I've moved my blog! Yes, I have! Blogger has a much prettier free blog service, and at the risk of losing some readers, I am taking the plunge. You'll now find me here!
Please, if you'd like, do sign up to follow me over there. I've always wanted to be the popular girl, and this may be my last chance...:o)
Loads of love, sweet friends. Just loads.
xoxox.
Good Morning!
And happy Saturday, the loveliest day, full of hopes for the weekend ahead, pancakes for breakfast, trips to the library and park, and no pre-Monday blues (the bane of every Sunday evening, I fear)...
We will indeed venture out of the house (what?!) to spend time together this weekend. It's all too easy to stay home...for me, anyway. But the great and beautiful wide world should be noticed, indeed must be noticed, to remember our small place in it.
It's all too easy, I find, to forget that. Especially when we struggle. (That is, incidentally, one of the reasons why I love blogging so much. I feel that not only can I connect with other women around the world (imagine that!) but they connect with me. And it's such a blessing. But blogging is not enough, I must remember. I have to pry myself out of the house with a virtual crowbar to connect with our world, and to make certain that my girls do too.)
Not always as easy as it used to be, on a budget and all, but like so many others, we are finding that the less expensive jaunts are the most meaningful as a family. Precisely because it is so easy to go see a movie and get lunch out (when funds allow), it's also easy to miss the picnic in the park, the visit to the plant nursery, the drive through the countryside. The walk along the ocean, the afternoon spent searching the library--all things I needed to learn.
And then, too, when you're outside, there's a whole new dimension, of course. UP. Not down, not ahead, not even beside you, but UP. Talk about perspective.
So much to learn, my dears, for this suburban ex-housewife. So very much.
Thank goodness. Really. Thank goodness.
Hope your weekend is as lovely as can be. Cheers!
xoxox.
Hello, sweet friends!
Oh, how can I begin to explain how helpful your comments, thoughts and good wishes have been?! I will simply say this: in some of the darkest days of my life thus far, your words have helped to carry me through. I am so much more at peace these past few days with the way our family's life is changing, and that comes solely from the dear, dear comments left in response to my last post (and others!).
I really do find myself torn, though. How do we each create the life we were meant to live, both for ourselves and our families--because it is us, the moms and wives and sisters and daughters, who do that, isn't it?--staying true to ourselves and yet taking wisdom from others? I'm still finding that line. It is deeply confusing at times, and to be honest, part of that confusion comes from other moms that I see in the blogging community. But here's the thing, and I'm learning it from you all: I've got my own world, and it's different from hers and yours and everyone else's, and I do believe you when you tell me that this situation has lessons and wonders for us to discover, ones which will stand us all, but especially the girls, in good stead for a long, long time to come.
I was reading a book last night***, and one of the characters (he happened to be a badger) got lost in the dark and fell into a deep pit, at which point he heard a wise old ancestor (deceased, unfortunately) telling him what he really needed to hear (stay with me, here). And he realized that this wise old ancestor ghostly presence had been trying to tell him in other ways, but he hadn't listened. He had heard the words in the back of his mind, but had been distracted and worried about what others would think. And I thought about that...Maybe this, this scary, bankrupt, lean and difficult time, is my pit? Maybe I need to stop and really listen and hear what my heart, or God, or whatever you want to call it, is saying to me--once and for all? And honestly, I am not even close to certain what it is that I need to hear, but I do think I'm on the right path. I'm listening and I'm open, at last.
Whew...lets move on, shall we?
And now a peek at what I am calling "Poor Gal's Pendents," wholly and completely inspired by Eva's beautiful ones here, which you should promptly purchase if you have the means and inclination. Really. (Oh, golly! Did you see the fake watches she has recently posted? J'adore!)
Anyway, as I was saying...They are not perfect yet, not by any means, but I am experimenting. They are very tiny, about 1/3 of an inch, and my favorite is the mustache one, made with a stamp that I love:
The button is also a stamp, and the bow-tie is hand-drawn. I'm going to try to make a little stamp of a bow-tie using a pencil eraser (like this--I've been doing this since high-school and it's sooo much fun!) so that I can use the non-smearing super-duper Stayz-On ink. Then I put a clear coat of nail polish, and voila! They'll get better next time around, but it's a start, and it was fun. (Check this shop for wonderful small stamps, if you're interested.)
