Every morning we wake to spectacular skies full of dramatic streaks of colour. I am knitting these wrist warmers in preparation for the cold and to remember these beautiful autumn mornings.
(raveled here, free toast pattern here)
Who does she think she is?
The other day I was on my way to buy groceries for dinner, but got caught up talking in a bookshop to a new friend about her art. She is a ceramist and a mother. It was the quickest of conversations, one of those new friend conversations, establishing our potted life histories and the work we do – but we found ourselves dipping into talk about motherhood and feminism and art - how challenging it can be but how motherhood also informs the work we do (you know the conversation). Needless to say, it was soon time to pick up Lily from preschool and the groceries didn’t get bought but I was so glad to have the conversation. I am so grateful to be living in a community which respects motherhood and art for the important things they are.
I came across this movie trailer online this morning (via Multicrafty, whose neck warmer hat I was admiring) and thought it was definitely worth sharing. Who Does She Think She Is?
I hope one day I will get to see the entire film. I have just emailed the link to our local film festival group so I have my fingers crossed.
And hopefully we can all move towards naming (at least) 5 women artists off the top of our heads.
Something weird and new (part one) :: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a pretty nice holiday – why didn’t anybody tell me? Maybe they did and I was too busy thinking “Gah! Turkey day! I can’t possibly cook a turkey… I am too terrified to even think about it!”… but when I decided once and for all that turkey was not going to be on the menu this year, mainly due to aforementioned fear but also due to our oven deciding that it has a habit of turning itself off at any unexpected time, it all started looking rosy. My dad fixed the oven on Sunday morning so we were able to have roast veg and Jamie’s awesome and easy bbq chicken, but we also had bbq corn and fresh and crispy salads and delicious pumpkin pie. I think Thanksgiving is almost as good as Christmas – a little less magic but there is also a lot less consumerism and crazy stress. Over the weekend there was popcorn and boardgames, crackling fires, and good coffee (but unfortunately terrible terrible apple cider — what I did wrong, I am not sure, but it was undrinkable). Everyone had a go at the enormous Edward Gorey jigsaw puzzle
I love the work of Blanca Gómez, an illustrator and designer living and working in Madrid. Her work is remeniscent of mid century illustrators but with a sparkly modern take. Makes me want to break out the gocco, and the photoshop textures.
This lovely, moving (moving) post captures the essence of what I love about Soulemama. Perfect. I am having new-home envy just glancing at her site.
Just came across this Flickr set via Ravelry last night - LCW Wool Project — makes me want to spin (and dye roving with kids + food colouring). What a great project.
One of my TV favourites is back; Bored to Death – Jonathan Ames, the creator and writer has episode footnotes for added enjoyment.
Me time (short but sweet)
I have a house full of sick children. Actually, one is well and truly on the mend now and is just restless and ready to be set free out the front door to run through the woods again – but it’s cold and wet and so she is stuck inside. And I have been stuck in doors too and I’m starting to feel a little stir-crazy… I know I had better get used to being stuck indoors as we head into the rainy rainy Pacific Northwest months, but I keep telling myself that all will be better when all our stuff arrives and we have a table we can at least sit at to make, draw, cook etc.
The walk down the long drive and up the road to the mail box is my daily time of solitude, silence and solace right now. I have been taking my camera just in case I see something worth photographing but usually it’s pretty uneventful. If I am lucky I might see a super huge, jet black shiny slug heading across the road or a deer, or some rabbits. These last few days I stop and listen to the far away burble of water in the creek way down below the road. The grassy bank you see above is full of chirping crickets which are a cheerful sound in an otherwise quiet and still world. I can just breath and not answer a tirade of questions, or ask someone to stop hitting someone else. I stagger back up the steep drive and feel quite physically exhausted but otherwise revived and ready for the rest of the day.
*I meant to stop and have a look at what the paperback was, sitting beneath the mail box, but the next time I went back it had already gone.
It’s that time of year again – Sign Ups for the wonderful Softies for Mirabel are happening over at Pip’s.
From Mikes: “The Mirabel Foundation is based in Melbourne. Mirabel was set up by the amazing Jane Rowe. They do really important work providing help to kids who have been orphaned or abandoned due to their Mum or Dad’s drug addiction. A lot of these kids end up in the care of grandparents (who may be elderly) or other extended family, and it is obviously a really sad and challenging time for everyone. Mirabel steps in and provides assistance and counselling in all sorts of practical, respectful and positive ways to help these families…. Here’s what to do: We want you to make SOFTIES! YES! We are putting the call out once more to YOU and your friends and your relatives to spend some time making a toy (or many toys) for the Mirabel kids. Spend some time making something lovely for a great kid : because these kids might like a trusty buddy to snuggle down with. And because softies are very good listeners, right?”
Right ! – so pop on over to Pip’s and sign up if you’re into it. I know I am.
I’m working on a Mighty Life List. Not sure if I am going to post it here… I might when I have got to 100, but it’s challenging and exciting and you might like to make one too. What made me decide to finally write a life list is reading Maggie’s latest post on her blog about the recently held Mighty Summit. So good.
Misty visitor
Not the best photo – it had to be quick – but look who was wandering around in our garden the other evening.
Our stuff arrives on Saturday – I am so looking forward to it. Imagine having a muffin tin… A favourite book… Something for the girls to do on a rainy day… It’s going to be awesome.
Chicks building houses:
From Lloyd’s blog (so you may have already seen this) Linda made a treehouse in the woods of upstate New York. It’s so sweet, and simple and very cool and her photos of her friends and their treehouse weekends are the stuff of dreams.
Local collective : Mudgirls: “We are a network of women who build natural structures for ourselves and each other, as well as helping others build their own, and sharing natural building skills through affordable workshops. We specialize in building with cob, as well as other natural material such as strawbale, driftwood, adobe, cordwood and recycled materials like glass, car tires, glass bottles and more.”