Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Red and Black



More knitting while on todays walk.

Isn't the red of this yarn fabulous?
Especially with the turquoise of the knitting needles!
I scored both the yarn and needles at the local op-shop,
plus so much more!
SUPER SCORE!!!



Accompanying me on my walk is of course miss Veda-lou,
but also our neighbor's dog, Cole (or Coal, not quite sure).
He is a sweet your pup with lots of energy and quite honestly, terrible humans.
They don't walk him, they just tie him up outside or keep him locked in a little room inside.
I have made it my new mission to try and find him a new, loving home!
He really is a wonderful dog!!!



Temp*Files




Have you seen this blog?
I highly suggest browsing through...




Tuesday, November 29, 2011



I have been felting up a storm.
Today I had a photo shoot with a friend for some of my new nuno scarves (that will have to be another post) and tonight I finished up a bunch of nuno felted headbands/necktie scarves.
They came out wonderfully!!!
Now I am off to card more wool for needle felting, there are owls and mermaids that need to be created.
Meanwhile I will be working up an appetite for my third thanksgiving dinner!
That's right, I will have enjoyed 3 by the end of the night.
I love it!

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Woodshed









The shed is filling up with wood.
It's going to be nice and toasty in there this winter (if winter ever comes, ha!)










Due to this unseasonably warm weather, my garden seems to be still growing strong.
The peppermint is still growing, there is kale, chard, broccoli, sage...

Today I am realizing how much I need to get done for ladies' night in town on thursday (getting more things ready to go into the Present shop) and for my last fair on Saturday!
Today I am dying silk, felting owls and mermaids, finishing the nest mobiles I keep saying that I am going to make and trying to get a bit more organized!

Some things I am liking today:

-I have fallen in love with the Downtown Abbey series (thank you Vibeke for this link!)
-This blog and this blog
-I am trying to make time to knit this cowl


What are some things you are doing today?


p.s. don't forget about the free shipping for anything in the shop this week.
Just use the code SHIPFREE at checkout!

Toodles!!!












Happy Monday!
I can't believe the weather around here has been so balmy averaging around 60*F!
Am I crazy for wanting it to snow?
I have been looking forward to the woods around me being blanketed in white and going for hikes in the snow.
I mean, I really like not being cold, I like that I can still walk on the beach without being in pain from the wind, but it definitely doesn't feel like the end of November...

So, I guess today is Cyber monday.
I am not really sure what that means, but I am going to be extending the free shipping I had going on this weekend throughout the rest of the week!
So just use the coupon code SHIPFREE at checkout to take advantage of it!

Also, I would like to take a quick moment to say thank you to all of you for reading my blog
and also those of you who have been so wonderful by supporting my work,
supporting a local, small business!

Supporting any small business is wonderful.
I truly appreciate it!
Hugs all around!

xo



Saturday, November 26, 2011

Today was like spring.
Warm and sunny and beautiful.

I have been spending time with my sister who is home for the weekend from the city, and going out to see friends.
It's been really nice.
A change a pace (normally I feel I tend to be a hermit...)

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday!


Friday, November 25, 2011

Seagulls say the darndest things...


Today only!!!
Use coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS at checkout.

Hope you are all enjoying your post thanksgiving day!
xo

AWESOME NEWS!!!








Happy Thanksgiving!
(I know, a day late... but it still counts, right?)

I love thanksgiving, it is one of my favorite holidays
and you can be darn sure that I ate my weight in food yesterday.
After we ate, my sister and I went for a drive and saw this amazing sunset and although it was FREEZING out, we had to play around a little bit!

So now it is time to focus on getting ready for gift giving!
I have decided that all of my holiday gifts are going to be handmade by me or from another artists, crafter or small, local business.
(I call this the REAL occupy wallstreet, make a difference in your local community)

Ok, so now the awesome news:
You can support a small business and artist/crafter too because
I am having a SALE in the shop!!!

I am offering 20% off anything in my shop,
all you need to do is use the coupon code HAPPYHOLIDAYS during checkout.
Simple as that.
And you get an awesome deal, right!!!??!

Ok, now fly free...
Happy Friday!







Monday, November 21, 2011







Getting ready for the market in Beverly,
the indoor holiday market!
I really love the Beverly Farmers' Market,
if you haven't been to it, it is a wonderful little market with amazing food, produce, art and crafts, healing herbs and hands!

This is the last one of the year (in Beverly), just in time for the holidays.
Hope to see some of your smiling faces later today!



