simplesparrow

of grannies and couches

So, it seems we have some takers for the one square a day challenge (or row, or block, or....) Yay! I love knowing that somewhere out there, another person is chanting to themselves "just one, just do one". I put up a little thingy in my sidebar to help me keep track of how many I've made and how many I have to go. Um, yeah...70 more squares. whoa. Anyway, I'm determined not to freak out if I miss a day or two. Lets keep this free from any personal whip-cracking--agreed? OK, good.

I have to share this photo with you that I took the other day since I was talking about couches. Well, I certainly can afford this one. Too bad it's not quite the style I had in mind.  It was indeed someones style though--because it got snatched up soon after. I could see how this could be pretty cool in the right house (I think), but not mine. I've gone a totally different direction.

just one square

(Edited to add: Oh please! Join in with any project. I didn't mean to be exclusive to granny squares :) Whatever you happen to be working on, just decide how many stitches, rows etc... to do a day. I won't be stressing out if I miss a day, so you don't either! This could work for any kind of project.)

I didn't have plans to post again for a couple of days, but as I was sitting in bed last night crocheting, I had a wonderful thought. I was telling myself --just one square Toni, just finish one square right now. Then I thought I should challenge myself to make one square a day, just one--at least-- until my granny blanket is done. And then I thought, why not ask others to join in! Are you making a granny blanket that is going slower then you'd like?  Have you invested a pretty penny in yarn for your granny blanket (like I have) and the thought of it sitting and doing nothing for months on end makes you cringe? Then join me in my one square challenge--I would love the company! I want to put something up in my sidebar that says how many I've made so far and how many I have to go to keep me motivated.

Well, It's the end of the day--dinner is done--the house is tidy--and it seems like the perfect time to do one square--just one, Toni, just do one.

flowers for you

Thank you, so very much, for each and every birthday wish! Once again, you have impressed me with your thoughtfulness, so I'm giving all of you this cyber bouquet with its gorgeous, floppy sunflower. I'm declaring sunflowers the friendship flower right here and now. Don't they seem perfect for that? Yep.

In the birthday comments, Tangerine Dreams says that the 40's are the new 20's--Oprah said so. I'll sign up for that :) And as far as ever owning a couch that I will absolutely adore, they're out there--I've seen them. I just can't afford them. Dang.  Alas--my life is filled with many beautiful things that money could never buy so, who really needs a perfect couch anyway?

I'm going to work on a shop update for the end of the week sometime. I have so many little odds and ends hanging around here that were intended for the shop but have still to make it there. I'll post here when it's ready. 

Have a good rest of the week, K?

T.

42 today

42 for me means:

A marriage 23 yrs. strong :: 5 beautiful children :: a fluffy kitty I adore and 2 funny finches :: wanting a new pair of glasses :: still obsessed with shoes :: not liking how old my hands look :: driving a totally cute Saab :: being the mom of a 21 yr. old and a 6 yr. old :: trying to accept the signs of aging--not doing to well :: thankful that I'm healthy :: wanting to grow my hair long again :: feeling more creative then ever :: stiff joints now and then :: wondering if one day I'll ever own a couch that I LOVE :: thinking more and more about staying fit :: wanting to go back to Italy :: loving quiet evenings at home :: loving my family, my friends, my savior :: loving life.

tea and chat

:: My morning ritual ::

Many of you no doubt have seen this meme making it's rounds. I've felt inspired to tag along myself after reading so many great answers to these questions.

Do you promote your blog?

No. I've always felt that in time, hopefully, some people would find me. It is a nice thing that you can link your blog when you leave comments.  I have found many fun blogs because of that and what a helpful feature for letting the blog community know you're out there. I would not, however, recommend leaving comments for the sole purpose of exposing yourself. Keep it sincere :)

How often do you check hits?

I didn't even know you could do this until a few months ago! Now, whenever I want to do a new post I may check. Sometimes not at all. I'm mostly curious where people are coming from. It's fun to discover new visitors.

Do you stick to one topic?

I blog to talk about my creative endeavors first and foremost--which can be broad. When I first started my blog, I was sure I would not talk about personal things--keeping it crafty all the time. But, I found that as I went along and started making connections with my readers, some of my personal life filtered on. Such as when I talked about my son getting married, or the bitter-sweet of watching your children grow up.  I enjoy sharing about my family and other areas of life here and there, but this will always be my place to talk craft.

Who knows about your blog?

My family and friends. At first, it wasn't something I ever brought up with people. It was kind of my little secret world and hobby and I liked it that way. It makes me laugh when I think of the times that Mark would mention my blog (in a supportive way) to someone and I would cringe--trying to give him the signal to be quiet! He would just look at me with this puzzled expression like, "what's the problem?" My dad is a faithful reader and I think that's so cute. He's a committed lurker though and I still can't get him to leave a comment. Not a problem dad, I know you're out there.

