In Case Santa Was Wondering . . .

Nice. Not naughty. (And a pretty fair walker.)Definitely naughty. (Okay, an excellent walker, but he's had many years of practice.) Still naughty.

Oh Joy . . .

. . . and shopping, and wrapping, and baking, and traveling, and shipping, and decorating, and . . . I'll see you soon.

Merry, happy.

Rainy Day Friend

I posted this photo on my other blog, but I thought that many of you might never get there, and I think this picture is so cute. I love these guys and their sweet relationship.

Christmas projects

I decided a month or so ago, that I would make many of the presents I hand out this Christmas . . . as well as the cards I send.The problem is that I didn't start making these things until recently.I bet you all knew that there are less than three weeks before Christmas.I'm pretty good at ignoring obvious things like that. (Thank you, Stephanie, for the inspiration -- and instructions -- to make the portrait pendants above.)But, I do my best work under pressure.It's a good thing.

A Day of Sharing Music

LK is doing it again. She's hosting another day of sharing words, but today they are words set to music. Eva Cassidy had an extraordinary voice. Sadly, she died at 33 of bone cancer. She released only two albums, on local labels, before her death. She probably never knew how good she was.



Run over to LK's to see the music others are sharing.

Blessings

Not what we say about our blessings,

but how we use them,

is the true measure of our thanksgiving.

~W. T. Purkiser

Soldered Christmas Charms

Today I finished my charms for the soldered Christmas charm swap that Denise organized . . . and I finished them early! They are two-sided trinkets, so there is a star on the beveled side of the charm and a snip of arborvitae from my neighbor's trees (shhh) and the word "joy" on the other. Each also has a little snowflake dangling from the jump ring, although only one has it attached in these photos.Participants in this swap each made 16 charms -- 15 to trade and one to be added to a bracelet or necklace that will be sold on eBay with the proceeds going to A Place to Bark.
I used copper and black patina on the finished charms, because I happen to like a distressed look, and also because my soldering is not so great and the patina goes well with that. I had fun though, and I think I'll continue playing with the soldering iron and torch.

If you hear that my house burned down, you'll know what happened.

A Day of Sharing Words -- My Favorite Thing

My favorite thing

is being your lap

while we sit there

together & love

the whole world.

-- Story People

Go to L.K.'s blog to see the words that everyone else is sharing.

A Day of Sharing Words

“Poetry is thoughts that breathe, and words that burn.”

-- Thomas Gray

LK Ludwig had the wonderful idea of sharing the words that "touch us, move into our hearts and resonate, creating a feeling, taking us some place . . ."

Join us. Post the words that make your "thoughts breathe" and your "words burn" on Wednesday, November 19. Get the details here.

Baby? What Baby?

I love watching K on Thursdays . . . or any day for that matter . . . but Atticus adds an interesting element to the mix. He's used to being the top baby around here, and he thinks that all toys belong to him. All attention belongs to him. And all food that falls on the floor or close enough to the floor belongs to him. These two crack me up. There's another photo of them over here

The Thing with Wings . . .

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

partial poem by Emily Dickinson

Let's soar!

Because things will never look like this again . . .

I had new carpet installed in my workspace today, which meant that I had to clean everything out of the room. How stark and uncluttered it looks without all my stuff! This won't last. Oh no it won't . . . . . . because tomorrow I start the process of putting all this stuff back!

I'm turning over a new leaf though. I will not allow things to get this out of hand again.Check back with me in six months.

Well, maybe not a thousand words . . .

I've started a second blog called Daily Focus. Inspired by blogs like this one and this one, I thought I'd try to simply post a photo every day -- no text, just pictures -- because sometimes no words are necessary.

It's Thursday!

Sole Mates

When was the last time you stood in lines like this for a porta-potty?Or slept in a pink tent in a sea of pink tents?If you participated in the Philadelphia 3-Day walk for breast cancer, you did these things -- as well as walking 60 miles -- this past weekend. This is the fourth year I've been involved with the Philly event -- the second time I've participated as a walker.It was fun to view the event from the route. I saw many aspects of the city that I've previously only witnessed from the road. We walked past crew boats rowing along the Schuylkill River as we trooped up the East River Drive (Kelly Drive).We walked through the city, even through City Hall. We walked the West River Drive, enjoying views of the art museum and Boathouse Row.And all along the route,the support was amazing.Along city streets and suburban lanes, folks came out to cheer and share warm trays of brownies.Young and old came out.Without the crew . . . without the hoorays . . . without the high fives . . . and the woos . . . Well, my under-trained legs and feet just wouldn't have made the journey. It was the love and the commitment and the smiles and the tears and the brownies that carried me through the 60 miles. It was my sole mates.

I love you guys.

Art & Soul Projects

Nina Bagley's "Gatherings" was the first class I took in Portland. I have admired Nina's work for a long time, and it was great to meet her and listen to her wonderful southern accent as she gently led us through her techniques.
I worked on this cover during class, but I think I may actually bind it into a book rather than leave it in my "gatherings." Clearly, I have some more gathering to do before this work is finished, but that is the beauty of this project. I don't have to stop gathering until I run out of ribbon to bind the covers together. And that will be some time.Friday was spent in Thomas Ashman's "Ultimate Journal" class. Working with sheets of copper, drills, torches and patina was fun . . . Well, except for the part when we were standing outside in the pouring rain with torches and patina. Not so much fun. But funny.
This one needs some more work too, but I really enjoyed the class.Saturday and Sunday were spent with Judy Wilkenfeld making these beautiful velvet albums.I have been a Judy groupie since I discovered her blog last year. Her work is just so rich and detailed.So thoughtful.She spent the two days of this "Just in Case" class sharing her techniques as well as her processes.I LOVED this class, but I knew I would.And I will use her techniques again and again.One of the things I appreciated is how well constructed her work is. Her books are made to be handled over and over.Mine is not finished, but I'm really happy with the results so far.I even learned a new technique for my hair. It is "quite" lovely, don't you think?Monday I spent with Judy again, in her "Aging Gracefully" class, where we learned lots of techniques for aging paper, fabric, photos, etc. We even learned how to "make" an old book cover. Loved it!