Monarch Post

a very nice fixer-upper opportunity

 

Here's a fun project Sophey and I made last spring. I posted about it then, but since my blog was brand new, I'm sure only about two people read that post ;) I thought I'd re-share it for PINK SATURDAY.

We found this house-shaped basket while thrift store hunting. It was seriously tacky when we bought it. But we knew it also had tons of fixer-upper potential. We removed all the wooden bric-a-brac from it. And Sophey (of course) chose to spray paint it pink.

When we lived in Suffolk England I fell in love with Suffolk cottages. Suffolk cottages are the most charming shade of pink with brown thatched roofs, and most have beautiful English cottage flower gardens.

So that's where the rest of the inspiration came from for our house-basket. I cut strips of various shades of felted wool and made a thatched roof. Added a chimney on one side. Sophey painted the shutters lavender and rummaged around a box of old silk flowers; gluing on her favorites.

All in all, lots of fun for about three or four dollars. And the perfect home for the thrift store bunny we found that day too. (Miss Pinkys' ears make the roof pitch).

 

We made Miss Pinky some clothes after we finished her cottage.

 

A very happy home for a very sweet bunny, I'd say... Although it might be hard to find a house-basket like this one, a basket shaped in a similiar way could still make a very nice bunny (dog, cat, etc.) cottage of your own.  (We know with school ending soon, we're all going to be looking for things to keep kids busy). Happy crafting to you!

Love,

xoxo Kelly

have needle will travel

 

Made a few strawberry pincushions last week while sitting in the car waiting to pick up kids from school. They're in my Etsy shop now. The one with the vintage earring "blossom" sold. But there's another one and a kit. I've come to the conclusion that making something a few times is fine, making something more than a few times usually bores me to tears. Kits are a great idea-- there will be more of those in the future. I think creativity kits for kids sounds like a really great idea, haven't seen too many of those that are anything wonderful.

Anyways, today I have half a day to get busy and creative. I'm going to crank out some new business cards, and get my brain cranking on a licensing plan that's been brewing along time... I'd tell you more, but I've heard there are some pirates in these here internet waters;) I'll let you know when something comes of my big ideas.

 

For the past few months I've been spending Tuesday and Thursday afternoons caring for my Mom. As I mentioned awhile back, my Mom is suffering from a rarer form of dementia. She's in hospice care at home right now, but probably not for too much longer. Nursing home options are being evaluated. It's been a very tough and long couple of years for our family, especially for my Dad who is her caregiver.

My saving grace these past few months has come in the way of some very wise email advice from an artist blog friend. She told me not to lose myself in all this; my Mom wouldn't want that. (She's right). And she told me to take along a basket of craftiness when I'm with my Mom. I will tell you, I'm never now without a basket of simple things to work on. (Simple and repetitive seems to = meditative).

Yesterdays' basket held wool teddy bear baby gifts to handsew and aqua dishcloths to crochet for Ainsleys' '50s blue kitchen. I didn't get time to work on any of those projects, but I knew there was a basket of calm waiting for me if I really needed it... maybe tonight while Jesse practices before his baseball game I'll get to my basket.

Lots of love,

Kelly

enjoying the weekend

 

Corbyn walked into the family room the other day and saw this... Winston sitting in the old LazyBoy recliner WATCHING televsion. I kid you not. Corbyn hurried and took this cell phone snapshot, so forgive the fuzzyness, but just had to share... The dog makes me laugh-- every. single. day.

Hope you're having a relaxing, enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. As you can see, we are.

Love,

Kelly

Susan Boyle, Susan Gloria and sweet serendipity

 

My girlfriend Melinda sent me a youtube email a few weeks ago. She wrote at the top of the page, you have to watch the whole thing! And so I did. I sat in front of my computer screen teary-eyed and blown away like millions of people who have watched Susan Boyle sing her amazing rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" on Britain's got talent tv program.

