Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Wishing you a year of good madness!


"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and
good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone
who thinks you're wonderful…and don't forget to make some art…
write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope…
somewhere in the next year…you surprise yourself."
~neil gaiman

I've posted this before but I wish it for you every new year!

I'm not much of one to make New Year resolutions…they never last
much longer than my memory these days …but this coming year I hope
to begin selling some of my art in my Etsy shop. I've been working on
some hand painted fabric brooches made from original drawings..
some by hand and some by thread. I'll be adding a link to my shop
here on my blog so look for that sometime soon. Here's one of the
brooches that will be heading to Etsy……


I plan to bring in the new year in a quiet…peaceful manner…
much like my life has been for much of this year. I don't
have a lot of bad things to say about 2013…I've been blessed…
I just hope 2014 treats me as kindly…



Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Wishing…….


wishing each of you a 
merry christmas...

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Peace…….


what i learned today….
NEVER use stretchy fabric…
even if it is the color you want!

maybe i should have learned to 
sew before embarking on this 
new journey….but i'm still 
having fun.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

When Your Mother Says She's Fat…...

 Written by Kasey Edwards
this is so TRUE….
and so sad….

Dear Mum,
I was seven when I discovered that you were fat, ugly and horrible. Up until that point I had believed that you were beautiful — in every sense of the word. I remember flicking through old photo albums and staring at pictures of you standing on the deck of a boat. Your white strapless bathing suit looked so glamorous, just like a movie star. Whenever I had the chance I’d pull out that wondrous white bathing suit hidden in your bottom drawer and imagine a time when I’d be big enough to wear it; when I’d be like you.
But all of that changed when, one night, we were dressed up for a party and you said to me, ‘‘Look at you, so thin, beautiful and lovely. And look at me, fat, ugly and horrible.’’
At first I didn’t understand what you meant.
‘‘You’re not fat,’’ I said earnestly and innocently, and you replied, ‘‘Yes I am, darling. I’ve always been fat; even as a child.’’
In the days that followed I had some painful revelations that have shaped my whole life. I learned that:
1. You must be fat because mothers don’t lie.
2. Fat is ugly and horrible.
3. When I grow up I’ll look like you and therefore I will be fat, ugly and horrible too.
Years later, I looked back on this conversation and the hundreds that followed and cursed you for feeling so unattractive, insecure and unworthy. Because, as my first and most influential role model, you taught me to believe the same thing about myself.
With every grimace at your reflection in the mirror, every new wonder diet that was going to change your life, and every guilty spoon of ‘‘Oh-I-really-shouldn’t,’’ I learned that women must be thin to be valid and worthy. Girls must go without because their greatest contribution to the world is their physical beauty.
Just like you, I have spent my whole life feeling fat. When did fat become a feeling anyway? And because I believed I was fat, I knew I was no good.
But now that I am older, and a mother myself, I know that blaming you for my body hatred is unhelpful and unfair. I now understand that you too are a product of a long and rich lineage of women who were taught to loathe themselves.
Look at the example Nanna set for you. Despite being what could only be described as famine-victim chic, she dieted every day of her life until the day she died at seventy-nine years of age. She used to put on make-up to walk to the letterbox for fear that somebody might see her unpainted face.
I remember her ‘‘compassionate’’ response when you announced that Dad had left you for another woman. Her first comment was, ‘‘I don’t understand why he’d leave you. You look after yourself, you wear lipstick. You’re overweight — but not that much.’’
Before Dad left, he provided no balm for your body-image torment either.
‘‘Jesus, Jan,’’ I overheard him say to you. ‘‘It’s not that hard. Energy in versus energy out. If you want to lose weight you just have to eat less.’’
That night at dinner I watched you implement Dad’s ‘‘Energy In, Energy Out: Jesus, Jan, Just Eat Less’’ weight-loss cure. You served up chow mein for dinner. (Remember how in 1980s Australian suburbia, a combination of mince, cabbage, and soy sauce was considered the height of exotic gourmet?) Everyone else’s food was on a dinner plate except yours. You served your chow mein on a tiny bread-and-butter plate.
As you sat in front of that pathetic scoop of mince, silent tears streamed down your face. I said nothing. Not even when your shoulders started heaving from your distress. We all ate our dinner in silence. Nobody comforted you. Nobody told you to stop being ridiculous and get a proper plate. Nobody told you that you were already loved and already good enough. Your achievements and your worth — as a teacher of children with special needs and a devoted mother of three of your own — paled into insignificance when compared with the centimeters you couldn’t lose from your waist.
It broke my heart to witness your despair and I’m sorry that I didn’t rush to your defense. I’d already learned that it was your fault that you were fat. I’d even heard Dad describe losing weight as a ‘‘simple’’ process — yet one that you still couldn’t come to grips with. The lesson: you didn’t deserve any food and you certainly didn’t deserve any sympathy.
But I was wrong, Mum. Now I understand what it’s like to grow up in a society that tells women that their beauty matters most, and at the same time defines a standard of beauty that is perpetually out of our reach. I also know the pain of internalising these messages. We have become our own jailors and we inflict our own punishments for failing to measure up. No one is crueler to us than we are to ourselves.
But this madness has to stop, Mum. It stops with you, it stops with me and it stops now. We deserve better — better than to have our days brought to ruin by bad body thoughts, wishing we were otherwise.
And it’s not just about you and me any more. It’s also about Violet. Your granddaughter is only three and I do not want body hatred to take root inside her and strangle her happiness, her confidence and her potential. I don’t want Violet to believe that her beauty is her most important asset; that it will define her worth in the world. When Violet looks to us to learn how to be a woman, we need to be the best role models we can. We need to show her with our words and our actions that women are good enough just the way they are. And for her to believe us, we need to believe it ourselves.
The older we get, the more loved ones we lose to accidents and illness. Their passing is always tragic and far too soon. I sometimes think about what these friends — and the people who love them — wouldn’t give for more time in a body that was healthy. A body that would allow them to live just a little longer. The size of that body’s thighs or the lines on its face wouldn’t matter. It would be alive and therefore it would be perfect.
Your body is perfect too. It allows you to disarm a room with your smile and infect everyone with your laugh. It gives you arms to wrap around Violet and squeeze her until she giggles. Every moment we spend worrying about our physical ‘‘flaws’’ is a moment wasted, a precious slice of life that we will never get back.
Let us honor and respect our bodies for what they do instead of despising them for how they appear. Focus on living healthy and active lives, let our weight fall where it may, and consign our body hatred in the past where it belongs. When I looked at that photo of you in the white bathing suit all those years ago, my innocent young eyes saw the truth. I saw unconditional love, beauty and wisdom. I saw my Mum.
Love, Kasey xx 

