joyouslybecoming

true story, man and mouse

this happened today, it warmed my heart so i wanted to share it here with you. i put an old cardboard box with old packaging materials (peanuts, tissue, etc) out near the woodpile, when i discovered evidence of mice living there. the box smelled bad and had some little droppings in it, even after i dumped the packing materials into a garbage sack. I told walter the history of the now empty box and that if he planned on burning it in the woodstove to please deconstruct it outside.

as he passed by the cardboard box this morning on his way to get an armload of wood, he saw a tiny mouse huddled in one corner shivering. so my dear husband got a little towel and covered him with it and then brought him a piece of leftover pancake. on.days like today,  it is crystal clear why i love this man like i do, sigh....

evidence of a memory....

"I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells, I honor the place in you which is of Love, of Integrity, of Wisdom and of Peace. When you are in that place in you, and I am in that place in me, we are One."

a little waxy cardboard journal

I don't mind being snowed in (yes, still - walter used the tractor and chained up the car and still we can't make it out the drive to the county road) nearly as much as some people might. More time to play in the studio all the live long day, and that i have. I'm working on several projects simultaneously, all of them different media, and I thought I'd give you a peek at my latest cardboard journal.

It's the smallest one I've made to so far, measuring 3" x 4" and a whopping 3" thick.

 

I've tried out new materials and new ways of assembling the book, and am pleased with the directions I can go. The binding is made from tiny scraps of silk and silk threads I've accumlated when I wash vintage kimono and obi fabrics. I sewed a silk ribbon into the spine so that I can tie it shut if I want.

 

This is the front cover. All the cardboard pieces are textured and painted with water or oil based media, no acrylic paints, some have collage elements, and then all are painted with encaustic pigments or clear wax medium. The edges are still finished with cheesecloth and are also painted with wax.

This is the back cover. Although the journal is finished as far as assembly, it is no where near finished, as I'll be adding writing and visual journaling to the pages as it comes to me.

 

The extra pages I've added are made of scraps of fabric, fibers, and paper. I've picked out a few of my favorites to share...

There is a leaf skeleton embedded in the wax here.

 

  

A Rumi quote...

 

 

Well that's all I have to show you for now; it's getting dark and time to trudge through the snow over to the neighbors while it's still light to feed their cats and cockatiel - I saved the bird, Chief, some left-over spaghetti - he loves people food.

still snowed in and secret studio photos

the forecast here today is for rain but i still see big white flakes rapidly tumbling down...we're now under a flood alert as we're supposed to get rain and rapid warming. i really don't mind the snow at all, i'd much rather be stranded here due to a good snow than a flooding river. The river looks low right now, so hopefully the rain and melt will come in shifts with time in between for the moisture to be absorbed into the ground. i was looking at my calendar, and aside from trudging down the 1/4 mile of road each day to feed my neighbors cats and cockatiel while they are visiting family on the east coast, i haven't left the valley here for 11 days. walter shoveled some snow out with his little tractor but still couldn't get the car through when he tried to get into town this morning to buy milk, bread, and other items we've run out of.  we've finally agreed to sell our '68 chevy truck and purchase a big 4 wheel drive truck, so we can traverse snow or flooding when we need to get out. we are very energy- efficient minded so have resisted doing it until now, but it's time.

To liven things up, i'm going to show you pictures of my messy studio - and they are secret because i don't generally like people to see how i've been working in a studio that looks like it was hit by a hurricane. I've decided to share because if all goes according to plan, soon these will be the "before" pictures and the "after" pictures will show something quite different, quite tidy i hope. I just ordered a book from amazon on organizing clutter. I know one of the things i need are more (lots more) of the big clear stacking tubs, also on my "to do in town" list.
 
looking out my studio window...yes, it is as messy as it's looks like it could be.

my painting area (yes, it's gotten very messy, and needs a good cleaning)

my sewing area of my studio (here you see my 'traveling' machine - both of my old mechanical Elna's, my sewing workshorses, are standing by the front door to go to the sewing machine repair shop next time i drive to the city).

and this is my big work table, sheer creative chaos right now. it was clear before i started in on the wedding invitations but since then it's been piling high as i've been working on various projects.  (see that yellow furball carly curled up on one of the piles?) Speaking of projects, here are a couple:

A sample piece for my Collaged Faces class...

This piece is in-progress...you'll recognize the feet on the bottom portion from the earlier post. This is a long mixed media wallhanging, paintings on paper and pieced cloth.. It folds up into a book/journal with signatures on the other side. I'm still working out the details and will post the finished piece when done.

okay, back to gazing out at the snow fall through my studio window. sending you all warm thoughts, wishes of joy and happiness over the holiday. please forgive me if i've not returned an email - it's a challenging time of year for me emotionally and i am often far less communicative than i want to be. but it all changes and will change and i'll be chatty me again before i know it!
xo

even when

 

snowed in and hunkered down

The plan was that I was to be in Big Sur California right about now for the 5 day painting workshop I'd enrolled in and been looking forward to so much. Well, nature didn't seem to care a wit about my little ole plans as a BIG storm hit the Pacific Northwest on Saturday night, right on the heels of a smaller one a few days earlier, and it's been snowing pretty much non- stop ever since.  We couldn't  make it out of the driveway to get to the airport, but there was no need to care as my flight, in addition to countless others, was canceled anyway because of the weather.

