Vicki Sheehan

happy valentines day...

2012-02-14T08:10:00.001-05:00

hope your valentines day is everything you would like it to be...

a bowl of comfort and a cup of warm...

2012-02-10T12:45:00.001-05:00

i can't think of a better way to start the morning...

number 411...

2012-02-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

still folding...

dreaming in white today...

2012-02-03T14:15:00.000-05:00

a favorite line from a good read, "...it began to rain so hard the air turned as white as bleached cotton."
-from, The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen-

an idea taking shape...

2012-02-01T15:25:00.000-05:00

ideas come from within our souls. from our daily experiences and things that inspire us. they often start out a little fuzzy and then become more clear as we go along. we choose whether or not we are going to act on our ideas. sometimes they work out, sometimes not. but when they do, it makes for a really lovely day.

chasing rainbows...

2012-01-30T15:06:00.003-05:00

the soul would have no rainbow, had the eyes no tears.

-john vance cheney-

i begged her not to...

2012-01-26T14:29:00.000-05:00

i begged her not to bake these red velvet cupcakes, but she did it anyway. my 16 year old daughter loves to bake. she says it's relaxing. i've never found baking to be relaxing. to me, it is work you have to do to get something really good to eat. but last night, when she said she wanted to bake, i tried to talk her out of it. don't get me wrong. i love baked goods. i mean, i really love them. i just can't say no. but lately, my waistline is suffering. the calories just don't burn off as fast as they did in my 20's. or 30's. it could be that we just finished her last creation - a three layer toasted almond-butter cake. so, here i am, all alone. with 18 or so cupcakes just sitting on the counter. i have a cup of tea brewing and i've made my choice. i want this one. the one with the coffee filter. she ran out of paper cupcake liners and i told her to use a coffee filter. i just bought these pretty (yes, coffee filters can be pretty) natural colored coffee filters and i actually like how this one came out. kind of rustic. and good. so, so good.

wait, don't throw me away...

2012-01-25T16:19:00.000-05:00

i was getting ready to take some clothes to the goodwill when this sweater fell out of the bag. it was almost calling out to me. something like, "wait, don't throw me away". i decided to give it one more chance. not good for wearing - too short and a big fat turtleneck. but i do have a grungy, white pillow that needs a cover (never buy white pillows when you have kids or lovely, ivory and rose floral couches either, but that's a whole different story). i whipped up this sweet pillow cover in about 20 minutes. i just put the pillow into the sweater to get an idea of size, turned the sweater inside out and sewed a big square (no measuring - there was kind of a design to follow). i left a small opening on one side. then i squished the grungy pillow into it and sewed up the opening by hand. voila! a nice, soft (ungrungy) pillow for my studio couch.

1969 was a very good year and 1980 wasn't too shabby either...

2012-01-24T16:36:00.001-05:00

i made these year ornaments with some remnants of grandma's vintage tea towel calendars. i have a few more years, but these two were the coolest. i put a hurtin' on my inspiration overload this weekend. replenishing my supply of tea towel calendar ornaments, finishing this little leather "musician journal". it's a new design i'm trying out. it has a mix of blank staff paper, brown kraft cardstock and vintage music. my favorite part is the teeny, tiny harmonica. it actually plays. fun. i took advantage of the sun today to take pictures for my shop. i've listed some of the ornaments and this journal and i'll list some more items tomorrow. so yeah, it's all working out. one step at a time right?

inspiration overload...

2012-01-20T15:20:00.000-05:00

have you ever had inspiration overload? it comes on when you have too many ideas swirling in your head. too many projects begun, but not finished. my desk is a clutter today of too much inspiration. i've stopped to make a cup of french roast and see if i can quiet my brain. maybe i should have made decaf. i have several journals started - one needs a cover, the other two need guts. some collages of silk and other old stuff. a painty thing that is way out of my comfort zone and therefore i don't know what to do with it next, if anything. a week long experiment in which i am trying to get an old book to a perfect state of wrinkledness (new word)... in times like this, it's best to choose one and finish it and then on to the next. a few more sips of coffee and i should be on my way to plain old inspiration. the kind where i actually complete something. hope you're feeling inspired this weekend...but not too much.

some inspired decorating...

2012-01-18T16:07:00.000-05:00

today, i took a little break from art making and did some decorating on my mantel, as it has been quite bare since christmas was taken down a few weeks ago. the mantel in my living room is an ever changing display of whatever mood i happen to be in at the time. i'm generally pretty thrifty about it - i never buy anything just for this purpose. last month i hauled in a giant branch from the backyard and decorated it with some of my book page ornaments. but i usually never do the same thing twice. so, off to the cellar I went. I found some lovely old frames and i was thinking of maybe just displaying the frames empty, as i've seen that before and i like that look. however, when i turned them over, they were all closed up with wood and brown paper. too complicated to empty them, so i left them as is and decided to display the back instead. i like the look of the old brown paper and the nails and wire and string. then a nice stack of books without covers. i did make some lovely journals with those covers - still a few in my shop. my favorite old bottle, a bit dirty and just right. a sprig of dried plants that my daughter found for me. i don't know what this plant is called, but my grandmother always had some growing in her yard and it reminds me of her. a couple of bird nests that i have found recently, as they tend to fall out of the trees in the winter. the frames needed a little something so i tucked in an antique envelope and postcard from my growing collection of mail ephemera. an old tin ceiling tile, which used to be a clock (a few of displays ago), but i decided to take the clock parts out and that left a hole, but i had some nice butterfly tape - a piece of that over the hole - perfect. what else... last was the big crane. i folded up a crane, much bigger than my usual size, out of some brown shipping paper. all done. love it...

number 387...