Monday, December 16, 2013

I'm Liking It………..


Still practicing and playing around with
thread drawing….definitely getting better
with "the machine"!

Since I'm unemployed….and if the government
doesn't do something in the next couple of weeks…
out of even an unemployment check…I've been 
making my Christmas presents.



This is a necklace I made for my oldest grand daughter.
I stamped the cat onto the fabric before making this. The
cord is made from bias tape that I did a little free motion
drawing on then colored with permanent marker before
spraying with alcohol to get the tie dyed effect.


I also made her this brooch…it's just the center part…
I've attached it to a piece of card stock. This one I drew
with thread and then ran a blanket stitch around the outside
to attach it to a piece of felt before adding the pin.

I'm not sure what direction I'm heading with this thread
drawing but I'm liking it…..

Monday, December 9, 2013

Hoping Practice Makes Perfect…..



still practicing……birds…..

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Drum roll please……...

I posted a while back about painting cloth to make my youngest a
cuff bracelet. The cloth painting was the easy part….the sewing
….not so much! But I've been practicing free motion sewing…


For about a week I ranted…raved…cussed…and generally
ran my blood pressure up trying to get the sewing machine
to work. I finally got a friend to come show me what I was
doing wrong and found out the machine was broken….well
duh…but glad to know it wasn't just me! She gave me a 
loaner and I've now become an EXPERT thread untangler. 
I AM getting better…..

This is a cuff from Alisa Burkes book…Sew Wild…that
I based my cuff on…


And here's the one I finally finished…..


Thank goodness I was going for the "messy" sewing look!
She'll like it anyway 'cause it has her chillrens on it!

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Misty Mawn Class…….






i would so love to be able to take this class……

Misty Mawn's Full Circle Workshop







Sunday, December 1, 2013

being (t)here…...





India Flint….

i proudly own two of her books:




these books are not only full of 'how to'
but the pictures are most beautiful…..

Friday, November 29, 2013

so inspiring…….



i've shared this before but i often revisit her….
she's such an inspiration…...

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thanks Given…..


yes…..she did.
Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

listen…...


always listen to your heart…...

Monday, November 25, 2013

Helen Godfrey makes me swoon…….

Helen Godfrey wire sculptures…..
swoon…..




and on a different note…

i want to sit in front of this fireplace with
a good cup of coffee and get lost in the
stone……

C[__]  C[__] C[__]

(photo by Catherine Maddox)

Saturday, November 23, 2013

My World Thru Blue…….


the view out my kitchen window…..
so blessed to wake to this each morning.
don't know why there are no birds on the 
feeder…they normally greet me here.


beautiful day….
beautiful life….
blessed…

Friday, November 22, 2013

'Tis the season…...

