hotel seance

sarah painted the most awesome sign and hung it too. i held the ladder.

i'm truly resisting my higher self's plan to get healthy, before it's too late. sometimes i wish i could kick my own ass.

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Helga Viking
Flash: Off
Film: Ina's 1969

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Helga Viking
Flash: Off
Film: Ina's 1969

ragtime outtakes

today was kind of a bust owing to some icky news this morning that hub's place-of-business was vandalized... so useless angry feelings and phone time with insurance people...

i did accomplish *some* stuff this weekend (our weekends are sunday/monday), like doing my hair colour (not perfect, but it'll do with a hat..), the usual agonizing over my life's Work, a lot of catch-up on sleep and miss marple, mexican food, turkey time and ragtime.

cosy friends

No-one can make a care package like Mathyld. Yummy teas from her mum's tearoom, lunar oil and the pièce de résistance, this special talisman she created with magical gemstones and a vintage vial. My favorite stone is the rutilated quartz, with its glints of gold, but each gem has a particular energy and we chose this one for me together. I'm so glad it is here to help protect me from the flus and fatigues I've been having... Thank you, ma soeur!



..and I'm so proud to have an original papercut by the very talented and dear Chad, Mon Petit Fantome. It's titled "As Rabbit's Spirit Began To Pass, He Told Us The Final Secret". It reminds me of when Hazel passes at the end of Watership Down. So beautiful it gives me major weepies.


Miss Hadley is finally adjusting and acting more like a cat than a scared, starved creature... she's finally scratching, playing even, cuddling and snoozing in the sun.

goings on

Lots of work and fun getting ready for Trace's opening at the hotel on Friday night. Show pics here.

hotelling

getting ready for friday's show!
finished mathyld's mitts
packaged four things to send off tomorrow
worked on carding gabbie's fleece
really helpful creative convo with sarah, which generated new goals (four new pieces based on a theme) she's quite the taskmaster!
tonight: knitting shetland lace shawl

finished taxes, *finally* (ugh)
researched new project
drew new embroidery
started new knitting
2 listings

even when i try to do my farm chores quickly, it doesn't work out.. there is always the perfect feather right in my path. feathers everywhere, actually. it is interesting to me though, how many "imperfect" feathers there are. feathers that are too dirty and wet, but also broken and half-gone feathers, discoloured feathers, and feathers that are missing, well, feathers. i like that they show some wear though. and they are all so individual. i wonder how on earth feather-harvesting works for down comforters and suchlike? i probably don't really want to know.

i've been feeling *so* much better the last two days, and that's after a long bout with the flu. i was feeling lame and down from being sick a while, although i did luxuriate a bit in my bed with my dogs and miss marple... but the last couple of days have been so much improved and with the weather, even glorious.

i was talking to mum about my little crafty business and my frustrations with lacks in productivity, and i said something about a modest goal... of making something every day (not necessarily completing anything, just actively working on making something) and also listing something every day. or as much as possible. (there may not always be something to list, but i have quite a backlog right now in mum's attic).. and it seemed simple and probably not all that helpful, but somehow it has kicked me into gear.

i am loving perpetua's new blog (as well as her beautiful work!!) and i'm with her on wanting to make Something of my life... even if there is no Thing and life is really just life. i am really very post-ambitious, but still i'm tired of talking about what i want to do. i'm tired of buying supplies and making things i love but that just pile up in my armoire. i like entrepreneuring in many ways, and i have no reason not to give this a good go. even if "this" will continue to morph..

today involved..

gathering feathers
meeting with a potential new studio-mate
finishing framing swap piece for mr. x stitch!
finishing and photographing custom order
photographing a lot of other stuff
buying printer cartridges
2 listings

finished flapper camisole! now to embellish it..

nighttime is ragtime

after i got re-acquainted with my sewing machine (maybe if i give her a name, she'll be more cooperative?), i did a bunch of practicing and made my very first French seam! mathyld's lessons were fabulous! i ironed, tea-dyed, drank tea, did some laundry, petted the pups and and sewed some more. nighttime is now ragtime.

meet the mrs.

my fascination with foxes is still going strong. i even have this book on my amazon wishlist if anyone is feeling especially generous. i wonder why i'm so drawn to certain animals at one time or another. it's tempting to look at their different archetypes and associations. or even to meditate on them and ask them. i read somewhere that stitching foxes on bed-slippers was one of the more common occupations of victorian women. maybe not thrilling, but it sounds alright to me.

i'm feeling a little stuck in my stitching, again. i've started a couple of things only to scrap them, or put them in hibernation. part of it is that i've been thinking of the value of framing. i've typically been reluctant to frame anything, since i love the tactility of fiber work and putting it behind glass seems almost blasphemous! but over time, i see pieces becoming dusty or faded. and also wonderfully preserved framed pieces at antique markets. so i've begun collecting and experimenting with old frames. but they change the entire thing, really. borders and edgings of vintage linens often don't fit within. the frames add colours and dimensions that impact a design. anyhoo, kind of goes against my desire to free-form it and see what happens, but i'm pretty sure there's room for framing in my world.

this week was the first of ragtime, my project with mathyld. i love seeing what she is doing with the next few weeks' sewing lessons!