LET US BE THANKFUL

Thankful

The Week before Thanksgiving,

I limp around real strange.

Huddle in the corner,

As though I have the mange.

All the other turkeys,

Just gobble, gobble on.

I'm silent, and I act

As if my gobbler's gone. Everyone is thankful

On Thanksgiving Day.

Friday it's forgotten.

You all go on your way.

I know what thankful is

So listen when I say.

"It's great to be a turkey,

After Thanksgiving Day."

Unknown

MAD FOR PINK

Pink! Pink! Pink!  I am mad for the color pink these days! I love a particular shade that has more tones of blue then peach….a shade that is hot and shocking! I love it paired with deep scarlet and bright tangerine.  I’ve made several gypsy bags and steampunk necklaces in that exact color combination.

I've paired some new hot pink pillows with my standard forest green especially for the holidays,  I've bought yards and yards of  pink ribbon to wrap my Christmas gifts,  I've  found a pink cloth for my dining room table, and today I ordered a  fabulous shocking pink wool pea coat!

Pink makes me feel so happy!

PRETTY PACKAGING

I fuss over the packaging of my handbags and jewelry. I want the presentation to get almost as many "oohs and aahs" as the product. Because my bags and bijoux are created with 100% recycled, repurposed findings, it is only fitting that my packaging materials follow suit.

I begin with a recycled kraft colored box. The fanciful "sash" is made from a brown paper grocery bag that I paint with acrylic paints (the colors change with the season), let dry, then swirl with glue and glitter! (I have EVERY imaginable color of glitter!!) Once the painted bag is dry, I cut out 3 inch wide strips that will become the sassy sashes. I affix the sash around the box, tie a piece of hand dyed yarn (again, colors change with the season) over the sash, add one of my tiny MOO tags (which has a photo of one of my creations on the front side and all my important information on the back), and finally glue on a tiny flower, butterfly, or jewel.

Voila! So pretty!

SINGING IN THE RAIN

It has been raining all day. Big, soft, sumptuous drops. We need the rain, so it is welcome. And, honestly, I love to walk in the rain. I love the muffled pattering sounds the rain makes on the thick floor of fallen leaves, I love the sweet fecund smells of the wet woodlands, and I love viewing the world through a misty lens.  It is all quite heady.

WHO KILLED JOIE DE VIVRE?

"Knowing who you are and dressing the part-with an air of amused recklessness-is life affirming for you and life enhancing for other people. When the eccentrically glamorous you walks down the street, whether you are a wiry greyhound or a loveable lumbering labradoodle, you will feel gorgeously empowered and you will fill your neighborhood and workplace with positive vibrations. Think of it as a civic duty of sorts."-Simon Doonan

THE WITCHES' SPELL

"Hoity-toity! Hop-o'-my thumb!
Tweedledee and Tweedledum!
All hobgoblins come to me,
Over the mountains, over the sea:
Come in a hurry, come in a crowd,
Flying, chatting, shrieking loud;
I and my broomstick fidget and call---
Come, hobgoblins, we want you all!!
I have a pot of mischievous brew..."
Ruth Bedford

I love everything about Fall: warm fuzzy sweaters, crisp, sweet fallen leaves, carved pumpkins, fantastical Halloween outfits, and tart apple pies. I adore the rich autumn colors: bittersweet, warm forest green, and deep burgundy. I spent a glorious day yesterday putting away all my summer decor, and turning my home into an autumn wonderland. Garlands of glittered leaves, pumpkins of all sizes,  gourds and lovely indian corn. And...WITCHES everywhere! A universal creature of which fairy tales are written, and spells are spun, the witches might be my favorite part of fall. I feel a special kinship with these magical wise women and have been collecting them for years. I have wooden, resin, clay, cloth and paper mache witches. They gather in the nooks and crannies of my home, where I allow them to work their magic. You can almost hear them cackle in warm spirited salutation, "Come at my summons-come to me".

GOOD-BYE SWEET SUMMER

For the past five days I have done very little but soak up the sun and float in the water along with my husband and son (and Hunter, of course!) as we celebrated the end of summer at our cabin on the lake.
I feel energized and renewed and ready to get back to work.