fun, bold graphic print.  I love the analogy of comic strips that immediately spring to mind when I look at it!  It is available in my Etsy and Artfire shops.

And the master of slowing down and taking in the luxury of the day is our new kitty, Chance.  I went in to make Bronwyn's bed the other day and found him sunning his tummy on her blankets.  He's such a dear!

The Ultimate Mama

Yesterday was Earth Day, and I spent much of it in reflection.  Bronwyn is sick right now, and so I was in "Mama Mode" and it felt somehow that the circle was being completed. 

When I was in my early twenties, I found a greeting card with this image on it.  I have kept it prominently displayed ever since.  It's pretty tattered now, so I re-wrote it to share with you.  Accompanied by this little video, I felt it a fitting tribute to the Mother of us all.  May we be ever loved, and ever love her.

The Sounds of Silence

If you've been checking my blog lately, you may have heard a tumbleweed or two pass by, and maybe even a cricket chirping.  It's been a little quiet, but sometimes that's a good thing.  Life goes through times of being too busy for any "extras" and that has been true for me for a couple of weeks.  But I feel things coming back to center again, which is lovely. 

I'm so excited to tell you that one of my friends, who is an artist in Portland Oregon, opened a small gift studio (Stonehenge Studios) and she asked me to contribute my line to her offerings.  I've been sewing like mad (happy mad) so that I can send her a nice big assortment of goodies.  Among these will be tissue scarves, made from the most lucious cotton voile.  Anna Maria Horner designed this jewel pallete of fun prints that I thought were perfect for spring and summer.

And I've also made an assortment of fun zippered pouches: a real jellybean collection!  In the end, I hope to be able to send a little bit of everything, bt I still have a ways to go before I get there.

Right now the weather is fine, the gardening is good, and there's lots to do.  I'm breathing it in and just enjoying it.