Thinking...

So....with the arrival of spring  I find myself working more and more in the sun room. For one thing it's warm enough now to spend time in this unheated space and for another I've been adapting  my creative set up a bit. Cosmetically it appears nothing more than a swap out of knick knack accoutrements...a different painting, an alternate table runner, and some new fillers for the jars. At least that's what I intended to show. But then, last Monday I read a new post by Austin Kleon called Show Your Work and it made me stop and think. I've been thinking ever since.

 



I've been thinking about Kleon's reference to "authenticity."

I've been thinking about the past.

I've been thinking about the future.

 

I've been thinking about the way I create,

the way I blog,

and the way I keep house. 

 

I've been thinking about doing less,

doing more,

and doing what's fun.

 

And weirdest of all I've been thinking about this space.

Everyday when I step out here to "work" it looks like this.

Several hours into the process it's a shambles...thread tails and scrap clippings, tea cups and crumbs, piles and puddles galore.

BUT...

everyday before I step out of this space I tuck it all away and it looks like this once again.

 

Why?

 

 



Well it's certainly NOT because I want the room to be company ready 24/7!

Nope, with dear hubby's cubby on the opposite wall such a feat would be near impossible as his creative station is a continual "work in progress."

 



Inspirational reference lies within easy reach...

 



and pastels are always at hand...

 



which allows him to dabble at this...

and that in a moment's notice.

 



By comparison my space seems nothing more than a collection of supplies neatly stored,

 



displayed,

 



or stacked.

A place for everything and everything in its place is all well and good, but I'm thinking it might not be enough.  It's stifling to creativity and limiting to blog postings. The showing of supplies is nothing more than a projection into the future while the reveal of finished pieces is a retelling of the past (at least for me it is.) I'm missing the immediacy of last year's "Made" project. Looking back it was fun and it helped to keep my focus on the moments at hand....something that very well might be worth revisiting in some way. Not in terms of "Made" and definitely not with the daily obligation but perhaps along the lines of Kleon's "show your work."

  

Hitty Hands

 Hitty hands are often busy.

 

 You can find them reading a book,

 

 playing dress up,

 

 and even taking a fine stitch or two!

 

 Lucky me was the beneficiary of one such sewing session.

Just look at what a fine new garland I now have for my FUNctional space!

 

 I can't imagine a better accompaniment for this month's book which,

if you haven't already guessed, is......

 

HITTY of course!!!

If you decide to pick up Rachel Field's delightful telling of one wee wooden doll's amazing adventures I promise you will not be disappointed. Loved by an assortment of little girls, lost and found several times over, and often placed in the midst of historical figures and events Hitty is one heroine that is sure to find her way into your heart!

 



Junk Drawer

 Remember last year when I posted here nearly everyday? How in the world did I do that? I wonder and wish at the same time it could be so again. But alas, life seems to have dumped the junk drawer out on my lap. So what's to do but dig in and sort the minutiae piece by piece.

 

 The good news is, bit by bit tasks are being accomplished, meetings attended, appointments met, papers signed, funds dished out, and teenage drama subdued (fingers crossed on this one!)

Getting your ducks in a row can certainly be time consuming but also.....

 

 .....very rewarding. Once the big picture starts to reveal itself the light at the end of the tunnel begins to flicker.

 

 Currently I'm pinning down the final details...

 

 ...sending things off to appropriate recipients...

 

....and all the while keeping my fingers crossed that the "junk drawer" stays tidy long enough to get my hands really dirty with some serious crafting again!!!

  

Not Fun But.....

 Having your printer die on you is NOT fun. Having to reconfigure the technical hoopla of wirelessly connecting a new one to your system is even less amusing. The biggest bummer of all, however, is having to print out your tax returns on said printer in order to have something upon which your "payment due" check may be attached.

 

 BUT.....

....if on the way to the post office you also take along with you an order of bitty blossom pins to ship out to someone sweet the day soon becomes a bit brighter.

 

 AND.....

...if upon popping into the post office with your deliveries, you find the nicest postman in the whole wide world just happens to be behind the counter your smile becomes a bit bigger. 

 

 SO THEN.....

...with your mouth in mind it's no wonder you take a hop, skip, and a jump across the parking lot to Lil' Peach. I know the sign says Tedeschi but I first knew it as Lil' Peach and so it will always remain as such to me. Besides isn't Lil' Peach much more fun to say than Tedeschi?

 Anyhoo...this is where you will find a never ending supply of.....

 

...the best macaroons EVER!!!

And at 50 cents a pop these little delights are still quite affordable even after paying your taxes!

 



Just in the Nick of Time.....