2012-01-17T13:21:00.000-05:00

in flight to someone special...

another one of those dirty bag finds...

2012-01-13T16:02:00.001-05:00

i'm still in the process of sorting through all of my finds from my recent antiquing adventures. my once a year trip to Behind the Iron Gates in Syracuse, NY. if you are ever there, you have to go. i have never found another store like it. i would actually like to live there. a picture for you - a large, victorian mansion, complete with cool paint job, wrap around porch and victorian details set behind iron gates (hence the name). inside, beautiful woodwork and a dreamy, winding staircase and lots and lots of rooms. all stuffed full of all sorts of treasures. i really like this shop because of the sheer amount of stuff. the best are the boxes and baskets set under the tables. and the drawers. there are some nice dressers for sale, but while they are waiting for their new owner, the drawers are used to hold more stuff. if you have the patience to sift through these, treasures abound here.

but anyway, on to the dirty bag part. one time on this blog, i wrote about a dirty bag of buttons that i found at a shop and purchased. so dirty, i couldn't really see what was in the bag, but i bought it anyway and was rewarded with a really gorgeous bunch of buttons. well, this is another one of those dirty bag finds. the above little album was wrapped up in a dirty plastic bag and taped. and taped. and taped some more. there was no peeking in this little parcel. and no description on the tag. all i could see was the top page, which was a really nice Italian stamp. and a $9 price tag. which frankly, is over my limit to spend on something which you cannot see. but i really liked that Italian stamp so i carried it around for a while, thinking about it, almost put it back, but in the end i decided, what the heck. and when i opened it the other day, i had a "dirty bag happy moment". it looks like someone started a little stamp collection. it started off nicely, with the stamps neatly attached to index cards and labeled where they were from and tucked into the little plastic pockets and then it looks like they lost steam and stuffed between the pages are the real treasures. stamps torn off of envelopes with paper still attached and whole envelopes (my favorite) with stamps. stamps from Italy, France, Denmark, U.S., Switzerland, countries in South America, Japan, Mexico...from 1900 up to about 1980. around 200 in all. a real treasure. an awesome dirty bag find. so, i'm going to tell you again - don't pass up those dirty bags. you never know what you'll find. and now, time to think up some "stamp art"...

the joy of letter writing...

2012-01-10T11:58:00.000-05:00

as you probably already know, i love letters. old, new, handwritten, typed. i just love them. the idea that someone takes the time to stop and write. it's special. on a recent trip to an antique shop, an old letter caught my eye. the handwriting was beautiful and it looked like something i would like, so i didn't stop to read it there, i just put it in my pile of purchases. once i arrived home, i took a moment to read it. and i could not believe how beautiful that letter was. it is dated June 28, 1892 and was a bit difficult to read, due to the old fashioned writing and the many folds in the paper. but here it is:

Gertie, my Dear Child,

I think this is the first letter I ever tried to write to you and I hardly know how to write this. But I expect to be away from home all day Tuesday (which is your 14th birthday) and cannot talk to you nor scold you nor whip you so concluded to do the next best thing. In this little box you will find a ring, a present from your father. Now Gertie you cannot find the end of this ring. Neither will you find the end of Fathers love. Keep this ring and let it always remind you that the surest way to happiness is to do all you can to insure the happiness of those with whom you associate and when trouble and disappointments come (as they will) remember this too will pass. Keep cheerful always. Father

i love how it has been folded many times. i imagine dear Gertie treasured this letter and perhaps kept it in a special box and reread it many times.

yesterday, i received the most wonderful gift. i was walking my son to school, as always, when a car pulled up and a woman got out and walked towards us. she said she had something for me. for me? yes, for me. she handed me an envelope and she smiled and hopped back into her car. i was really surprised but somehow i knew. i knew that there was something really special in that envelope. maybe it was her kind smile or the friendly air she had about her. i don't know. but i took one look at my son and we both smiled and said, "open it". and inside was the most beautiful and heartfelt letter i have ever received. it brings tears to my eyes, even now, after reading and rereading it so many times. apparently, she sees me and my son walking every day. and it reminds her of when her son was young and she walked him to school every day. and it brings her joy. and she wanted to tell me that. and that is why i love letters so much. this kind woman chose to write me a letter and tell me that we brought her joy. and this simple action brought me joy. and brought my son joy. and that is such a special gift. for a while now, it has been a goal of mine to write letters. to let someone know when they have affected me in a positive way. and i have. but this really reinforces it. now that i am on the receiving end of it, i see how truly wonderful it is. the next time someone brings you joy, take a moment. let them know. you won't regret it.

rx for sadness...eat two cupcakes and call me in the morning...

2012-01-06T13:28:00.000-05:00

i made these cupcakes the other day. devils food with peanut butter frosting. what was the occasion you ask. well, i made them for sadness. don't worry, i'm ok. i am just a little sad that christmas vacation is over. i took a nice trip with my family - to visit family. we had so much fun. a whole week of no work. no e-mail. no laundry. a whole week with hubby. a whole week with my kids. together every moment. i know it had to end. we would drive each other crazy. and we would run out of clean underwear. but it was a good week. and i'm a little sad to see it end. so these cupcakes are just what the doctor ordered for sadness.

q-w-e-r-t-y-u-i-o-p...

