in difficult times carry something beautiful in your heart.

-blaise pascal-

Ida's book...

some of my new lace stash which i mentioned in my last post.  i always like to get a few pictures before i start using it...or as my daughter says "before i chop it up".  it's a very pretty pile, i think.  the pearls are gorgeous....a nice antique color and four strands of heavy glass beads with a knot between each.  i usually buy broken necklaces, but this one is fully intact, clasp and all.  it will be difficult for me to chop this up, bu i most likely will at some point.  

this little book is a true treasure.  it belonged to Ida from Maine.  in it, there are pages and pages of autographs from 1877 to 1899.  i'm amazed she kept it going for 22 years.

i love the swirly bird pages.  there are several throughout the book.

the signers usually incorporated their name and date somewhere in the bird design.

i love the faded and sometimes imperfect sepia ink.  if you made a mistake, you just had to go with it.  handwriting was so beautiful then...a work of art many times.  each person has written dear Ida sweet notes.  some are quite poetic.

others are a little funny.  this one says - "Autograph writing is hard and tough, i will write my name and that's enough." 

and on the last page, this one says, " Last in your album and last in your thought, last to be remembered, first to be forgot."

each and every page is just so amazing.  now i have to decide what to do with it.  i used to buy these treasures and tuck them away, maybe admire them once in a while and sometimes forget about them altogether.  but i don't do that so much anymore.  instead of just "collecting", i try to use my finds.  in fact, my new motto is to only purchase treasures that i will use.  besides, treasures lose their magic when they are tucked away.  so, i will take it apart and use the pages to create new magic.  some may end up in my collages.  others in one of my fat lace/ephemera books.  perhaps, share a few.
i think Ida would really like that...

joyful blooms...

nature never did betray the heart that loved her.

-william wordsworth-

spring has blossomed here.  the grass is so green...or perhaps it just seems so because of our recent trip up north to visit family.  there, they still had snow on the ground and no spring colors yet.  on my walk this morning, i stopped several times to pick up fallen flowers, a bit shabby, but still so beautiful.  i arranged them on a little glass plate and set them on my dining table.

i can't believe over two months have passed since i last updated my blog.  life has been very busy lately.  too many responsibilites, not enough art.  although things are looking up.  i visited my favorite antique shop when i was in NY and i found a gorgeous pile of lace and some pearls.  and yesterday i received a huge box of leather that i had ordered in the mail.  all of that has sparked some inspiration for me.  so, pictures of what i'm working on... soon....

air of intoxicating lightness...

air of intoxicating lightness...  i cut that line out of an old book and pasted it in my journal.  it sounds just so lovely and i'm sure i experienced this today.  it's kind of like...an early morning air, crisp and cold, the sun just awakening, setting the tops of the bare winter trees aglow in a golden pink color, the world is quiet except for the birds and the air is so very perfect.  do you know what i'm talking about?  have you ever experienced this?  i hope so because it's the kind of thing that fills your soul with peace.  

in the background a tiny little copper bowl.  a beautifully handcrafted piece of art that i found here.  i am a fan of her work, her philosophy.  "be still" it says.  a reminder to stop and appreciate the abundant beauty of my tiny little piece of the world.

january has flown by for me and i am just now settling back into my routine of creating.  it's been a long time since i said hello...so...hello.  i hope your year has started off nicely...

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...