27 days ... plus an hour ...

oh it was such bliss to wake up, have a tea, look at the sunday paper and still it's only 9:30 in the morning ... of course, two crying cats and a hungry puppy paid no attention to the fall back part of it all ... but it's still nice to have that extra time ...

and here's my little helper trying to squeeze the most out of her sleeping time ...

and in the northwest, it appears as though it will be an extra hour of sunshine which is a lovely reprieve after yesterday's day of heavy grayness ...

so in the studio today, i am putting buttons and flowers on gauntlets and the finishing touches on some scarves ...

the not-just-for-boyfriends boyfriend scarf is really popular ...

now, back to work ... or pleasure ... depending on how you look at things ...

and make the most of your extra hour ...

"fall back" ... music to my ears ...



28 days ...

early in the week i set a goal for production in the heartfelt studio ...

and,

for the most part,

i accomplished that goal ...

i just have one more blanket to piece together ... but the sweaters have all been washed and fulled and the pieces cut and ironed ... so now it's a matter of sewing it together and embellishing ... the embellishing truly being my favorite part ... when everything just pulls together and the final piece says "uh huh" ...

i have it laid out on the table like so ...

another truly green blanket in that i used upcycled materials only ...

but the sewing will wait for another day ...

today was all about my eldest cherub ... spending time with her, listening to her ...

she's becoming quite the guitar player ... now she's been mastering her Sims skills for quite some time but the guitar is new ... and i don't mean guitar hero ... i mean the real deal ... the acoustic guitar ...

i heard some cold play and some don mclean to mention but a few ...

and we wrapped up a dreary northwest afternoon by watching "julie and julia" ... our favorite scene being the lobster scene ... the live lobsters attempting to break out of the boiling pot of water ...

so i want to leave you with an inspiring proverb from the incredible book "three cups of tea" ...

truly one of my favorite books of all time ...

When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.

29 days ...

what a gift ...

temperatures in the northwest this past week have been well into the 70s ... even reaching the 80s in seattle one day or so rumor had it ...

abundant sunshine ...

abundant inspiration ...

but what's up with the christmas music on some of the radio stations? ...

can we at least get the skeletons tucked back into the closet where they belong before we have to start worrying about saint nick getting stuck in the chimney ...

outside, my geraniums are still blooming ...

and in the studio, the fiber flowers are in full bloom as well ...

...

now, off to "garden" ...

only 29 days left until the big show ...

deep breaths ... deep breaths ...

30 days ...

and another one's gone and another one's gone ...

another one bites the dust ...

so 30 days and counting ...

until the Happy Valley Arts & Crafts Fair ...

here's a new style of gauntlet from the heartfelt shop ...

now back to the studio ...

well carpool for orchestra, chores and then back to the studio ...

enjoy your day ...

and be kind ...



31 days ... and counting ...

the heartfelt studio is abuzz ...

it is a mere 31 days (not counting today) until the 2nd Annual Happy Valley Arts & Crafts Fair ...

so mark your calendars ...

December 4 from 10:00 to 5:00 ...

in the meantime, gauntlets are being set aside for hand-sewing ...

sweaters are drying ...

and i'm trying my hardest not to panic ... just yet ...

after all, sleep is over-rated ...

and there are still 31 days left ...

mondays ...

a lovely but busy weekend has come to an end ...

it was a great weekend for friends ...

small and tall ...

cherubs were either at sleepovers or had sleepovers ... the house was full of kids who moved through the pantry like a swarm of locusts ... leaving nothing but brownie crumbs and empty chip bags in their wake ...

but it's all good ...

but it couldn't truly be a great weekend without some fiber fun ... friday night began with a meet-up of some of my UW fiber friends ... we enjoyed some Blue C Sushi for dinner and then carried on to a fiber exhibition hosted by former grads of our UW Certificate of Fiber program ...

saturdays ... well ...

saturdays in our household are almost always about soccer ... and this weekend was no exception ... and quite often soccer/autumn in the northwest means layers for warmth and for wet ... but, alas, we have been blessed with the most beautiful fall ... sunny skies and crisp cool air ...

jeff and i had friends in for dinner saturday night ... one of those impromptu events that almost without fail turn out to be the best nights of all ...

