ruminating...

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...

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...

  ...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...

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...

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...

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...

because sometimes you have to give yourself wings...