ever so sweet

Hello, sweets.  Oh, it's Friday--loveliest of days--full of satisfaction for the week behind us, and excited hopes for the few days of freedom ahead...I love it, I savor it, and I relish it, indeed.

picture from Betsy's blog

I was cruising etsy earlier today, as I am wont to do (only 3 or 4 times a day!) and ran aground at a shop I have long loved and not visited in quite some time--foundling, the shop of Betsy Carr.  And look what I found(ling)!  A little ring, made just for the likes of me!

It's a ring set, actually, that says "2 sweet."  Isn't it the dearest?

I like this too.  The vintage texts in her work are right up my jewelry alley.

Have a peek in the foundling shop!  Lots of old favorites and new designs.  Always wonderful.  (Oh!  And I am lucky enough to have a ring set from this shop that I purchased over a year ago, and the quality is outstanding...Doesn't disappoint!)

See you later, peeps, with more...

xoxox.

wednesday

Good golly.  My cup runneth over.  A home tour from Jane herself, of All The Luck In the World, only the most wonderful home-goods store in existance. 

I mean, really:

Go see!  And then read through the whole she-bang.  It's awesome--total love. 

Whoop!

***

Doing fine, now avoiding certain blogs.  Much happier as a result.  Took a look at this, realized I wasn't so shabby, after all.  (Thanks again, sweet Julie!)

Too tired to use personal pronouns.

Love y'all.

xoxox.

one of my very faves :: dana komjaty

Hello, my dears!

As you may know, I'm really in love with everything that Dana Komjaty does, and her blog is tops on my favorites list for it's quiet exploration of creativity, motherhood, and life in general. 

And today, she re-stocked her shop, check it out!:

They are beautiful wooden cut-outs painted and bees-waxed!

And they are hung on a hand-painted ribbon...They make me very happy...

Inspired by both Polish houses and Coney Island, they have a magic all their own, I think.  Don't you love them?

Do check Dana's beautiful blog and her lovely shop.  She's always creating new wonders and it's truly a delight to watch and read about.  I admire her tremendously, I really do.

***

Things continue wonky here, but the week is still new...sort of.  (I got a really cute haircut today, so there's that.  When one is having the non-fun sort of week I am having, one would not usually risk getting one's hair cut.  But I need to "work the cute" if my mood is ever to improve...)  The downward spiral all began when I made the mistake of reading certain blogs.  The blogs of perfect mothers (fit, creative and beautiful) with tremendously happy and well-rounded children leading idyllic lives.  I wanted to cry, but I was at work (on my break!), and that just wouldn't do.

Enough of that:  I hope your week is every good thing, my friends.  Every good thing, indeed. 

xoxox.

old stand-bys

Well, hello.  It's nice to see you!

One of the many, many good things about learning to live "more simply" (the euphemism for the day) is that we have re-discovered old favorites.  I think that before, we just had too much new stuff coming into our lives everyday to appreciate what we had right in front of us.  (And I, for one, would never, ever have changed my ways if I hadn't had to--so for that I am intensely grateful.)  We have had some incredibly fun times finding new ways to spend our days, with old stand-bys as the main event.

One of those old stand-bys are these, our story stones.  You can read all about them here, with a link to the original post at red bird crafts, should you wish to try your own (and I hope you do).  We were cleaning out some spaces in our craftroom/schoolroom and found these wonderful bits and pieces, thereby setting off a weekend long storytelling-marathon that continues unabated as we speak (and when storytelling gets a little old, you can always make more story stones, so that's good!)

This weekend, we added the opera singer above (?), as well as the good witch/princess and the prince with a wonky crown.  Also a frog, a stone representing music and a magic strawberry.  And a bad witch.  You always need a good, solid villain.

So here's how we play:  Start with a single stone, and pick someone (the youngest) to begin your story..."Deep in the recesses of an ancient wood grew a tree so big that it could touch the clouds if it wanted to..."

(The next person either gets to pick the next stone, or to make it harder, a third impartial (mom-like) figure gets to pick the stone and hand it to whoever's turn it is.)

"In this tree, in the tippy-top branches, was a nest, and in this nest, was a very precious egg..."

"Why was it precious?  Well, you'll just have to see about that, because it looks like a sweet little girl named Sofie has wandered into the forest and straight over to this tree!  She doesn't seem scared at all, as she is humming her favorite Taylor Swift song and thinking about what kind of ice cream she will have after dinner..."

"Just as she has pretty much decided on French Salted Caramel (her and her dad's favorite), she sees, nestled at the bottom of the tree trunk, a bottle!  Filled with what appears to be ice-cold lemonade.  Score."

