the lusciousness of patina

a 'quick' look through some of my favorite blogs led me to these two posts about "small pleasantnesses" lovely to have a new phrase for it. do you remember the book 14,000 things to be happy about (title something like that anyway), as soon as i found that book i began such a list in one of my many little journal books. i wrote and i wrote. i continue to write such lists. i love them.

and so, today my list of 'small pleasantnesses' begins with lists of s.p. -

books to read, books i've read, music,

websites (mostly blogs now),

the texture & depth of colour in my bead collection,

my inspiring bulletin board,

the variety of roses in our backyard,

the ever changing look of the fruit trees,

farmer's market - the people watching,

the smiles of kindred spirits honoring the folks who shop with their canvas bags, who forego the plastic bags offered by the merchant farmers,

a simple spring summer meal crafted of the fresh from the earth pickings from the farmer's market,

a fresh cup of fair trade organic latte,

my hand-dyed, toe up magic loop two at a time socks coming together,

flickr - oh the beauty and twinkle of humor & depth available there,

the magic of my collage a day practice,

berkeley bumperstickers - especially witty

patina - aged wood, rusty metal, mossy picnic tables, ah the beauty of a well used practical thing

what are your small pleasantnesses?

working on it....

putting a few more original pieces of art out. trying (still) to learn the tricks to creating prints. soon as i do, these beauties will be coming to you in the form of *cards* (won't that be fun?)

stay tuned for a few darker pieces -- a trying couple of weeks, might even experiment with putting some of those pieces for sale (why not, everybody has a dark moment or two, right?)

in the mean time: i count my blessings and continue to build/create the life i want!

give us a pure heart (memorial day)

Have mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon our efforts,
That we before Thee,
In love and in faith,
Righteousness and humility,
May follow Thee,
With self-denial, steadfastness,
and courage,
And meet Thee in the silence.
Give us a pure heart
That we may see Thee,
A humble heart
That we may hear Thee,
A heart of love
That we may serve Thee,
A heart of faith
That we may live Thee,
Thou
Whom I do not know
But Whose I am.
Thou
Whom I do not comprehend
But Who hast dedicated me
To my fate.
Thou--
Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings

[Those who accept] the Americanized, Constantinian paradigm [say:] We are of God; they are of the Devil. We are the light; they are the darkness. Our wars are therefore "holy" wars. With all due respect, this is blatant idolatry.
Gregory A. Boyd, The Myth of a Christian Nation

History would be far different it we did not tend to hear God most clearly when we think He is telling us exactly what it is we want to hear.

Madeleine Albright, The Mighty and the Almighty

When you love people, you see all the good in them, all the Christ in them. God sees Christ, His Son, in us and loves us. And so we should see Christ in others, and nothing else, and love them. There can never be enough of it. There can never be enough thinking about it.
Dorothy Day

happy birthday mom!

the world's greatest. thank you mom for all the wonderful gifts you continue to share with me. wise. friend. listener. master gardener. writer. bloom. beauty. practical. grandma. weaver. knitter. sister. daughter. mother. handywoman. baker. chef. herbalist. publicist. coordinator. artist. mentor. teacher. blessed. sanctuary.

shut up and sing - the Dixies Chicks rock

one of my favorite recent collages.

my newly reworked inspiration studio wall.

we watched Shut Up & Sing - the Dixies Chicks documentary last night. It was quite good. I really appreciate how they got stronger and stronger as a team through what had to be very terrifying time - both because of all the crazies out there who sent death threats and had incredibly crazy phrasing on poster boards outside of venues, and Toby Keith and his ridiculous song & comments about Natalie and Saddam. This is one of the crazy things the far right does to associate intelligent thought (progressive) with completely unrelated fear imagery. Shame on you Toby Keith for being a pawn (though from watching an interview with him, I get that he just doesn't have the intelligence to comprehend that he's being used). Toward the end of the DVD we found ourselves wishing there was a way to automatically update the DVD with them coming through at the end with loads of awards and being the number one video for months on VH1! love them.

7 random things...

one of my latest collage a day pieces: lots of scraps of paper, a slide mount, bunches of stamped flowers, some embellished with one of my new favorite tools = the white gel pen.

I've been tagged for a meme (i'm just not historically web savvy enough to know the origin of this name - "me, me, it's all about me"? or something else?), tagged by Amy of Threaded Thoughts and The Creative Mom podcast (one of my *favs*, i save them to listen on my commute to work, because i love so much about them). Amy mentions a possible connection to chain letters, and I suppose an connection could be made, however, I enjoy reading them, so am honored to be tagged.

