Revisiting New Year’s Resolutions

 

This year is rushing by.  When the kids were young, the start of school was the time for new beginnings, a new year for me too.  So when my SIL Lisa brought up something today….she reminded me of my New Year’s Resolutions, I thought I would go back and look at what I said, and how well I’ve done. 

Here they are, just 3…shouldn’t have been too hard to keep them:

 1. Spend time developing imagery inspiration-this means photos, drawing, painting, collage.  This also means looking closely at the world….also making a mess, sometimes.  Very enjoyable activities, why do I find them so hard to accomplish?  There always seems to be something more important to do, but really its just procrastinating or avoiding using brain cells… 

Well, I haven’t done too well on this.  Bad wording, should have made a more specific goal.  I am always amazed at what a daily commitment can accomplish.  A design journal page a day, whether collage, photo with stitch ideas, a drawing, etc.  This would produce a phlethra of ideas, for both mosaic and embroidery.  Can  I do it, don’t know, but I can try. 

2.  Stop the “one hit wonders”–the “one of a kinds” that are not connected to any other work.  These type of works take ALOT of energy, and the payoff is limited.  A better solution is to get on a roll, have the next piece be a development of the previous one.  Not necessarily working in a series, but sticking to an idea, medium, etc in order to develop a level of mastery.  Requires focus, commitment….and blinders- to stop being lured by all the cool things others are doing and wanting to try them for myself.  

I have been pretty good at this, this year.  Yes, mosaicing was a total surprise…but I couldn’t resist and am glad I didn’t.  Will continue to work at that on a limited basis.  I have explored machine and hand embroidery almost exclusively this year….just wish I would have done more.  Find the time, again, to work at it a little every day.  Keep plugging away. 

3.  Sense of adventure…keep the curiousity going, see, hear, appreciate all the wonders that can so easily go unnoticed.  And then document them (see #1).

I have started carrying my camera around every day.  Now to just stop and take an image or two every day would be perfect.  Taking the time, not just rushing through the day….powerful ritual to make each day memorable. Yes I want to do this.  The photo is the perfect example.  My niece, Krystyn, took this in downtown Detroit.  Will always remember that day, we had such an adventure just wandering and looking.

 

Where I Stand Sunday

Saturday was the long awaited event-of-the-season, my neice’s wedding.  We had a great day, and a fantastic time seeing all the family and lots of friends.  The wedding reception was on the “Ovation”, a 3 story party boat.  We cruised the Detroit River, ate fabulous food, and danced the night away.  That’s me and my man,  Jeff, hamming it up. 

Erin and Charlie.  Erin is beautiful, through and through….he is one lucky guy:

 

UP-pins

Inspiration is everywhere up north.  Just look around:

Cedar trees, hummingbirds, flowers, and the most beautiful sunrise over the lake…..to name just a few. 

Wanting to work on something small, I made these pins:

First a generic flower:

Then, starting to think about being in the woods and on the beach, the making got more interesting for me.  Perhaps these next 4 pins are unmistakable “up north” in feeling to you also:

Cedar branch:

Beach wild flower, Tansy:

Hope you recognize this as a hummingbird:

And lastly, a beach sunrise:

 

Where I Stand Sunday

It was a busy day today, helping Steph and Derek clean and paint at their new homestead.  I call their new place the Farm….because its on Farmington Road, and because Derek has acquired this to cut his grass: 

Isn’t it pretty!!!!

We returned from the Upper Peninsula yesterday, had a week of just about perfect weather.   I kept busy picking wild blueberries from among the pines.  Brought some home for a Sunday blueberry pancake breakfast, which is everyone’s favorite.  Yum!

Took lots of walks with Marlo…this is what she generally looked like the whole week:  Wet, tired, but happy.

Us girls went to Marquette one day, mom had a doctor appointment but we also enjoyed lunch and some shopping.   From left to right:  My niece, Kristin from Albequerque, SIL Patt, Sil Laurie (Kristin’s mom) and Mominlaw.

We also celebrated Mom’s 87th birthday.  Last year was a pretty rought year for her, a heart valve replacement, pacemaker, and a long recuperation.  But this year she is doing much better…..here’s proof

The week went by sooooo quick, too quickly.  But it was alot of fun and rest and relaxation too.