And then I watched it a half-dozen times more... So much has already been said about why Susan affected people the way she did that night. I've read several theories from "everyone loves the underdog" to "the ugly duckling becomes a swan" theory about Susan's performance. I'm sure each are true. But there's something more too, I think. I think we love it when someone's timing, gifts, gumption, and grace all collide at the same moment in time. We love to see people who've never had the chance to shine, shine. And when they shine, they light our way; showing us that it's all still possible, we just have to "Dream the Dream" too-- and belt it out loud.

So dear Susan, thank you for your bravery-- and thanks too for wiping that smug grin off Simon Cowell's face ;) I think it was high time someone did it, and who better than lovely you!

Which all brings me back to Susan Gloria in the first photo above: my inspiration for her came from Susan Boyle and springtime, because like I said in my last post, May inspires fairy-art doll making for me. Her dress is made from a sweater sleeve (the sort some ladies of "a certain age" like to wear ;)) which I appliqued with odd pieces of fabric and felted wool. And her head is made from newspaper papier mache. When I was almost finished tearing strips of newspaper, I found one piece with the sentence "Believe in yourself". I promptly stuck that piece right across her chest! I love it when a plan comes together-- I mean, how perfectly perfect. Talk about sweet serendipity all the way around.

 

 

 

 

So believe and dream and do it my friends! Susan Gloria here is heading off to Art Doll Quarterly magazine-- I'll let you know if she makes her audition!

Happy PINK SATURDAY everyone! (I hope Susan has enough pink on her dress to qualify for today.)  Thank you Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting this event. There's lots more pink over at Beverly's blog, have fun!

Lots of love,

xoxoKelly

fairy magic

   

Saturday I cleaned out my studio. It's amazing how quickly it always turns into chaos in that room. It never stays clean for very long, but there's order for a minute today. Whenever I start thinking of what I want to make next, I start by collecting baskets of items I might like to use together. May seems to inspire fairy-making, so I think that's next on the creative to-do list. 

On the top of my gathering pile, I've added my first fairy art doll experiment from about five years ago for you. She's still one of my favorite little craft projects; she hangs out in my studio, spreading her good fairy cheer.

    Her head is polymer clay, but her features are cut from old magazines; there's something about the way the eyes and smile turned out... part Marilyn Monroe, part pixie mischievious magic. Add that Mike's Lemonade bottlecap crown... I think it just works together ;)

Happy Monday to you!

xoxokelly

considering lilies

"consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Matthew 6:28

    

Our home is overflowing this week with bouquets of flowers from Ainsley's graduation and Mother's Day. This morning I walked past a bouquet in the living room and noticed what a lovely still life it all made. A family quilt Ainsley made for us two Christmases ago thrown over the couch, the lilies and a consignment store folksy bowl piece I found last summer. And the light and the dropped petals... just so nice together. So calm and peaceful.

I've caught another cold this week, (my fourth since Jan.?) and I've been laying low the past couple of days, but seeing this little vignette made me think about a collage piece I'd almost finished. And so I sniffled my way along and finished it today. I think it made me feel better just getting something creative done.

       It's really nothing fabulous; just my second attempt at a "folksy-painty-collagey-arty" piece. But I think it's really okay to show a side of yourself that's a work in progress and process. If nothing else, it's good therapy to sit and cut and paste, and get back in touch with that inner five-year old. Right? Right ;) (I do like the way the stars dance though, unplanned by me...)

And that verse, "consider the lilies", it's one of my all-time favorites... It's one that crosses my mind often, and the imagery of it is so very, very beautiful to me. I tend to be a "toiler and spinner" at times, and I come from a long line of fierce worry warts on my Mom's side.... But whenever I think of this verse from Matthew, it takes me to a point of calm almost immediately.

 Matthew 6:28 also takes me back to my childhood. I remember a late spring evening with my Dad, we had just finished working in the garden. At one end of my parents' beautiful garden, beneath a lilac tree is an area of lilies. As we stood there, side by side, admiring the lilies, my Dad said, "consider the lilies, how they toil not neither do they spin-- even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these".  He asked me if I remembered the verse. I said I did. And I still do. They say life is remembered in moments, not days. I believe in those moments.

