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if you're in a reader, take a moment + click over to respond to my little survey. oh come on. i know it sounds silly and school-bus-ride-make-new-friendsy and all, but deep down you know you want to. we all love the simple things, right?
yesterday was blue day. to me, everyday is blue day. i celebrated with summer rolls and weeded in the garden for hours. i love me some blue.
which brings me to my little survey. what's your favorite color?
oh come on now... share with the class. xoxo
i've been really enjoying my painting class these past few weeks. it's been the perfect cocktail of terrifying + invigorating with a splash of the unknown that i love. a perfect kick in the creative pants i needed during this long awaited "down time."
two books in 18 months is a LOT of work, i tell you. and i've been quite enjoying this down time, albeit still a semi-busy time workwise because to know me is to know there are always secret projects underway.
week one - momentarily [6x6 acrylic + ink on gessobord]
several people have been asking me, "what's next?" and i know they mean well. but... it conjures up that same uneasy feeling you get when you are happily dating and people ask, "when are you going to get married?" or right after you're happily married and people start asking, "when are you going to have a baby?" or right after you have a happy baby and people ask, "when are you going to have another baby?"
do you know what i mean? i realize it's practical to think ahead and all, but let me savor this a moment or two. i'm good right now.
week two - nestled [8x8 acrylic on claybord]
so yeah. i am really enjoying this painting class. it's something new. something i've always wanted to try but was too insecure to consider. until now. i'm feeling good. loving where i'm at creatively. sure, i have an eye on what's next for me. more books? hopefully. website overhaul. most definitely. new adventures? yep.
but right now, right this very moment, i am loving the down time. my eye doesn't hurt, my vision is stable and i feel good.
and i pretty much smile all the time. xoxo
: : :
btw: the grey borders around each of the paintings are from my scanner.
it's pink day for the summer colours week over on poppytalk and i simply could not resist going into my way-back machine to find a few images of pink in our corner of the world. xoxo
vollkornbrot - locally baked
baby greens - from the garden
hardboiled egg white
pastej lax - picked up on our day trip
lots of cracked black pepper
and sun tea. oh summertime + sun tea. i think sun tea deserves its own post, wouldn't you agree? let's chat more on that another day.
in the meantime, since i know someone will kindly ask...
: : :
what did you have for lunch today? and where did you eat it? xoxo
a day trip.
the girls + i went on a bit of a girls' getaway the other day, in search of a few things they'll need once they move into their own rooms in the coming weeks. (more on that later.) after a few hours in the car, i caved and let them have at Småland, which turned out to be awesome for not only the kiddos, but also for a certain mama who loves a good (quiet) 45-minute stroll following the arrows through the showroom. list in hand i picked them up, we had a little lunch, finished our shopping (under budget, woot!) and rounded out the afternoon with ice cream + coffee for the ride home. have you seen this ad? oh, to have an overflowing flatbed.
now to put those two dressers together... another day. xoxo
we've got an ace lineup, if i do say so myself. practices are coming together nicely. live shows are on the horizon. and soon - very soon - you will be able to hear what we've been up to this past year+ of late nights in a city studio.
mild mannered will rock your pants. xoxo
i screwed up the other day. not that me screwing up is something out-of-the-ordinary, mind you. but there was a doozy of a hypothetical-deadline-missing-domino-effect that could have happened.
car keys in house.
door closing.
gasp.
kind request.
of course.
sunshine.
half an hour of swing pushing + garden weeding.
unprecedented afternoon giggles with daddy.
parcel shipped.
ice cream?
amen.
and you know what? it all worked out. sans meltdown. nice. xoxo
i am delighted + honored to be a part of the launch of meg mcelwee's 2nd book, growing up sew liberated. i have had the pleasure of knowing meg through her blog since she was teaching at a montessori school in rural mexico, and have come to know her personally as well. she is a truly lovely soul, full of wisdom and kindness, and is one of the most articulate people with whom i have ever had the pleasure of speaking. i have learned a lot from her in terms of sewing and writing, to be sure - but the most precious gem i have received from her has been learning to "follow the child" in my daily life, and being able to respond to the interests and needs of my children. those words center me, and allow me to be what i need to be for my daughters.
growing up sew liberated is beautifully written and styled in a manner that will inspire both you and the little ones in your world. the sewing projects have been thoughtfully put together and nestled among them are tips and ideas on connecting with your children through play and creativity, something that is near and dear to my heart.
the girls + i have been swooning over the book for a while now and my little superheroes asked (pretty pretty please with sprinkles on top) if we could make a reversible play cape to add to their collection of costumes + dress-up attire. and can we pleeeease go to the fabric store for some silky satin? in red? and gold? ok, twist my arm...
what a fun project! tracing and cutting out the pattern pieces took longer than the actual sewing, and it was worth slowing down to do so. (satin is a slippery fellow, i tell you. but so much fun!) the whole thing was super simple to put together, and the result is a spectacular two-for-one reversible time machine, transporting you + your littles to as many adventures as you can imagine. this pattern is a keeper, and i anticipate many more capes being made in our future.
a note on sizing - we made the large which is sized to fits ages 6-8, but it also conveniently fits adults who play along with their adventures.
the more capes the better. (just saying.)
and here's a treat for you! meg is generously offering a 20% discount on everything in the sew liberated shop - enter the discount code "JCHandmade" when you place your order - it's good for all of her books + patterns, as well as anything else in her shop. (the code expires on June 25th, so hop to it!)
and be sure to click on the links below to check out all the stops along the 15-day blog tour visiting some of the web's most popular sewing blogs, parenting blogs, education blogs, personal blogs, eco-living blogs, and some that are simply a combination of all of the above. meet some extraordinary women, see stunning photography, hear inspirational stories from meg and many of her friends, check out a bunch of projects and share a really nice look into the book.
enjoy the book + happy making! xoxo
i should have known i overdid it when the fellow at the farm declared, "good job! you've made it to the next price level!" oh dear. for the record, 30 pounds of freshly-picked strawberries yields roughly:
we had such a blast stocking up + now we're looking forward to trying out some new recipes. i'm thinking of substituting strawberry mash for ripe bananas in my banana bread recipe this weekend and will be sure to report back the results. and i would love it if you would share your favorite strawberry recipes in the comments, as well! xoxo
