10 Minute Drill #15 - Sunset

Look...Look...Look at this beautiful sunset tonight!

Could the solar flares, experienced today, have contributed to this amazing glow?
Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2012

Romeo and Juliet ♥ 1968 and Velvet

                                      Do you ever have one of those moments where you suddenly have an idea pop fully formed into your head?  Of course you do, we all do, don't we?!  I think the technical name is an "AH-HA Moment"!  Today while reading two comments at favorite blogs, I had that happen.  I think the comments merged in my brain.  Over at Deb's bee creative both Deb and Jude mention the 'velvet' she is stitching on.  Then quickly after, I read the comment over at Jude's 9 hearts where Eva mentions love and Romeo & Juliet.
Suddenly...BAM...my brain realizes that in my mind those two are forever entwined.  This movie (posted above) and deep rich fabrics (velvet really).
I have recently, over the past year, been drawn more and more to velvet.  It is not a fabric I've ever bought, nor sewn with.  But lately, I really want to!  I now have a little piece (thanks Denna!) to add into current work.  I've dyed it a beautiful color, so I'm excited about that.  See if you can watch this trailer without an eye on all of the gorgeous fabrics!

None of this is really all that important in the 'grand scheme of things' (as my mother would say).  It just was a rather odd thing to realize, out of the middle of nowhere, that...Romeo & Juliet = Velvet.
This is one of my favorite movies of all time.  I was in the 5th or 6th grade and I walked to the theater with my best friend, meeting along the way one of the boys everyone 'liked'.  He was your typical cute, popular bad boy!!  So he went with us, but would not actually sit with us (girls, you know).  Instead he sat several seats and a row away.  As we were falling in Love (draw a big heart around that word) with Leonard Whiting and wishing to be Olivia Hussey, he was snickering.  We fell in love with love that day.  The kind of love that lasts forever and really means something!  Romantic love.  Everything about the movie and those two young actors was perfect in our eyes.  Well, practically perfect, with one big exception, I wouldn't Really kill myself!  It was just all that grand beauty and drama.  (((sigh)))  Oh, how we wanted to be Olivia!  And so, as we sobbed at the ending, the bad boy several seats away laughed outright.  I wonder what further meaning this scenario paints?!  The difference between the genders, at least at that young age.  Or the roles society places on us, the ones we learn unconsciously at a very young age.  I've thought about that over the years when reflecting on this oh-so-clear example.

Anyway, now that I know this connection of mine, I think I will use velvet with a new kind of intention.  Thank you to those who inspired this train of thought :)

PS In searching for this video, I found these two that also caught my eye:
view one
view two
The second one has a more current song: Ghost of a Rose by blackmore's night
I ended up really liking this song and the video is very well done.

FYI

Accidental self-portrait © 2001

In case you haven't noticed...I've added a couple things to  

pomegranate trail recently.

At the bottom of the left side-bar: "Monthly Finds" 

alerts readers to interesting 

places I've discovered on the web.

At the top of the right side-bar: I've posted a favorite quote,

 one that seems

pertinent at the moment.

Both of these new items are intended as a changing view of what I'm thinking and/or discovering in the current moment.

Both of these new categories will stay here as long as I find interesting items to post 

and as long as I'm interested in keeping up with making the changes.

At the top: I've also added a new page titled: "The Traveling Quilt".  

You are invited to take a peek!

I'd also like to say thank you to all of my regular blog readers!  

Your visits and comments have made the last 8 months a lot of fun!

I've enjoyed getting to know all of you and 

look forward to our friendships continuing.

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2012

Etta James - At Last - You'll be missed

     

Words need not be written...
Rest well...rest well...

Blind Quilter

For quite some time now...since Cindy's great Wonder Woman Bracelet

post...I've been thinking about something.  How would it be - what would it feel like to

'sew without seeing'??!!  Cindy's amazing bracelet with the seemingly random stitches gathering more in some places than in others had sparked the idea.  

What if you did it all Only by Feel? 

I thought a lot this as I sewed my Soar Feather for Jude's Magic Feather Project.

So tonight, as research for this post (haha) I finally tried it.

Sitting on the couch, I closed my eyes and added some stitches to my Chicken Cloth. 

I knew I was at a corner, so I tried to stitch a circle.  Feeling and visualizing as I went.

As you can see below, my bright blue thread ended up in a square-like shape.  Well, pretty close.  Then I decided this was not the most scientifically planned experiment since I knew what my cloth looked like and planned to sew in the available corner, thus sighting there Before closing my eyes.  No fair Nancy, that's cheating!!!  So, I quickly closed my eyes again and tried a few more stitches (you can see them to the right of the 'square').  

Bright blue stitches added while my eyes were closed

This was an interesting experiment that told me how insensitive my fingertips really are!

That is why this video I found tonight is all the more impressive. 

Watch it and see what you think!
Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2012

     

If you would like to read more about  Diane Rose her website is here.  And be sure to check out her 'about' page, as it gives a lot of details about how she works.

  Photo by Nancy A. Erisman ©2012

Watch Full Screen

          

From Pina Bausch's production of Orpheus and Eurydice 

at the Palais Garnier, 2008

Dance of the Blessed Spirits

Fly...