I've been in my studio tonight painting cloth to make a cuff
bracelet for my daughter.






She's my youngest daughter…and loves
that funky green color. I was thinking I would cut
squares from each one and sew them together to
make the cuff.



I played around with my grans pictures in Photoshop
until I got the look I wanted…taped some cloth to
a sheet of paper…and printed a strip with their pics.
My plan is to put the strip down the center of the
cuff and if there's enough room maybe add some
embellishments.


This is the mock up. I think I'm going to use a button on
one end and elastic loop on the other instead of a
snap or tie….not sure…maybe a snap would be
better since she's still carrying around the little one.

Now….if my nemesis….the DREADED
SEWING MACHINE…will just
co-operate…..

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Fabulous Fashionistas




Fabulous doesn't do these ladies justice!
I want to be just like them when I grow up!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Unglueable……….


Today finds my Space Cowboy much on my mind….
I feel his presence as I write this post….a blessing.



Still missing you…
still listening…

Stephen Hill Hefner
November 18, 1985

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Goat Boat Woman


I saw this picture on Graces blog…Windthread…and fell in 
love with the image. I used to raise fainting goats and have 
always had a special place in my heart for goats. Someone
had sent her the picture but no one knew the story behind it.
I "googled" woman in boat with goats" and found this:

Pilottown, LA – Miss Hazel Brown of Pilottown, Louisiana is about to attempt the unattemptable. Miss Brown (Miss is short for Mississippi) has been preparing to navigate all 2,320 miles of the Mississippi River in a simple wooden boat, with only one paddle, and she will be taking her goats along with her for company. Her hometown friends and neighbors have started calling her the “Goat Boat Woman”.
At 88 years young, Miss(issippi) Brown worked as a high school guidance counselor for 50 years where she guided students down the river of life. Her avocation has always been studying maps, as both of her parents were professional cartographers.
When asked how she decided to do this, she said: “T’was always our plan to do this ever since I was younger, but we seem to’ve procrastinated it a bit now, haven’t we? Well, better late than never, as they always say!”
Hazel’s journey will take her and her caprine (goat-like) friends along or through 10 different states and 128 towns. “As a long-time map lover, I know the route very well.”
The Goat Boat will begins its trip at the river’s source which is Lake Itasca, Minnesota, where the elevation is 1,475 feet above the Gulf of Mexico.
As an amateur cartographer, Hazel knows the first town they will pass by in each of the 10 states:
1. Bemidji, Minnesota
2. Prescott, Wisconsin
3. Lansing, Iowa
4. Galena, Illinois
5. Hannibal, Missouri
6. Wickliffe, Kentucky
7. Tiptonville, Tennessee
8. Osceloa, Arkansas
9. Tunica, Mississippi
10. Waterproof, Louisiana
Their big adventure will hopefully culminate with a big celebration at the mouth of the Mississippi, which is her hometown of Pilottown, Louisiana in Plaquemines Parish at elevation zero.
When asked about dams, Hazel said there’s no need to swear. (Apparently, her three sons will coordinate the portaging of Hazel’s Goat Boat around any dangerous dam-type situations.)
When asked what they will eat, Hazel is hoping that local riverside church groups that she has contacted will bring her small cardboard boxes with some “surprises” in them. For the goats, she says they pretty much eat anything, including broad-leafed plants, any parts of trees, and of course, they love cardboard boxes.
WOW…..88 yrs young…..Marvelous! 
I haven't been able to find out how her trip went but would love to know!!!
She's my new Hero!

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Rainbow Eucalyptus Trees….


 Rainbow Eucalyptus tree….
WANT! WANT! WANT!
Supposedly only grows in zone 9 but
I've read some success stories in zone 7-8.
I want these all over my yard!!!


Monday, October 28, 2013

WOW....just...WOW.....



Sam Jinks.....WOW









Monday, October 21, 2013

Silly Kitty

Sorry to post a photo that's out of focus but I wanted to share this silly kittys picture. Out of all the places on the porch she could perch she chose the hand.....Silly Kitty!

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Witcy Poos and Monster Man


It's almost Halloween!
My littlest goblins are already excited.
I made their "treat" bags yesterday with 
ideas I found on Pinterest. I think the 
Witch bags are soooo cute!

Monday, October 14, 2013

A Cloak of Morning Glories.....


The Morning Glories are taking over everything
in my yard! I love them...but.....

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Dreams of the Mountains.....