 

Heading north

I know I just promised to post 3x per week, but with going up north where internet connections are scarce and wireless is practically nonexistent, I have to say that I may not be able to post for a week.  I will try, I think the library has computers, or maybe from a neighbors…we shall see.  But I will be back my friends, with lots to show you and talk about.  Enjoy the fleeting summer season, as I shall be doing!

 

Contemporary embroidery at its best

 

SMOKEY HAZE 2008Copyright Martha Fieber...presented with permission.

I met Martha Fieber over the 4th of July weekend at the Manistique Art Fair. She lives up north…in  the U.P., near our cottage.  We chatted a while, and she is such a nice person.   She and her husband are both artists.  Her husband, Leonard,  makes exquisite furniture from beaver chewed wood.  His website is Beaver Chew Furniture.  I also know her mom, her amazing mom, who has taught me to do some wonderful crafts…for instance, bleaching (okay, its really called fabric discharge), soap stone carving, and also coiled basketry.  But more about her mom (Carol) another time.  

Martha’s theme is the landscape.  Her work is entirely worked by hand, layer upon layer of stitches.  She uses only 4 types of stitches:  straight stitch, chain stitch, couching, and the french knot.  One example of her attention to detail is her use of silk ribbon, handpainted to portray the bark of a white birches, standing in a grove.  Her work makes the landscape so touchable and touching, that I feel a renewed reverance for natural world.   I want to walk in the landscape she has portrayed, to become a part of that beautiful world.  But then, I realize, I am a part of it, just look around with renewed vision.   Seeing a photo of her work is wonderful, but to see it in person was really special.  I could have talked with Martha and enjoyed her work all day long.  Perhaps you will be spellbound as I was when you visit her website:  Martha Fieber

 

Work in progress….

To all three of my loyal readers…I am really going to try to post more often.  You ask why?????

1.  So you know I just don’t sit and watch TV with my cat.

2.  To keep myself motivated to do my best work by having to post it here for your scrutiny.

3.  To keep myself making things, knowing I have to post regularly is motivating to me for some unknown reason. 

The “where I stand Sunday” has been (and will continue to be) alot of fun, and I have been reasonably consistent with it.  So with this success in mind, I am assigning myself Tuesdays and Thursdays also.  I am thinking that Tuesday will be ”what I’ve done…works in progress”, and Thursday is open for “this and that”.   I need structure, so maybe this will help.  Sound good?  Of course, the mood may strike and I will post something everyday for a while, one just never knows….I am a capricious one. 

A peek at what I’ve been working on….flower girl dress for darling Nicole.

 

July Take it Further challenge

Hasn’t it been such a busy month!  It just flew by for me, with way too little time to stitch.  But I did manage to experiment a little with the July color scheme for Sharon’s TIF challenge:

This color scheme has a kind of springtime, playful attitude…no????  And, if you’ve been watching this challenge you know I’ve been working with the circle motif and wool felt exclusively.  True, this sort of consistency is very unlike me, but one is never too old to learn new tricks. 

It occurred to me this month that a spiral is a circle…just floating and free, a circle in motion.  I’ve used that, and like it very much…expect to see more spirals….I know you just can’t wait!  But thank you for looking and I appreciate everyone’s comments in the past…

 

Speaking of gardens….

I thought you might enjoy a midsummer tour:

1. gazebo  2. my mini vegetable garden  3.  brainy type of celosia 

4.  plume type of celosia  5.  very tall daylily  6.  Marlo

7.  daylily   8 & 9. profusion zinnias

10, 11, 12  daylilies

 

Where I Stand Sunday

Seems Sunday is the only day I post lately. 

 This was a perfect summer weekend.  Classic.  Warm, sunny, slightly breezy.  Porchsitting, lemonade sipping sort of days.  I spent some of my weekend doing just that…with the addition of a little mindless knitting to while away the hours.  I love to work a little, sit a little, watch the plants grow.

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.  Join Lynn Krawczyk of Fibra artysta and I in celebrating each Sunday in this way.