works in progress...

I'm making some little dollies with the old toy bowling pins I showed you a few posts back.

A baby wumpy in progress... He still needs his smile, because wumpies are friendly monsters.

I found these old blocks in my cellar while I was searching for a piece of wood, so I brought them up to see what words I could come up with.

Doing some gardening... This would be my attempt at a garden. I'm not a real lover of dirt or manual labor, so this is perfect for me. Some potting soil, a few small plants. I can move it around so it gets sun and my sweet husband drilled some holes in the bottom to let out the rain. I have basil, parsley and lavender. The small ones are strawberries, which I need to get planted in my special strawberry planter that I got for mother's day (shouldn't the planting also be included in that gift?) I really went all out this year and I also planted a large pot of daisies, but sadly, they are looking a little limp at the moment - forgot to water them, so no picture.

Other than that, just counting down the days until summer...

cocooning...

Some handmade butterflies and cocoons. I've spent entirely too much time on this. But I'm working on a project that needs something special. I had something in mind and I just couldn't find the right thing, although these are pretty cool. But I'm too impatient - I need it now! So, hours and hours later, I'm thinking this just might work. Actually, this is pretty symbolic for me right now. The butterfly emerging from the cocoon... Get it? Yeah, I know. Anyway, here's a nice butterfly quote for you...

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." -Hans Christian Anderson-

courage...

"To be courageous means to be afraid but to go a little step forward anyway."

-beverly smith-

Trying new things can be scary, but a necessary part of achieving ones' dreams. This is my year of courage and overcoming fears. It actually started last August when I won a custom made collage from this artist that I really admire. I had to come up with a word and she created a collage for me to go with the word. After giving it some serious thought I decided on "courage", because at the time I was trying to muster up some courage to try some new things. My lovely collage sits on a shelf in my studio reminding me to keep the courage alive everyday. You can see it here. I feel like I've come a long way in the past nine months - started a blog, opened my etsy shop, explored my creativity in new ways... And as I continue through this year of courage, more opportunities are coming my way and I am faced with stepping out of my comfort zone and trying something new, yet again. And you know what ? I think it will all work out.

rainy day projects...

After a beautiful weekend, I'm enjoying some time in on a rainy Monday. I have one home sick, but she's sleeping it off, so it's quiet. Working on some projects that need finishing. Once a month or so, hubby and I go downtown for a romantic (meaning, no kids) breakfast and that's what we did on Saturday. Afterwards, we wandered around the marketplace - I was wishing I had brought my camera, because the produce and the flowers were so colorful, but alas, I forgot (maybe next time). I managed to talk hubby into one antique shop and I found this lovely pink box. I can't pass up pink boxes lined with satin and velvet.

wednesday...

as promised, the finished art piece I started on
Saturday - you can see the whole piece in my
etsy shop

trying out some striped socks today (a departure
from my usual non-colorful self)

drinking lots of this, which is my favorite
coffee (shhhh! don't tell Starbucks)...

And finally, wondering why he has to put his
hairy little self on the couch, when he has a comfy,
cozy bed right over there

a good day...

My mother's day was nice, how about yours? The day was sunny and beautiful, so we spent some time at one of our favorite parks. The kids had fun exploring and I had fun watching them get along. Hubby made it his mission to get a picture of the kids with me in it and I think he did a good job.

happy mother's day...

the day before mother's day...

I'm getting a little "mom time" today. Actually my twins are home - my daughter and her friend and my son. Three twelve year olds. Enough said. I'm trying to ignore them right now. Above is a pile of crocheted doilies I found at Jo-Ann fabrics, because I can never bear to make anything out of the ones my grandmother made. I'm playing with tyvek, which is very cool and amazing stuff that some envelopes are made out of - you know those kind of plastic-y white ones. Well I cut out a square and painted it with Lumiere halo pink gold and then went at it with my heat gun. You never know how it's going to turn out, but I'm really liking how the metallic paint came out. I'm making a layered piece - I'll show you when I'm done. Also, sanded and cleaned some mini bowling pins I bought at an antique shop. I'm thinking some cute little painted dolls... We'll see. And making pizza dough, which is something I do every Saturday. When we lived in New York there was a plethora of pizza shops - all good. And well, in Virginia, let's just say pizza is not their specialty. So I got a pizza stone, learned how to make dough and started making my own pizzas every Saturday. I'm getting pretty good at it. The family seems to like it, there's never any leftovers...

I can fly!

Liam really can "fly" over those hurdles. This is what I've been doing lately. No, not flying. Attending lots of sporting events. Baseball pictures soon.

fire...

I love fire. And since we have a forest in our backyard, there is always an abundance of stuff to burn. We made a nice clearing in the yard and set up a fire pit. Nothing fancy, just some stray bricks set up in a good size circle. Some of my favorite nights are fire nights. We set up our chairs, grab some hotdogs (hotdogs taste really good roasted over an open fire) and marshmallows, of course. It's magical when darkness falls and the only light comes from the glow of the fire. Mesmerizing. And the conversation is always good. And when the kids give up and retreat back to the air conditioned house, my hubby and I stay. And talk. About our worries and hopes and dreams...