December doll evolves

Ah, how this month chugs along like "the little engine that could"; we make our way closer to the top of the mountain: the holidays and the end of the year. There always seems like one more thing to do, but I'm learning as the years move on to require less of myself. No longer the "mighty multi-tasker", I find I am having a more pleasant time this time of year than in years past.

 

I love the serious snow fall that covers everything in a kind of fairy dust.  The pond is almost covered here yet still not frozen.

 

Like the cyclamen, I am happy to do my blooming on the inside looking out.

 

 

 I have spent a lot of time working on the little doll I showed you in the last post,  more time than is viable for a reasonable price, so I will probably put her in my etsy shop at much lower price than the hours spent on her would suggest.  I just can't help myself; I love working on her so much.

The copper thread for her hair is something I've be saving for a special project for at least a dozen years or more. This taupe ultrasuede seemed to just call out out for it.  And even where the copper wears away, the main gold-coloured thread looks hair-like.  I'm so pleased!

This is such an emotional time of the year for so many.  Yesterday I read a passage from a new book interviewing the Dalai Lama where he reminds us that there is no compassion for others when we seek to satisfy ourselves.  We must shelve self-interest in order to love others better.  It is a hard lesson sometimes, but one worth learning.

I wish you all love in your lives. Sweet, kind, tender love.  Starting with the self, we work our way outwards embracing in our hearts those in our lives who don't know how to give it back, seeking not for ourselves except to give that which is so necessary to truly being alive.  Like forgiveness, it is the gift we give ourselves.

 

the making of a doll

Season's Greetings!



An early morning dusting of snow, the third in a series of first snows as the lovely snowfall we had last week was all but gone with rain and milder temperatures.



And even as I write this the sun has been veiled by a serious curtain of snow.



It has been a quiet week thus far as I take a slow learning curve starting a new doll.  Originally it was going to be an elephant and then a bear but has become, of all things...

or rather, is becoming this young lady, taken from an original watercolour of mine.  I'd practically sewn her all up inside out when I realized I wouldn't be able to sew her features without sewing right through to her back... so I open a side seam up so that I would have access.  Even so, I have sewn the eye on the right 3 times and taken out many other stitches that didn't seem quite right.  Ah, the indignity of being constantly redrawn.  But therein lays yet another irony, the indignity of life that may only regain balance with grace, forgiveness and, bless us, a sense of humour!

staying in the moment...



1+1=love

A happy first day of December.  I woke to our second day of snow, it being our second round as the snow of 2 weeks ago has since melted.  This one may go too if the forecast of rain has anything to do with it.



An early morning shot casts a pink glow over the new snow.

Doesn't the tool shed look  quaint and romantic in this winter wonderland.

I'm pleased to show you this latest effort with photo transfer and embroidery on the chocolately wool felt I made from a jacket that was meant to be used for a teddy bear- still to come...  It's so rare to find such a charming  photo to use,  the baby so intense,  and the little pig, too,  with tail held high.  You can find this piece that I've title  "1+1=love"  in my shop this evening.

The weekend is soon upon us and December will fly by I know.  After my first internet sale last week(thanks to you-know-who-you-are),  I am feeling more optimistic and eager to dive into new ideas. I hope to have something to show you next week.  In the meantime, thank you to Lorraine Young Pottery for coming on board as my latest "follower".

Til next time, I wish you a peace in your heart that spreads out to the whole world.









X O X an ornamental tag

A wonderful Monday morning to you as it is here.  The sun is shining, for which I'm so grateful as I've been housebound for the last week -  and through the weekend -  putting finishing touches on the re-opening of my etsy shop.   It is exciting to go public again as I've gained so many of my followers through etsy.  Welcome to new follower Lori !  I'm always thrilled by this medium and the way one can connect with people from all over the world.  I suppose those of you who visit here are already well-steeped in the miraculousness of cyberspace, but for me it's almost as wild as ESP that I should be able to share my thoughts and pictures with you, and find you, in turn.

Today I put the finishing touches on this ornamental tag that I have put into my shop.

The photo transferred with some irregularities, which I feel added to the piece;  perfectly imperfect.

let us all go through the day with compassion and forgiveness for we are all

perfectly imperfect

Enchanted Blue Planet on Etsy reopens

Well here we are on a Sunday night in November.  The 6 inches of snow from 2 days ago has melted and the sun even came out, but I was determined to meet my magical date commitment to myself to get my online etsy shop up and running again as I stitched the day away making little lavender stuffed pillow brooches.



Here is a detail of the 1.5  x  2 .25  inch Saw Whet Owl brooch I finished today.

It is irregular with its combination stuffing of lavender and polyfil, but I like it that way. 

It has been a great joy of mine investing so much time in drawing again in this medium of black crochet cotton freehand embroidery.  I love the rich black against the buff, richly textured natural linen.  It makes such a strong graphic statement and yet the "strokes" of thread are oddly out of my control as each stitch slips into the weave of the linen with an idiosyncracy that I can barely control, making me more of a participant and less of a leader.    I do get a kick out of this lack of control though I spent almost as much time today removing stitches as often as making them. 

More tomorrow...I hope.

Murmuration

THIS !!

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

 is what it's all about

the miracles...

please take the time to watch this video.  a big thanks to Jenny Mendes for passing this on.

A creative update next time.  'Til then, wishing us all personal and universal harmony.


 

Oh, you want to hear yourself



It is Tuesday morning, 4 weeks since my last entry and 9 weeks since I put my etsy shop into holiday mode.   As the weeks have unfolded I have become more accepting of the fact that this electronic world that I have entered into has been somewhat other than I expected it to be.   Most of my visitors to this blog come from Google Images where they almost all land on my entry from last year: " This Very World is Paradise".   While I had hoped to create an audience for my creative work,  I am resigned to the fact that it is not going to happen unless I make a more commercial product, something I cannot bring myself to do after over 30 years in business as a potter and all the pretzelling I did to support myself.

So my little voice must continue to speak to myself.   As a friend once commented when I told her I was writing a short story, " Oh, you want to hear yourself."   And isn't that what our creative efforts are ultimately about though we assert we are trying to reach others?   Ultimately self-revelation, as my entry  (linked above)  illustrated,  is what it's all about despite our best efforts to connect with others.   Ultimately we are alone.  But do not despair.  While the scramble to be otherwise is illusion, we can and must learn from others.  Still,  these lessons must  pass through the filter of our own minds.  How often do we hear or see something new in what we have heard and seen many times before!  This is the relationship I feel compelled to work on and use this blog to share with you.  I hope you find merit in this and the few creative efforts that are worth recording here.

 

a frosty morning 4 days ago

 

a frosted begonia blossom

 

I took a teddy bear workshop on the last Saturday of October

and worked on my little bear through the week,  finally finishing him  the following Friday.

 

He's a wistful little fellow,  and a good listener.

I'm exploring little bears in other materials that are more readily available to me.

Let's see what comes of this week.

I have a tentative announcement to make, tentative because I realize how rarely I can follow through on commitments that are calendar-oriented.  But I have a special feeling for this date as it seems to be a magical number :

20 11 2011

 

On that day I will reopen my etsy shop for another experiment in selling.

There will be some new work there that I hope you will enjoy.

Till then, all best wishes for fulfillment of your hopes and dreams.