Cat In Need

Rescued Alley Cat Seeks Forever Home

Soft paws.

Rough & tumble (he is an alley cat after all).

Loves his belly scratched.

Gets along well with other animals.

If you know of someone who has space in their heart and home for this fellow let me know. All he needs is a little love!

Darling 10 y/o Daughter (creative genius that she is) decided to create an alley cat. Her normal style is cute, neat, and fancy. I'm not sure what inspired this little fella but she put a lot of time and detail into his existence. He was just getting his stripes when…

swoosh!

He was gone.

Her brother found him in the trash.

Brother - "I found this in the trash! What was it doing there?"

Sister - "I didn't want him. He freaked me out!"

She said his red stitched spine was the freakiest of all. Whatever possessed her (literally?) to create him must have known what it was doing as the energy it put off creeped her out! Now THAT is some powerful creativity!

Lean Into

                     Drip. 

                         Drop. 

                              Drip. 

                                 

Hugs and kisses were the first order of the day as my children headed out the door for their first day back to school. No one in our household looks forward to back-to-school season. It is an enormous blessing to live in a household full of love, comfort, and safety where enjoyment of the family unit is top priority. It makes back-to-school time bitter sweet. There is much excitement about the new. New teachers, making new friends, a new year of opportunity for learning and growth. Not so much excitement is felt for waking early, boredom in the classroom, parting with the security and comfort of home. BTST is hard on mom too. Watching my loved ones head out the door into the big wide world.

Today I am choosing the words lean into.

I am choosing to lean into this new school year with trust that none of us will not fall. Faith the kids will have the best year ever. Lean in with imagination for all that I will achieve during the day. Lean in and surrender to the flow of life. As I lean in I will whisper my intentions of success to the cloth of the Universe knowing it holds the magic necessary to weave my creative dreams into reality. This new year, new season, new cup of free time will be filled to overflowing with goodness. I vow to fill my cup daily with happiness, health, creativity, peace and love allowing my children to step off the bus directly into the overflow.

             Ah yes.

                     Drip.

                         Drop.

                              Drip.

                                  Drop.

My cup will overflow.

Creativity Kicking In

My last post was a teaser to an idea I conjured up recently. My mind has been bubbling over with ideas lately. A few weeks ago my husband gifted me an iPad for our anniversary (I love you honey!). Something sparked inside my brain on a visit to our library a few days later. There is an adorable coffee shop in the basement that also sells used books. I spotted a book on a shelf that was just the right size and only $2 (what a steal).

 

I purchased the book and cut the cover off. Gulp! Yes. I destroyed a perfectly good (but old) book. Being a bibliophile, I used to have major issues with the thought of destroying books for any reason. I still have great respect for books and teach my children to respect books. That being said, I also found out how many old books end up in landfills every year. The landfill! 

Decorative paper lines the inside walls.

Taking old books and repurposing into useful items, reclaiming pages, spines etc... for the sake of art, or just plain recycling them makes so much more sense.

I got over my fear of destroying the book as my intentions were to make it useful in a different way. I turned it into a carry case for my iPad! The signatures are still intact and being enjoyed by my family as a coverless book. When we are done using the pages for historical lessons and viewing pleasure (gorgeous pictures), we will use them to create art. All remaining material will be recycled.

Win, win, win!

The sides of the carry case are made from strips of jeans material from an old torn pair of my son's jeans. The inside is lined with decorative paper covered pizza box panels. The carry handles came from a gift bag received years ago.

iPad carry case.

It was a challenge to create but I am absolutely thrilled with how it turned out.

NaNoWriMo 2012 - Day 2

NaNoWriMo Day 2 - I made goal. Made the ticker on the right happy today. The words are flowing freely but the story is somewhat of a catastrophe compared to the perfect scenario I imagined. My inner critic is getting really pissed off that my inner child is running around messing up the place!

I must continue to remind myself that this is dumping grounds. First draft. Free style. No editing. No re-writes. No judgment.

"If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word."  ~ Margaret Atwood

I am l♡ving the new Kleenex box!!!! 

