jump rope

Did you know I've taken up jump roping? I like it both outdoors in the fresh air or indoors (yes I can pull it off in my kitchen) with a little music. So imagine my happiness when I came across this joyful jump rope fabric from sproutdesign. I LOVE it! I want to hold it. I want to sew it. I'm already imagining the many ways I could put a bit of it to good use. Don't we need a jump rope pillow in this house? M'boy, would you like me to sew some jump ropers in a quilt for you? I thought so.

thanks

Where has this summer gone? Really, it feels like a blur. Now that I can feel the air changing from Summer into Fall, this little thank you post is way over due. Way back in JUNE I won this wonderful Design Mom Random Giveaway featuring a Binth Baby Book from Tiny McSmall AND a handmade doll (I went for the cat-doll) of my picking from Persimmon & Pink. I feel like the word "won" is a little out of place here. I did nothing put place a little comment. Now, those Olympians I've been watching, they have to really work for their wins. It makes me feel like I should put on some running shoes or something. My happy packages arrived at my doorstep and I did a little dance for each one. I know, I know, I am a lucky one.

Thank You Tiny McSmall, the book is beautiful. Thank You Persimmon & Pink, my cat is full of charm & character. THANK YOU Design Mom, did I mention... you rock!

color

(I had plans to post this earlier this week, but I've been sucked in by more wallpaper take down and hung over by late night Olympic watching. Since I started it up again, the wallpaper take down has become a bit of an addiction, and there is always more...)

Little did I know, but, I have a small fortune of yarn. Slowly gathered over the past 5 years of my knitting life. Shades of wool, cotton, silk, and linen. It was all stashed away, some of it tangled in a horrible nest, in a large plastic storage bin. Every time I opened the bin in search of the right yarn it was like I was feeding the yarn-ness-monster. It was neither accessible nor pretty and I had no firm idea of what or how much was in my possession. As I was working through The Tangle (I'll spare you the picture of that, let's keep things pretty here), the revelation was "How can you possibly make anything if you don't know what you already have?" Ah, yes, true, true.

Can I tell you how FUN it was to fill this wall of 30 boxes? It wasn't just fun, it was thrilling. I worked on it in little blocks of time throughout the day. In the morning I began with the yarn and as I picked up the soft red flaxen wool, remnant of my first (hmm, I guess only) knitted sweater for myself, it just seemed right that it should belong top left. The rainbow of yarn and odds and ends naturally followed. Color coding the rows allowed for a certain dynamic of organized randomness, giving homes to things that would otherwise be floating around the house or else in a stash. I'm coming to dislike that word "stash".
{*Stash: a collection of materials: yarn, fabric, etc., piled in big plastic storage bins, sometimes mistaken as trash.
*Not a stash (there has got to be a word for this, help me out): a collection of materials: yarn, fabric, etc.; wound, folded, stacked, and placed on shelves where you know what you have, pieces can easily be retrieved and put away = accessible, and is pleasing and inspiring to look at.}
Stashes for me always turn into horrible messes, blocked energy, blocked possibility. So yes, the dissolving of my stashes and filling these cubbies was my idea of fun. The kind of fun had by a young child setting up a doll house. "Let's see, this bit of ribbon, it is blue, I shall place it on this bit of blue fabric. And these orange paint chips? (I'm kind of a klepto when it comes to paint chips, it's a good thing they're free.) They now belong in this orange cubby with this orange brick." Very satisfying.

My newly filled shelf reminds me of my love affair with color. I think that's why I took up knitting. That's why I filled my teenage years with FIMO clay. I want to hold, I want to touch, I want to shape color.

plans for tonight

pay bills
watch some Olympics
knit

"let's play!"

When Boy is ready to make some music he energetically proclaims "let's play!" And, did you know that Ovaltine canisters make excellent drums?
We'll be out for more summer music tonight. Happy weekend everyone!

ready to fill

I may not have known it till now, but I think I have always wanted, deep in my soul to fill a wall full of cubbies with things that make me smile: yarn, stationary, small books, notebooks, fabric squares, pretty boxes, pincushions... Thirty little spaces to fill. It's from and old school and I bought it from my neighbor before her garage sale. Dave figured a genius way to mount it to the wall. I just cleaned it. I'm giddy about it. What does that say about me I wonder. By the way, I LOVE my white room. It fills with light just like I had imagined.

