In the studio……….

I know, that's a whole lotta pictures!!

The studio is pretty much finished up with its little makeover. I am so happy to have fresh paint on the walls. The old brownish grey is gone and everything looks fresh and clean. It took 3 gallons of paint! 3 coats!! I picked up some new lights at IKEA and this winter we got a bargain on that ceiling fan….. not yet knowing where it would go…… but knowing one should never turn down a ceiling fan at 75% off. I've got some curtain rod ideas in the works for the windows next to the table. Oh the table! It's our old dining room table. We moved it in and moved another smaller table into the dining room….. we all eat at the kitchen island these days, so it just made sense. Joe built me that AMAZING shelf for my little nook. I love it! Lots of little momentos tucked into that happy corner. And my favorite (ugly Joe says) thrift store chair, overlooking the woods and garden (and bee hive in the bottom right corner) is dreamy. It's my new favorite spot for an afternoon cup of tea.

I spent the last week dyeing, photographing, and tying up the summer limited edition silks. Coming up with names for the colors is always my favorite part. They are in the shop now for those of you interested.

And I have classes starting next month for little ones! It's going to be such a fun time. I still can't believe all of it has coming together…..

Have a lovely weekend friends.

xo,

garden notes : may 20

It's our second year in the garden here.

Our chives, oregano, & sage overwintered. I was happy to see it under the leaf mulch I had put down. It was green and thriving as soon as the feet of snow melted away. The mint, lemon balm, and nettle have all come back. We've already enjoyed a few things made with them. The calendula patch re-seeded itself and is filling in nicely….. with flowers and weeds!

I planted arugula, kale, and peas first. They are all up. Over the last week I planted some herbs :: basil, cilantro, dill, & savory. I also planted a few melon & zucchini….. which I hope to trellis….. along with some marigolds & several rows of green beans. I also picked up some really beautiful tomato plants at the farm, 9 paste and 6 cherry. I know which are paste and which are cherry and planted them in two different beds….. but I won't know what variety they are until they produce fruit….. which will be really fun.

I added another 6 inches of depth to two beds, so I have two shallow and two deep raised beds now. Joe helped me haul about a dozen wheelbarrow loads of wood chips to spread over the mud. Ohhhh the mud….. My gnomes have moved to their summer homes out in the garden too!

I trellised the blackberries and moved the raspberries. They are both happy and budding out with blossoms!! Blackberries fruit on second year growth so it really is exciting to see those buds forming. And the raspberries have SO MANY blossoms in their new sunny spot against the house. I still need to move the grapes, plant potatoes, and get a big flower bed ready where the winter squash was last year. I might plant a few winter squash too. I tend to have bigger garden ideas than I have beds to put it all in.

It's really good to be out there cleaning things up and starting new things. I'm looking forward to sharing a summer of garden posts with you.

Are you planting anything? Share your gardening news or a link to your own garden notes……

xo,

eight point patchwork star pillow

I've been meaning to make up some new pillow covers for awhile now. After stitching together these star quilts around the holidays I thought a pillow cover with the same design would be fun.

I played around with different prints from my stash before deciding on these Anna Maria Horner solid cottons with a bold print in the middle. I had been collecting little bits from her wonderful monthly bundle subscription. I really love the bold colors next to the cream linen.

And those feathers in linen on the back! Oh my!!

The center piece and feathers are both from her Field Study line, which is one of my favorites. I used 2 layers of organic cotton flannel on the back of the star when I quilted it with double lines. The back is just a simple envelope closure. If you are looking for a great little tutorial on how to sew up these stars I found one here. I covered a blah looking old couch pillow…. but to give yourself an idea of how big to make your cover, just measure the pillow and give yourself some extra for a seam allowance. I add 1.5 – 2 inches because I do a half inch seam on my pillows & I don't like an overstuffed pillow with an envelope closure – it tends to not lay flat (which this one is doing a little).

This is such a perfect pattern for all those little bits in your scrap pile that you can't part with. I think I see a few more stars in my future.

xo~

simple breakfast

As soon as the weather starts to warm up, our breakfast begins to shift. I want something quick, nourishing, easy, and cool. My favorite go-to is a combination of nuts, raw oats, and fruit. A bit of yogurt or kefir. Or sometimes almond milk. Drizzled with honey or maple syrup. It keeps our bellies full as we go about our morning. It's easy to change up with different things we find rummaging through the pantry or freezer. Dried fruit. Sliced banana. Frozen blueberries.

An easy whole foods way to start our day.

xo,

out of habit…..

i'm out of habit.

being a creative person has ebb and flow…. and there has been a serious ebb here. going on a few months now. for the longest time i tried to manually override it. but then i realized some part of me just needed to check out. needed some some time, some breathing room. i know that probably sounds crazy to some of you. and the other part of you are like holy crap, i so get that.

so i put it all down. the pen. the camera. the sewing needle. we ordered more pizza and bought bread in a bag. have i told you i hate bread in a bag? at first i thought it was winter. but the truth is…. i think i needed a cocoon period. we all do sometimes. the more i nurture the creative part of my spirit, the more i realize this ebb and flow to be part of my natural state. and i'm getting better at letting her rest without taking any huge actions. it's really okay to drop off and pick up. you know? it's ok to not be prolific all the time in whatever your creative calling is. art. photography. craft. food. it's good to figure out how to embrace that in breath. and i mean on the whole…. as in lengths of time that feel like "in breath" or "out breath". i have needed a huge, huge in breath in life. my creative soul and my over analyzing mind have been having a party these last few weeks. but i just did my best to roll with it and let it all be. sort of like the way you deal with monkey mind when you are trying to be still. damn that monkey…..

that sort of makes me sound crazy. which is partly true. but i'm starting to exhale. i feel those gears shifting and i'm just taking it all in stride and not rushing things along. i'm getting back in the studio. pulling out things that feed my heart. picking up the camera again. writing bits here and there about everything and nothing. baking bread. the habits are returning. little by little. new and old. and have i told you how much i love a thick slice of bread smeared with butter and jam? i suppose i have…..

happy weekending dear ones.

xo,