Sunday, November 20, 2011









I woke up to find this quote posted this morning:

‎"There is a brokenness out of which comes the unbroken, a shatteredness out of which blooms the unshatterable. There is a sorrow beyond grief which leads to joy and a fragility out of whose depths emerges strength. There is a hollow space too vast for words through which we pass with each loss, out of whose darkness we are sanctioned into being. There is a cry deeper than all sound whose serrated edges cut the heart as we break open to the place inside which is unbreakable and whole, while learning to sing." -Rashani


It has pretty much perfectly summed up what I was trying to say in my previous post.


I've had a very, very busy last two day.

The fair was beyond successful!

I am honored and grateful for all of the support
and for being able to be a part of such a great event!

Now I have to get ready for the Holiday Farmers' Market tomorrow afternoon.
I will be selling the cranberries that I gathered with my mom on our adventures!

I also have quite a bit of making to do this week to replace what sold and what I had to take out of the Present Shop.
Plus I have completely sold out of owls!

...Big breaths...

Here we go!!!



Happiest of Sundays to all you little chickadees!






Thursday, November 17, 2011

morning string theory




This morning I am thinking a bit about string theory.

There is a fine balance to everything.
Where everything is related and happens for a reason.

I have been thinking about how our environments and interactions inspire us, help form us.
This is whether we are human or any type of "thing" really.
The landscape is born our of the struggle between conflicting elements.
Our personalities, while I truly believe already have a mind of their own from birth, are partially shaped due to our struggles, our interactions with other human beings, animals, plants, environments, smells, colors.... The list could go on.
But it is that struggle, or what I call struggle, that I am thinking about this morning.

When I talk about struggle, there is that obvious emotion that pops up just from reading or hearing the word, but it can be a positive thing.
Like the idea that good can come out of bad (and vice-versa I suppose), light can come out of dark.
I find that many times it is this struggle that makes me do my best work. The struggle to show a deep emotion, the struggle to pay bills, the struggle to come up with a new idea...
These things can be frustrating, but they can also move us into a beautiful place if we let it.

I once read that stress can be the death of a friend or family member,
or the passionate kiss of a lover.
Struggle is all an interpretation and we all struggle in different ways,
all in different, valid ways.

There are so many times that I have been beyond frustrated, beyond upset, in a negative situation or mood, but I have come to realize that so many times, these situations make me a better person, a better crafter, a better artist in the end.
I can't say that I always enjoy being in these phases at the moment, but what is light without dark to show you how to appreciate it, right?
We have to loosen the reins just a little bit.

I often have a hard time with words, although I can seemingly speak clearly, many times I feel like I just can't quite get the proper words out to describe how I really feel. I can't do justice to my emotions and thoughts.
Maybe this struggle is partially why I love the visual arts so much.
It all comes full circle.
There seems to be a reason for everything, and if not, we can create our own homeostasis in our lives. It is instinct.

This is one of that string tangents that I often wake up with.
And this morning I was cohesive enough to get it out fast enough, type it out in the moment.
Maybe a bit rambly, but anyway, that is how mind mine works... Never in a straight line (maybe that is why I have such a hard time drawing them, ha!)

So maybe this reflection might be something you can relate to.
For me, my first creation of the day is a reflection of the morning sun!
A perfectly sunny felted scarf has sprung forth and is breathing golden light as it dries in front of the wood stove and awaits a someone to love it and adorn their body and warm their soul.

And with that, a happy Friday morning to all you sweetpeas!!!



Before the Rain Came...







Just playing around the other day...

***







Just puttering around,
making things, dyeing silk
and getting ready for the upcoming fairs/holiday farmers' market this weekend.

Might go on a little adventure this afternoon,
but I'm still undecided...



Tuesday, November 15, 2011

A second trip to the bog (by boat this time...)























On Sunday my mom's boyfriend took us by skiff to the bog this time.
Let me just tell you, I am actually glad we walked in the first time because going by boat was WAAAAAY faster! *and super pretty*
Too bad it was too shaky to take any good photos on the boat...

We got a TON of cranberries.
I think I am going to bag some up and bring them to sell at the farmers' market next monday.
I was going to try to make chutney to sell too, but I don't think I will have time.

I have come to the conclusion that we need a rake with a scoop on the back to help get the cranberries faster. Also, we went further into the bog this time where it was wetter, the cranberries were HUGE and there were hoards of them compared to where we were picking on the first trip.

We had a good time, I thought it was especially amusing watching Dan (my mom's bf) trudging in his waders with his super "fancy" basket (read: found- or stolen- shopping basket).
And my mom thought that if she got a running start down one dune, it would be easier to get up the other side... It didn't work.

I think in all we picked 5 gallon bags full of craberries and Dan half filled his basket.
That's a lot of cranberries.

Now I have to do something with them.
I will definitely make pie and hopefully chutney when I have time.
Any other suggestions...?