the bolognese sauce was simmering in the crock all day long ... it just needed some good friends to truly make it a worthy meal ... so we placed a phone call, put out an extra loaf of crusty bread, added a can of tomatoes to the pasta sauce and presto dinner for 8 rather than 4 ...

now lest it appear that our weekends are all about food ...

we did manage to get in a hike yesterday ... the cherubs were exhausted from their respective busy weekends so we left them home listening to music and playing scrabble ... while we met up with a friend and headed outdoors to hike and take some photos ...

but now, back to reality, the happy valley arts and crafts fair is rapidly approaching ...

and the heartfelt studio should be buzzing with activity ...

scarves and gauntlets, bags and buttons ...

the fiber is flying ...

have a great week ...

aaahhhh ...

i'm enjoying a lovely quiet monday morning ...

the house was full of kids and friends all weekend ... which i love ... i truly do ... there's nothing i like more than having a house full of laughter ...

 but come monday morning, i do enjoy the quiet as well ...

it was the kind of weekend though that "fills you up" ... friday night, my wonderfully talented friend suzanne (check out some of her recent work) was in an art marathon and auction ... there were so many incredibly talented people all under one roof ... and the art ... ahhh ... if only our "final bid" was not so many other people's starting bid ...

and sunday, we enjoyed suzanne's work again and that of so many local artists at the sammamish art fair ... where i picked up this little guy for my garden ... check out denny's yard art at http://www.yardart.homestead.com/ ...

so this morning, i finished painting my dining room ceiling and love love love how fresh that makes the house feel ...

it's one of those gorgeous fall days ... crisp ... sunny ...

the colors are fabulous ...

and last night, the last i saw of my eldest cherub, was when she walked through my bedroom on the quest for a towel and, on her way out, she blew me a kiss and told me to have a good night ...

sigh ... all is well with the world ...

can it really only be 8:00 in the morning ... really? ...

already we've had one trip to the junior high to drop off eldest cherub for badminton ...

a quick trip to the elementary school to pick up "forgotten" cello ... thus missing carpool this morning which meant another drive to the high school to drop off youngest cherub at orchestra practice ...

a dash into the local grocery store to pick up large quantities of food for the burst of teens coming through the door on this short wednesday ...

really ... 8:00 in the morning? ...

lunches made, dishwasher loaded and running ...

multiple emails sent ...

two new evites in the inbox tended to ...

alas, there are still three hungry pets awaiting breakfast and one doggie wanting his walk ...

and really all i want to do is sit here in my studio and work ...

i've got a few new things up my sleeve ...

i found these beautiful safety pins at a local vintage shop ... can't you see them with lovely felted charms dangling? ...

and, on a more positive note, i did get to see the lovely sun rise this morning ... it's one of those amazing autumn days ... crisp ... sunny ...

enjoy your day ...



i am thankful ...

well more reason to give thanks today ... and to celebrate ...

yesterday my temporarily retired groom and my eldest cherub were headed to an appointment, i was just about to head out the door to a boy scout meeting when the phone rang ...

"i have been rear-ended--AGAIN" said my groom ...

for those of you in the know, you know that this is the second time for my groom in less than a year ... the first time, his car was written off and we found a two-year old replacement ... same car but all those things we had commented on "oh it would be so nice to have seat warmers" had been taken care of in the newer updated model ... so it was not a complete loss ...

but, alas, aside from a mild case of whiplash, all is well ...

cars can be repaired ...

and clothes washed (eldest cherub was just about to sip from a smoothie when the impact came at which point the smoothie flew from her embrace and coated the interior of the car) ...

and to be honest, with a 14-year old daughter in the household, there are times when i have not been counting my blessings recently ... but last night i was just thankful to have everyone home, safe and sound ...

in one piece ...

so give your loved ones an extra hug tonight ...

and does anyone know where we can find a slightly used Hummer? ...

ps  happy birthday mom ... i love you ...

she's back ...

so my knobby knees were shaking ... although the years have lessened any great risk of the knobby knees doing any damage ... they are considerably less knobby than in days gone by ...

