count your blessings
It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world. Mary Oliver. 2025 is sorting out with some seriously huge count your blessings moments. moments that might be overlooked as we wallow in the cold, dark dreary days seated in front of a computer not doing something we love. what I mean to say rather un-eloquently but with massive amounts of gratitude is that:
creative collaboration
I’m working on a new creative collaboration and coincidentally a new life plan. Always remember that Inspiration can be found in the strangest of places…. I have been collecting textiles for decades and it is finally time to put them to good use. What was I ‘saving them for later’? I think later is now. I have thrifted dishtowels, brocade, vintage curtains, fabric samples, old skirts, canvas bags and pillows to be repurposed and yardage by the mile. It’s a treasure trove of gorgeousness and potential. I also ordered a large shipment of smart little surplus Czech military bags from…
an old crush
NOTE: this post was supposed to be published in september 2023 but stayed in my draft folder without me noticing. it’s too good to waste. i forgot how much i adore jackson. i adore the wooden boardwalks around the square, the ridiculous shoot-out on the town square, the neon of the million dollar cowboy bar and the proximity to national parks and breathtaking mountains. i love exploring specialty shops, kitsch gift shops, gorgeous art galleries, finding the best pizza and the new taco/tequila restaurant just off the square. i love it all. i am willing to pay extra to feel…
a day at the museum
just finished an epic adventure with my sister and my ‘cousin’. 12 days of European adventure and lollygagging. i don’t really know how we packed it all in, but we managed somehow. before the trip we all came up with a to do list and one of the things on everyone’s list was ART. my other sister had recently seen a very famous van gogh and so we followed her footsteps and headed to the National Gallery in London. we booked FREE tickets for 4pm and when we arrived on the day of, there was a huge line to get…
not in the mood
i keep thinking it’s been a long winter. yeah, green, reeeeal long. i’ve been consumed by the heaviest weight, the worst fatigue, the least hope and possibility and the lowest lows of my life. it was like the winter plague never released me. i tried to sleep through most of it, and i did a pretty good job. i did the bare minimum at home, with my dog and my social obligations. i somehow managed to keep my job. i can only hope they didn’t see me starting at the walls for hours at a time- holding my head in…
rollin’ on
well i’ve had some really sweet little adventures, and they were great distractions, but the january blues roll on. i’ve made miniscule little tidbits of progress on bluebird skies, and believe me, forgiving myself for that has been a task of epic proportions. here we are in july, with no end in sight. i had the house to myself for a couple of months while mom played in central washington with sister diane. i took full advantage and spread my projects out from top to bottom and back to front of my entire house. i worked on quilts, gardening, woodworking,…
new adventure!
hello everyone. if you know me, you know i am all about potential. i like to buy the worst looking house on the block, because it’s all i can afford, but also, because i can see the potential. i want to paint old, decrepit houses i pass on the side of the road. i make blankets out of old jeans, i buy vintage unfinished quilt tops and turn them into masterpieces. i love giving a new and respectable life to old buckets, furniture, paintings, dishware, clothes and especially bags. a successful restoration project of any scale is one of my…
blue january
blue is my favorite color. it’s a recurring theme in my life, but it’s usually about the color or the stone. i covet all of the blues: cobalt, cerulean, turquoise, periwinkle, lapis, sapphire and especially tie-dyed indigo. blue by any other name is just as good. I collect pale stonewashed blue rocks and surround myself with jewelry, bottles & suncatchers, walls and art with deep cobalt shades of blue. i scour vintage shops and ebay looking for the perfect lake and sky combination print with one of the ‘good’ blues. but in january the blue was emotional. i slept and…
december rantings……
does everyone else think their life will slow down after the next big event/activity/timeframe/etc.? why do we still believe that as soon as i finish painting my house, a booth at a craft fair, recover from covid i will have time to read that book/take a nap/finish that project/be a better person? fine, then. IN JANUARY, when things slow down…… i will sit down, pay attention and read an entire book. have you heard that doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results is the definition of insanity? so, why do we repeatedly submit ourselves to the…
facelift.
it’s been a whirlwind, but i think i’m done for now. i’m glad to say it looks a lot better than it felt. yes, i painted my house. i am so grateful for borrowed tools and time from family and friends that helped along the way. it really takes a village! thanks to the duchess, sherwin-williams’ 40% off sales and Neighbor Works Pocatello’s SPRUCE UP THE BLOCK program for their financial support to make this happen. ever since i bought my 1940’s bungalow about 9 years ago, i’ve wanted to paint it. the cream/dirty white aesthetic did nothing for it’s…
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my bluebird skies 