But please do purchase your own, okay? I mean, unless you are severely counting pennies like me, we must support our handmade community. And Eva deserves every bit of credit for her beautiful jewelry and everything else! You get the drift.
Off to a glass of (very inexpensive) wine and a cuddle or two. Thanks for reading, my dears. I'd be lost without you.
xoxox.
***The book is called The Tale of Applebeck Orchard, and it is part of a charming series of mysteries by Susan Wittig Albert. All of the books are based upon the real time-line of Beatrix Potter's life, when she bought a little farm in the Lake District of England, all by and for herself, with money made from her children's books. The series features characters both real and imaginary--including animals who talk to each other! They are marketed as books for adults, but are entirely appropriate for tweens and teens who may have a love for animals and quaint village life. (Oh! And for a really amazing bio of Beatrix Potter, check out The Tale of Beatrix Potter by Margaret Lane. You'll love it!)...xo.
Oh, lordy.
As I sit here typing, I am coloring my roots ( I started to go gray at 17) and trying to figure out what I was thinking when I decided to open a shop! Don't get me wrong--I LOVE it--and I'm incredibly grateful for each and every order. But I am so strapped for time that even multi-tasking isn't cutting it. So please forgive me if your order takes just a bit longer to arrive than you might have imagined for the first little while...We are down to one car around here and it's with me--all day. Trips to the post office may be limited to the weekends, but please do know: I haven't forgotten!
Meanwhile, I'm so in love with these necklaces from Misako Momiko. Which would you choose?
I think they are so beautiful and simple. If I could, I think I would choose the little teapot. As it is, I may have to try to make my own with some simple shrink plastic. It won't be even close to as wonderful, but it will be in the same spirit, I think! (And, believe me, I would order hers, if I could!) Go see more of Eva's beautiful creations here, okay?
***
Plugging along around here. Things are coming to a head, as they say, and the foreclosure is well under way. Big changes ahead, and I desperately try to hold to the thought that they will be all for the good. Each day is a new emotional adventure, some much worse than others. To be honest, I wish I had done so much differently. But we are healthy now, and love each other, and my girls do continue to amaze me with their spirit and grace.
I can hardly wrap my head around what my life has become, in both good ways and bad. I struggle almost hourly with the thought that I have somehow failed my children, by not providing them with the picture-perfect life. And I wonder if they would have been better off without me, or with some other mom? But then I realize that all any child wants is to be loved and valued and treasured, and they are certainly that. So they won't have the life I had envisioned for them, at least not yet...perhaps it wasn't the one they were meant to have. Perhaps it's for the best. I think so. We'll see.
I hope your week continues lovely, my friends. Breathe deeply, love freely.
Cheers!
xoxox.
Hello, sweet friends! (How goes your solstice? I am so enjoying the longer days in these parts. How about you?)
I know, I know...it's more dolls! I just can't get enough. Ever. And there is such an endlessly fascinating variety out there in the creative world. Just lovely, if you ask me.
These beautiful dolls are made by sweet Jenni, a Melbourne-based mama.
Look closely! They have fully embroidered features, wool blanket hair, and their little bodies are made of doilies.
I think they are quite stunning and so very fresh and new, don't you?
a little flapper...
...and this beauty is based upon the Ballet Russes!
They're just so lovely--I can't get over their little faces and their sweet patchwork-y dresses. And speaking of dresses, you can purchase those, too. And they're predictably awesome:
(This little outfit is actually on the first little doll I showed you, with whom I am completely smitten, but it's so adorable that I had to share it again. I'm sure you understand...)
Oooh! And Jenni can make a custom doll just for you--Look!:
Please visit her beautiful little shop and blog and say hello!
Cheers, and thanks ever-so-much for your patronage at my new little venture!
xoxox.
Hey, sweets!