How many blogs do you read?

Actually, not that many! It's a time thing, or I would love to read more. I have never subscribed to bloglines and just keep my favorites book marked. I find that I check in regularly with a small handful--10 or so--and then I try to broaden my horizons when I have the time with the others I have marked--about 5o total. Most of the time I'm just popping in to get a glimpse and to ooh and aww, and then I'm off--many days lacking time to comment.

Are you a fast reader?

Well, not really. I try to practice my skimming skills, but sometimes find that I just need to slow down because I'm comprehending nothing! I think I'm getting better though. That may be why I don't actually "read" that many blogs. I'm kind of slow.

Do you customize your blog or do anything technical?

Ahhh...to learn HTML. Wouldn't that be nice. No brain space for that at this time in my life. Thank you Typepad for doing all the hard work for me.

Do you blog anonymously?

Nope. I use my real name and that of my family too. I worry (sometimes panic) about showing pictures of my kids. I go back and forth with feeling OK about it. When I hear of another blogger finding their kids pictures somewhere they shouldn't be, I rethink this whole thing. I don't want to give fear the upper hand, and I also know that you have to face reality. The world has some very ugly corners in it.

To what extent do you censor yourself?

I want my blog to a be a pretty place, a light place, a happy place. It's my little corner of all things good. Of course my life isn't always pretty, light or happy. But I really don't want to talk about that much here. I have my bad days, like everyone. I just assume that people know that and I never have any intentions of trying to communicate otherwise. I read my blog! I want to smile when I come here. It's just my choice, and I certainly don't want to sound critical of those who do choose to share the hard things in life, because I'm not. There is no right way, just your way.

The best thing about blogging?

Of course that has to be all of you! I wouldn't blog if I couldn't hear from you. You are what makes this little world of mine go round. Your support and encouragement are so valuable to me. The time you take to send me sweet comments is so kind, even when I don't find the spare minutes to tell you so in a response. It seems so one-sided at times and I feel bad about that, but I do what I can. And still you come back! Thank you, a thousand times over. Plus, sharing my love of handmade with like minded people is so amazingly satisfying. It fills a need I have to get excited over perfect stitches or the silly face on a plush toy or the wonderful feel of felted wool. Do you know what I mean? Yes, I know you do.

back to my squares

This is the first granny square I've completed since I got started. Quite a while, eh? I had lots of good intentions though mind you--I lugged it all with me to Felt Club in July and it made the trip with me to Oregon over the summer--not a stitch did I make either time! Now that summer is over for me mentally, (I will still get plenty of pleasant weather here in CA for a bit) this time of year always brings the desire to get out the yummy yarn. The knitting and crochet posts are starting to pop up left and right in blog-land aren't they?

It took me a sec to reacquaint myself with the pattern. I'm using the one over at Purl Bee . I *love* the Purl Bee. What great inspiration there is buzzing around that site (pun intended!) After a brief run through I was on my way again and filled with new enthusiasm. Love that.

black bird

While I was up at my parents house last month, I came across an old linoleum block printing kit my mom had bought years ago. I had always wanted to try this and now was my chance. It's quite tedious and the joints in my fingers were pretty stiff afterwords! (old age?) Lots and lots of carving and digging. Still, I would do it again if the inspiration hits. Once it was ready to be inked making the prints became very addicting! You can't just stop at one. I mean, all that work for one print? No way. I ran out of paper long before I ran out of enthusiasm. All of that means that I'm offering a few in my Etsy shop, at my mother's urging. Okay mom, are you going to be my first customer? ;)

new kitchen curtain = a clean window sill

I'm pretty happy with this new curtain. I know, this is not your typical combination of fabrics. Maybe not even the right combination, but for me it works. So much of the time I'm looking for a feeling that I get when I pair fabrics. It's hard to explain, and even as I type I'm confusing myself. What I mean, is...oh gee-whiz! I just like these together. The colors, the patterns. It's giving me that feeling. Do you know what I mean? I didn't think so (but maybe you do?) I don't even know what I mean. Moving on......

One good reason to make yourself a new kitchen curtain is that it motivates you to clean off all of the crap little things that migrate to the window sill and build up. If you don't have that problem then I salute you big time. I can't seem to shake it. So I'm enjoying looking at a pretty window sill for as long as it will last, *sigh*. On the other hand, it doesn't seem to motivate me to unload the dish-drainer.