2012-01-05T14:38:00.001-05:00

just wanted to say "happy new year" to you. just for fun i typed it out on this old typewriter that i got from my mom. i actually typed out a few papers on this when i was in high school. eons ago. i have to say, i did not appreciate it back then. but now, it's just the thing i need. for creating masterpieces. i love new years. besides the fact that it is my youngest sons' birthday, it is just an exciting time. a fresh new year stretched out before me. so many new ideas and possibilities... i'm so excited! how about you?

seeking peace...

2011-12-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

lots of big sales this weekend. but i'm staying in. i'm turning off the tv. with all the blaring commercials. about how there's still time. to buy more gifts. you can shop until 1 am or all night long if you wish. not for me. i'm seeking peace. and i'm pretty sure i won't find it at a store. i'm making little gifts out of leather for my nieces and nephews. i'm finding time to splash some paint in my journal. i'm thinking about hot cocoa. with little tiny marshmallows. and hanging out with my kids. watching Transformers and Water For Elephants. eating homemade pizza. yes, this is where my kind of peace is. if you're seeking peace, i hope you find yours too...

number 321...

2011-12-14T15:57:00.000-05:00

this one is for my favorite postal clerk, who I have been seeing a lot of lately. i made it from an old envelope, postmarked 1944 to Cuba, Alabama and I cut out the stamp and hung it from the bottom. cool.

the breathings of your heart...

2011-12-11T10:51:00.007-05:00

i just love this quote sent to me by my blogging friend Ellen. she's a quote lover, just like me and she takes the loveliest photos. i made this pink journal for someone i don't know. there's this thing at our church every year, where you take an ornament off the christmas tree and buy a gift for the person listed on the back. only, i always pick a tag that has something i can make. this one was "a fun gift for a 16 year old girl". i hope she likes pink... my own 16 year old daughter came up with the idea of using the pink leather for a journal - i only had one smallish piece. my favorite parts are the quote and the tiny little brass heart that i attached to the front. i included a few of my favorite supplies, i wrapped it up real pretty and put it under the tree. i really do hope she fills it with the breathings of her heart...

random snapshot .08

2011-12-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you. maori proverb

ruminating...

2011-11-29T14:39:00.000-05:00

as you can see here, i've been busy creating promised wumpies and bunnies. the only problem is, my little wumpy got claimed before i even had a chance to sew up his side seam. maybe it was his greenish, nubby skin or perhaps it was the little green velvet wishing star in his back pocket. so, i'm sorry to disappoint you, but he has already been adopted. and my sweet bunny? well, let's just say, velveteen bunny making did not go as planned. and that happens sometimes. you see - as i was creating this little velveteen bunny, i realized that her skin is really quite delicate and that she probably would not survive too long being loved in the way that she deserves to be loved. and being the perfectionist that i am, i have decided that i cannot send her into the world in such a delicate state. but don't worry, she will have a cozy corner to live here in the studio. so, for now i am going to sit down with a fresh cup of tea and ruminate over these cozy red snowflake socks. when, you look at them you probably think, "oh, what nice christmasey socks". but i am thinking more along the lines of a christmasey sock monster... i'll get back to you on that.

black friday and holiday joy...

2011-11-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

i didn't participate in any of the black friday activities. why would i need to. i have my very own black friday and he's just so cute - right? no middle of the night shopping for this girl. nope. i spent the day with my favorite people - decorating the tree with white sparkly lights and glittered pinecones and decking the halls with boughs of holly - literally - we hiked into our backyard forest and cut some fresh boughs of holly, complete with little red berries. this morning i woke up to these delicious bagels, freshly baked by Cassidy (she really is an amazing cook). and as this day unfolds before me - with nothing special planned - i am filled with a deep joy. love for my family. happiness. a calm, that i will try so hard to keep in my heart for the next few weeks...

grateful...

2011-11-24T08:00:00.005-05:00

...grateful for the beauty of the world just outside my door and the warmth of the love just inside it...

hideously ugly and gloriously beautiful all at the same time...

2011-11-18T14:08:00.002-05:00

if you read this blog at all, by now you know that i frequent antique shops and secondhand shops. nothing is more exciting for me than finding that perfect item that nobody else wants. the other day i was out and about and decided to stop by one of my favorite shops. as i was sifting through a rack of women's plus sizes - i'm not a plus size, but you never know - anyway, a flash of hot pink caught my eye. upon further investigation, i discovered a pair of pants that were not only hot pink (a really good color in my book - not for wearing - but for creating), but also velvet and also really large. which equals a lot of pink velvet for very little money. my first thought was that this was probably the most hideous pair of pants i have ever seen, but then - i don't know if this ever happens to anyone else - but all of the sudden, my hideous thoughts turned beautiful as i thought about all sorts of possibilities for these pants. did i say, they really are quite large. so, i plunked down my money and returned home with the most hideously ugly and gloriously beautiful hot pink velvet pants that five dollars can buy. and right now, i'm thinking a cute bunny or two or three or maybe even four or five. i recently made the sweet bunny pictured above out of some wool i found in gray and hot pink. come to think of it, that hot pink wool used to be a hideously ugly and gloriously beautiful coat. that i actually wore. once or twice. so stay tuned for pink velveteen bunnies.

getting to the other side...

