Jonathon Livingston Seagull kinda day

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When I saw this picture my daughter took I thought of this book:

Does anyone remember this book?

I remember it had such a profound impact on me in the early late 70's early 80's.




"I want to fly where no seagull has flow before. I want to know what there is to know about life!"


"Heaven isn't a place; heaven is perfection." 

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a heart in the sand....

Daughter #2 and I were able to get away to the beach for about an hour and 1/2 

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I was able to stitch a little.....

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Me...working on Frida Kahlo at the beach...

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a train passing by the beach....

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Seeing children playing on the beach is so heart-warming to 
me. I love their little imaginations....sweet.

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a little visitor wanders casually by....


<3

watercolor

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I have wanted to try watercolor pencils for the longest and I finally purchased some yesterday.

I bought a book called:  Drawing Lab (52 creative exercises to make drawing fun)

by Carla Sonheim 

She encourages you to do different projects and gives you assignments.

She writes, "It's a paradox when you have complete freedom, you often "freeze up" and do nothing. This book is a compilation of assignments that I have given myself over the years to get myself moving. Others were developed for elementary school-age students. When I started teaching adults, I found these same exercises to be the most effective. (We're all just kids inside still, right?)"

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These are some drawings I did with my water color pencils inspired by her book.

I have painted with acrylics but I found this to be fun due to no clean up and no mess.

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A nice thing to do on a rainy day.....

busy...

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"Mercury Retrograde"

(this is an older piece I am showing)

I have been so busy working and dealing with "life"

that it is not until today that I am finding any free time....

I have missed my little corner of the world and look forward to sharing something new this weekend.

My whole world has been work and more work with l-o-n-g hours

and in between obtaining a new-to-me car.

The children started school this week and now there is a big storm

heading our way, which dashed my hopes of heading to the ocean for the day.

I have not been all summer and was hoping to go this weekend, but with

a hurricane coming....probably not the best idea.

Just maybe I will get to the lake????

Hope all of you are well...more to come later : )

<3

feather bundle

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farewell feathers........

a little sacred bundle off to the

Magic feather project

<3

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Have a great day!

feathers and flowers

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It is rare that I do not have to edit a photo. What I mean by that is darken, lighten, etc.

This Hydrangea flower is just gorgeous...unedited! It was a gift from a neighbor and to me it 

says "New England" like no other flower.

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 a close up of this beauty!

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This is a peacock looking feather and I am leaving it just the way it is. The white fabric is from the
pillow case that belonged to my grandmother.    http://ancientcloth.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-afternoons.html
 It is very old and sooo soft to the touch. She would
be pleased to know that it was being used for something to give to children. She loved children so
much!

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http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/the-magic-feather-project.html

lastly, working on a stamped crow and two Magic feathers.
<3

Alike and Yet Not!

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I am participating in Jude's Magic Feather Project.

http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/spirit_cloth/the-magic-feather-project.html

I thought it would be fun to start with Jude's black and white feather.

I plan on stitching a few of these little feathers and of course doing a few feathers in my own interpretation.

The feathers that are gathered will go toward a charitable purpose for children. I like that!

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This is a wip. The fabrics I am using are sooo special because they were given to me.

The colorful fabrics in the background came from a dear friend in Switzerland. 

The fabrics are Japanese and are being made into a quilt for victims of the recent Tsunami in Japan.

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Some hand dyed lovely bits of fabric sent from

http://gerdiary.blogspot.com/

Thank you Gerdiary! <3

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This is daughter #1 on the far right in Russia. She went with her school.

What a beautiful building...http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xf7nc9_the-st-basil-s-cathedral-in-moscow_travel

I can not wait to hear about all the stories she has to tell : )
<3

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A little day time moon....

Summer has flown by in a blink of an eye!

I am trying to relish every moment I can.
Have a lovely day!

Frida and Chickens

I have always appreciated the art of Frida Kahlo. I see how the bridge of her suffering
became her art and the two were intertwined. Her birthday was July 6, 1907. (my birthday
is July 6 too!)
A few facts about her are:
A streetcar accident in 1925 forever changed her life. She began painting while she was recovering.
She married Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican artist in 1928. She passed away in 1954.
There are many excellent books about her and a fabulous movie by Selma Hayek, portraying
Frida.

I have wanted to create an embroidery piece in honor of her for the longest:

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http://alicewalkersgarden.com/

I read this delightful book by Alice Walker (The Color Purple). It is a quick read, which for me is a good thing.
She beautifully weaves her everyday life with her chickens and shares heartwarming/touching
stories you will not forget. A must read.

Another delightful library find was:

http://theblackapple.typepad.com/

To my surprise Emily created two of her favorite historical heroes! One is Frida. This book is chock
full of the most creative and fun paper dolls I have ever seen. She gives you sooo much in this book.
She shows you how to create your own paper dolls, flip book, etc. etc.  This is a must for those who love paper dolls, or moms with small children, or anyone who wants to learn a thing a two about painting/drawing.

Have a great week!