but, not being overly techie or really in the least bit techie (why is it that EVERY time i go to use my Zune, the battery is dead?), i was most distraught to have my laptop "retire" and what my cherubs reassuringly referred to as the "black screen of death" appear ...

i'm accustomed to sitting at my desk in the studio, tapping on an icon and magically what i need appears on the screen ... thanks in part to my temporarily retired groom of course ...not unlike how a tasty warm meal often magically appears on our kitchen table at the end of the day ...

so we headed out last thursday to try and find a new laptop and met with some success ... here we are ... back writing again ... now i'll probably never make great friends with my laptop, but we have reached an agreement of sorts ... i won't make disparaging comments about the laptop, and the "black screen of death" won't visit my doorstep again ... well for a few years anyway ...

so a cup of tea and thee ... that's where i stand or sit now ...

my desk looks something like this ... covered in buttons ...

not to mention the pile of felted sweater sleeves ...

awaiting their turn to be reborn into gauntlets ...

looking ever so pretty ... with a heartfelt flower and a lovely button ...

much nicer than living on an old clothes hanger at value village ... tossed aside just because a tiny hole appeared where some hungry moth took up residence ...

ah i've got my work cut out for me ...

but it is monday and i am working with "new equipment" ... so bear with me ... and hopefully that harrumph noise coming from the bobbin case of my sewing machine is nothing more than some woolly bits gathering ...

have a great day ...



oh dear ...

my laptop has chosen this very week, in my busiest of all seasons, to retire ...

i hopefully will be back keyboarding by early next week ...

on a positive note, perhaps this means i will be spending more time with my knitting needles ... my crochet hook ... my sewing machine ...

happy knitting ... is there any other kind? ...

"temple grandin" ...

we had a lovely joyously lazy do-nothing sunday ...

 after an extraordinarily fun saturday spent shopping at the local farmer's market followed by some fun in the kitchen resulting in a wonderful salmon dinner with grilled veggies, roast potatoes and fresh blackberries ... all this was made better by sharing it with friends ... from start to finish ...

sigh ...

and now it's monday ... not that i'm complaining ... for the first time in ages, i have the house to myself ... well as much as possible with two felines fighting for the lead role in "Cats" and a naughty doggie running about ... but here are no other human voices ... just the whirl of the washing machine ...

i've looked after some school responsibilities (i have the very big grand important job this year of being the popcorn coordinator--each year our 6th graders go to outdoor ed as a celebration of surviving elementary school and we sell popcorn to help offset the cost of going) ...

i've put a load of laundry in and cleaned up the kitchen ...

and now i am sitting with my tea, enjoying the relative quiet ...

but before warming up the sewing machine and getting to work, i feel compelled to share something with you ... one of the best films i've seen in a long time ... so good that i watched it saturday night with a friend and then again last night, with my groom and cherubs ...

it is called "temple grandin" ... and it's the story of Temple Grandin, Ph.D., the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world ... you must see this incredible movie ...

now ... i hope you have a wonderful monday ...

and rent "temple grandin" ... do it now ... what are you waiting for ... how many truly great movies come along each year? ...

fridays, niddy noddys and orifices ...

how did it get to be friday ... no seriously ... how DID it get to be friday ...

i was just enthusiastically marvelling about monday ... and voila ... friday ...

what happened to mid-week ...

where did thursday go ... anyone seen tuesday? ...

i know last night sped by because i was in a spinning class ... no not the sweaty gym type of spin class but a spin class as in spinning wheel, fiber, wool ... you know the kind ...

prick your finger on a spindle and fall asleep until the love of your life kisses you to life ...

it was fabulous ... i love spinning ...

have you ever been on a ferry for any length of time and then when you lay down to sleep, the bed rocks like you are still floating ...

last night, my foot kept going up and down, gently, as i was treadling in my sleep ...

spinning dreams i suppose ...

so here's my first effort ...

it's been carded and it's been spun ...

i then removed it from the bobbin to the niddy noddy (how can you not love a craft that has such divine terms as niddy noddy?) ...

it's a bit twisty and in places it appears as though caterpillars have spun cocoons ... but i like it ...

and, out loud in a classroom setting, we get to talk about the "orifice of the spindle" ... really ... i am not making this stuff up ...

