frosty mornings and adventure kitties

I took a walk around the yard this morning. Mother Nature had once again sugared the landscape and I marvel in the details of her chilly confections. Even something as simple as an oil lamp, forgotten near the patio, becomes somehow special.

The adventure kitties even joined me for a stroll. Pug, the one with the unfortunate tail and the tan eyes, still insists on climbing my leg when he wants my attention. His brother, Leopard, (the kids named them) with the extra toes and greenish eyes is far more reserved and only doles out affection occasionally. He will walk near me, purring and kneading the ground, but doesn't exactly want me to hold him. Silly things, cats. 

Happy Thursday, all. 

shop update Nov. 29 10am CST

I'll be adding a few stones to my shop today and they'll go on sale tomorrow, Sunday Nov. 29th at 10am, Central Time.

If you're interested, keep an eye on my shop HERE.

Thank you!

November grey

I had the most glorious day off of work.

I dyed some wool, ate a colossal omelet, and stitched on this stone.

I find this shade of grey not at all sad and dreary, like November can sometimes be.

In fact, the sparkly red and slate grey is a combo I think I'll explore for a little bit.

Or at least until these four grey stones in front of me are stitched.

After that, who knows.

chilly kitties and stitched stones

A pile of blue sky stones await me on this decidedly grey and chilly November day.

I snuck some stitching time last night and my hands were grateful for the task. I plan to give them a little more time today.

Mother Nature sugar-coated the woods last night.

The kitties aren't as happy about as I am.

This guy refused to follow me out on my walk, mewing his complaints at me from the yard.

"I is displeased right meow"

Have a cozy day, all.

Altar - How I Pray

A sneaky peek at a piece I made for the 'Hank of Hair, Piece of Bone' exhibit, opening this Friday at The Crossing Arts Gallery.

This piece is called 'Altar - How I Pray' and is made entirely of wool.

Some of the elements have been wet-felted but then needle-felted into the scene. A stitched stone lays at the base of the form as an offering.

I have two other pieces in this show. If you're local, stop out and see us Friday night and enjoy a glass of wine and chat.

You can find details about the show HERE, and I'll try to post more photos of my pieces after the show opens.

'Tis the Season to Be Felt-y

In all my busy-ness I had almost totally forgotten that I had some ornaments in another Lark book, this one called 'Tis the Season to Be Felt-y" by Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio, those champions of fun felt projects.

I don't do a lot of felt sewing of this type any more but looking through the book made me want to rummage around in my supplies and set aside some quiet time to stitch.

There are lots of adorable and retro-inspired projects in this book but I was tasked with making something a little earthier and muted. Working with recycled garment wool that I dyed, I made little pears and a partridge to hang in the tree.

I'll be taking these little guys into the gift shop at work.

If you'd like a copy of the book, Amazon has it for a great price right now. (and if you choose The Crossing Arts Alliance as your charity for Amazon Smile, a wee fraction of a percent of your purchase price will go towards supporting the arts in my area. Thanks!)

Have a super day, all.

November 10

Life has gotten busy again.

We have two new friends, apparently dropped off on our doorstep, as happens when you live in the country.

 

Our Empty Bowls fundraiser was a great success, allowing us to make a nice donation to our soup kitchen again. It's a lot of work, but a really rewarding project.

I've been doing some needling on pieces for a show that opens on the 20th. I now officially have 4 pieces in various stages of completion. At this point it's a mystery which one/s will be done in time.

I really need to hide away and reconnect with my art for a while. Anyone have a spare hermit cave they can lend me?

so much good stuff

Here's something different. Last week my youngest boy and I took a cigar box guitar workshop being offered by my work (The Crossing Arts Alliance)

Neither of us play the guitar, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn the art of low-brow luthiership from maker and talented tattoo artist Tony Powers and co-teacher Brent Shepard.

These two have made CBG's from everything from cigar boxes to oars and cookie tins. In the hands of Tony and Brent these things sound great.

We were given the basic pieces of the guitar to assemble, decorate, and string.

My boy with his new geetar.

Everyone added their own flavor to their instruments.

Mary from LPTV was there to film and you can see the clip here

You're surprised to see mushrooms on mine, right?

This class was so much fun. The teachers made it very accessible and were able to handle any missteps we students made, and it was so cool to have one of them playing throughout the class, giving us hope that we might make something that sounded half as good. And, it's always fun to learn something new, right?

On Saturday I spent the day at a TEDx talk and have come away feeling really inspired and uplifted. I was also introduced to the music of Corey Medina, who moved from New Mexico to Minnesota (on purpose), and I am utterly entranced.

So much good stuff.

What's been inspiring you lately?

my bowls for Empty Bowls

Our second annual Empty Bowls fundraiser is coming up this Saturday, and I'm so proud to be a part of this event. Last year we raised $5000 for the local soup kitchen and we hope to raise more this year.

I am donating a couple of bowls this year, including this little mushroom-inspired one, which by the way, has sparked inspiration for me in a big way (more to come, hopefully).

If you are not familiar, Empty Bowls is a nationwide grass roots effort to raise awareness of, and combat, food insecurity in our communities. Next Saturday, Oct. 24th from 11am to 2pm, The Crossing Arts Alliance in Brainerd will be hosting the event at the Franklin Arts Center. For a $20 donation, guests are invited to a simple and delicious meal of soup and bread, and are invited to choose a handmade bowl to keep as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.

If you are local, I'd love to see you. I'll be running around but will be adequately name-tagged so please stop me and say hi if you make it out.

I've had a big week and there are other things I'm excited to share with you.

'Til then.

Sunday

A day spent picking rocks, time with a good friend, a smooth-as-glass Lake Superior, and a soft sunset over the lake. Just what I needed.

autumn love

Oh how I love autumn.

Just overnight the leaves got their cue to turn and my woods are a subtle wash of golds, rusty oranges, and mossy greens. In a few days they'll brighten and then they'll fade again, leaving the brown oaks with their lichen-encrusted trunks to be the focus.

I love the golden light, the smell, the crinkly leaves, the jeans with flannels, all of it. I don't even mind that fall is the precursor to winter, which seems to be the longest season of all here in Minnesota. Hey, winter is alright, it just overstays its welcome, that's all.

The next few weeks are going to be busy at work with fundraisers, kids events, and upcoming shows, but I aim to make time to do some stitching, do some baking, and get out in the rustling leaves.

In the meantime, I've made the last of this season's acorns, just two sets. They're in the shop today.

Have a glorious day, all.

autumn is for acorns

Because it wouldn't really be autumn around here if I didn't make a couple of acorns.

In my shop.