I'm supposed to list 7 random things/facts about me and then tag another 7 bloggers to do the same (being sure to leave them a comment to know they've been tagged).

So, seven random things...
1. I love a really good "children's book" - Madeline L'Engle (I've read *absolutely*everything* she's had published! J.K. Rowling. I remember reading really excellent British authors while I was a child living in Australia, wish I could remember the authors. Anyone know about a series about a magic tree kids could climb and rotating clouds at the top offered various adventures?

2. I cannot really claim a favorite colour. I love so many, and the love is from the gut and changes depending on so many factors - what is the colour for? how long will I have to live with the colour? For a while now I have loved lime green blouses and t-shirts, but I don't want a lime green wall (though several years ago we did paint our bathroom lime green, and the next day had to buy primer and another colour to cover it, lime green in that bathroom made it feel half the size).

3. I covet those wicker basket cart things that some lucky people wander Farmer's Markets with.

4. I have collected quotations in their own journals for more than 25 years. (the handwriting evolution always makes me smile).

5. As a child I lived in Alaska, Singapore and Australia. My mother quizzed us on the 50 states at the dinner table for weeks before we moved back to the states.

6. I love living in the Bay Area and the *only* thing that keeps us from staying here is that we can't afford the price of homes here.

7. One of my random skills is the ability to pack. I can visualize space in a way that others in my life just are marveled by. Wait a minute, maybe I've been complimented into doing this task...truly, though it is a skill I believe I picked up from the many years of packing for moves from one country to another.

The only blogger I am tagging is: Cordelia

what I call my 'messy paper', I use bits and pieces of this for my journal pages, collage a day pieces and assemblage. I remain quite fond of spirals and circles. When I know I'm stopping the painting process for a few hours, or overnight, I try to use up the paint in the pallette on the paper. I often use the paper to work on too, so there are often quotations, lists and ideas scribbled on there too.

rainbows & madonna

i so love that our local goodwill organizes the shirts so beautifully.

still loving the clean space. i managed to fill up my camera card for the first time, trying still to figure out how to clear them now so that i can take more photos. it's weird to be able to have a blog, the be able to crop my digital images and yet not be able to do two things i think to be *very*important*: 1. i don't know how to make prints of my artwork. 2. i can't remove my photos from my camera card. tips anyone?

the madonna mosaic is from one of our holy hill seminaries. really need to spend some more time on my madonna series. i love all the found objects in this piece.

clean, clean, crash

ah, space, glorious space, free and open surfaces.

i took advantage of the beauty of my studio to do more drawing, cutting and pasteing - more collages soon.

took a break for dinner. we had a little veggie chili with grated cheese, chopped red onion and a few tortilla chips (i had a beer too, it's got a hummingbird logo, how could i resist?). chatting about our day. then, we begin to watch Barbara Brown Taylor preach - *a*maz*ing*. we are relaxed, i am entranced, getting an historical bible lesson (always a treat, when it comes from an honest & progressive point of view, because it's true & loving), watching a masterful story teller.

then

squealing tires (we hear varying degrees of this, we live *right* at the inside part of a tight turn on a very residential street). a split second later - a *HUGE* crash. right across the street from our street parked car! blessing that no one was hurt, not even the completely stoned driver. fortunately he didn't have a passenger. and fortunately the kids in the house next door to where he hit the car weren't playing on the sidewalk (as they often do - riding their bikes or scooters to the top of the hill and coasting down on the sidewalk to their house). so scarey! totalled both cars. the curve is posted at 15. it's a residential neighborhood with churchs and an elementary school the next street parallel and a hospital two blocks east! no less than 5 police cars (who drove equally too fast to the scene by the way!)

our next door neighbor went straight to the car and told the guy not to leave. he actually had his hand in the window of the car! so lucky the guy wasn't violent. his wife was on the phone calling the police reading the license plate.

on a completely separate note. cordelia's deacon (cat) is missing, please send prayers/good thoughts for his healthy return.

UPDATE**he's back *safe*and reminding all of his importance!

The Maker Faire - *go*go*go*

Love this camper! so going to go to the website to find out how much it is. the folks at the festival had these on display to rent them - I love this and want to buy one! so, so awesome. (more photos of the inside when the bed is a table and the kitchen area - let me know if you'd like to see the other photos & contact info).

the pvc pipes on top were being played by these boys. an interactive art car. send him your dried up markers.

you know it!

dozens and dozens of project making spaces. bring your kids, they'll have the best time!

the creative vibe here was *so*off*the*chart*

the beloved pee chee

there are some samples of decorated pee chees here: http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/21870.html

however, i have to say, mine were much better looking than either of the samples in the article. oh, i did so love them!

