florafox, i love you

Hello, my dears!  I'm so very excited to share this beautiful new fabric with you.  It's designed by the ever-talented Nic of Luzia Pimpinella, and it's so truly perfect, you'll just love it.

Look!

Is it not the sweetest thing you ever saw? 

It's called "Florafox," and here is a pic of the pattern, close-up:

Are you not charmed?  Delighted?  Smitten?!  Me, too!

And then...look at this adorable pillow Nic also made, using the ribbon and fabric of the same design:

And she machine-embroidered the fox onto the pillow!  I can't stand it...

I love it, so much!  So perfectly folksy and colorful and dear.  Where, you might wonder, can you get your hands on some of this beautiful material?  I'm so glad you asked.

The fabric will be available through German retailers as of September (wholesale-ing through http://www.farbenmix.de/) and the ribbon will shortly be available in Nic's beautiful Dawanda shop which you can find here.  (You absolutely have to look at her shop!  Her designs are to-die-for.) 

And, how awesome!--the machine embroidery design is available here, through Huups!  And of course, to learn more about Nic and her beautiful life near Hamburg, Germany, see her blog and her flickr stream.  You won't be disappointed...And say hello!  She's super-duper charming and friendly...

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Oh, my dears, I am behind on my mail.  I am trying to catch up, so if you haven't heard from me, don't think I don't love you, because I do.  I'm just a bit limited on time these days.  But you matter, and I'll be writing to you soon, I promise.

Have a great one!

xoxox.

it'd be fun to have these

Oh, it's so fun to pretend-shop, isn't it?! 

There's some real good-lookin' handmade stuff out there...here's what I'm loving today:

"Sacred Spring" print by the wonderful Betsy Walton...

Unbearably perfect linen floppy sun hat by Yokoo...

Set of 3 gorgeous hand-crafted spoons from the lovely shop Burned Furniture...

"Birds" stuffed print (I love that!) from minu...

Granny Square belt, from the genius that is Karen Meyers...

"Girl and Her Horse, no. 3" from Mary's Granddaughter...

Practically perfect Utility Tote from mcl drygoods...

The cutest stacking ring set I ever did see, from Kristy Lin...

And pretty much every single thing from the shop of Chinese fashion designer Sanghema.  (Or is that the name of her line?  I'm not sure, but I love it.)

***

What's floating your boat?  Do tell!

xoxox.

things you think, when looking at a great expanse of water

We are here, in this place, a certain lovely beach of a Saturday morning.  We are healthy and together and loved.

A few clouds just make the light more beautiful...

 

...and thank heavens, we've got each other. Always.

The edge of the ocean looks a little bit like lace...

The wind makes more beautiful patterns than man (or woman) ever has...

and colors you wouldn't think lovely in a living room are stunning out-of-doors.

We're not alone...not ever.

It's good to take time off to think big thoughts....

and to realize that there are little bits of beauty everywhere:

 

Oh!  And don't forget to dance...

 

...and laugh and play.

***

As the girls explored, we talked about our life and our place in the world, just now, as people are wont to do when looking at a great expanse of water.  It was wonderful to just sit and know that it will all be okay, because we are okay, and we can start again.  Beginnings only come after something else has ended, after all, and maybe something has.  We shall see.

Old into new.  Stale air into fresh.  Dross into gold...and back again.  That's life.  That's being alive.  That's what the wide world does.  And so will we.

Have a great one, my dears!  (Think big thoughts.)

xoxox.

how to be dumb

Oh, Erin Hanson.  You've done it again.

It's Deep Bull***, (I love to swear, but just not in print) or "Affirmations, confessions, and declarations...making dumb dumbed-down with design." 

 I love this girl:

It's basically a course in how to be stupid and mess-up your life from the sublime to the ridiculous (I can relate), and it looks cool. 

Take a look!:

Oh, there are so many more!  And they are so awesome. 

This is not the first super-great idea Erin has had--not by a long-shot.  She's the creative chutzpah behind Recovering Lazyholic, one of the most under-rated not-yet-famous artist/photographer outfits out there.  Check her website, it's insane how many great ideas she's had.

Oooh, and looky!  Lists, really great lists, you can download for free!  (She's nice, too!  Someone give this girl some kind of licensing deal.  Please.)

Again, just 'cause you have to:  website, shop, flickr.

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Now go have a good weekend.

xoxox.

gifts

Hey, sweets!  So good to see you.  Do you like my new friend?  She came as a total surprise to me from the Fantabuloso Junker Jane, about whom I posted a while back.  She made my month.

Here's the totally awesome doll, which just happens to be in my favorite colors.  And she has some new buttons of her original art in her shop, and here they are!:

Like Christmas, my dears.  Total squeal-fest, for me and mine:

I can't say enough good things about Catherine (a.k.a. Junker Jane), and if you haven't discovered her work, you've got some fun in store!  Check her shop and her site--she's a total bad-ass and I love her.  To bits.

Oh!  And here's my latest motto, also from the talented hands of Catherine.  Take a look:

I mean, really.  So crazy-awesome, and just what I need to hear, some days.  (For those of you who are not native-English speakers, it means "Shut up,quit complaining, and deal with it."  Just so you know.)

Thanks, Catherine!  You're tops with me forever, and that's not just because you sent me free stuff.