That brown floral you see there? (not the ruffle) That is my new favorite in the whole wide world. I'm crazy about it. Crazy. It's Alexander Henry, New Traditions. I used up all that I had on this curtain and I need to get more, if only to sleep with it at night and hide it in a secrete cubbyhole during the day. I told you it's making me crazy. I bought it when I was in Oregon and I haven't seen it here. I'm hoping to locate it online--haven't had time to look yet, have any of you noticed it? 

I used my ruffle foot for the very first time to make the ruffle on this curtain. Nobody can accuse me of rushing into things--I bought that foot about a year and a half ago. I was not super impressed. It had some inconsistency problems, and if I stepped up the speed it sounded like my machine just might ruffle it's self right off of the table. I had to go s...l...o...w and it took forEVER it seemed. It really didn't look too bad in the end though, so all's well that ends well. People kept telling me that ruffle foots were really expensive, like 60-80 dollars. Ha! those guys don't know what they're talking about, I found mine for 16.00 on ebay!! (you think maybe that's why I had some problems? nah...)

Did you happen to notice that a new kitchen curtain was not on my list that I posted about previously? That's because I'm still working on my "spruce up the house" list. Still, I like to plan ahead ;)

while I'm on the subject of clean widow sills, I can appreciate Hannah's avocado sprout all the more. I'm growing fond of seeing them here now on a regular basis. She has transplanted 2 now into pots and they are doing quite well as house plants. When I come across a fallen blossom I've started tucking them here in her jar. A pretty combination I think.

Have a wonderful weekend friends! I wish you lots of happy moments.

T.

on my mind

:: Color. I think I need to make some time to play with the random stripe generator .

:: Crafts with Noah. I picked up some great books from the library that are very inspiring.

:: Needlework. Embroidery and crewel. I'm totally giddy waiting for my Crewel Treasure Box from the Twinning Thread. Have you guys heard about this sale? Go now!

:: A new Fall handbag. hmm....

:: Napkins. I was very inspired to make a pile of pretty napkins after reading about Amy's in her new Book.

:: Crocheted hats and scarves. Yarn just sounds so yummy right now.

:: New stuffies. I would love to make more little creatures.

:: Tea Cozies. Always appealing in my book. I think about them often, have only made one. Need to change that.

:: Martha Stewart Kids magazine. I want to get out all my copies and hide on the couch under a blanket and look at each one.

:: Walks on the beach. Starting today, I'm going to try and schedule these in regularly before the weather gets to chilly and windy. We'll be there at 5:00 pm, wanna come?

I always want to make lists at the start of a new season. How about you, what are you guys thinking of?

(edited to add: we took that beach walk~pictures  here! )

hanging on but not unwilling...

...to let go of summer's last days. As I sat on my beloved patio; that small outdoor space that we all adore, I couldn't help but think there will not be many more days like this one. I glanced up at my bamboo chimes and the sun was peeking through, small and weaker then a month ago but still so lovely. Almost like a good friend that you stand waving goodbye to as they walk down the road, waving and watching until they are out of sight. I've lived on the coast of California most of my life. The seasons don't show themselves here as boldly as they do in other parts of the state or country. But you learn to notice the subtle changes and over time they don't seem very subtle any more, but quite obvious! And they aren't always outside. The other day as I did my morning ritual of opening the blinds and starting the tea water, my feet were cold and really could have used a pair of socks for the first time in months. We sleep with our window open all spring and summer long, but the other night I woke up with a frozen nose! Little things like that signal the end of my favorite season.

Right now, in this house, the patio is my most poignant herald of the seasons. How excited we all get when spring comes, the sun's rays start to warm and the garden plants wake up. Still sleepy but stretching and ready to get out of bed very soon. We all do our part to tidy up our outdoor space that has seen the neglect of winter. It's not long at all before it feels like we've added onto the house, we spend so much time there. We wonder in and out all day long. Some to read, some to sit. Some to talk on the phone, or drink a cup of tea or eat a bowl of cereal. I was so happy to capture these moments of Noah drawing  (you can see more here ) That he took the time to pull all his things together and set himself up--on the patio--instead of the kitchen table where it would have been easier, tells me this space feeds his soul too.

And yet, I'm not unwilling to let go. Somehow, I'm always ready for the routine that Fall brings, for the cozy thoughts of getting to bed earlier and doing some reading that will last more then a few sentences because I've been staying up way to late. For planning hearty meals, for baking, for quiet evenings inside. For piling all together on the couch for a good movie, for adding an extra blanket to all the beds.

Fall, welcome. I'm ready for you. Excuse me a moment though while I wave goodbye to an old friend--she's almost out of sight.

Otter, basking in the patio sun.