"what have you knit" meme

To join the "what have you knit" meme, take this list, mark with bold the things you have ever knit, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest plain.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously (two socks on one circular)
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mits/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

What have you learned to do that has marked a definite change in your knitting life? the magic loop!

Want to join the meme? Take the list and post it on your blog with your own remarks, bolds, and italics!

full of grace - happy mother's day.

Happy Mother's Day. Thanks Mom for the many blessings you have brought and continue to bring to my life. You are #1 :)

(text reads: patience*teaching so many life lessons*how to bake & cook*how to iron*wash various types of fabric*how to sort, pack & move internationally*women can do it all*how to be a wildly creative, vibrant, alive woman of the world [in the very best possible sense]*how to grow anything, anywhere*home grown tomatoes are infinitely better than what can be found in the store*coupons*paper is special*candles lift any mood & class up any event*friends & family are vital*share*travel*call*send cards*send prayers*trust*faith*dream*live with no time out.) thank you for all of these lessons, and so many more!

cut, paste, draw, repeat

still in progress.

added more to this today...i think it's done.
(click on the image to see the writing on the page better).

mail art. went out in the mail today to an art friend. i used to write *a*lot* of letters and decorate the envelopes like i did my pee*chees in high school. on occasion i repeat.

more bits to be pasted in the visual journal tonight.

you make my heart sing

it's been awhile since i've posted some of my art. the past few days have been photography primarily...check out my flickr site (sidebar). more glueing, painting, cutting up disney stuff for daily collages to be posted soon.

it is magical

i was a little skeptical about our trip to Disneyland. i'm in love now. it is the happiest place on earth. i think the next time we go, i'd like it to be in the winter or even earlier in the spring because day two was *hot* and we spent it mostly at California Adventure which they just really haven't built enough shade into.

fruit salad beginnings

our backyard is beginning to fill with fruit. we are hoping to have a bountiful harvest (last year i think all the fruit was eaten by birds or squirrels before we got to any of it).
apricots - hundreds of them!


cherry tree

plums. we have no idea the variety.

a citrus tree, we still are unsure of it. the fruit starts out little and deep green, gets huge (6" plus in diameter, then the rind is about an inch thick) and lemony yellow.

we also have gorgeous roses (we do very little to deserve all of this glory...everything was planted by the homeowners years ago - house built in 1962)

we were searching for special shampoo for C...this is not it.

a foggy trip to the beach

we believe we saw a whale - or sea lion maybe on sunday. of course even after taking a dozen or more photos, i never really got it while it was up and out of the water.

love to try to capture the flight of birds

this fenceline is so scrumptious, i love all the mossy bits too.

this motion photo didn't turn out so well, but i do like the blur. and doesn't that sound like a great event? bottle your own wine! we missed the April date and will be unable to make it to the May event also.

i love buoy collections.

this year i will....

so, i've been reading This Year I Will...and I'm finding it a helpful reminder of my need to accomplish a number of things that I have been letting build up on my to do lists...

i have really let the studio go. so tonight, i'm going to tune the ipod in to a 30 minute-ish podcast and pick up the place. this is one of my favorite tricks learned from a years ago obsession with the flylady website. it really is amazing how clean i can get the house in 30 minutes. of course, the biggest mess is *always* the studio, especially when i've been making mixed media hang ups. paper. glue sticks. matte medium. paint. seam binding tape. wire. feathers. beads. tools.
spend some time getting the papers and boxes and *stuff* off the floor. perhaps as i do this i will put some of the things in pretty little containers that are gathering dust in the garage.
yesterday as a part of my overnight stay in berkeley i went to get my eyebrows threaded - the absolute greatest service i have learned about since moving to the bay area nearly four years ago (!)
went to the library. the best library here too. picked up a bunch of DVDs - lately been going through the Miss Marple mysteries...she knits a lot, i like that.
salmon for dinner at the dining hall...good food and some great dinner conversation is always a special treat too. topped off the evening with a long phone conversation with c on the roof of Arch - *amazing* view of the sunset and the Golden Gate bridge - wish i'd brought my camera up with me.
(no camera cord with me today, so I'll add some photos later).