Creative Juicing

Howdy Strangers!

It's been a while since I have been a regular blogger. The hiatus was well served and well deserved. Getting back into groove is proving harder than I thought it would be. In order to get my creative juices flowing, I have decided to tap into the ripe fruit of a local artist. This artist is so local, I simply turned around and asked some questions!

Interview with 9 y/o daughter
Interviewer (that's me!): "Why do you create so much art?"
Artist (Darling Daughter): "Because I have to and it makes me happy.
Interviewer: "How do you decide what you're going to make?"
Artist: "Ideas just pop into my head."
Interviewer: "When you are creating, do you always know how you want it to look when it's done?"
Artist: "No. Sometimes I start making something and it decides how it wants to be. Sometimes I just sit down to draw and the picture comes out."
Interviewer: "How do you know when it's done?"
Artist: "It's done when I say it's done."

Words of wisdom and lots of creative juice here!

Bow, arrows, and quiver  created with the help of creative brother. Quiver made of cardboard, gift wrap & yarn. Bow & arrows are made from bamboo and yarn. Shirt & necklace by Darling Daughter Designs.

This diorama was in an art show. See the little fishy in big fishy's mouth? Fish are ceramic. Underwater world made of paper and imagination. Rocks are the real deal.

Darling Daughter's directions on "How to make a stuffie."  (stuffed animal)
Original design!

Directions for head.

DD sketch contemplation on "what to wear for Halloween".

Quick Share

I just had to share this fun find with you.

People's creativity never ceases to amaze me!

I found the funnest shop a few days ago.

~pause~

(Sorry. Had to take a moment to pause and tell y'all that spellcheck seems to think "funnest" is not a real word! Really? How can it not be a real word? I use it, like, daily! Whatevs.)

Anywho...

I was out with a friend of mine (lunch date, light shopping) and we happened upon the coolest set of stores! The Villager is a really great framing shop which also carries work by photographers, handmade jewelry, THE COOLEST lamps made from vintage cameras and musical instruments and more and more and more sweet goodness (wish I would have taken pictures downstairs but I didn't so you'll have to trust me and pay them a visit). 

Then... we saw a steep staircase inviting us up to another uber cool store. I am IN LOVE people! My Apt. @ 429 is sooooo fun! They have gently used vintage and vintage style clothing, vintage kitchenware, books, jewelry and so much more. It is hands down the coolest resale shop I have ever been in (and I have been in loads). It is set up to feel like a ginormous upstairs apartment (more like a flat as it is the entire upstairs of an old downtown building). I wanted to move in instantly!

One of the most creative items for sale were these skirts.

Someone took a whole bunch of men's ties and assembled them into skirts! Some of the skirts had ties simply sewn side by side. Others were designed a bit more roomy and flowing by taking the seams out of the ties, spreading them wide and then assembling the ties together. How fun and cute is that? Do you see the decoupage collage of vintage pages on the wall heading up the stairs? Seriously! The walls were full of fun art, there were dress displays hanging from the ceiling, there were animal crackers and candy sitting out for customer consumption pleasure, and fun signs all over. Example? Sure! Here's one now!

Too fun! 

I know I said it would be a quick share and then I went on and on and on and on and I know that this was an exciting post for me because spellcheck is having a hay day with my choice of words-

funnest

Whatevs

Anywho

uber

ginormous

-so I will let you off the hook and sign off for the day. In the event that you enjoyed this post and the stores I have mentioned, I will leave you with more fun pics! So many creative ideas here!

(sorry in advance for the shoddy photography, my little digital takes horrible inside shots)

Fairy-est

Crystal Ball,

Crystal Ball,

Do tell all.

Who's the fairy-est of them all?

Welcome to our fairy garden!

M's Fairy Garden

cupboard

seating for four

shh... I see one now!

welcome!

The boys abandoned the sandbox below the swing set long ago.

After years of trucks and shovels excavating the prime real estate,

Darling Daughter and I thought it was time to develop.

No high rises here! We created a welcoming little neighborhood for flowers, bunnies and fairies! Shh... I think I see one now!

