Sharing the Joy–In spite of it all…

It’s Thursday.

The coldest of the cold snap is over and today is a balmy 25 degrees (-3 C) today.

I haven’t been feeling very well physically this week.

Headache, body aches, maybe fighting some flu-ish thing.

Feeling quite a bit better today after sleeping most of the week away.

In the midst of the icks, I have still found things that made me feel joyful.

Like Black Cats in your lap…

or in a sunbeam.

Figuring out my inspirational phrase of the year…

and making a little rock with it for my Word of the Year Rock in a Box.

This phrase has saved me so many times when life gets a little too overwhelming or unsure.

Coming back to this moment reminds me that this is all we know for sure.

Be

Here

Now.

Ah…

Finishing up little projects like this silly felted and embroidered owl make me smile too.

That was about all the creative juices I had this week, feeling poorly as I was.

Until this morning when this strange but appropriate journal page emerged…

“Headache” – Art Journal Page,

watercolor journal, spray inks, old dictionary page, india ink pens, white gel pen, Twinkling H2Os

Here’s hoping the aches are over !

I know that this afternoon will be joy-filled as I am taking care of my little buddy Jayden for a few hours.

So glad to be feeling up to that kind of snuggling !

Happy Thursday, Beautiful Ones !

May your day be joy-filled too.

Haiku My Heart - Lazy Summer Days

Lazy summer days

Soaking in and creating

Beauty all around.

Here we are at Friday again. Time is going so quickly this summer. I have had a quiet week this week, in between some lovely guests who are making my home feel full and my heart feel glad. 

I have been slowly creating bits and pieces, finishing up some needle felting on my Grey Together Being that I made with my friend Suzanne last week...

and stitching away on a lovely piece of eucalyptus dyed Korhogo cloth that amazing Elizabeth (http://elizabethbunsen.typepad.com/) gifted me along the way.

Feeling a little low energy but maybe that is what the lazy days of summer should be ?

Whatever the pace, I am defintely so appreciative of and grateful for the beauty I find around me.

Happy Friday, Beautiful Ones!

Head over to recuerda mi corazon for more haiku love. (http://corazon.typepad.com/recuerda_mi_corazon/2013/08/haiku-my-heart-joyful.html)

Sharing the Joy–What energy creates…

It’s been a grey day.

I am still pretty low energy but feeling so much better.

I joyfully spent the day streaming movies on the iPad and happily stitching away.

And seeing what today’s energy creates…

I hope your Thursday was full of quiet joy, Beautiful Ones !

 

Head off to Meri’s Musings to witness more joy sharing.

Share the Joy–Dear Hearts

From this week’s Joy List :

My great joy is realizing how many sweet places my heart calls home.

(self-portrait and message to my self, heading north to visit family and friends)

(Beautiful birch at Lac Vezeau, Quebec)

(My favorite 4, almost 5 year old in the world, Katie !)

(Happy Breakfast from bro-in-law, John to his son, Thomas on Easter morning)

(Felted fun with my friend Suzanne, the felt artist)

(Tea for me from e.b. – a delicious time.)

(Lake Champlain, with winter winds fighting off spring in vain.)

(Sweet Chica-Lulu, welcoming me home.)

For me, Home is where the dear Hearts are.

And I am so blessed with so many amazing Ones in my life.

 

**********************

Settling back in at home after an amazingly sweet time away.

I think spring may be arriving today in NH.

Better late than never.

I hope your Thursday is filled with heart-felt joy !!!

Big Love !

The Many Gifts of Friendship…

Yay, the sun is shining in the studio this morning and we have a new hibiscus to welcome !

I also welcomed my friend Suzanne on Sunday late afternoon.

She is here for most of the week, sharing her March break from teaching kindergarten in Montreal with me.

It is always a gift when Suzy comes.

One of my oldest friends,

whom I have been through so much with,

who gets me,

whom it is easy for me to spend time with.

Her friendship is a gift in my life.

She also came bearing some other sweet gifts.

Suzanne is a talented artist.

She works mostly in felting and textiles as well as stained glass.

And look what works of art became mine this week :

This gorgeous orange-y felt scarf that I admired around her neck and that became mine !

I call it my Patti Digh scarf as it looks like one my favorite writer sports often !

And this custom made for ME black silk scarf with beautiful bursts of orange, green and blue wool fibers !

I love them !!!

And I feel oh so glamorous as I don the black one to head out for our fun day of shopping, (art stores and wool stores of course !), ladies lunching and some time ay the bookstore perusing the pages over a nice yummy coffee of some kind !

So not too much art making today,

but lots of playing !

Yay !

Welcome to March, Beautiful Ones.

It is coming in beautifully here !

Enjoy !

Give-away winner and a Heart-Felt Weekend

Welcome to the month of December ! I am still feeling like this season is rushing me on big time, but it is gradually getting a bit better. I am good as long as I keep things going at my own pace and avoid giving into the crazy mad dash towards .... towards I don't know what, but it sure seems like the world is in a hurry to get there...

Anyhow, this weekend was a great girlfriend time. My friend Suzanne was here from Thursday night until yesterday morning and we had a good mix of girlie/arty things going on, like usual.

Suzanne is an artist too. She says she is more of an art technician but she does have a fantastic eye that she doesn't always give herself credit for. She does beautiful stain glass pieces, sews wonderfully and has also gotten into the fiber arts, felting her heart out all over the place. I asked her for a felt scarf for my birthday back in October but she suggested that we make it together this weekend and that's what we did !

Friday afternoon, after the crazy morning crowds, we headed to a wool and yarn shop Suzanne found nearby and bought some gorgeous wool fibers. Saturday am we started the designing process. After about 4 hours of wet felting, rolling the fibers into felt, and at least a pound of candy to keep us going, my beautiful 6 ft long felt scarf was done ! Check it out :

The colors in these pretty crappy photos read more blue than the turquoise the scarf really is (damn flash, no sunlight for photos in NH today !) but it is just beautiful and oh so cozy ! I love how the flowers turned out so watercolor-ish and also how the synthetic wool fibers for the stems added such great texture ! Thanks again, so much, Suzy ! I love it !!!

I also did some needle felting as Suzy rolled our scarf-sushi for a few hours. I used a foam (washed) ball of Chica's and created this cute felt bowl, perfect for your change :

your jewelry :

or your rocks :

and it's even cuter with a twin !

Not only that but it won't break into a million pieces if you drop it on your tile floor ! Guess what a few of my friends may be getting for Xmas ?

And now an important announcement :

The cutest Computer Geek in the land has chosen and

the Winner of the 100th Post Give-Away is :

Lesley at the Funky Art Queen !!! Yay !!! Lesley chose the "Diva" magnets from my Etsy shop as her prize, wanting a couple for herself and to share the others with her "diva" friends ! Cool , huh ? Lesley, send me your snail mail address at queen-of-arts@comcast.net and I will send you off your prize asap !

Thank you so much for all the wonderful congratulations and encouragement in your comments ! It means so very much too me. This blog and my fantastic blog community are often my bright sunshine on a cloudy day, and for that I am truly grateful !

Let's go forth and conquer December !!! Happy Monday !