"In the very same instant that she is bringing the bottle to her lips, a raccoon, appearing as if from nowhere, rolls like a bowling ball right into her legs, and the two of them go tumbling across the forest and land in a stream .  The raccoon, once they've stopped, looks straight into Sofie's eyes and says, "Well, it's a good thing I saved you from that sorry fate!"

And so on....

A few more pics, to stimulate your imagination (also lots more over at our original post!):

It's great fun--both the making of the stones and the telling of the stories!  Do give it a try--I've no doubt that you'll be amazed and delighted with what your kids can come up with (far better than my silly example) and you'll also be amazed at how much better they get with practice.  The benefits are obvious:  improved language skills, thinking on their feet, time with you, and an appreciation of just how difficult it is to tell a good story (and yet how a few simple tweaks can make it even better), to name but a few.

***

That's about it from here, my dears!  I hope you're doing wonderfully, or at the very least, thinking about wonderful things.  Me, I've got Really Good Feelings about this week.  We're getting our mojo back, I can feel it, I surely can. 

Sending you love and all that,

xoxox.

a flawed thing of beauty :: alexis anne mackenzie

Just a quick one, here!:  Totally beautiful collages by artist Alexis Anne Mackenzie:  Can you read them?

Never Be Sad

Dust

Dreaming Is Easy

Really, really amazing.  Here's what Alexis Anne Mackenzie says about her art:  "My general intent, throughout all my work, is to portray the world as a flawed thing of beauty - a place that shines brightly, but has a dark side to match."  Check. 

(Don't Be Sad is incredible and I love it.)

Click on over to her website so that you can see these, and many more, much bigger.  You just simply must...It's totally worth it.

Found via the really quite wonderful Unruly Things!

xoxox.

my patchwork life

Hey there, sweets! 

The universe laughs. 

Why?  Well, let me tell you:  after my long epistle about how much I've changed recently, no longer so inspired or, dare I say, covetous of beautiful handmade goods or home decor (and I really am), sweet Bianca from Perglina emails me this morning about some incredible quilts that she has in her shop.  They are amazingly lovely, and I fell hard for them. 

They are called ralli quilts, and you must take a peek!:

As Bianca says on her blog, "Ralli quilts are traditional quilts made by women in the areas of Sindh, Pakistan, western India, and in surrounding areas.  The collection we currently have are specifically from Pakistan and India.  They are made from vintage fabric that is quilted together, combining pattern and color in bold contrast and then finished with fine stitching."

So lovely, no?

"Ralli," says Bianca, is a word native to the areas in which these quilts are found, meaning "to mix or connect." 

Lovely!

Something about the combination of color, pattern, and horizontal stitching just totally thrills me.  Of course, I'm a sucker for patchwork--the more random, the better.  As far as I can see, patchwork is the perfect expression of "making do":  that art of taking a variety of items, old, worn or useless, and creating something altogether new. 

That's what life is all about, isn't it?!  I love it.

Anyhoo, do be sure to check these lovely quilts at Pergolina, and don't miss the super-cool Venetian masks, too!

Later, 'gators.

xoxox.

better late than never

Hello, all!

I have a confession:

I'm changing.

For the better, I think, although I can't be completely sure.  Doesn't really matter, though, because It Just Is.

I no longer find a whole lot of inspiration in people's homes or shops.  Not like I did on my other blog. Don't get me wrong--I love creativity, and everything that it represents:  seeking, searching, trying to understand this path we are all on together.  But I find that the longer we (my family and I) are in the position we are in (read:  rather poor), I am turning elsewhere for what fills me up.  And I really do think that's good.

beautiful photo via

I still love a lovely space, filled with personality and humor and surprises.  But more than that, I think it's about us, inside.  And what we do for and with each other.  And the space just doesn't seem to be quite as important as it used to.  Obviously, you are thinking, "Well, Amy.  Of course!  You just almost, and still may, lose your beloved home.  You must make peace with that, and you must detach."  And that is precisely my point.

It has taken me 39 long years to learn that what everyone says is truly true:  it's what's inside that counts, it's what we give that counts, it's what we love that counts, and how freely we allow ourselves love it.  I've heard it all my life;  so have you.  And it's true.