 Fly, soar, float, glide, wing, dart, accelerate, zoom, loop, navigate, alight, Nest, cradle, inhabit, perch, retreat, sanctuary, take root, Grow, develop, evolve, extend, expand, nurture, plant, sow, cultivate, till, reap, germinate, sprout, flourish, thrive, Change, alter, vary, reconsider, modify, transform,translate, make over, metamorphose, shift, convert, innovate, recast, remodel, revamp, reorganize, Strengthen, deepen, heighten, intensify, enhance, magnify, spread, disperse, inflate, escalate, inflate, smoothly, go well, prosper, appreciate, Blossom!
-NAE 2010

 

 Recently our neighborhood crows held a giant meeting.  Approximately 100 crows held council on my street, the power lines, neighbors rooftops.  Calling, shouting, conversing with each other.  They strolled across the road, ate acorns and flew from perch to perch.  They gathered in the oak trees.  They called us out to bare witness to this afternoon spectacle. 

I wished I spoke Crow. 

Just imagine hearing a large murder of crows sounding like this.

And here is one more in honor of those of you who just got snow!  

 _________________________________________________________________________

 Recently I was fortunate to see the monarch butterflies, on to the coast.  This photo shows them gathering in their 'clusters' for the night.  If they do not latch on and are left on the ground they usually do not survive the night time temperature drop or the foraging rats.  There were thousands of these Monarchs hanging from 

many, many clusters in the eucalyptus trees.

You can learn more about Monarchs here or here
 

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2012

Prayer Flags - Self-Expression and Story

                             

Prayers on the Wind- Prayer Flags and Sacred Spaces  


I seem to be bumping into Prayer Flags over and over lately.  

So, I am inspired to finally do my own prayer flags post.  

All of the flags I've seen online are unique and I've enjoyed seeing them.

Mine have been important to me these last years because of their story.

Years ago I heard of a prayer flag project that involved 

painting on muslin 'flags'. 

It explained the 5 traditional colors and how they represent the 5 basic elements: yellow(earth), green(water), red(fire), white(air), blue(space).  

I was intrigued, so I went online and did a bit of research.

I learned that the Tibetan word for a horizontal prayer flag is Lung ta, which translates literally as "wind horse."  The prayers flags whip in the wind, evoking the sound of hooves. They are left in place, while new ones are added over time, right alongside the old ones.  The images fade from the sun and wind, threads work loose and their prayers become a permanent part of the universe.

This idea really spoke to me.  So, I enlisted the participation of my guy and we painted some pre-stitched flags.  I gathered everything together, using the muslin as the white (air) element.  We used natural and other materials to apply the paint.  After they dried, we added the words we wanted to send out into the universe.  Now, my guy makes music but paint, fabric etc. are not really his thing.  However, he agreed to have a go with me.  He painted in his way, his style.  When it came time to add words that we each deemed important messages, he did that in his style too!  Let's just say that I am the one who reflects or participates in matters of spirituality.  He learns about history and science and facts.  

 Prayer Flags

Our prayer flags hang from the porch over the front door.  The ones above are the latest ones made in 2010.  We made them for about 5 years in row, usually around Thanksgiving.  I liked making them then, in a season of gratitude.  It felt good.

My favorite story related to our prayer flags came up after the very first group had hung out in the elements for about one year.  One day as I stood looking at them I noticed something odd.  All of his words (messages) were so faded that they were barely visible.  My words were there in black Sharpie marker, as if I had just written them that day.  The flags hung side by side in an every other one pattern.  His - mine - his - mine...

I looked even closer.  

Oddly enough, it was true: his words were gone and mine were still there!

None of the reasons we could think of explained 

what we were looking at with our own eyes.

We had used the same exact materials ... they had equal time in the sunlight ...

There was not a reasonable explanation.  

Even if I pressed harder while writing, therefore leaving more ink behind...

well, my writing did not fade to the same lightness for another couple of years.

Let me tell you we've had many a good laugh over the mysterious, 

yet selective disappearing words!

We missed making the prayer flags in 2011.  

Maybe we'll make some this year. and see what happens to our messages.

If you'd like to explore more prayer flags, just follow the links:

There is the collective art project: The Prayer Flag Project

Jenclair at Bayou Quilts blogs about her prayer flags and she shared

Linda's of Art Quilts envisioned them as a prayer mobile

Peggy of Woman With Wings posts about her green craft: prayer flags

Karen of Art Therapy has made prayer flags with groups.

Elizabeth (rhythm of the home) writes a thoughtful post on creating prayer flags with friends.

I have to include Valerie over at Sew On and On and her installation: thankfulness project
While not typical-adapted-art prayer flags, I loved following her gratitude project last year.

Last, but not least, there is You Tube

where you can find more informative and inspirational videos.
Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2012

10 Minute Drill # 14 - The Joy of Books

   

Thanks to my sister for sharing this!  I know that as a child, I believed my toys came to life when I wasn't looking.  But I never dreamed my books were playing along too!

Birds of a Feather

...came home tonight to this show playing on the TV...

magnificent birds with amazing feathers and courting dances!

Take a peek:

Nature's Birds of the Gods

10 Minute Drill #13 New Flash

My niece just started her own blog!

Let me tell you, this girl can cook/bake!

I have no idea what she plans on blogging about, but I have had the delicious dessert in her first post.  Not something to enjoy everyday...but, oh YUM!!!

 Her name is Danielle and you can visit her here.

Continuing Part 2

Now THIS is continuing!!!

My friend had this on her FaceBook wall and I just had to share it with ya'll! 

So, follow this link: stickers

BTW- this site looks like it has some other curious visual pleasures.

I'll have to check it out...