took a boat sunday

This is an easy and meaningful gift. For youself or someone you love. These are the lyrics to the first song Darren and I danced to at our wedding. Downstream by Supertramp. Written in my own natural handwriting on beautiful linen paper with just the right ink color, it is matted and framed and hangs in our bathroom. I LOVE the handwritten note, letter, recipe card, anthing really. I found an old letter from my grandma not too long ago. To find someone's handwriting and to trace their loops and tangles across the page is powerful. Who's handwriting would you like to see again? What song would you like to be reminded of each morning? What speaks to you?

yes I did

two side of the hope is alive everything all the time handbag....it feels good to carry a little hope and change

worth celebrating

For Christmas this year I asked for one thing...this book, Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist. I found it under the tree yesterday, from my boys. Today, an icy road day after Christmas day , we all found our bliss building Legos, playing new video games, watching David Gilmour, "live in Gdansk". Me, wrapped in a blanket my late-sweet grandma crocheted, I read Shauna's words as though were were long lost friends. This is her first book, but I understand there is another one in the works and I can hardly wait. This is a book about everything and nothing, about God and his goodness, and Shauna and her little piece of life, the big moments and the tiny moments all woven together to create a life worth celebrating. So, the little moments of making fluffy scrambled eggs and honey baked ham and toast with apricot preserves for our little family with Darren, and finding and reading words that sound like a friend and watching our boys build Legos on the rug in the family room on a icy day after Christmas day, those moments create a life worthy of celebration and thankfulness.

I do not "know" Shauna, but last summer Penny pointed her out to me while visiting a church in Grand Rapids. Penny thought I'd like her book. I found her blog. http://www.shaunaniequist.com/

If you have a moment, read a post or two, read Needles and Thread from her book. That chapter makes me cry big hanging from my jaw tears. Anyway, I emailed her for the weight that her words felt to me, the me that was and still is many days struggling on doing what I do... working on pretty things, painting, designing and crafting papers with scissors and glue, making messes big and small while trying to craft a business out of it all. It was the least I could do. And you know what? She wrote me back...more words to hang onto when it gets hard and scary and I get tired and full of self-doubt. So, months later I read her book in huge gulps in one afternoon and Penny is exactly right, I like her book. A lot.

no worry, be merry

Another letterbox hanging on for dear life...reminding me to be merry even though the clothes dryer spins for hours with no heat to dry wet towels. Cards not sent, gifts not wrapped, cookies burnt- no worry, be merry.

from my little man

Four sides of a modern damask everything all the time handbag created for my littlest man's teacher. Shhh.... He thinks she'll like it because he thinks she likes red.

inspire

Our Christmas tree this year wears INSPIRE. With ornaments that come from three generations, in golds and silver, turquoise and copper, grey and coral I am inspired. I call these banners, letterbox. Originally designed to hang on a wall, door or mantle they have inspired me to think outside the box and twist the typical ornament to really make a statement. What word or group of words speak to you this year?

good water 2

Original acrylic painting on canvas, 16" x 20"