There is no doubt that our homes, our surroundings, and our environments are meant to bring us joy.  And that is a wonderful thing, to sit back and feel represented in a space, to feel inspired.  But when we create an outer world in order to make up for the failings of our inner world, we run terribly amok.  We lose our way, we don't know where to draw the boundaries.  We hope that by creating a world that is bright and lovely, we will feel bright and lovely.  Or, at the very least, be seen as bright and lovely.  But it doesn't work that way.  The inner recognition must--just must--come before the outer, or in spite of the outer, if we are to have anything lasting.

I might lose my home.  I no longer am a stay-at-home,very, very fortunate, suburban mom.  But I know who I am, and who my husband is and who my children are.  And no matter what, we will be okay.  Because it isn't the end of our story--not by a long shot.  And I want my children to grow up knowing that every single thing they need is inside them now, and will grow and serve them as they need it to, with prompting from a very tricky universe.  It--this life--isn't about how it looks at all, it's about how it fills your needs, and those of the ones you love, and those among us who need us the very most.

It's a shame that this is directly in contrast to every single thing our cultures tell us every single day.  But if you look hard, you find like-mined friends and soul mates, and that's enough.  And I've learned that it's never too late to learn, ever.  I'm almost 40 years old, and I'm starting anew.  Finally.  And I'll get it right this time, or die trying.

This new life of ours, too, has forced me to open up to people in a way that I never, ever would otherwise have done.  And I wouldn't have done it because I was afraid to--afraid of rejection.  But when you have nothing left, or very little, and someone offers you a hand, you must take it.  And I have, and I'm so much stronger for that--for the hands offered and goodness shared.  I never would have known!

It really is wonderful to surround ourselves with things--things that remind us of sweet times and loved ones, things that make us smile.  But you know what?  It's what's behind them that really means the world.  And the hugs and the hands outstretched and the smiles--oh, the smiles!

Here's the thing:  we are here for such a short time.  A blink of an eye, really.  And I just don't plan to worry about my house or my car or my bank account on my death-bed.  I plan to be surrounded by the faces I love, and to feel glad, so glad, that I gave all I could, and accepted in return.

This story isn't over, for me or for you...Stay tuned, my dears.  Lots more to come!

Thanks for reading.

xoxox.

p.s.  I will still post on lovely finds that speak to me, and homes that do the same.  I just find they are more difficult to come by, these days.  It could be an over-saturation of the blog-market, or it could be me.  Either way, when I see something I must share, I know it immediately, and then send it along to you.  Just like always.  :o)

puttering

That's my favorite thing to do...well, one of them:  puttering.  Moving around the house, setting things just-so.  I don't get to do it as much as I used to, but this weekend, there was time.

(What do you call it?) 

Some fantastic reads, of late (in addition to the two directly above!):  Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout, The Fall, by Jeffrey Lent, The Colour and Music and Silence, by Rose Tremain.  All truly, truly wonderful.

Have a lovely Monday, my dears!  Just lovely.

xoxox.

a girl can dream

Hello, all!

We have a dollhouse here in these parts, you may have seen it in the past in shots like this:

It's a Playmobil house, onto which we added two extra floors.  It is, after all, Sofie's dream home (she's my youngest, age 7) and we are all just along for the ride.

It's got a playroom...

Mom and Dad's room...

...with a basket that Mom takes to work (complete with coffee and day-planner)...

A baby's room (dream on, young one) complete with baby...

...and guard-dog...

A kitchen filled with sweets...

A piano in the family room...

...and a very large t.v...

And now for the girls' rooms.  First, Olivia:

complete with guitar and owl picture (she loves owls)...

And t-i-n-y origami crane!

Sofie has the entire top floor (the penthouse, if you will).  Chock full of pets...

books...

...and toys, including dollhouse.

Here's her grandmother, at the computer...

And the family taking in an episode of Hannah Montana, while Sofie plays with her baby sister and dog:

Like I said, it's her dream-world (there are also 6 horses in the backyard).  We decorate it for all major holidays, and pretty much keep it right in line with what we're doing around here.  Here's the fourth of July bunting:

...but for Halloween, we really come into our own.  Stay tuned!  ;o)

***

How are you?  I'm hanging in there.  Some days are far worse than others, but through it all, the dailiness saves me.  Wears me out, completely, but saves me.  Sometimes all you have is the fact that you have no choice but to continue, you know?  And so you do.

A sweet reader left a comment today on another post that introduced me to this wonderful quote: 

Everything will be okay in the end.

If it's not okay,

it's not the end.

How awesome.  I adore it, and I'm so grateful for it.  Thank you, Tracey!

And so, another week begins.  I hope with all my heart that yours is filled with moments of joy and gratitude. 

Cheers, my friends!

xoxox.