november lovelies...

as promised, some of my november thrifting and handmade finds... 

how lovely when various treasures come together to create a perfectly harmonious collection of prettiness

various vintage bottles and pitchers, with little twigs of wildflowers, all lined up

the lovely mushroom and bird?  two pieces from my ever growing collection  of cary's (littlelovblue) creations

the pretty johnson brother's pitcher and stoneware ink bottle?  two pieces snatched up from my aunt tricia's vintage shop (ladysneezeweed)

most of the other bottles were thrifting finds... how does one pass up old medicinal bottles with labels such as 'sutherland sisters hair grower' and 'hamlin's wizard oil'?  especially when several were on sale for $4 each!

the antique chapel chair i picked up on clearance while thrifting...

i've been slowly collecting various vintage and antique wooden chairs to create a perfectly mismatched set of dining chairs... ready to place around the lovely antique dining table which i've yet to acquire!  i've been determined to hold off buying a table, until i find the right one (trying so hard to avoid buying the inexpensive ikea table to tide me over)

and here is another lovely i just grabbed from my mom's vintage shop (imsovintage)... an old metal watering can.  i have so many ideas for this one

happy sunday

summer at sea...

beginning work on a new collection (in between a few custom orders), 'summer at sea'... little bits of ocean lovelies washed into the woodlands of the hollow, to create sweet new partnerships

just listed the first in the series, this pretty little shell, giving a home to willow branches, moss, and bits of sea glass

oh, the delightful scent of a shell... opening the senses instantly to that distant sea.  even those shells that have moved with me from home to home, and state to state, still retain the heavenly aroma... with bits of sand and sea rock forever tucked inside

those endless days of beach exploration, during both my childhood in california and my time in college in north carolina, left me with quite a large collection of gifts from the ocean... shells of all shapes and sizes. shark teeth. sea glass. conch and skate egg cases. barnacles left abandoned on the beach by former tenants...

what fun to comb through this collection, looking for those perfect pieces to compliment bits of textile botany.  opening a jar of shells and salty smells and soft sand pooled at the bottom

makes for both a wave of joyful memories and a yearning desire to return, as if the sea calls me by name.  

fortunately, i will be tasting that salty air in a few weeks time, for a week of seaside holiday

i've also had fun taking some inspiration shots, building ideas visually for new pieces

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tula had an equally productive day of testing out the capabilities of the newest chair in the living room (after somehow adorning herself in the morning with this rubber band necklace)...

a chair left abandoned and destined for the landfill.  just in need of a bit of love...

( before )

a work in progress (i know, i know.  it's impressive that i'm actually attempting to accomplish something on my home to-do list!).  new paint and fabric...

(after) 

good spot to keep the birds and trees in view?  

check

acceptable napping conditions?  

check

all in all, an exhausting bit of work

(inevitably followed by a disdainful look thrown my way, which translates to a huffy "your welcome")

happy friday

your yesterday and tomorrow...

sunday thoughts ~ jet trails sailing across the blue, melting into tomorrow... an imprint of the journey, a path to follow home 

 light reaching, catching the passing time, the dwelling place, the changing skin.... caressing and pulling away once more, bearing pieces into the streaming air, scattering to form the earth below

fragments of you, your life, your past... so far from my reach, so completely unknown to me, yet here i bathe in you, breath filled with your memory, feet walking on your yesterday... 

looking ahead

happy new year (and new decade), everyone! i'm excited to begin work on new ideas and creations for this year... as you can see from my flickr page, i've been goofing off and relaxing for the holidays... a tula photo shoot today! i think i've created a monster. while seemingly annoyed with the picture taking to begin with, she now keeps jumping on the arm of the chair and 'posing' so that i'll take her picture again ;)

now that the important business of getting new kitty shots has been taken care of, i'm ready to return to creating and getting new work out into the world of 2010

hope everyone has been enjoying a relaxing holiday!

pretty things

1. dream bus, 2. When the forest meets the ocean.., 3. hand knitted scarfette from handspun wool, 4. Sintra, 5. Secret Embroidery, 6. 191|365 ||| golden horse

some pretty images on this stormy night (here in the peach state anyway)... we've had three consecutive days of rain... or should i say RAIN! the sky has just seemed to open up, spilling out the oceans over our heads... where is noah when you need him? they're forecasting two more days of the same

it is nice to sit on my covered deck, watching the sheets of rain... when it's not lighting that is. although last night, we has such torrential storms and strong winds, the rain was actually hitting the roof and returning skyward in a solid sheet of upside down rain!

on days such as these, i really spend too much time here on the computer... as does my kitten tula! i heard strange voices in my house today, and, before i could pick up my phone and dial 911 to report burglars in my home, i found tula sitting in front of the computer. she had somehow managed to get on youtube, and was intently watching a 'twilight' trailer... she just gave me a look like 'what?... i get bored too'. i guess she's a fan, who knew. i guess she'll have to catch me up on the 'twilight' phenomenon

i did manage to create a bit as well today. just listed this new acorn wreath in my shop... again, created using found branches, wrapped in a lovely leaf print cotton. the fabric acorns are made using a mixture of new and vintage cotton, attached to real chinquapin acorn tops. the leaf was made using a delicious green wool, from purl soho in new york

vintage finds

my sister and i hit up the thrift and vintage markets yesterday, in search of some good bargains... i of course found way to many ;)

found wonderful vintage pieces at kudzu, a local antique market (i live only a few minutes from here... this may prove to be dangerous!)... of course many were out of my price range, but i did find three or four wonderful deals, including this lovely vintage yellow metal picture frame

we moved on to a local thrift store, where i was thrilled to find this vintage round footed pottery bowl... i've been searching for one to use as a planter for a while now... love the soft color

well, it will eventually become a planter, for today it is currently in use as tula's latest toy ;)

*** don't forget to enter the lovely handmadecharlotte skirt giveaway below! goes through sunday, september 6th... good luck everyone! i'm enjoying reading all the entries

tula

meet tula, my new sweet kitty... a georgia girl now, by way of kentucky. she and her siblings were actually rescued by my aunt (from a racoon)... the litter was born behind her house to a feral cat, who has since fortunately been spayed after giving birth to several litters of kittens. this litter was than fostered by a wonderful woman, who actually fostered my sister's kittens as well... tula's nieces! oh the hilarity this caused in my niece and nephew... that an 'aunt' could simultaneously be a baby!







tula, the smallest of the litter... yet oh so affectionate and loving... and a bit of a trouble maker! fortunately, she's pretty darn cute, so i tend to often look past the trouble part ;)







she was originally called thumbelina, for her tiny size and love of being held in a little ball, but i decided to give her the name tula, which means 'jumping water'. how surprising to find how well this tiny one can jump all over the furniture! the first night home, i spent time making a nice bed for her on the floor beside my own... i than crawled into my own, only to find this wee one springing onto my tall bed, curling up next to me










*** look for this lovely giveaway, via my friend rachel, from handmadecharlotte, coming next week on my blog... a darling skirt for babies, perfect for your own little one, or as a shower gift... i'm planning on including a little something from my own shop as well ;)