no. 708...

in case this time of year leaves you craving a little zen...

slowly savor a cup of zen tea.  meditate.  contemplate.  breathe.

try folding a little zen crane.  be mindful.  be present in the moment.

  feel the peace.

  yes...

a little hope....

a little hope.  on this day and all days. 

a little christmas magic...

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore.  "Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair.  People will insist on giving me books."

-J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

christmas is coming.  rather soon this year i think.  i myself would prefer books, but really, gifts aren't necessary.  i feel pretty satisfied with my life they way it is.  we try to keep christmas simple around here.  my younger son would like a musical gift and the older kids would like phones and for us to pay their phone bill...that is like a year round gift, so not much else is necessary.  maybe a little candy.  and some socks...

romantic soul...

a dreamy little journal for a romantic soul...

this is a bit random, but this book got me thinking about romantic movies.  i like to watch a good love story.  the world can be dark and overwhelming at times and this type of movie leaves me feeling inspired and lighter.  i found this quote from one of my more quirky favorites.

"As Harold took a bite of Bavarian Sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be okay. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy...there are Bavarian Sugar Cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin...or a kind and loving gesture...or a subtle encouragement...or a loving embrace...or an offer of comfort...

And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties which we assume only accessorize our days, are in fact here for a much nobler and larger cause.  They are here to save our lives."

-Zach Helm, Stranger Than Fiction

i could never pick a favorite movie...too many.  how about you...do you have a favorite?  or maybe several?

inspiration in a nutshell...

have you ever heard the phrase "in a nutshell"?  did they mean that literally?

probably not.  but i decided to try and fit inspiration in a nutshell.

 you would be surprised at how much you can actually fit in a nutshell.

and how fun it is to actually do that.

if you need some inspiration in a nutshell, find it here.

for a friend...

my friend ellen asked me to make her a little book.  small, without a cover, a mix of handmade paper and artist paper...the rest is up to you, she said.  there's something kind of nice about being given artistic freedom like that...

so, i thought on it for a few days, changed my mind several times and this is what i decided on.  i really like the natural and rough edges.  

i also like that it has no cover...the handmade paper is so beautiful, it needs to be seen. 

the simple coptic binding makes it open nice and flat so she will be able to write in it easily.  the tattered piece of silk was an afterthought...it needed just that one little thing to make it shine.

i think i am in love with this little book.  and i hope she likes it too...

always...

"Never lose faith in yourself, and never lose hope; remember, even when this world throws its worst and then turns its back, there is still always hope."

-Pittacus Lore, The Power of Six

always...

the love letter...

a couple of years ago, at christmas time, a man asked me to make him a journal.  he was going to gift it to his new wife .  he wanted to use it to write notes and letters back and forth...to create a record of their love that they could treasure forever.  that story touched my heart...i'm a sucker for good love stories.  i made him a lovely journal and that was that.  but sometimes i still think about that journal.  i wonder if they kept it up.  if they are still in love.  i think yes.  so, in honor of their love i created a little journal i've called "the love letter".  you can find it here.

***

"Every great love starts with a great story..."

Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook  

brave...

remember:  you're braver than you believe, 

and stronger than you seem,

and smarter than you think.

-christopher robin (a.a. milne)

in the beginning of my creative life, i made dolls.  elaborate little creations...fairies and magical beings.  my favorite part and the part i always saved for last, was the creating of the face.  it was like magic, seeing my hours of labor come to life.  i imagine that's how pinocchio's dad felt.  if you like this brave warrior princess she can be yours...

a stitch in time saves nine...

nine what?  i don't know really. 

 but i do know stitching is relaxing for me.  if i'm feeling stressed it calms me.  i just focus on one stitch after another and my troubles fall away for a little while. 

 stitching fills all of the idle moments in my life and makes them more bearable.  it keeps my hands busy while i'm waiting.  i always seem to be waiting. 

 stitching inspires me.  when i stitch i let my mind wander.  i think about things.  i think up things.  then later i do the things i've thought up.  i think that's pretty cool.

nobody, not even the rain...

