simplesparrow

Begin Again

I was up in the wee hours creating this little piece. I really need solitude and quiet when I get serious about drawing. I have had the idea in my mind for some time, but like many of you, it can take a while for those things to actually materialize! This is in the same style as my Daydreams piece. I thought I would do a Daydreams 2 next when I got the chance, which I still may. But this one took cuts :) It's much harder for me to sit down and just start drawing , unlike sewing or crocheting , which I can go spend little moments doing throughout the day. All that to say I think that's why I don't draw very much! Although I really, really would like to much more.

The title, Begin Again, speaks to me personally; but of course it is an encouraging thought for all of us. It can say something to everyone, which is nice. I think I would like to have this one and Daydreams printed to offer for sale. We shall see.

Corners of my home # 5

Here is a picture of our master bath. Not too "master-ish" in my opinion, but never the less I am very grateful to have it. It's not a style that I would choose..the faucets have brass in them, and I am NOT a brass type of gal. That blue tile could take a hike too... :) But, that mirror. So much character. I love it. The real reason I'm talking about this corner is more then just its looks. Like our bedroom, it has a window that looks out to our clothesline. I have a thing for clotheslines. They relax me, they speak of 'homey' things, of a slower pace. The birds are so abundant in this part of the yard too. Their happy chirpping and boisterous conversations always make me happy. Often, I will find myself resting my chin on the window sill, lost in thought, while they chatter away.

See more corners here.

An afternoon hike

Ahhh...the great outdoors. I love, absolutely love, to get outside and breathe deep, move my body and take in the beauty that surrounds me. Sometimes I want to do that alone, and other times I want to share that with my family. This was a family hike and so much fun! It was pretty mellow so Noah did just fine, although it was a decent walk too..about 4 miles. Mark and I had 2 out of our 5 kids with us this time, Nathan and Noah. An impromptu sword fight broke out.....Boys and sticks, it just happens :)

The sweater Noah is wearing below I picked up at the thrift on Saturday. It's wool, and I thought it would make a great stuffed robot with those stripes. But, he has been smitten with it and now I'm not sure I can cut it up! Why now? He has always hated to have to wear a jacket or sweater of any kind. Then again, he is putting this on without a fuss..hmm..what's a mother to do?  Maybe his love affair will end soon and I can get excited about making him a robot. It does look awfully cute on him though :)

Beautiful children, beautiful scenery....

Corners of my home #4

I have really enjoyed being a part of the "corners" flikr group and seeing little peeks into everyones homes. So, here again is yet another corner of my home. This is my chair. That doesn't mean others can't sit in it...although I look pretty forlorn when they do so they give it up..hehe. It's not a chair that has any history or special story, we've owned it only about a year. It fits me perfectly, not too squishy, and not too stiff. (this is starting to sound like the story of the 3 bears...) It faces our large livingroom window with a view of the mountains and this area of the house gets loads of sunlight. I'm just like a cat, always searching out the best sunlit spot :) This is where I sit, indian style, when I crochet, with my yarn in my lap or rolling around in front of me when Otter is not around. I'm often sitting here when Noah wakes in the morning and he comes to curl up in my lap while we share a few quiet moments together. My basket of craft books and such is sitting close by so this is where I read most of the time. Its just an all-around comfy spot that I love! More notes at Flickr, so click on the photo if you want :)

Tie one On: an apron from clothes

Here is my apron for this months Tie One On . It's from some of Hannah's old shirts. I was going to use a couple of mine, then I found these after cleaning out Hannah's dresser last week. Such sweet florals. The tie is vintage eyelet. It could have used a bit of a pressing before the photo, but I was in a hurry. And heck, I never iron anyway...so this is real life :)

Cupcakes and Noah's artwork

I finished up my cupcake pincushion this morning whilst drilling Hannah in her multiplication. I love it when I multitask :) I found this crochet pattern from a link on Robyn's blog. I love the yarn I used for the icing. It just feels so snuggley. BUT..it was a you-know-what to work with!! You can not even see your stitches, you might as well be blind-folded! Well, not that bad but you know what I mean. I added some glass seed beads for sprinkles on top but the poor things are trying hard to be noticed. They just kind of dissapear in that yarn. I want to make more cupcakes! I want to eat cupcakes! I want to look at cupcakes! I want to day-dream about cupcakes! (I've got a thing for cupcakes right now, can you tell?)