Sure, I am disappointed to miss out on this amazing experience, but there is also a part of me that is grateful to be home and snowed in with walter during this rare Pacific Northwest white  Christmas. It wasn't the best timing anyway to be away during Christmas, even though I did have everyone's blessing as they all knew it was a workshop i REALLY wanted to attend and it was their gift to me. But I'll attend one another time, or at least try to, and enjoy instead cozy time here by the fire reading from the stack of books on my table, making art in the studio, and giving this house a well-needed cleaning. I feel a bit like a pregnant woman with the nesting urge - I must clean, clean clean in case we lose power, an all too familiar scenario with this much snow. I'll write more here soon, until then:

  let it snow, let it snow, let it snow........

Who could be like you, secret,

always large

no matter how small; unique jewel!

 

---Juan Ramón Jiménez

class samples i just finished

 

rockin out with stevie ray...

i'm back, the wedding was amazing, beautiful. it's all i can say for now, i have no words or photos to share. this time of year wraps me in a thick blanket of silence and introversion; i have no energy to pull out of it today.

taking flight

 

thinking of marissa getting married in just a few short days...this little collection sits in my studio, above my sewing machine (the plaque made bya dear friend ). the scene captures so many of the emotions bouncing through me these days. my baby is taking flight into a new life, sharing it with the man who is the love of her life. it's all so beautiful, and i'm so happy for her, and so emotional. all i have to do these days is think "wedding" and my throat tightens up and tears automatically roll down my cheeks...what is it about this event that brings up so many tears?

 

we head out this evening, we're all staying in a hotel room near the airport as our flight is early in the morning.  i've still got 10  more wedding invitations to make (not really invitations, more "thank you for joining us here in mexico cards) and i haven't even started packing. it seems like i'm always running late, not matter how fast my wheels turn. we will be on the same flight at heather, jeff and the kiddos and i've gathered surprises and snacks to put into my carry-on. Cancun Mexico, here we come! Be back in week.

A Day of Sharing Song - Wednesday December 3

Here is the song I want to share with you...

The idea:  Songs can move us to places we haven't been in a long time, places we long for every day, or places we some day hope to be.  The combination of music and poetry can transport us across distances, and through the years. While we listen,  perhaps we grin wildly, or are moved to tears.  We all have songs that  are "ours"  in our very hearts. We have songs that touch us, move into our hearts and resonate, creating a feeling, taking us some place- past, present, future- perhaps some place we have never been and may never go, but for whatever reasons, the song sings for us.

Meeting new music, musicians, composers, poets,  new ways for my soul to sing, is an intriguing concept. Want to go on this adventure with me? It will be easy to travel along.

Many of us already do this sharing; this idea is just to help us find each other and hear the words we have to share.

The Date: Wednesday, December 3.

The Plan:  on your blog, post a song that moves inside you, touches you, reaches you.  You can do any or all of the following: 

• link to a youtube video (done as you would normally post a link)                     
• link to itunes or amazon for a sample of the song
• embed the youtube clip (instructions here)
• post just song lyrics  
• post multiple songs, if you can't choose just one.

Include the composer and/or musician and source (book, album). Perhaps also include  the amazon or itunes link if there is one.  no explanation required, no other revelation necessary. 
One last thing- Perhaps add an image. a photo. a video. a painting. a collage., if you would.

Come here to this post. 

http://gryphonsfeather.typepad.com/the_poetic_eye/2008/11/a-little-more-sharing.html

Add a comment with your link. 

I'll create a typepad page with the links, so others can hear the song, see the image and share in the experience. 

The Request:

If you are intrigued enough, post on your blog about this Day of Sharing Song. Link to this post. 

http://gryphonsfeather.typepad.com/the_poetic_eye/2008/11/a-little-more-sharing.html

Send an email to encourage your friends to post. 

Pass along this info to any groups in which you participate.

Who couldn't use a few new songs in their hearts?

The idea:  Songs can move us to places we haven't been in a long time, places we long for every day, or places we some day hope to be.  The combination of music and poetry can transport us across distances, and through the years. While we listen,  perhaps we grin wildly, or are moved to tears.  We all have songs that  are "ours"  in our very hearts. We have songs that touch us, move into our hearts and resonate, creating a feeling, taking us some place- past, present, future- perhaps some place we have never been and may never go, but for whatever reasons, the song sings for us.

Meeting new music, musicians, composers, poets,  new ways for my soul to sing, is an intriguing concept. Want to go on this adventure with me? It will be easy to travel along.

Many of us already do this sharing; this idea is just to help us find each other and hear the words we have to share.

The Date: Wednesday, December 3.

The Plan:  on your blog, post a song that moves inside you, touches you, reaches you.  You can do any or all of the following: 

Include the composer and/or musician and source (book, album). Perhaps also include  the amazon or itunes link if there is one.  no explanation required, no other revelation necessary. 
One last thing- Perhaps add an image. a photo. a video. a painting. a collage., if you would.

Come here to this post. 

http://gryphonsfeather.typepad.com/the_poetic_eye/2008/11/a-little-more-sharing.html

Add a comment with your link. 

I'll create a typepad page with the links, so others can hear the song, see the image and share in the experience. 

The Request:

If you are intrigued enough, post on your blog about this Day of Sharing Song. Link to this post. 

http://gryphonsfeather.typepad.com/the_poetic_eye/2008/11/a-little-more-sharing.html

Send an email to encourage your friends to post. 

Pass along this info to any groups in which you participate.

Who couldn't use a few new songs in their hearts?