Continuing

Last year, and many others in the past...

I've made plans or resolutions.  I've heard others use the word intentions, which feels a bit more accurate for me.

Also, in the past, I've chosen specific words to focus on.

2011's word was create and while I did do a lot of 'creating'...two things are for sure, I wish I had done even more and I pretty much forgot about the whole thing by February!  I kept on creating though, past February and through the year because that's what I do.

Life isn't about finding yourself.  Life is about creating yourself.  -George Bernard Shaw

Maybe Life is about stumbling on to yourself!  That seems to be more my style.

Usually, I end up forgetting all about these things a few months, or a few weeks into the year.

This year I'm choosing to do none of that.  After all, it's another year, in a long string of years that has and will make up my life.  I will embrace my love of the New Year = fresh start feelings.  I will focus on those feelings for as long as I do, then I'll move on.

A young man I know and a friend of his have discovered the art of continuing.  And really it's very simple, just tape on another piece of 

paper and go on with your drawing.  I believe they call this practice "continuing art".

I love that these first graders have unknowingly come up with such meaningful metaphor for this time of year, for life in general.  Make some additions, some adjustments and carry on.

This is a very good thing to remember.

Frankly, I was delighted to witness some continuing art being made (if only for a moment) by this young man.  Several papers were taped together and he was busy adding more to his story.  I was told that his friend had continued his drawn story up his bedroom wall and on to the ceiling!  Later, I was sent the two photos above showing his continuing art posted near the ceiling of his own bedroom.

I look at these drawings and wonder what their stories are.  They hold the imaginative thoughts of a young boy.  They supply inspiration to those that see them.

  I think some stories don't have to have an end.  Some stories can continue on & on &on...

Here's wishing your story continues in 2012.
May you embrace many, many moments.

This Moment

This Moment

A neighborhood.

At dusk.

Things are getting ready

to happen

out of sight.

Stars and moths.

And rinds slanting around fruit.

But not yet.

One tree is black.

One window is yellow as butter.

A woman leans down to catch a child

who has run into her arms

this moment.

Stars rise.

Moths flutter.

Apples sweeten in the dark.

~Eavan Boland

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2011

10 Minute Drill #12- Inspiration Continued

  

    So, here we are...the Day After Christmas when all the news wants to discuss is the sale shopping frenzy.  Instead, I invite you to relax and listen to this young girl.  To me it matters not that she sings of religious ideas that are not my own.  I just hear her as sweet inspiration.  Her beautiful voice, her songwriting...her ability to see right down to the heart of what is important - Every Day kind of important.

"Our dreams seem nearer and words are kinder, to the people that we meet..."  

"Families come back home, to the place they belong and their broken hearts are healed...."

May you celebrate this kind of inspiration all year long.

                      Here is a bit more to read about her.  She certainly leads by example doesn't she?  As she lives in a 2 bedroom house with her family, yet plans to donate part of her itunes sales monies so others may have the gift of music, what could be better than that?

                                           What word comes to mind as you listen?  

I have so many one word answers.  But, I keep coming back to

 "inspirational".  

May we all have an inspired year in 2012.

Here is the link, in case you need it: Night of Our Lives

10 Minute Drill #11 - Go For It!

                                               

If we could all have a New Year like this football play!

That's all I can really say.  Nothing profound.  This just gave me a lot of joy to watch, so I thought I'd share that here.  Enjoy!

10 Minute Drill #10 - Gifts

I love to give away things I've made.  This time my sister and my 3 nieces were the recipients of warm winter scarves as part of our Hanukkah celebration.   One side strips of colorful fabrics and one side soft fleece.  Mmmm...cozy!

Woodsy Yosemite Niece!

 I hope your upcoming winter days are filled with family, warmth, and the joy of giving.

                                                        

Sister's vintage fabrics!

Flowers for the photographer/dancer niece!

 

Guitar-playing Music Business Niece!

 

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2011

Three Feathers & One Spoon

These are the last feathers that have been sent off to Jude for her Magic Feather Project.   In a way it makes me kind of sad.  I've had so much fun making them, executing some of the many ideas that have been flying through my head.  Now it seems as if I'm out of time.  

So, what do I do with the leftover ideas?  lol

The funny thing is that one of these little feathers is the first one I started, but I kept putting it aside.  Either I didn't feel the flow or it was prempted by some other idea or some other procrastination.  With the end of the year deadline coming up, I figured to give it another try and WaLa...it spoke to me in this little gathering of 3!

 If you are a super quick stitcher, and can get a feather into the mail fast...

join in by sending her a feather!

This is a favorite scrap of fabric I've had for 40+ years, so I saved back a tiny bit for me too.  I have always been charmed by these little birds.  There is something so happy about them.  The fabric came from a shirt my sister made herself, back in the day.  It had 'butterfly' sleeves and was cropped right up under the breasts, tying in the middle (if that makes sense).  Does anyone remember that 1970's style?  Haha.  I can't believe how much skin we used to show!  I loved that shirt and was so amazed by the fact that she could actually sew something not too embarrassing to wear!  lol   Unlike the gold peasant blouse I made as a 7th grade sewing class requirement!!!

The backing is an old square of blue flannel from my patchwork baby quilt making days.  At that time I made a variety of patterns and sizes of squares, all with ties in the corners or middle of a square.  I always used and/or backed my baby quilts in flannel for extra softness.  I don't know why I placed them together here as I did (on angles), 

but oh well.  

I do hope it is useful for Jude.

On the back, you can see my thread loops from trying to hurry to finish it up in time. I don't like when the back is messy.  I hope Jude backs this, so little fingers are safe!  :)

Jude thank you for the opportunity to participate in such a worthwhile project.  I've appreciated this for so many reasons.

 I look forward to watching what happens next!

While I've used free moments to stitch feathers, my guy has used his free time to create beautiful wood spoons.  This one was a birthday gift for our neighbor.  I wish you could feel the smoothness and the gentle way it fits right in your hand.  Lovely!

As the year winds down, I hope you enjoy a sense of calm and creativity.


Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2011

Goodnight

 Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2011

Walnut tree stark and bare

shivers in the cold night air

Moon full, bright and round

All moon's friends gather round

Something Old

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2011

This is my grandfather's cane.  A man I never knew.  My mother's father, who passed away when she was only 11 years old.  For all of these years it has been kept, as a cherished remembrance of this important family member.  I've taken the seam out of the cane wrapping cloth and washed it by hand in Woolite.  It continued to disintegrate in my hands.  

There are many holes and shreds of fabric hanging off.  

It is as fragile as our history...as our memories of one another...of life itself.

Changes

Seems like nothin' stays the same...

even the same things change over time.

Especially with some type of intervention -

by man or nature.

This is the same rose bush at different times.
After pruning, the coloring shifts, the size of the blooms  differ and even the shape of the flowers changes.

These 3 photos show my neighbors rose bush.
It has become very ruffled after pruning.  The tips of the leaves have become variegated.
It has a very faint scent this season.  It used to be my favorite scent of all the roses.

This beautiful red rose barely had a scent at all in the past.  Now it is just heavenly.  Imagine the most condensed rose scent ever and you've got this one.  I wish you could smell it!

My roses don't know what season it is...they just keep blooming!

Today I really liked this!
Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2011