 With only one day left to the month of March, I am happy to announce the snowflake garland was finally replaced with a far more entertaining and colorful string of buttons.

 

 Soon after a hint of Easter was added in the form of bitty basket bounties sent my way by the most kindred of spirits.

 

 And so all that remained to re-set my FUNctional space for the month was to make a book selection. Thanks to the delightful imagination of Beatrix Potter this was quite easy to do, for within the pages of The Tale of Two Bad Mice can be found a wonderful story of dollhouse adventure.

  

 It takes place in the most beautiful of  houses belonging to the dolls Lucinda and Jane. One day while the two dolls are out and about Potter conspires to have the house invaded by some very hungry and  rambunctious mice.

 

 Now if, like me, you happen to be a fan of Beatrix Potter and  this book happens to find it's way into your hands, lucky you!!! You are in for a real treat. Bar hoping on over the England, this is by far the best look see at Potter's home furnishings, and gardens you will get.

 

 More often than not the book demonstrates how closely she looked to the world around her as inspiration for her illustrations. While the red brick dollhouse displayed at Hill Top Farm may not be the exact model for Lucinda's and Jane's.....

 

.....much of the food and furnishings contained within it were!

 

 My favorite illustrations in the book, however, have always been the ones in which I catch a glimpse of Jane, the sweet wooden doll. For years I dreamt of having one similar and then one day I did!

 

A Wooden Polly doll...or so it said on her torso!

 

 Discovered  on the dark, dingy shelves of a New Hampshire thrift shop it was love at first sight. Goodness, how could anyone have resisted those three little curls.

 

A bit more information is "tattooed" on her back in case anyone out there is interested in searching out a  Polly Shorrock doll of their own.

 

She comes highly recommended for such sweetness is more than likely to put a smile on your face!

 



The Last Straw

 It snowed again yesterday.

 

 And although my little lucky penny doll was delighted for the opportunity to try out the new cape I made for her.....

 

 .....I am very tired of this view.

 

 Come to think of it...I'm tired of this one as well.

The good news is, today is the official start of spring!

Time for some fun,

a few changes,

and lots of color.

 

I find trays are the handiest when a transition is in order.

Moving to another room? Grab a tray.

TV dinner time? Grab a tray.

Welcome in a new season? Grab a tray.

 

 Considering I don't want to look at the snow out my window why would I want to look at it on my wall? Splashing in a spring rain puddle, however, now that looks like fun!

 

 Button, button, who's got the button?

I do!!!

Lots of them too.

And after an afternoon spent happily stringing them along I must admit.....

 

.....things are beginning to look up!

 



Out With Something Else That's Old

 

This morning we awoke to find our anticipated receipt of several inches of snow had blossomed into more than a foot! While the initial excitement of a "no school day" call followed by a cozy spell of window gazing with a hot cuppa were a delightful start to our Friday, the ensuing hours of shoveling left much to be desired. As I sit here now with achy arms and frost nipped toes I am thinking it is high time for a change in season.



Out With the Old....

Fourteen years ago, when Teen #2 was my sweet little Doll Baby, I decided it would be fun to make her some dress up clothes.  I learned how smock,

 



I made several very tedious buttonholes,

 



and I sewed up more than a few lengths of french seams. When all was said and done my Doll Baby had a new dress that was almost as sweet as she was. And me, well I had a new passion!

 



I became obsessed with smocking.

I joined a SAGA group, I subscribed to magazines, and I acquired this amazing machine, the Amanda-Jane Smocking Pleater. With it I was able to pleat up oodles of fabrics to embellish with trellis stitches, bouillons, and french knots.

 



For several years I had my fun....Christmas dresses, birthday frocks, playtime rompers....every occasion became an excuse for another creation.
 

And then my Doll Baby turned four and a half.

   

 Easter Sunday, 2001 did not go well. Doll Baby had wanted a shocking pink velour number with silver sequins but instead got a homemade gingham pinafore. I in turn received a truly terrifying preview of adolescent rebellion. I'll skip the gory details but  needless to say that was the last smocked anything I made for her. I have not budged but then again neither has she. Now, as a Sweet Sixteener her fashion tastes remain within the realms of velour and sequins...a combination that just so happens to be par for the course at her favorite shopping haunts Pink and Juicy Couture.

 Baring the occasional baby gift here and there, my pleater has for years been empty of fabric. Not much fun for the pleater or for me. So in the spirit of embracing all things "FUN" this year I've decided to do something about it. Amanda-Jane is headed to the Etsy shop and hopefully some new adventures in sewing.

 

And what about me?

It just may be that I've got some new doll baby adventures right around the corner.