Love,

xoxoKelly

 

 

a day filled with memories

  

I'm backtracking a little today. So many things to post about this weekend, but I wanted to post Ainsley's graduation photos today.

I spent so much time Friday doing that flashback thing... remembering so many moments from Ainsley's life. All of the firsts, and a few of her fits!

   A hundred sweet memories of tiny her flooded my mind, as I sat and watched the graduation procession... Baby days and me, trying to figure out the whole mothering thing on her. She was that first child experiment. And I was a single Mom back then. It was the two of us together, at first, as a family. (Until Prince Mike came our way...) When I was her age now, she was already three. She spent hours by my side as I studied to finish college. And I shclepped her around the campus on my hip, with a bookbag on my back at times. Is that why she's so smart? Let's hope so ;)

And then one day, I accidentally blinked... and now here she is... grown and graduating from college. Hard to believe. I blinked back tears too, last Friday. How does it all go by so fast?

But there were happy tears also. And such joy to see her becoming this wonderful young woman. Full of grace, goodness, compassion, intelligence, humor, and a heart for the world. She wants to change the world, and I think maybe, someday, she just might. She plans on going back to school in about a year for another bachelors degree in sociology, and then wants to earn a PhD. And I know she can do it. We just keep telling her to follow her heart... it will lead her to her destiny.

   

 

After the ceremonies, we threw a party for her and her friends at our house.

 

We hurried and got the back yard into shape last week, and then prayed for good weather. It was a little chilly, but thankfully no rain!

   I got all my flowerpots painted and planted-- by the time I finished it was dark... not bad for not seeing what I was doing. And red and white for the U of U grad of course!

     We filled the backyard with balloons, food, and friends last Friday. And of course, by then I was so busy I forgot to take pictures of the friends!

    Sophey made cupcakes for her big sister. And flowers and gifts arrived with friends...

   And twenty-five, twenty-somethings had a really good time. Oh my :)

    I'll let you fill in the details here...

   It was a day filled with memories, old and new to treasure always. We all LOVE you so much Ainsley!!xoxoxo Congratulations, sweetheart!!

Lots of love to all of you too!

Kelly

Happy Mother's Day!

     Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Fresh flowers from a husband,

    and breakfast in bed made by an eight-year old.

 

Sweet, sweet cards... Can't beat that.

 

That's us.

Have a wonderful day!

Love,

Kelly

free goodies

  

Denise over at Polka Dot Moon is having a blog anniversary giveaway for the next few days. Today my Etsy shop is being featured and this pin is the giveaway item... stop by and check out all the cool artists and their work!

This morning I cropped and downloaded all the graduation and party photos from yesterday... I'll post those soon. We had an amazing, wonderful day yesterday. Lovely, lovely, lovely!

Be back soon!

Love,

Kelly

blooming red and white

Humanity will not perish from want of information but only for want of appreciation...Life without wonder is not worth living. ~Abraham Joshua Heschel

 

Didn't mean to be gone so long, but my keyboard died this week. Last night my IT guy (also my husband, very handy arrangement) got me up and running again. And now my new mouse is telling me it has a weak signal... so I gotta keep it short.

This Friday morning our Ainsley will gradutate from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Psychology degree. Her minor is in Family Studies and Human Development. She's very interested in the emerging field of positive psychology-- studying happy, well-adjusted people. Fancy that, for a change! To say we are sooo very proud of her is an understatement. Right now I'm busy planning a big old celebration party for her and her friends on Friday night.

Aren't those tulips gorgeous? I took the photo this morning. Just down the street on a farm sits this half-acre of jam-packed blooms surrounded by apple blossoms. Gorgeous. Lots of red and white too-- University of Utah colors for the graduating girl!

See you in a few!

xoxoKelly