2011-11-12T11:40:00.000-05:00

sometimes the only way to get to where you're going is to cross the bridge... no matter how rickety... you just gotta have faith...

the best kind of story is the kind you write yourself...

2011-11-09T13:59:00.001-05:00

i usually don't like pictures of myself, but i kind of like this one. it looks like i have a secret. i am clutching my new journal. one i actually showed you a few posts back. i made it to sell, but as soon as i was finished with it, i hugged it to my heart and thought to myself, "this one is mine". a nice fat, leather journal with thick watercolor paper. i've managed to fill the first signature in just a week. with snippets of poetry and inspirational quotes. and splashes of paint and blotches of ink. and glued bits of paper and fabric and lace. i am learning to let go. of old insecurities and untruths. i am expressing my passions. not just with words, but with colors and textures and things that make my heart soar. and as i turn the pages, i think it is turning out to be the best book i have read in a while.

268 down, 732 to go...

2011-11-07T14:08:00.003-05:00

because sometimes you have to give yourself wings...

2011-11-02T15:03:00.000-04:00

taking a deep breath or two...

2011-10-31T13:07:00.000-04:00

i put my shop in vacation mode this morning, packed up all my stuff and sent it off...you can find it at the Holly Daze 2011 34th Annual Show in Roanoke, VA this Thursday, Friday and Saturday. as i was packing, i snapped a few pictures of some books that i hadn't previously listed in my shop. the last book i put in was the black one - finished at the last moment - something i've been wanting to try - all black - soft black leather, black paper, black tie. i made a little sample page that i tucked in the front - the black paper looks awesome with prismacolor colored pencils and gel pens look pretty cool too, especially the white. i've been completely focused this last few weeks on making things for this show and now that i'm done, i've taken exactly two deep breaths and i'm back to work. there are wumpies to be made for christmas and new styles of books and collages to be created...

do you have any idea...

2011-10-27T13:17:00.000-04:00

...how hard it is to photograph a fish?

some words to ponder...

2011-10-24T16:30:00.001-04:00

...a small cup of light...

2011-10-20T09:21:00.000-04:00

the post i wrote yesterday had a lovely piece of writing and this morning when i awoke i suddenly understood the words "a small cup of light"...

random snapshot .07

2011-10-19T13:05:00.000-04:00

"But tomorrow, dawn will come the way I picture her,

barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window

in one of the fragile cotton dresses of the poor.

She will look in on me with her thin arms extended,

offering a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light."

-William Collins-

old, tattered, wrinkled and stained...

2011-10-14T16:04:00.000-04:00

...but so, so beautiful. some recently acquired old stuff. i love it. you'll probably see it again, made into a collage or a piece of art. but first, i have to love it a little bit longer.

i'm smarter than you...

2011-10-09T15:46:00.000-04:00

oh yeah, well i was born 8 minutes before you... yeah, well, i'm 3 inches taller than you...
and so it goes. twins are sometimes competitive. but the good thing about it is, when one of them found out the other was going to go for National Honor Society, well, of course the other one had to do it too.
as their mother, i couldn't be more proud of them...

random snapshot .06

2011-10-05T14:59:00.001-04:00

light as a...feather

oh, had i a golden thread...

2011-10-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

ever hear this song?

146 down, 854 to go...

2011-09-30T11:50:00.000-04:00

yes, i am still folding cranes. you probably thought i was kidding when i said i was going to fold a thousand. but the truth is, i am really enjoying this. it's fun searching for paper to use. you'll notice most of mine are folded out of book pages. i also have quite a few out of brown kraft wrap. some silver from the wrappers of Hershey Cookies and Cream bars (love those). and bits of color here and there from some nice asian papers that i have. right now i have them stacked up on a tray in my foyer, but very soon i am going to have to string them or something. i've noticed that if i bring some with me when i have to wait for my kids at their various activities, it makes the time go faster. and at the end of a stressful day, if i fold for a half hour or so, all my troubles melt away. who knew? i call it "crane therapy". and it's free.

a new favorite...

2011-09-28T14:13:00.000-04:00

i recently acquired a really big pile of leather. all different. all wonderful. a bit overwhelming. so many possibilities. where to begin? this is the first book that i made from a gorgeous rustic piece with a hole in it. i am in love with this book. it is filled with thick hand torn watercolor paper. the little calendar peeking out of the hole is my favorite part. it came from one of those vintage tea towel calendars from a pile my mom gave me. thanks mom.

random snapshot .05

2011-09-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

"Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all."

-Emily Dickinson-

what does cheer and joy look like?

2011-09-20T13:53:00.000-04:00

something like this...

a little box of hope and love...

2011-09-19T13:40:00.000-04:00

in a moment of inspiration, i took this empty little trinket box, folded some tiny cranes, stitched some little hearts (leaving the "heartstrings" attached), printed up a hopeful poem and transformed it into a little box of hope and love...available for purchase in my etsy shop.

random snapshot .04

2011-09-16T13:02:00.001-04:00

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

- Albert Camus-

random snapshot .03

2011-09-13T09:35:00.002-04:00

Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle.

-Elizabeth David-

there are no words...