The Challenge

I do not own a house, I am lucky enough to be owned by a home. A home where we live, love, play and create. With such a joyfully creative clan, I choose to encourage their masterpiece rather than worry about their mess. This becomes a bit of a hiccup in two instances.

Sometimes my mind has had enough of the clutter and needs some clarity at which time everyone pitches in and cleans, cleans, cleans.


Once in a while I do something completely erratic like host a home party. It is then that I feel the real chaos. Not the chaos of my home. My home is not filthy but it is most certainly lived in. When someone ropes me into a home party I feel the need to present my house as something it is not. Picture perfect. Magazine spread ready.


I'm hosting one of those events this evening. Ugh! Why oh why does the word "no" escape me? So I'm stressing away about my house and all the preparations for the "perfect" evening. Bah humbug. I don't like perfection. The stress over making my house seem like something is not has been weighing on me. This morning I decided that rather than presenting the perfect house, I will present a loving home. In my eyes, it is the better of the two.

I looked up some quotes on housework. Then, I created one of my own!

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.

~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller's Housekeeping Hints, 1966

Our house is clean enough to be healthy,

and dirty enough to be happy.  ~Author Unknown

We labor to make a house a home, then every time we're expecting visitors, we rush to turn it back into a house.  ~Robert Brault

If the shelves are dusty and the pots don't shine,
it's because I have better things to do with my time.
~Author Unknown

 

One cannot create a masterpiece 

without first creating a mess. ~Lynn Retzlaff

Pink Elephant

 Halloween

Scary Fun

Candy

Costumes

We have an annual costume party to attend Saturday evening.

Everyone has had their costumes planned for some time now...

...except for Hubby.

He's been pondering, plotting, brain storming for weeks.

Darling Daughter finally had enough.

"I'm going to make him a costume." she proclaimed.

An hour later I get called to the bedroom and see this...

Buah ha ha ha ha ha!!!! That girl is bloody brilliant I tell ya!

I thought it was fun, cute, creative and a tad scary (even).

Guess what? He's going with it.

We're decking him out in full-on pink.

Possibly my pink footie jammies with mask tucked in.

Yes, you heard me right.

I am the proud owner of pink footie jammies.

;0)

I love my family!

Conditioned Thinking vs. Freedom

 

con·di·tioned

[kuhn-dish-uhnd]

adjective

1. existing under or subject to conditions.

2. characterized by a predictable or consistent pattern of behavior or thought as a result of having been subjected to certain circumstances or conditions.

3. Psychology . proceeding from or dependent on a conditioning of the individual; learned; acquired: conditioned behavior patterns.

think·ing

[thing-king]

adjective

1. rational; reasoning: People are thinking animals.

2. thoughtful; reflective: Any thinking person would reject that plan.

I struggle daily with discovering my authentic self.

Darling Daughter IS her authentic self.

She is creative, caring, generous, gentle.

She is fearless with her self-expression.

What an example.

What a teacher!

She creates and often...

it is hard for Husband and I

to allow her freedom of expression.

"Why?" you may ask, "would you ever STOP

her from freely expressing herself?"

 

Conditioned Thinking

We were taught there is a right and a wrong way 'to be'.

There is an acceptable and an inappropriate way 'to be'.

We were taught to fear judgment.

We were taught to fit in.

We were taught embarrassment, limits, conformity.

Our struggle to allow her to express herself freely

is an internal struggle. We do NOT halt her creativity

nor do we stop her from expressing that creativity

(unless of course, there would be some REAL danger,

not the man-made, fear monger, judgment danger).

 

She's young. I want to support her freedom.

I want to support her amazing creative mind.

She has no fear and no worry of judgment.

NONE

I could put it in her head, but why?

If someone doesn't like what she creates it doesn't seem to phase her. If I try to nudge her toward a different way, she takes or leaves my opinion, so why should I push?

 

You may disagree with my way of parenting.

You may worry she will be hurt by others (words/judgments).

I say, "so what?".

I fret and worry and conform and use my conditioned thinking to care about what others think entirely too much

and I am hurt all the time FOR it.