I'm not a huge fan of pushing my own goods on my blog, but I just wanted to let you know that I am setting up a little shop of vintage goods that I have collected over the years that simply must go to new homes. It's called the red umbrella, as I hope it can provide a teeny-tiny bit of income to help out around the place. An unwanted move is indeed on the horizon for our family, and I'm clearing out the things I love, some of which have never even seen the light of day!
I'll be adding lots, lots more as the days go by (and time permits). I can't believe how much sweet stuff I've collected, and it will be very hard to see it go. But it's all good--new lives for them and less to pack for me!
Drop by and say hello, if you have the chance...I'll be adding lots more as the days go by and time permits! Oh! And a supplies shop is in the works too, with all sorts of old books, jewelry findings, beads, vintage papers, stamps, and more! I'll keep you posted.
Commercial over. (Man, I hate that!)
Have a wonderful week, my dears!
xoxox.
I'm always delighted when somebody takes an idea and makes it new. And that is exactly what Claire of this neck of the woods has done! She has taken the paper garland, and brought it to a whole 'nother level.
Behold!:
the ball garland
small tear garland
the butterfly garland
the scallop garland
Three-dimensional, added beads, wonderful colors and patterns? Brilliant, I tell you!
Go see more at Claire's etsy and paper n stitch shops. There's lots to see, and if you don't see your color-scheme or needed length, she takes orders!
(via Paper n Stitch blog)
xoxox.
Hey, good weekend!
I'm so happy today. I think I'm really getting it, you know? Living in the moment, appreciating it all. Of course, in minutes I could be blue-sy, but at least I'm seeing glimpses of insight. That's not nothin'.
How about some lovely? No better place to turn than sweet Norma of Cara Carmina, who has lots to share. First, she's having a dear little give-away on her blog, and I'm practically chirping with glee. It's one of her perfect little Fridas, look!:
Norma deserves all the love she can get, so I'm urging you to fly on over (in a minute, not now) and enter her give-away. You just need to leave your favorite Frida quote, in English or Spanish, and lo, you are entered! (Find some Frida quotes here and here.)
Also new in her shop are some wonderful paper doll cards! They are so dear, and would work for any occasion, even framing (my go-to thought, always):
I do believe I love them...
All of Norma's work makes me very, very happy. And I'm off to treat myself to one of these beautiful little hearts right now. I'm going to hang it in my cubicle at work to beautify it and help me remember all of the incredible loveliness and creativity that is out there, while I plug away for bacon. Whoop!
Don't forget to visit her give-away (and her shop, if you'd like!). And tell her a sweet hello, will you?!
Have a beautiful Saturday, my dears. Relish it all.
xoxox.
These dolls are so wonderful. I'm in love. They are so modern and at the very same time, so timeless and evocative. How can that be?
From Karin, of Stiksel. The whole shop is pretty stinkin' amazing, and check out these incredible bags!!! (Sold, unfortunately. But look! And look!!!)
So very, very inspiring, no?
I love it. Just love it all. Yay!
Later, 'gators.
xoxox.
Hello, sweet friends!
(Okay, I just realized that it's time for me to have a post without quoting someone famous. How annoying! All that name-dropping is really off-putting, don't you think?)
Anyway, I am so excited to introduce you to a new blog I love. It's called crow roosters crow, and it's the site of Ariana, who lives on the charmingly named Good Egg Farm, is a former Kindergarten teacher and shop-owner, and current stay-home mother to a roly-poly two-year-old boy.
Beautiful pictures? You bet!:
(This is a bunting made from vintage cocktail napkins. Ariana made it. Love.)
Sweet, sweet crafts? Yup! Those too!:
So many wonderful projects, beautifully photographed and presented. And lovely recipes! You really just must go see. I haven't even begun to do it all justice. Really.
Ariana has been blogging since October, but it feels as though she's been at it a lifetime. Just honest, lovely goodness from someone who feels like a friend. I can't wait to see what she posts about next!
Please stop by crow roosters crow and say hello! I know you will love it.
Enjoy! (All photos by Ariana, of course!)
xoxox.
I'm a lucky wife and mom of two lovely little girls in San Diego, California, trying my best to grow up.
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