2011-09-12T10:50:00.001-04:00

we attended a 9/11 memorial service last night. cassidy played her tuba with a few other members of the marching band. there were bagpipes that played Amazing Grace - it was so beautiful. Taps on the bugle - chilling. the above quote really says all there is to say...

random snapshot .02

2011-09-08T14:22:00.005-04:00

Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.
-Alice M. Swaim-

random snapshot .01

2011-09-07T16:25:00.002-04:00

I will write peace on your wings and you will fly all over the world.
-Sadako Sasaki-

...have you ever read the story about the little Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki? she became ill from radiation caused by the bombing of Hiroshima and she tried to fold a thousand cranes before she died... my kids told me i should read the story, since i've been folding so many cranes lately. i cried my eyes out. it was both heartbreaking and heartwarming, if such a thing is possible. i am feeling inspired to fold a thousand. only 934 to go...

stuffed...

2011-08-31T15:34:00.002-04:00

been busy...making this custom journal for an etsy customer. it's very similar to a book i made earlier this year and that one sold the same day i listed it. i love these books. they are stuffed full of all different kinds of paper and fun things like tags, envelopes, postcards, quotes and pieces of lace and string and ribbons that peek out. i like to tuck a few surprising things in there, just to keep things interesting. i use vintage book covers and i have a few favorite places to find them. yesterday i went out and bought a stack of old books, mostly just for the covers, although i will find a use for the rest of the book too. and since my studio is already a mess, i guess i will make a few more...

a hopeful little surprise...

2011-08-26T11:23:00.000-04:00

in keeping with my newfound obsession with origami, i've been working on these little crane ornaments and folded boxes for my shop. kind of for christmas, but really for anytime. i like to give them to the special people in my life. i think of them as hopeful little surprises. don't we all need a hopeful little surprise now and then?

journal no. 101...

2011-08-25T14:13:00.003-04:00

after tuesday's rattling and wednesday's aftershocks, things have settled down a bit. working in this little journal lately. it's actually a journal i messed up on and i didn't want to waste the paper, so i removed the cover and decided to use it for experimenting with gesso and oil paint sticks. it's a nice thick watercolor paper and i love the texture the gesso makes and how the paint settles into the crevices. i don't paint often, i still have lots to learn and usually i'm not this colorful, but it's a nice change of pace. also, it's nice to just noodle around sometimes. i'm not going to sell these, so it takes all the pressure off for it to be wonderful. it's just for plain old fun. and that is a really good thing sometimes. for those of you who also experienced the earthquake, i hope all is well with you.

feeling a bit rattled...

2011-08-23T14:48:00.003-04:00

literally. a little while ago there was an earthquake here. not a big one. but big enough to scare me. i was here in my little studio working when all of the sudden I heard a loud rumbling and the whole house started shaking. my first impulse was to run outside, but the dog ran straight for the cellar so decided to follow him. animals are really smart about these things. it only lasted a moment or two, but still very scary. i feel a bit calmer now that i've spoken to my husband and all of the schools have called to say the kids are ok. amazingly, nothing fell off my shelves, but then i remembered...it's because of my Quake Hold! which i purchased years ago. not because of earthquakes. because i've never actually experienced one before today. i purchased it to safeguard against my own little earthquakes (otherwise known as toddlers). and it never really got tested until today. it works.

what can i say...

2011-08-22T13:40:00.000-04:00

...last week was a non-stop flurry of shopping for school supplies, clothes, shoes, doctors, dentists, haircuts... but this morning, they all got on the bus and here i am, all alone. but don't be sad for me. a new year has begun - time to dust off some goals and get working. only 124 days until christmas...

you hold the key...

2011-08-13T16:10:00.000-04:00

In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.

-Jiddu Krishnamurti-

i've got rocks on my brain...

2011-08-10T16:04:00.003-04:00

i woke up thinking about rocks today. strange, i know. so, the only thing to do was to go to my studio and pull out my bag of rocks. and yes, i really do have a bag of rocks. rocks collected from the shores of Lake Ontario. when my kids were young and we still lived in NY, we went there every year. now we are seasoned travelers. we have been to all sorts of beaches and oceans. nice sandy beaches with warm water. but still, there is a place in my heart that misses the rocky shores and the ice cold water of Lake Ontario. i'm not sure if i really miss that beach. more likely, i am missing that time in my life when my kids were so tiny. when they couldn't wipe out a couple hundred dollars worth of groceries in three days. so anyway, i saw the idea for this little picture holder in my most recent issue of Country Living magazine and i whipped one up to hold my favorite postcard. kind of cute huh?

sweet sixteen...

2011-08-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

hard to believe it's been sixteen years...it went by in a blink.

spiderbox...

2011-08-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

what is a spiderbox you ask? why, it's a sweet pink box filled with precious, pearly spiders, of course...

paper play...

2011-08-03T16:02:00.003-04:00

i'm really loving all kinds of paper lately...experimenting with new ways to use old books, making mysterious envelopes with wrinkly brown paper, still folding lots of cranes - the ones pictured here are teeny tiny, getting some collages ready to list in my shop and finally, cutting a couple dozen masks for my "fun friday" project this week...

unbearable boredom...