While I was at it, here is another picture with some Japanese cuteness I bought last weekend while we were in L.A. Gosh, that store was sooooo fun. I'm definitely going back when I get down there next. Everything in the photo besides the apron background came from there. Would you just check out those chop-sticks??!! Heaven.

Noah did some wonderful drawings the other day and I traced them onto some shrinky-dink plastic to make tiles. I laugh everytime I look at these. They are so precious and cute.  I have all kinds of ideas for embroidery and softies based on his drawings. We shall see, my "to make" list is about a thousand miles long.

Really quick, look at the great stash I found at a tiny thrift store around the corner from me. Vintage buttons, ribbon, and a pile of "make your own fabric button" kits. I love this little thrift, their prices are basically free if you know what I mean. It's run by volunteer senior citizens that will talk your ear off. The lady that was helping yesterday counted and sorted my pile and then pronounced.." how about a 1.75?" Ya gotta love it.

The makings of a really cute pillow

I saw this bird needlepoint the other day while I was thrift shopping. I really liked it, but didn't want to pay 5.00 for it. It is so easy for me to collect things that I really need to be sure I LOVE it before I bring it home, otherwise the clutter-monster moves in ...and  that's bad.  Anyway, later that night rummaging through my material, I realized that I had some fabric that would make the cutest patchwork pillow with that needlepoint as the center. I rushed back the next day and gladly paid the 5 bucks. I'm hoping to start it this week.

I finished my apron for this months tie one on theme, an apron from clothes. A picture of that coming sometime this week.

Corners of my home #3

This is my side of the bed, with my ever present pile of notebooks and books. This is a small-pile day. The stack has seen greater heights :) I like how the lamp is casting a shadow on the wall from the sunlight that's being reflected in our dresser mirror. Really, this little spot looks its coziest at night. The shade on my lamp is a bit frilly for me, but the warm glow that it gives cannot be matched! I usually always leave this lamp on once it gets dark, preferring to walk into the room without flicking the overhead on.. which is definitely an atmosphere wrecker. I tried to photograph this as I see it when I'm lying on my pillow. Click on the picture for a few more details.

Laundry bags and yarn bags

Ahhh... a little break did me loads of good. The computer has taken its rightful place lower on the list and my mind is filled once again with my priorities, and that makes me happy :)

Yesterday I cleaned out Hannah's and Noah's dressers. I got rid of 3 tall kitchen bags of clothes they no longer used or grew out of. My gosh, how did all of that stuff fit in their drawers?!! It reminded me of the clowns at the circus that just keep jumping out of a tiny VW bug. Amazing. All those trash bags got me thinking again about this...

a project that has been on my list forever, and that is to make laundry bags out of a small collection of vintage pillowcases I've saved. I got one done, woohoo!  I never despise small beginnings. A pillowcase is the perfect size for 2 or 3 nights away from home, and as for looks...it sure beats a trash bag, which is what we have been using for a ba-zillion years! Just add a casing at the top, some ribbon for the drawstring and you could dress it up with vintage trim and buttons. Wa-la...

Look what Hannah made...I'm so impressed with my girl. She is such a fearless crafter!! She crocheted this tote bag all on her own (no pattern) and lined the inside of it even! She used a cast-off camo belt for the strap.  (that's the tom-boy in her.. :) So much talent, if I do say so myself*

Corners of my home #2

Here is corner # 2 of my home. This picture is of our bedroom. I love to focus on this view of it because it cancels out the clutter I am always battling on one side. The crowded book shelf, baskets filled with papers we need to sort through and Noah's make-shift bed on our floor because he still wants to sleep near us. Even so, our room is a place of rest and peace (when it's tidy!) and I love to be in bed reading when the rest of the house is quiet and sleeping. In the summer, I can smell the clothes drying on the line just outside the window.