Hello February . . .

February“One month is past, another is begun,
Since merry bells rang out the dying year,
And buds of rarest green began to peer,As if impatient for a warmer sun;
And though the distant hills are bleak and dun,
The virgin snowdrop like a lambert fire,
Pierces the cold earth with its green-streaked spire
And in dark woods, the wandering little one
May find a primrose.”
February 1st, 1842
Hartley Coleridge

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Some things I am looking forward to . . .

February 7 – 23:  2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia

February 14: Valentine’s Day

February 21 – March 4:  Fur Rondy & The Iditarod (March 1)

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photo credits :  french knot, lark & linen, style me pretty, fanci taste, counting stone sheep, Design Sponge, Puppy chow
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Wedding Day Weaving

Wedding kiss

In celebration of my of 14th wedding anniversary, I wanted to share with you a weaving I did a few years ago honoring our wedding day.

My husband & I got married on the beach of Lake Michigan at sun set.

wedding party

Wedding weaving explainedclose ups wedding weaving

I love the idea of honoring special textiles in our lives by including them into art pieces.

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dream catcher copyI’ve also written about a dream catcher that I made last Valentine’s Day using strips of fabric from my wedding & bridesmaid dresses.

What are some ways that you have preserved special textiles from your life?

A New Year

As I look to the dawning new year, I find that I am  full of hope and excitement over the possibilities the year has to offer.  One of my new years resolutions for 2013 is to spend more time working with my blog.  I’ve kept a blog off & on for some time now, but I’ve never taken what I was doing very seriously.  I was just having fun figuring out the ins & outs of the blogosphere while my children were young.  Now that they are older & require less from their Momma, I’m finding that I have the time & energy to pursue blogging a bit more aggressively. For years I have been collecting inspiration & project ideas for a time when I can devote more time to my creative spirit.  Now is that time & I am excited to be sharing this with you.

A Happy New Year Postcard

I hope the coming year finds you full of inspiration and bravery

as you move forward in your own personal endeavors.

Cheers!

roller skating party

I have a lot of fond memories from roller skating.  Growing up, I loved roller skating parties.  My school would have a party every quarter.  They were great! The girls would all gather in the center of the rink and take turns locking hands to spin.  Then, when it was the boys only skate, we would all line up along the wall with our hands out for the boys to high 5.

When we became too old for school roller skating parties, we took to skating on the street with roller blades.

It was at a roller rink when I first discovered that my husband “liked” me. He surprisingly took my hand while I was on the sideline and pulled me off to skate a couples skate. I was 18 & he was 21.

I didn’t skate much after that. We got married, my husband began his career, and eventually we started a family. I hadn’t given roller skating a second thought until our kids began going to school had their first skating party.  The first time they went , I noticed how everything was the same. The racks of skates with bright orange laces, the slick wood floor.  The flashing colored lights. Of coarse, it was mostly me picking the kids up off the floor.  I  had offered them my help to regain their balance, but I too felt awkward being on wheels.  I quickly got the hang of it, getting my skating legs back, & they quickly improved. Neither of them need much help now, so last week when we went to the first party of the year, I was able to sit back and watch them create their own roller skating memories. They looked so cute, all bent over with their arms stretched out in an effort to keep balance as they skate.

As we were getting ready to leave, glow stick necklaces in hand, I remembered how when I was kid, we all wanted to have those huge pom-poms tied onto the toes of our skates. I looked around.  There wasn’t a single pom-pom in the building! This can’t be, so I decided that before the next school skating party, the kids & I are going to make some huge pom-poms.

You can find a great tutorial for making pom-poms here.  Just remember, the larger you want your pom-pom the wider you need to spread fingers.  It’s also a lot of fun to attach bells!