so despite my best intentions, here it is friday again ... i hope you have a wonderful weekend ... i hope to spend time feeding roving through the "orifice of the spindle" and i shall try and restrain myself from using the niddy noddy in an inappropriate fashion ...

happy weekend ...

fame and fortune ...

well it's not all buttons and biscuits in my studio these days ...

there is some real live work being done ...

although i do have to cut things a bit short today as i have two friends coming over for tea this afternoon ... a new friend and an old friend ... my new friend hails from spain and i love listening to her tales from yonder ... my old friend is like that favorite sweater you wrap yourself in on a chilly day ...

anyway, back to the studio ...

i have completed another bag .. it was knit and then gently machine felted ...

...

it's just the prettiest grey-blue wool ... reminiscent of the seattle sky today actually ...

but when i query myself as to why fame and fortune have not sought me out, perhaps a gentle reminder that i am trying to lead a balanced life is required ...

nudge nudge ...

so off for a quick run with my naughty doggie ... and then back to work ...

enjoy your day ... and happy knitting ...

is there any other kind? ...

biscuits 'n buttons ...

it's been a lovely week (and it's still only wednesday) of friends and good food ...

sunday evening we had a couples book club meeting ... we discussed the book "Lonesome Dove" which i highly recommend ... it's a great read ... not something i would ever have picked up on my own -- cowboys and cattle drives not being my typical reading material ... but this pulitzer prize winner truly earned it's rating as one of america's best novels ...

in keeping with the theme of the book, we had steak and beans, corn bread and parsnips, wild rice and salad ... and, for those of you familiar with the characters, we had Gus's buttermilk biscuits ...

these biscuits, served warm with butter and molasses ... oh my ... there's gotta be a law against them ...

yesterday, i was blessed to have five of my fiber friends from my UW program of last year (who could possibly forget 50 collages in a week for heaven's sake) for dinner and the evening ... we talked sheep and wool, art fairs and weekend outings, new projects and old ...

and today ...

today i had three dear friends for tea and lunch and we talked until time ran out and our "other lives" interfered ... pick ups after school and appointments beckoned ...

now lest you think ms. heart has traded in her knitting needles for a tea pot, i have found a few moments to be in the studio ...

i've made some sweet covered buttons which will find new life as hair bobbies ...

and remember the felted bag of last week, well it's done ...

and so darned pretty ...

... flowery lining ...

and ta da ...

a crocheted strap completes the picture ...

hope you have good friends in your life ...

'cause it can't be all work and no play ...

rattlin' around the studio ...

"no" ...

my yelp of horror at hearing that my favorite antique shop in north bend is closing ...

ok it was more of a shriek ... but none-the-less ...

for those of you who have not been there, now is your last chance ...

Bad Girls Antiques is closing ... get there before it's too late ... go now ...

so, it seems that even bad girls get tired of selling their wares ... and i wish the proprietor of said antique shop all the best ... she has helped me add some much-needed character to my relatively new home ...

but i digress ... back to the studio ...

today is a work day ...

more gauntlets of course ... 'cause you can never have too many pairs of gauntlets ...

and working on a sweet bag ... for some reason, bags are not a big seller but i still like making them ... sometimes a sweater just jumps off the racks begging to be reborn ...

here's the latest bag in progress ...

my lovely and talented studio assistant hard at work ...

stay tuned to see the final product ... complete with crocheted handle and vintage doilie ... or perhaps i should just add buttons ... maybe a sweet flower ... oh decisions decisions ...

until next time, have a wonderful day ...

sleeping beauty ... or not ...

well i really was going to go for a walk this morning before getting to work ...

but that was before i woke up at 2:39 a.m. unable to sleep ...

what caused this "sleeping beauty" moment ... alas it was not a kiss from my true love that caused me to awaken with a start ... my true love, my temporarily retired groom was actually sleeping quite soundly beside me ... while i, la belle au bois dormant, leaped to my feet ...

wondering how it was that i had not heard a darned thing from my daughter's junior high school ... when i am typically bombarded with so many messages in my "inbox" that i have considered, in brief moments of insanity, hurlng my laptop into the pond in our back yard ... but not wanting to frighten the goldfish residing there i have resisted ... for now ...

upon further investigation, i realized that some time over the past month i had received an email or two or three that the school is using yet another new system and i had to sign in and confirm my password and email address ...

so there i was at 2:39 in the a.m. trying to figure things out ...

and, in case there was any doubt in your mind at all, i am MUCH better with a crochet hook and a pair of knitting needles than i am with all things electronic ...