2011-08-01T17:07:00.003-04:00

they're home all day. they're bored with the same old, same old, one sunny day after another... some of them would rather die than do crafts with mom, but a couple of them have been bored enough to join me in making these cool felted rocks and tissue paper bowls. of course, some mad science is always fun. we got a chunk of dry ice with a delivery and that provided entertainment for an entire day. Jacob was quite heartbroken when he awoke to a melted puddle, i think he was hoping it would last forever. and of course, where there are boys, there always has to be fire and explosions right? just a few more weeks of trying to quell the unbearable boredom. i keep telling them - embrace it - pencils and books will be here all too soon.

a rainy ending...

2011-07-31T13:17:00.003-04:00

it's a really rainy day. the kind i love, because i can put on my striped socks and just hang around watching dvd's and reading. the perfect end to our "staycation" (which is a trendy word for staying home for vacation) and that is why you haven't heard from me all week. when the rain slowed some, i slipped outside to get some pictures. i spent quite a bit of time trying to capture the single raindrop. i like how the spiderwebs make the raindrops look magical. i even spied a little spider in one, doing whatever it is that spiders do on rainy days...

a stitch in time saves nine...

2011-07-22T13:37:00.004-04:00

nine what?

it's the simple things...

2011-07-16T14:57:00.002-04:00

a ball of string that i found for a quarter at a thrift shop, a sweet sentiment written by one of my kids - fingerprints and all, a beautiful stack of doilies found in a really dusty antique shop, figuring out how to do a coptic binding, a tiny dish of pearls salvaged from a broken necklace...these are the things that are making me happy today...

he swam through shark infested waters...

2011-07-12T09:40:00.003-04:00

he swam through shark infested waters, climbed the slippery, muddy banks of a deserted island, trudged through neck-high, dense weeds...all to get this flower for his mom...that's true love I tell you...

fun fridays...

2011-07-08T14:31:00.003-04:00

every friday, i head over to the Boys and Girls club to have some fun. i think up a little project or two, gather my supplies up in my favorite green samsonite and recruit some young crafters. this week we made macaroni necklaces and did some dot-to-dots and colored them. i've met some really sweet kids and they always like my projects, as they usually involve some sort of glitter and as we all know, everything is better with glitter. it's interesting to watch them work - some kids are very neat and deliberate and others are more carefree, some talk a lot, some are very quiet, some work quickly and others work slowly. so many different personalities, but all so very special in their own unique ways. the best part for me is when they are all done and they beam with pride at what they have created with their own hands. for in that moment, all is good in their world...

my eyes are an ocean...

2011-07-01T16:11:00.003-04:00

...in which my dreams are reflected.

-anna m. uhlich-

hope and possibility...

2011-06-27T09:06:00.002-04:00

yet another year has passed... i celebrated my 44th birthday on saturday... but no laments, age is just a number right? and 44 is such a nice symmetrical number. my kids and i took a trip to a cute little town with an abundance of antique and junk shops. we shopped til we dropped and when we got home, hubby had the most delicious dinner ready for us. i like to think of birthdays as a fresh start, a new beginning. so for me, another year begins, a year of new ideas to be dreamed up, a year of wishes waiting to be made and fulfilled, a year of hope and possiblity...

summer solstice...

2011-06-21T09:58:00.002-04:00

Then followed that beautiful season...summer...
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
And the landscape lay as if new, created in all the freshness of childhood.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

summer reading...

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

this is the stack of books on my table this week...i am always reading something, but i love summer reading the best. the lazy, hot days call to me to sit under my favorite tree and pass some time reading, learning... are you reading anything good lately?

preserving the lost art of letter writing...

2011-06-13T11:20:00.004-04:00

working on...a series of collages, using some of my crumbling, stained old papers and letters. i am using the originals, because that is - well - more original. by now you know i love old junk. one of my favorite things are old handwritten letters. the handwriting is so lovely and i love getting a glimpse into someones' past life. it truly is a lost art. i always wonder how these old letters wound up in some antique shop, where someone like me finds them and takes them home. i have a stack of letters tied up in string, that my husband and i have written to each other from the last twenty years or so. will these end up in an antique shop some day? if they do, i hope someone treasures them and honors them as i feel i am doing here.

butterfly whisperer...

2011-06-07T10:29:00.002-04:00

my daughter called me a "butterfly whisperer". i like the sound of that...

a day on the water...

2011-06-06T15:00:00.002-04:00

yesterday we spent the day at a small lake not too far from where we live. grandma is visiting from up North and the kids want to take her to all of their special places. there was sand and swimming, canoeing and fishing...i did some exploring and i found a cool little graveyard across from the beach area. i've always had a fascination with old gravestones. i like how they sometimes tell a story. these were very old and i could only make out the writing on one of them, but they were cool nonetheless. i also found a neat area that seemed to be a "butterfly hangout", but i will show you those pictures tomorrow...

summer...

2011-06-01T11:58:00.003-04:00

summer has officially begun in our house. the kids are all done with school (I know - already!) and the daily routine is beginning to take shape. that means hours at the pool for me (a girl who really does not like to swim). so, i try to bring things i can do poolside. a good book, some stitching, my journal, some paper for folding... i have to admit, i'm a bit obsessed with paper cranes right now. i've been experimenting with different papers and varying sizes. this one made from some handmade paper with bits of leaves and petals in it is my absolute favorite. and i'm making some really tiny ones for Erica - she requested some of those cute little paper crane earrings i've been seeing here and there. so that's just a little bit of what i've been doing the last few days. i'm looking forward to showing you some more of my poolside creations soon...

plein air...