If she hears negative comments, who doesn't?

Everyone deals with negativity in life.

There are so many Negative Nellies out there

just dying to give their opinion.

Why let them win?

 

No. I will let her be.

She is an artist. She is a free spirit. She is creative.

She is my teacher.

I am learning from her. I am learning freedom of expression.

I am learning sheer joy and happiness.

I am learning how to "be" me

by watching the master.

 

Don't worry. I will always protect her from harm.

I would never let her do anything that was

genuinely dangerous or absurd.

 

 

 

Darling Daughter decided she wanted to create an outfit. I told her I would sign us up for a class as I have zero sewing experience (minus the attempted pillow case or straight curtain). She had her own idea in mind (pattern and all). We went in the basement and sought out some fabric. Why I have fabric when I don't know how to sew? Because I LOVE fabric and hope to someday learn. So down we went. She found some suitable flannel. I ironed it and she went to work. First with a skirt. She hand sewed the sides and I stitched them over with the machine (her request). I folded the hem in the bottom and sewed. We sewed a big hem(?) on the top for a ribbon waist. We figured that if we had a square skirt and pulled it in at the waist, perhaps it would look skirt-like. Guess what? I forgot to leave holes for the ribbon! We cut holes and found an appropriate ribbon in my ribbon stash. She insisted on a shirt to make it "dress-like". I begged her to wait for a class as I have NO CLUE how to sew a shirt. She said She knew what to do! She cut two holes for arms. I then saw her vision as she wrapped it around herself so I helped her lay it out, make the holes uniform and cut the edges so they were all straight and even. She proceeded to go back to my ribbon stash and cut an appropriate length pink ribbon to tie the shirt on. Little did I know she had plans to wear it to school today!!!! Yikes!!! I told her that probably wasn't a good idea in case it didn't hold together. "That's okay," she said. "I'll wear a shirt and shorts underneath in case I need to take it off." She was dead set on wearing it. I had to admit it was a little a lot adorable. What was I to do? She was dead set on wearing it and Oh So Proud of her creation. She had back-up clothes. It wasn't a nightmare outfit (or I would have drawn the line - I'm not a heartless monster you know!) So... off to school she went this morning in her handmade outfit. My little fashion designer. Cute, eh?

skirt (obviously)

 

(skirt + top = complete ensemble   *    notice the added matching cloth choker)

 

(back of outfit with cloth choker draping)

 

(every outfit must be tested with a twirl!)

 

Special Project

Darling Daughter has been wanting a secret room.

She's been scouring the house for possibilities.

We set up temporary camp in biggest brother's closet

(under the stairs)

but biggest brother was not amused.

Yesterday we went to the fabric store and bought this.

We are going to attempt to make this.

Lil Blue Boo patchwork tent tutorial

I own a sewing machine but don't know much about sewing.

This gorgeous play tent looks simple enough for the beginner.

What are your creative juices up to today?

Lucky Me!!!!

I entered a drawing a bit ago posted at the awesome blog

Free Spirit Knits.

I didn't win.

In her announcement of the winner

she offered the chance to win another prize.

A spot in the

experimental art e-course

with the talented

Amelia Critchlow.

Once again, I didn't win. 

The winner wasn't able to follow through on the class.

Guess what?????

I was the second runner up!!!

I won a spot in the class.

The first series of assignments are certainly

NOT

bringing out any artistic savant in me

but

they have been good for me.

It's all about playing

and doing.

Not thinking.

Something I definitely need practice in.

Your assignment today is to do one thing freely.

 ~ Create a piece of art without putting thought to it (perhaps work to music).

 ~ Write a poem or letter and let the words flow without judgment.

 ~ Take pictures without over analyzing the shot. Just point and shoot and see what you get.

 ~ Cook up a storm. Make up a new recipe for a soup or salad with ingredients you have on hand.

 ~ Take a walk and when you come upon a park, swing, teeter totter, slide without thought to what you look like or what others think.

Do one thing freely.

Baby steps.

Practice to living freely.

That's your assignment from me.

Now go.

Be free!