"Sometimes I grow weary of the days, with all their fits and starts.
I want to climb some old gray mountains, slowly, taking
the rest of my lifetime to do it, resting often, sleeping
under the pines or, above them, on the unclothed rocks.
I want to see how many stars are still in the sky
that we have smothered for years now, a century at least.
I want to look back at everything, forgiving it all,
and peaceful, knowing the last thing there is to know.
All that urgency! Not what the earth is about!
How silent the trees, their poetry being of themselves only.
I want to take slow steps, and think appropriate thoughts.
In ten thousand years, maybe, a piece of the mountain will fall.”
~ Mary Oliver



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Happy October

It's Scarecrow time!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Wild Man




Some of photographer Charles Fregers images 
of the mythological Wild Man. He went to
eighteen European countries to photograph
the costumes worn during rituals celebrating
the seasonal cycle, fertility, life, and death.

He has a book that I would love to have. 
See more of his work here.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Ariele Alasko

Tabletops by Ariele Alasko from recycled wood.....



Yes Please.......

Sunday, September 22, 2013

It's Fall


It's Fall.....
Happy Dance!

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Chili..Chili..Chili





What's for lunch? Paleo Chili and black bean chips.
I found this recipe on Paleo On A Budget. In case you're
wondering...I'm not eating totally Paleo....just healthy...
and there are a lot of healthy Paleo recipes out there.

This recipe suggested putting all the raw ingredients in
a crock pot but I always like to pour off any grease when
I use hamburger so I made this on the stove top and then
put it in the crockpot on low for eight hours. It also
called for two chicken breasts but I felt like that was a little much.

This Chili was YUMMY! I froze cup size servings in freezer
bags to pull out as needed.

I also made a few changes to the recipe:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion - chopped
3 carrots - sliced
1/2 med bag frozen green beans
1- 28 oz can crushed tomato
14 oz Tomato Puree
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp thyme & oregano
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

I'll definitely be making this again.




Friday, September 20, 2013

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins




Pumpkin! Pumpkin! Pumpkin!

I made Paleo Pumpkin Muffins from a recipe off of
the Fastpaleo site. Yummmm....moist...good texture...
 a great pumpkin flavor and 20g protein.

1 1/2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of sea salt
2 tsp warm natural peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients until
smooth. Place paper liners into muffin pan and fill liners
3/4 full. Bake 18-20 minutes.

I used a regular size muffin pan and this yielded 9 muffins.
This is not a sweet tasting muffin...more like a bread...so
if you crave that sweetness adjust your honey or try another
type of organic sweetener.

There is a recipe on this site for a Carrot Pumpkin Spice Muffin
this sounds like something I NEED to try next.

PUMPKIN!


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Grande Dame Jeopardy

Can you imagine this house decorated for Halloween?
 
According to a post on FB this house in Thompson, CT
is going to be torn down unless the Historical Society
can get enough people to sign a petition to save it.
I think it would be a shame to lose this
Grande Dame.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Pumpkin + Fall = LOVE!


Oats again for breakfast this morning....
PUMPKIN!
I'll admit I'm not a great fan of oats..but I'm
trying to eat them more often. I figured I'd try
the overnight in a jar oat thingy...not bad.

I used a recipe from Kath Eats Real Food.

1/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup yogurt (I used Fage 0% Greek)
1/3 cup skim milk 
(I only had chocolate almond milk ...but hmmmmm)
1/3 cup pumpkin (canned)
1/2 banana (mashed)
tsp honey
1/4 tsp cinnamon & all spice
pinch salt

Mixed this up in the jar and left it in the fridge overnight.
This morning I did a little heat up in a water bath then 
added a dollop of natural peanut butter.
 
I plan to make some muffins with the leftover
pumpkin. Pumpkin + Fall = LOVE!

(just noticed my toes under the table...LOL!)


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Chocolate Oatmeal...yes please!

Are you a Chocoholic? I'll admit that I am...so when I ran across this
recipe while looking for healthy breakfast ideas I knew I had to try it.

Chocolate Oatmeal! I found this recipe on Audry Johns blog
Lose Weight by Eating. I tweaked it a little by using Chocolate
Almond Milk instead of adding her Homemade Fat Free 
Chocolate Syrup.

This makes one serving:
 
1 1/8 cups Chocolate Almond Milk
1/2 cup Rolled Oats (don't use quick oats)
1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Dried Cranberries or Cherries (optional)

In a small sauce pan combine the almond milk, oatmeal, 
vanilla, cocoa powder and dried fruit (I added a few frozen
dark cherries that I chopped up). Place on stove top, bring to
a boil, then lower heat and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.
 
Calories: 284  Fat: 6.5  Fiber: 8  Protein: 7  Carbs: 50
 
This has more of a dark chocolate flavor than a sweet taste.
For those craving a little more sweetness you could add honey
or any other organic sweetener