MUCH better ...

and i'm ok with that ...

so here i sit with my pile of gauntlets waiting to be sewn ...

a finished cuff at my side ...

and a new day ahead ...

and i have already advised my groom that if he comes upon me sleeping in my studio, a simple kiss will wake me from my slumber ...

so, have a lovely day and let's make:

sometimes the flap just doesn't close ...

my friend julie said these words at our most recent book club meeting ... "sometimes the flap just doesn't close" ... i had to laugh, out loud ... really loud ... 'cause it touched my funny bone ...

and i got thinking about how that is really an observation about life and how we sometimes get ourselves into a wee spot of trouble at times ...

because that darned "flap just doesn't close" ...

i am guilty of this myself on several occasions ...

quite often in dealings with my adolescent daughter ...

(whom incidentally i adore although that seems to be a one-way street these days but i know one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, i shall be tolerated once again) ...

ah but this is not one of those "how to parent" blogs or i would have been shut down long ago ...

the sky is brightening outside my studio window ...

the colors of fall are stunning ...

and the slugs have kindly left me a plant or two in my garden ...

i've added some color to my front door with a sweet pansy and a fiber mushroom ... having a welcoming front entrance always makes me happy ...

it's a relatively warm day in the northwest ...

and my loyal doggie is by my side ...

so hopefully i can keep my flap closed today ... unless i am making kind comments ... and we'll make it to the end of the day with a happy heart ...

now must turn my attentions to my sewing machine and crochet hook ...

the fall "show" season is upon us and the shop shelves are bare ...

enjoy your day ... and keep your flap closed ...

(and just so you know, julie was actually talking internal gastrointestinal issues) ...

happy crafting ...

 

happy saturday ...

i'm just about to sit down and have my breakfast ... a lovely bowl of organic blueberries topped with a dollop, just a wee one, of fresh whipped cream ...

hope your day is as sweet as mine ...

twelve things i love about jake on his twelfth birthday ...

twelve ...

it's a significant number in our house today ...

today is my youngest cherub's birthday ...

he turns twelve today ...

twelve years ago, on his nanny's birthday, he entered the world without a whole lot of fuss ...

at 4:41 pm ...

weighing in at 8 lbs 6 oz ...

his sister infamously said "i love my little brother, what's that guys name again?" ...

jake entered the world smiling ...

and things haven't changed ...

so today's blog is for jake ...

twelve things i love about jake on his twelfth birthday (in no particular order):

1.  he holds the door for people

2.  he loves babies

3.  his piano playing brings tears to my eyes

4.  he likes to craft with me

5.  he flosses his teeth without prompting

6.  he loves his cats and dog

7.  he does his chores without prompting and without arguing

8.  he chose, at age 8, to be a vegetarian and he's held fast to that ever since

9.  he loves dark chocolate

10.  he likes to grocery shop with me

11.  he will still blow kisses to me on his way to school

12.  he is kind to girls.

jake, you are a gift to our family ...

and i love you ...

xoxo

Mom

cure for a dreary day ...

it's a bit dreary here in the northwest ... but brightened by the fact that today i shall be off with some very lovely friends on an urban hike ... we shall be traipsing through the historical queen anne area of seattle ...

years ago, a group of us formed the "hiker chicks" and we've been romping the forests and fields of the northwest ... but today we are leaving behind our hiking boots and instead putting on our fancy "keens"  and heading into the city ...

seattle here we come ...

but i shall leave you with a sneak peak at the crocheted cuff i spoke of yesterday ... still in the works but coming along charmingly ... with my limited photography skills, the photos are a bit dark ... but perhaps that's because outside it still seems like midnight rather than mid-morning ...

i am fondly calling this my "bird on a wire" cuff ... and hopefully it will be one in a series ...

until tomorrow, have a lovely day ...

and if you see a number of ladies in the queen anne area, one possibly crocheting as she walks, give a wave ...