Sara the Cardmaker

As my stationary supplies were running rather low and I had a letter to write, I decided to make the card myself. And (thanks to the soul journaling pages, I think!) it turned out pretty well for a first (well, fresh) try!

(Paper: salvaged Fanny Farmer cookbook, old scrapbooking g/w  checks. Art: salvaged nursery rhyme book. Not acid free here! Embroidery floss, German initial ribbon. )

The ribbon is from this lovely German 'chewing-gum' pack that my Mama surprised me with. Since Sarah and I have the same initials, I had to share some! :) (Hopefully she won't visit here until her letter arrives. ;) )

I think that a Card Day each month would be a good idea, to stock up our writing desks and save some lovely green stuff. Would any one like to join me?

(Now that I have pictures up, the card does look pretty wonky. Still, good for a first/fresh try!)

Wordcount Wednesday

"Once upon a time, there was a girl. Forgotten and weary of the wind that blew ticklish strands of pale amber hair onto her nose, she sat in the corner of the only place as forgotten as she was that she knew. Did that make any sense to you? It didn't to me either. Her name was probably Alice and she probably wished that an old Victorian mantle mirror would whisk her off to wild and wacky adventures involving flamingo cricket sticks and hedgehog balls. In fact, she would have been content with the Victorian mantlepiece alone, but as it was, our Alice was really much too old to fit into a mantle mirror, much too big to fall down a rabbit hole of any sort (rather, getting stuck before she even began, with elbows and knees caught on poplar roots and her skirt snagged on a earthling rose bush, by nature painted neither red nor white but orange."

- From the crazy opening

"From the front, the way that most people are introduced to the Bronnydd, the timber frame entryway reaches out in a most friendly and beguiling manner. A bellhop would take your bags, and, depending on your degree of eminence, the manager might come out to usher you inside, smiling all the way. If you arrived in the afternoon daylight, the cool dark interior of the hotel might render you a bit disoriented, but that is half of its charm. Before your eyes adjust, the other bodily sensors take their turn. Breathe in deeply and catch those earthy nuances of cedar and pine. Feel the comforting solidity of a well mortared stone floor beneath your feet. Allow you fingers to take delight in the smooth curves of the manager's desk as you lean against it to get your bearings. Do you hear that ripple of sociable chatter, drifting in from the piazza where teacups clink in turn? Drink in the precious silence guarded by granite walls nigh three feet thick. And what is that? The cozy crackle of a flame spitting on the hearth. Yes, there it is. Turn and see it lighting up a pair of deep leather armchairs, one with a book of poetry resting on its yielding arm. Someone has left their hat there too, a turkey feather stuck gaily in the rim."

- From the 2nd person stage. Things are more normal now that we've got our setting! But sadly, unquotable.

I voted for the first time today!

And now I am going to make some yummy butternut squash soup. See ya' later!

'Cause it's important.

(the idea was a lot clearer in my head...hope you can read it!)

Composition Book Journals

On the banks of Bay Creek

I've been wandering through this lovely blog today and being inspired. (You know, whilst rewarding myself for another 50 words written....) If this sort of journaling made my present journal so much more tolerable, what else could it transform? What sort of composition books does Target have? I'd need some real gouche. And more cheap acrylics. Mama has every color in the world of quality ones, but did you know that the cheaper ones have more filler in them, making them chalkier and less likely to make the pages stick together? I just learned that this summer (from Soul Journaling, I think) - no wonder my old pages felt so gummy!

Images from Crazyquilter's Flickr photostream.

Happy NaNoWriMo!

(The banner is old, sorry!)

I went in this year head-first and plotless. Wish me luck! Track my (slow and painful) process here:

"Postscript" by Seamus Heaney

"...

Useless to think you'll park and capture it

More thoroughly. You are neither here nor there,

A hurry through which known and strange things pass

As big soft buffetings come at the car sideways 

And catch the heart off guard and blow it open."

Bit of a vacation poem that showed in the last journaling pics. Love that last part. :)

Soul Journaling pt 4

Still following the prompts from www.sarahwhitmire.blogspot.com

These are what? 17 - 19? 

