taking it easy

so hard for me to do....take it easy! i fill my schedule book with the things to do and the result is I am always creating something new! that is what a heavenly life looks like for me. here's a little peek at what I have been up to and why I have been virtually ignoring you...

 I have a good friend who comes up with the most creative gifts for his family! I love it when I see a message from him in my inbox because it always means he has a new idea for me to work on! last year, I made these fabulous bird pillows for him. I'll try to find a pic of them to post. For now, thee are his dream this year...Loggerhead Turtles.

 I love these little fellas!

 Because I have never made a fabric turtle before, I had to start from scratch and design them.

 I'll admit, it looks simple. easy peasy. no problem-o. But, for this girl, I have to have all of the thoughts line up with the ideas that bounce around this head of mine, so new projects usually take me some time to develop...these were no different. I have been everything turtle...fabric flying, scissors swaying, bringing shells to life...I almost made myself a mask and cape when I achieved what i wanted...!

 My friend, Sarah, asked me to make her a jewel toned bag! 

 She showed me the colors she liked and I went with it!

 Another friend had given me some vintage dresses that she thought I might be able to use for projects. This bag repurposed a beautiful blue gown with a sheer gold embroidered panel. As I was struggling to find the perfect fabric, I remembered it hanging in the vintage portion of my closet. The fabric is sheer, so it intimidated me. But I wrestled with it and when the fabric and I were done with our struggle, I realized no fabric is THAT intimidating! Maybe I'll tackle those fears one at a time...chiffon next? 

 She loves the bag!

 She is the first friend I made when I joined PTA at hannah's school. She made me a really cool repurposed bracelet. You know those little tabs in a carton of milk, the plastic ones? I am finding them hard to describe...She adds jewels and bells to them and makes bracelets out of them! They are really cool! SHe has me thinking about composting and gardening and repurposing every time we talk! She let me borrow The Inventor of Hugo Cabret! What a great book, what a great friend!

 My little model, she's a love so big!

 The first incarnation of Sarah's bag...it didn't feel like her to me, so I started over. This one will go up on Etsy. Unless you want it! 

 I made 75 stockings for CCAT's Christmas celebration! I love that place! It helped me and my family so much, I am forever indebted to them. If you or anyone you know is struggling with alcoholism and/or drug addiction, this is the place to head. Not only have I detoxed here many times since 1994, I have witnessed the miracle of recovery happening in this place many times. Not as many as we'd like, but, man, they do such a great job! Most of my best friends I met as a patient here!

 I have been reading at night, after the machines go to sleep. My friend RG over at imagine gnats sent me Hector and the Search for Happiness! It showed up in my mailbox one day and it made me so happy! KR highly recommended The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. After hearing so many times that I reminded people of the main character of this book, I had to check it out for myself. I mean, random customers at the Mall would say it and I was baffled. I really wish I had a dollar for every tie I have heard it. After finishing it, I was strangely proud that someone would make the comparison. Lisbeth is a tough cookie, but really kind of a loner and unapproachable. I have a version of me that I think I am then I bet there's the version all of you see and it's probably different. I am delusional. I know it. I'm ok with it. <3

 I love my big, comfy bed...

 and my organized madness....that wall paper is my dream come true!

 I haven't had time to finish this dream, but it's coming together. In spare moments, I'll add another shiny black frame, freshly painted at my special table. I knew I bought stacks of frames for a reason...I need your art for my walls! Let's trade!

 More turtles! This was the first batch- they will be good presents!

 Aren't they beautiful? 

 The corduroy came from my awesome niece who is just in love with fabric as I am!

Loggerhead Turtles are fascinating...they travel so far just to crawl up the beach and lay their eggs. Most of the little fellas hatch and try to stumble awkwardly down to the water before a bird predator snatches them up for snacks. I looked at every picture I could find, watched every video and gobbled up info like a hungry kitty. I'm glad we have protected beaches for them to lay their eggs. I can't imagine hatching out of a shell, new to the world, learning to move my legs and then hustling my butt down to the big, open, blue, blue sea! What a life!