2011-05-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

painting outside is fun...you don't have to worry about the drips, you can splatter to your heart's content, you can listen to the birds singing, the bees buzzing...

can you smell them...

2011-05-26T13:33:00.003-04:00

the whole house smells sweet today, as I furiously bake batch after batch of chocolate chip cookies for Liam and Cassidy's marching band bake sale...and I can't eat any - you know - the whole migraine/chocolate thing. but I did make myself a few naked ones (without chocolate chips) and they were just as delicious. really.

he loves me...he loves me not...

2011-05-24T15:20:00.003-04:00

he definitely loves me...

the feather fell...

2011-05-18T13:03:00.003-04:00

...like a whisper from above...it is time to fly little bird, time to fly...

pandora's box...a short story for you...

2011-05-18T13:00:00.000-04:00

She had been searching for weeks, when one day her eyes fell upon the unassuming brown box on her shelf. She took it down and opened it. Ah, yes - how could she have forgotten where it was? She took out the scrap of paper that was inside and carefully tucked it into her shirt, close to her heart. Instantly, a strange feeling spread throughout her body, a lightness of sorts. She then reached into her pocket and drew out a small scrap of paper that she had been carrying with her for quite some time. Without a second glance, she tossed this scrap into the box and quickly shut it. She found a ball of string and wound it around the box many, many times, making a tight knot underneath.

She carried the box to her closet and placed it high on a shelf, where it would not be found. She turned out the light and closed the door. She smiled.

It was only later that I found out, it was fear that she had tied up in the box and put in her dark closet...

...and courage that she took out and placed next to her heart.

so proud...

2011-05-17T13:27:00.002-04:00

...he's come a long way since kindergarten...when he needed me to be right next to him for every single class...guiding him through every practice...reminding him of this and that...

not anymore...he flies alone now...playing his Bach solo last night on the big stage at a local college...so proud of this boy...

note to self...

2011-05-12T13:08:00.000-04:00

the luckiest mom in the world...

2011-05-09T10:54:00.002-04:00

My sixteenth mother's day was just awesome. I felt like a queen. I sat out on our deck all day long with my feet up, reading magazines. I was totally spoiled...flowers...a nice breakfast...sweet handmade cards...a delicious dinner...Cassidy made this dessert from one of our favorite cookbooks- it's called pavlova and it's a giant meringue, topped with fresh whipped cream and berries and homemade raspberry sauce...Heavenly! I feel truly blessed to have such great kids. I am the luckiest mom in the world.

sshhh...

2011-05-04T15:07:00.004-04:00

The day is done and the darkness,

Falls from the wings of night,

As a feather is wafted downward,

From an eagle in his flight.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-

a tale of bare feet and squishy, icky mud...

2011-04-28T14:43:00.011-04:00

My younger daughter always has bare feet, always, unless shoes are required to get in - like school and stores. She never liked shoes, even as a small child. If she has to wear shoes for some reason, any old shoe will not do, they have to be super fabulous - colorful or sparkly - they really have to be worth wearing and the minute she can take them off, they're off.

Mark has been working on a landscaping project in our yard and he had the dirt all smoothed out and ready for grass seed, when the rains came and when it cleared up, I noticed some large footprints in the mud - bare footprints. Now who would walk through the mud like that? The squishy, icky mud. Erica just smiled and said, "Yeah, it was me, that mud just looked so good, I couldn't help it." And yes, those are her feet above - even butterflies love her feet. Here's a little quote for her. My little nature girl.

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

-Kahlil Gibran-

and rain makes applesauce...

2011-04-28T14:29:00.002-04:00

...not really, but it does make some really beautiful plants grow... it rained cats and dogs, poured down in bucketfuls, all night long...but around noon the sun came out and the itsy bitsy spider began to climb the water spout again (i'm feeling kind of nursery-rhymish today) and I snapped these pictures of some lovely plants in our yard, including these green beans that Jake grew for a science project...he's so proud of his plants, but he has made it quite clear that he will never, ever, ever eat a bean...not ever.

yum-a-licious...

2011-04-27T12:11:00.002-04:00

In case you are wondering what this coconutty confection is...it may be the best cake I have ever eaten. My daughter made this for Easter and it was so, so good! The cake was very dense with a nice almond flavor and the frosting, made with cream cheese, was to die for and all that coconut - yum! I managed to snap one picture of them all looking at the camera, not an easy feat, teens are camera shy. Hope you enjoyed your Easter...

ode to the earth...

2011-04-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

...on Earth day...

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is imagination itself.

-William Blake, 1799, The Letters-

playing with fire...

2011-04-20T16:16:00.003-04:00

I let them build a nice fire. There were big plans to sleep in the tent all night, but somehow they wound up inside...watching movies, sleeping on the couches...But not because they were scared...no...not those brave boys...

boredom...

2011-04-18T16:10:00.001-04:00

they're off school for the entire week, bored already... but she let me take some pictures...

the home of your dreams...

2011-04-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

a little box ...

...of dreams

pretending to be a bird...

2011-04-04T12:58:00.004-04:00

today, i am pretending to be a bird...a bird hopping around on the ground searching for a juicy worm... it's a good thing to do every once in a while, you never know what you might be missing down there.

i'm sorry...