So I'm curious, how would you fill it?

the cook book that makes me happy about food

Way back, May 1st to be exact, how lucky I was - and all that eat from my hands - that I was in the car listening to the Diane Rehm Show. Her guests for that hour were Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift talking about their new book "The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper". These lovely ladies and their radio show, The Splendid Table, were new to me. That has all been rectified. Listening to that radio conversation all about food, from women who LOVE to eat and cook (you could hear it just in the way they shaped their words, how they said "extra virgin olive oil" and "Parmigiano-Reggiano") and who made it sound so enjoyable and easy, I knew their book would be my Mother's Day gift to myself. With excitement and a little uncertainty I delved into the recipes with weekly meal plans and grocery list. The results have been delicious. Dave has never been so happy about a gift I bought for myself. The quality of our meals has taken off in leaps and bounds and our spice cupboard is expanding to include turmeric and coriander. Thanks to podcasts of their show I can now play catch up and I listen while making dinner or painting walls. Very entertaining, full of flavor, curiosity, inspiration, and creativity. Have you ever heard about a skirted cheese burger? or how to build your own oven?? Well, then you must start listening. Your mouth with water.

live music, outside

{bagpipers. 4th of July flag ceremony. South Jordan, UT.}

{some jazzy band. the lady was a little much for me. Legacy Live, OH.}

For me, summer and outdoor music are perfectly paired, weather permitting of course. In our area we've been lucky to enjoy free, fresh air, musical entertainment at least once a week - sometimes two. Wade Oval Wednesday's and Legacy Live (weekends) have been regulars for us this summer. They other night as I listened to the live band and this woman singing "so glad we've made it!" and "I feel good! So good! I've got you!". I was somewhere between the need to dance or cry. Since only little kids were dancing at that point and I didn't want to make a scene, I found I could balance my composure with a little toe tapping and eye watering. Is that hormones or the profound effect of live music? (Probably a little of both for me on that particular night.) I love the way kids just move up close and dance to the music - it is so natural, not much thought goes into it, they just feel the beat. In this setting it is clear to see how much we "adults" tend to hold back. Only some of us start to dance after much encouragement from the band. But once we are up and moving aren't we so glad? We realize (or maybe it's just me) "I've been holding back, I want to really live." There is one senior couple, with clear ballroom background, who frequent L.L. just for the chance to dance. I love watching them. They seem so serious as they dance, but then I realize that they are just as uninhibited as the kids, they just mask it behind "technique". Malcolm who has been into all things "making music", namely drums, soaks it all in. He knows a saxophone from trombone and a base violin from a guitar, and he always has his eye on the drummer. I keep meaning to bring his shakers or rhythm sticks for him when we go out for the music. I'm sure he would like to play along. So, here's to summer, fresh air, music, and dancing. Go find some for yourself before summer's end.

paint it white

Although I have big plans to paint the family/entry room a lovely yellow, the dining room a dashing orange, and the home office/computer nook a vibrant green,... I have been feeling very white. We got around to some painting this weekend and now my studio is ready for it's second coat of brilliant white. Bye, bye blah beige. (Can you tell I'm ready for it to go?) Why white? I think more than anything right now I am craving an open, clean canvas; an ordered and clear space for creating. Creating that includes sewing, drawing, printing, writing, knitting, painting, reading, and dreaming. My feeling is that white walls will allow color and imagination to freely play.

Maybe that is also why I chose to repaint this writing desk white. The only problem: it is going to disappear against my white wall. Hmmm. So, I am considering a light shade of something for that one wall. Any suggestions? We'll see.


Down in the entryway we have some new white too. This is an old typewriter desk I picked up from a yard sale last year. I refinished the top and gave it some fresh white legs. Nice, huh? The sides can fold out and I especially like the wheels. Inspired by reading The Creative Family, I think this will be our family nature table. For now though it holds my lovely fabric bowl and a cross-stitch by my sister-in-law Sara O. A.

More white:

We white washed these toy crates with watered down paint. I even let the boy get in on the action. They slide under a bench in the entry and give a crisp feel while keeping toys accessible and easy to stow.

Presently, white gives my mind a pleasant place to rest. We have more painting projects ahead and Dave gives me that smile when I say "let's paint it white".

Putting the FINISH in the refinishing today.
Remember this? A year later, I think it will be ready to move out of the garage today. Also a $10 garage sale writing desk is nearly done with it's new look.