***

How fares your week, my friends?  Still kickin'?  Me, too.  I have this quote hanging on my wall at work, and it makes me very happy.  Like something really is in the works.  Because something is.

"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland."

--Isaiah 43:19

I am delighted when I think about how good things are in the works...in my life, in yours...that I can't see.   Really good things.  And I think the delight that I feel comes from the way that the quote is worded:  he sounds delighted, doesn't he?!  How cool.

To me, one of the very best things in life, the very best, is to have something to look forward to.  To hope for something, to know there is a treat coming your way.  I actually think I like it better than the treat, sometimes.  So I know that as long as I'm looking ahead with hope and delight, I'm okay.  And I am--how could I not?  First of all, it's a choice, for the most part, to be hopeful.  But more than that:  my life has so much good already, and every single good thing in it, without fail, came to be without my active pursuit of it.  I mean, I was ready and kind of prepared, but ultimately it was more like a gift than a prize earned, every single time.  (Does that make sense?) 

So I look ahead with hope.  Some might call it wishful thinking:  I call it obvious.

***

Have a great rest of your week, my sweets!  And thanks, as always, for reading.

xoxox.

very odd, indeed

Be optimistic?  Oh, I'm trying...I am! 

 ...And for the most part, succeeding.  It's just that every now and then (like today, when I realized that there are more than two weeks until my next payday, and we have less than $100 in the bank) I get just a little angry:

...Angry that change takes so long, even when it is clearly in your best interest.

...Angry that I work so hard for so little money, in large part because I was a stay-at-home-mom.

...Angry that there's not more support for us, honest people with extenuating circumstances.

...And most of all, angry that I can't make it all better, through sheer force of will.

However, it's times like this that I have to stop and take a dose of my own medicine:  I've been talking to Sofie a lot lately about "playing the hand we're dealt."  And I believe that that is exactly what we must do, without self-pity and without complaint (well, okay, maybe a *few* complaints).  The cards we had to begin with, this little family, were pretty darn good.  We played some cards poorly, got dealt a few more bad cards, and now we are just trying to make it until the next hand without getting kicked out of the game. 

But there always is another hand, and the game can be played, no matter your standing, with good humor and perseverance and optimism.  We don't get to pick the cards we're dealt, but we must, just must, make the best of them, wisely choosing to risk or not risk with each turn.  And you just don't know what's going to hit the table next, do you?

(Would we really want to?)

Anyway.  Enough of that metaphor, already.  But wait:  here's the thing that surprises me every single day:  I'm so happy.  I'm so much more happy than I've ever been!  Tired, yes.  Scared, absolutely.  Almost sick with worry, sometimes.  But happy.  None of the changes in the last year are things I would have chosen--not even remotely.  But I love--and am loved by--my family, my friends, and most of all myself so much more than I ever have or was before.  Ever. 

And those are good cards, no?  (I couldn't help it!)

***

I think God has a very odd sense of humor.  Either that, or He's a whole lot smarter than I've been giving Him credit for.  Probably both.

***

Have a wonderful Tuesday, my dears!  May you be surprised.

xoxox.

sunday morning and a reason to smile

You know, sweet friends, I hope the same isn't true for you, but for me, it's been kind of a rough week.   One of the roughest.  However, the world is always more good than bad, and as a tiny bit of evidence, I share with you this:  I came across as link this morning of a three year old boy reciting a poem by the great Billy Collins, and the sheer and complete delight of it will carry me through for a long, long while.  Take a look (sorry about all the ads around it, but it's worth it!) and the poem follows, below.

Litany

 

You are the bread and the knife,

the crystal goblet and the wine.

You are the dew on the morning grass

and the burning wheel of the sun.

 

You are the white apron of the baker,

and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,

the plums on the counter,

or the house of cards.

And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.

There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,

maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,

but you are not even close

to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show

that you are neither the boots in the corner

nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,

speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,

that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,

the evening paper blowing down an alley

and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees

and the blind woman's tea cup.

But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.

You are still the bread and the knife.

You will always be the bread and the knife,

not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

A world where a poem such as this could be written, and this child could recite it, and it can be shared?  Pretty much hands-down wonderful.  I'm going to see if my husband can put the audio on my iPod, because I'd like to hear it at least once a day.  Maybe more.

Read more about Billy Collins here, and read more of his poems here.

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Have a great one, my dears!  The week begins anew.

xoxox.

winner, winner, chicken dinner!

Sorry, all, for taking a bit of extra time to announce the winner of our little give-away!...Nothing more than some minor technical issues with my brain.  I believe I've got it as close to "back up and running" as it's going to get...

But, yay!  The random-number-thingy picked sweet Lynn-Anne, of lakbdesign!

Hearty congrats, Lynn-Anne, and I'll be emailing you to hammer out the details.  And thank you a million times to everyone who played along--your money-saving tips were wonderful, and I am eagerly incorporating them into my life as we speak.  I sincerely hope you picked up a tip or two, as well.

And, should you be so inclined, you can pick up your very own copy of Jodi's latest and greatest book Simply Sublime Gifts:  High-Style, Low-Sew Gifts to Make in a Snap quite affordably here...I think it'd pay for itself rather quickly, especially with the hols coming up, right?!

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Back soon, with lots more.  Thanks for everything.

xoxox.