(i do not know what it is about you that closes and opens; only something in me understands the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses) nobody, not even the rain, has such small hands

-e.e. cummings

just messing around in my journal this morning.  i love the poems of e.e. cummings.  he has a quirky style of writing.  it seems as though he was a real "rule breaker" and i like that, as i am a "rule breaker" myself.  

i took a nice slow walk in the cool air this morning.  i found the lovely golden- orange leaf on the ground...fall is really beginning to show itself.  the roses in the background were a gift from my husband last week...they've just reached that crunchy, falling apart stage and the color has deepened.  i think they are just beautiful like this, even more than when they were first given to me.  there is a certain beauty to be found in decay, don't you think?

i hope you have a beauty filled day...

focus...

i took a little break this afternoon from making books and made myself a nice cup of tea.  this tea is called "focus".  it has a strange chocolatey-citrus flavor that is kind of nice.

i pulled out my current journal which is always close at hand.

i've been filling this one up rather quickly.  you can see the finished parts if you look closely.  i like it when threads and bits of glued stuff spill out of the book.

i hate that dreaded first page, so white and fresh.  i grabbed some walnut ink spray to start it off.  i really like how that turned out.  so i did the same to the next few pages.  and somehow i just kept going with that theme.  that's why the finished part of the book is brownish.  

i always include some tea bags.  and stitching.

a lot of stitching in this book.  i love stitching on paper.  i have a whole book of thick lokta paper just for that...i think i may have showed you some of that a while back. 

no great secrets to be found in this book.  i've mostly been writing interesting things that i have read.

and making little collages with bits of paper...

wonderful scraps that i can't bear to part with.  i have a whole bin of these.

and paint experiments.  some unfinished...

some finished. 

oh, on a really random note...

i made this yesterday.  i'm not much of a food photographer and this is the only photo i got as it disappeared quickly.  it was so, so good.  my kiddos have been working hard in school and this was like a note of appreciation for that.  warm bread = love.

i'm feeling fall in the air...are you?  going to a football game tonight.  don't tell anyone, but i really hate football.  i'm just going to see the band.  hope you have something fun planned...

little rainbows...

i found this string in my closet this morning.

and i've been making little rainbows with it.  my kiddos went back to school today.  it was dark when they left and the night bugs were still making their music.

the house is quiet and dull.  even the dog seems a bit droopy.  i wrote them each a little note telling them i am proud of them.  they got up on time.  they made it out the door.  they remembered their pencils and notebooks.  i am going to do that more.  celebrate the small moments that make up each day.

vacation was nice.  we visited a lake with calm, green water and a beautiful forest all around.

i got rowed around by two very handsome young men.

we visited another lake, this one with clear, blue water and magical houses stacked up by the pier.  my daughter and i debated about which one we would like to live in.  

the water was very cold.  or so i was told.

i snapped one with all three smiling.  not an easy feat.  although it seems incomplete.  our college girl had to stay behind and work and we really missed her.

seems like the rest of the summer flew by once we got home.  i think that happens when you're having fun.

but, autumn can be so lovely too...

these lazy summer days...

it's been an interesting summer so far.  we had more unexpected guests this past few days and that has made life a bit more fun than usual.  it has really forced me to slow down and relax some.  i've been spending lots of time reading, book after book it seems...and i've found so many beautiful words to write out into my new journal.  words for later...words to remind and inspire.

at times the weather has cooperated, meaning it was not too hot to sit out on the deck and soak up the brilliant rays of sunshine...warming my toes some and looking out over our forest.  i did that for so long one day...the forest turned black at the edges.  the last rays of light coming through were so beautiful...the sight of it filled my soul with peace and calm, a feeling i will try to keep with me for a while.

  soon i will be taking a break from my little forest to do some traveling.  it's always good to get a fresh perspective.  look for new adventures.  i hope you all have some nice adventures ahead of you as well...