the notes...

even though i can't play a lick of music, i have a deep appreciation for it.

it can be so powerful.  

one song can mean something different for each person who hears it. 

music inspires me.  i listen to music while i work.

  sometimes i like soft music.  sometimes i rock out.   

each of my children play several instruments.

  and to me, there's nothing more endearing than a child learning to play an instrument.

 the wrong notes and weird sounds that come out at first

 and the joy when they figure it out.

what a special talent to be able to write music.  i've heard musicians talk about hearing the notes in their head.  i sometimes see art in my head.  so i understand.

and there is such beauty in the instruments.  have you ever really examined one?  a piece of art, each one.

above is a journal i made, inspired by music.  and on the first page, my favorite music quote, which i'm pretty sure i've shared with you before.  in case you've forgotten.  and a few notes to inspire you...

inspired...

so inspired today...  and so thankful for the natural beauty that surrounds me every day...

deep green weeds, so lush and soft under my feet...

a tiny nest.  the perfect home for a sweet little bird...  maybe the one that serenades me every morning.

one perfect golden acorn...

a lost feather...  or is it found?

tiny little fairy mushrooms...

a pillow of green moss...

the first of autumn's crunchy leaves...

and another...

number .02...

stitched series...

the first in a series of shabby, stitched fabric collages.  yup, more stuff from "the stash".  this one is available in my shop.  more to come...

a cozy little dream...

at this moment, i am in a cozy little dream...  a dream in which i live in this sweet nest with its' bits of  fluff and flowers and a feather or two.  where i can curl up and enjoy the soft summer breeze and listen to the bugs buzzing and admire how the sun comes through the trees just so nicely...

but in just moments, i will have to wake up and move forward with the responsibilities of the day.  i dropped my twins off at the high school this morning for their freshman orientation.  i'm the sort of person who is going to get nostalgic about all of this.  i mean, after all, it really wasn't that long ago that they were my little baby twinnies, always getting into trouble those two and it's very hard to imagine them in high school.  i'm feeling the changes big time this year as it is a year of firsts and lasts for us.  but more on that later, as i am headed out the door to get everybody signed up for school.  goodbye cozy little dream...

the lace one...

overflowing...

with...

handmade papers...

fabric pockets, handmade tags...

vintage laces and trims...

glassine paper pockets with little surprises...

shabby bits of silk, vintage book pages, painting canvas...

vintage fabrics, ledger pages, buttons and pearls... 

i've been busy here, finishing up all of my "started, but never quite finished" projects.  seems like i had a lot of those this summer.  sometimes my head swirls with so many ideas, that i end up starting something and then i get a great idea that can't wait, so i put that project in "the box" and start another one.  and of course there's all of the distractions that life throws at us.  and i eventually end up with a big box of unfinished projects.  but it's not such a bad thing, because sometimes the ideas slow down and then i have something to do.

this is the last of the projects in "the box" and i love this one.  i mean love, love, love it.  i started this book in May and bit by bit i've worked on the pages, making each one unique and different.  i've added so many pieces from my stash of beautiful vintage "stuff".  you know how you have that stash of wonderful things you've collected and then you don't want to use them because they are "too special"?  that stash.  i have decided to start using "the stash".  to share it and give it new life instead of storing it in stacks of cigar boxes and sometimes forgetting about it.  and i am finding that by using bits and pieces of my most special and treasured things, that this book is becoming sort of magical.  and i love it.  and probably someone else out there will love it too.  

right now, it is still unbound.  but i have a nice piece of creamy white leather on my cutting mat, waiting to be made into the cover.  i'm just working it all out in my head.  and once that happens i will bind up the pages and add the finishing touches and send it out into the world...

everyday life...

"As the years pass, I am coming more and more to understand that it is the common, everyday blessings of our common everyday lives for which we should be particularly grateful.  They are the things that fill our lives with comfort and our hearts with gladness - just the pure air to breathe and the strength to breathe it; just warmth and shelter and home folks; just plain food that gives us strength; the bright sunshine on a cold day; and a cool breeze when the day is warm."
-Laura Ingalls Wilder-