 Went back to add to the taped page. It wasn't hard to write over at all really! I'm leaving frames on mine, for word journaling. I love swirls. :)

I don't like this page so well. Tis bleh.

But this part is kind of cute! And I like the string tied around the finger. 

Hey, look! I wrote something! I love how dreamy this page turned out. 

Same for this one. It's much less washed out than it photographs! I finally put my one bell pepper from the garden to good use. :)

Dab

There were some lovely snatchets of time at the cottage/cabin where I got to doodle, spending as much time on it as I liked. Made up a little book of watercolor sheets and was glad Mama suggested we bring the Prismacolors. They are nice for the dark spots!

(Best seat on the place - loved this swing! Wish the picture had turned out better...)

(Seriously, yes - GOOD tomato. And I cannot express how happy gathering nosegays of roses, maple leaves and lavender made me!)

in a Blueberry Cottage on a Lavender Farm

I was going to add captions, but you know? I think this is just fine as it is. But seriously, can I have the baby bunny??

Catalog Surfing: Glass Ornament Love

(Are these not decadent??)

How many uses can you find for sweet, vintagey ornaments like this? 

Also, if anyone sees a good plot wandering around, point it this way. I've got a huge, frightening opening for the month of November.

Let's go to the quarry!

I can't seem to gather my wits about me to make all the posts this month has inspired. (Those wits are always jumping up and running every which-a-way on me!)

So, dipping into iPhoto and seeing what comes up first...

You get to hear all about rocks!

One of my English Gardening School projects had to do with gathering information about all types of hardscaping, so Daddy and I went to scope out the local stone yard.

I thought it was cool.

(Taking pictures of the pallets and their little sunbleached tags is as good as taking notes, right?)

Daddy was my hand model for the smaller

 selections. Thank you, Daddy. :)

There are so many types - even locally! Colors and textures reflecting warmth from the sun...even smells good...the quarry dust licking at your heels...misplaced gravel crunching underfoot....

Let me tell you - this is a nice place to be, come a chilly day! (Nice and toasty!)

And in case you didn't think that the piles of fieldstone and flagstone and potatoes wallstone in their tidy wire cradles were not pretty...

Art is in the stone yard too.

{Hornet's Nest in Concrete Block, unknown}

{Sandman Takes A Break - unknown}

See? What'd I tell you?

(The formatting on this post is driving me bonkers. Hopefully I'll be back to fix it before anyone peeks!)

Home Again

So we are home from our week in the mountains. Loads of pictures, stories, all that jazz...but right now my sister is here for the weekend (+!) and I am holding the littlest nephew as he sleeps. Be still mine heart!

You Know What This Means?

We're going on vacation. 

See you later!

October Birthdays

Friday and Sunday were these two handsome gentlemen's birthdays. (The small one turned 8.)

Leftover steak from (one of) Daddy's birthday dinner made a killer omelet the next morning.  Smiley face, completely accidental. :D

This dog has a birthday this month sometime soon. She's expecting a steak omelet too.

The "Yarden" Adventures Continue

Found More Baby Pictures On The Camera

(snuggling with the Bebe dog)

Saw him again this weekend. He looks so much older already!

The Mighty Tomato (nigh 4" 'round!)

Sometimes abandoning one's garden for a week or two can yield a delightful harvest.

I plucked this as soon as we got back, excited over the biggest tomato I'd ever grown and greedy lest an early frost should crust it. So we'll be having fried green tomatoes. There's even another one still on the vine and a green pepper so heavy it broke the stem. I could get used to this. :)

I Had To Take It Too

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.
How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.


• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.


• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.


• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.


• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.


• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down


• * being spontaneous and free-spirited


• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.


• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place


• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures


• * having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want


• * not completing things I start


• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career


• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies


• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Hey there, Mr. Nephew!

Please excuse the intermission.

I've been off welcoming this little fellow into the world.





He's only a state away, but I miss him already!