2011-04-03T11:58:00.003-04:00

i'm sorry for neglecting you for nearly a whole week. you see, ever since my "perfectly nothing kind of weekend" i have been like a busy little bee. i am preparing to be a vendor at the Spring 2011 VITA Runway show, which is a super stylish event (or so i've read). i've been busily making some new items for this event, so sadly, both my blog and my etsy shop have been fairly neglected. however, if you would like to see me and perhaps purchase some of my wares in person, come on out to the Riverviews Artspace in Lynchburg next Saturday from 3 til 7 or so. And if you are super stylish (or want to be), get yourself a ticket for the fashion show which begins at 8.

the moon lamp above used to be covered in bright yellow gingham, but since yellow is not really my color, i painstakingly stripped all of it off, along with the gluey stuff with which it was attached and fashioned my own slipcover out of bits of fabric, vintage lace and doilies, buttons and pearls and hand sewn fabric roses. hours and hours of hand sewing, but i love it for its' shabby elegance. and continuing with my love of scraps, i have been working on some scrappy flower brooches and tiny book necklaces. and making more scraps by tearing up books to make book shrines. so, i hope to see you saturday...

a perfectly nothing kind of weekend...

2011-03-28T12:35:00.004-04:00

you know, the kind of weekend where there's not much going on...I spent a few hours wandering around in a favorite used bookshop where I found some really lovely, very old, crumbly, tattered books - the kind I love so much...I went to the library and checked out a stack of poetry books and on Sunday when it was snowy and I didn't want to go out in the cold, I sat on the couch and read some...I created a pretty flower with some old lace that I found in our cellar when we moved in...I gathered this coffee-dyed cheesecloth and string and thought about what to make with it next...yes, a perfectly nothing kind of weekend...

whispers...

2011-03-24T14:48:00.008-04:00

in the pale grey light of dusk,

as the velvet blush petals dropped,

so too did the shadow of her fear,

and she heard a whisper,

a whisper of hope,

a whisper of possibility,

a whisper of a dream of what might be

itsy bitsy spider...

2011-03-22T15:04:00.004-04:00

I was applying my very last piece of spiderweb lace to a project earlier, when my eye landed on this pearl and some wire. I made a little spider just for fun. I'm like Miss Muffett when it comes to spiders, so this cute imitation spider is just perfect.

a spring day...

2011-03-18T12:47:00.003-04:00

...feeling inspired today by this sweet little bunch of flowers my daughter picked for me...

love and luck and fine tricks...

2011-03-17T12:09:00.005-04:00

love and luck to you this St. Patrick's day...I was hanging out in my studio this morning, wearing my most favorite necklace - which was brought to me straight from Ireland by my most lovely and very irish mother-in-law, contemplating leprechauns and other such nonsensical creatures, when I heard a clatter in the living room. Could it be? My youngest set a trap this morning before he set off to school, because in previous years a silly little leprechaun did break into our home and fashioned this little rope ladder, leading to high places, to leave little surprises of gold and chocolate. So I ran out to see...But alas, no migraine this week. Our little trickster left us...a sack of potatoes? But upon further investigation I discovered these are no ordinary potatoes, these potatoes are actually sweet little morsels of sugary goodness. Now that was a fine trick indeed!

after the rain...

2011-03-16T14:12:00.003-04:00

I just love the forest after a nice rain. I love how the water clings to everything and then the sun comes out and gives it a nice sparkle. It has a very magical feel to it. Like fairies might be frolicking nearby...

DO NOT RIP LIBRARY BOOKS...

2011-03-15T15:04:00.003-04:00

...you know I would never rip a library book! But all other books in my studio are fair game...

in case you were wondering...

2011-03-11T13:53:00.003-05:00

If you've been reading my blog at all the past week, you already know I've been eating cupcakes on rainy days and picking you flowers; that I was sad, but after a gift of ice cream, I am now happy; that I've been listening to music and attempting to write poetry. But in case in were wondering what I'm doing now...I made myself a lovely journal this morning, it's cover pieced together with bits of this and that and a whole lot of glue stick and tape. I'm making some cool things out of some old leather handbags. Eating some candy. Always eating some candy. Working on a collage or two. Painstakingly hand sewing bits of lovely lovely fabrics and laces together...Of course I will show you when I am done. I think you will like it. Oh, and I've been wondering...what have you been doing lately?

a rainy day pick me up...

2011-03-10T11:41:00.002-05:00

I could really go for a steaming hot mug of tea right now...

here...i picked you a flower...

2011-03-09T14:01:00.002-05:00

how do you spell love...

2011-03-07T10:26:00.004-05:00

...love is sometimes spelled h-a-a-g-e-n-d-a-z-s...

Last week on a day I was feeling sad, my teenage daughter surprised me with this cute little Haagen-Dazs treat. It even comes with its' own spoon in the lid, for eating right out of the container in times of necessity. And it's virtually guilt free in this tiny size. Anyways, it really cheered me up. Not the ice cream, but the fact that my teenager noticed I was sad and that she put some thought into cheering me up. The teenage years, I'm finding out, are quite challenging. But not always in a bad way. And she's a really great kid. I chased her around with my camera all weekend trying to get a nice picture of her, because teens are often camera shy, but no luck. But this morning, the morning after a day of gloom and rain, as she walked to her bus stop, I caught this picture of her out the window. And I thought, wow - she is like the rainbow that comes after the rain, like a bright yellow butterfly on a black and white background, the sweet daisy found in a field of grass...