This, only higher

So this is what I was hoping would be my header...with my blog title in the middle of the right half. My blog title is supposed to look like this btw:

goodness (recycled & otherwise)

Ho hum...can't make it happen just yet.

I love cutting up magazines. The recycling aspect of it all makes me happy and the cutting and cropping is very soothing - almost in a meditative way. And then going through it all when we're working on a collage over here...don't even get me started.

So I'm thankful for paper art, my family, health, our community - not necessarily in that order, but very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to you! xo

errrgh!!!

So there's something very draining about trying to learn computer skills that are had by all. All that is, if you're 20 years younger than I am. For the life of me, I can't figure out how to put my header online.

I will though. In the meantime, here's a seed/pod picture that was taken while my youngest and I were on a hike last week. I love this photograph, and if I was in a space to wax poetic, I'd talk about the quiet of fall, the bursting of Spring...and how they relate to my computer skills, and lack thereof.

Thankfully (I know), I'm not in that space! xo

Finale

Sometime long ago someone told me that it takes three years to have a raspberry garden that will yield a full crop. We've never lived anywhere long enough to have three harvests...current home included. I assumed that my raspberries were done for the year, and I've been waiting for the first frost to trim and cover them. What a surprise to go out to our garden (it's in the alley, not visible from our house) and see this abundance of late-blooming delicacies!

And the second harvest (we're on our second, second harvest if that makes sense, one in Connecticut and one here) is pretty durn good if I do say so myself. And now I know that late-Fall berries are more robust, and larger...maybe because little fingers aren't picking at them everyday now that the weather has cooled and our days find us away from home more often.

Happy weekend, from my family to yours! xo

30-minute collage!

My youngest asked me to make art with him this morning with these conditions: "You can't straighten anything, and you can't cut up magazines!" Truth be told, I love when my kids are involved in their own artful endeavors and I can just cut up magazines (pictures of that phenomenon/passion/compulsion coming soon) or hover and clean my never-clean art space. So I decided instead to make a little job list for my kids - something I've been meaning to do forever and something that they're more likely to reference, well, if it has a funny zebra on it!

Funny zebra, and just a hint at what they should already know: for instance, "windows" means the kids need to open their blinds...there's no window washing/child labor infringements happening here!

I only used the materials on our art table and I made a lot of mistakes. But as I work to make time for my creative wanderings everyday, this was a great thing to just do....no criticism, no hyper-important details! But 30 minutes of collage time done. I used the one crayon on the table, the highlighters (don't like neon, but they were there) on the table, the too-thick black sharpie that was on the table.

Aaaaahhhhhh. Imperfection - what a great way to start this Monday! xo

WIP (gathering)

Can you guess what this will be?

Stay tuned! xo

Getting there!

This class that I won from Dina Wakely has been such a gift! I have to say, I have been in quite the creative rut for years now. I don't know when it started, but when I was first married and first a mom, I made horribly impractical decisions (financial mostly) to support my creative needs. Our first holiday cards (pre-internet-cardmaking-glory) cost small fortunes because I had to have them printed professionally (there were no quality color options otherwise), I would take over our dining room (meaning most of our first floor) for weeks without batting an eye, I scheduled precious weekend time around whatever it was I was making. I knew I had to create and I made it happen, even as we lived paycheck to paycheck.

Now we're not living paycheck to paycheck so much, I can spread my art out in an art room instead of the place where we eat everyday, and my diapering days are over - and I am as frugal and cautious as can be. I don't know where this is coming from for me, but to try something new that requires me to cash out of our family economy of time or money...I stagger first instead of going for it, like I used to.

Babble babble babble. Anyways, since my photos aren't of the highest quality, and my computer skills are lacking, I hesitate to put my artwork, my "products" etc. out there. I will though. The creative wheels of energy and confidence are spinning - I'll get there. And this little ditty of a class is helping me immensely. Here's some photos from the first two steps in this journal project - "The Graffiti of My Life". (Really the paint jar is just included because the color of the water makes me happy)! xo

Goodness Abounds

Ok, so this post is strictly so that I can learn to do links. I think I am called to do this today, because there is so much generous abundance out there this week, I have to spread the word. So let's get started!

First of all, if you journal at all, you will not believe the bounty of video tutorials on Teesha's blog. I watched them all. Looking forward to trying some of the techniques!

Second, Meg has posted her family's favorite vegetarian recipes...read just a few posts down and see how she's using them now to save time, money, energy, etc. Lovely.

Finally, Patricia is part of a great ornament project that she posted about today.

Happy Days All! xo

P.S. And let's just link to matsutake's blog as well (the Wild Things project), shall we?