Today's Quote

This quote is one that I cut out of a letter I received in 1980. It was a solicitation letter for a magazine subscription. I don't remember the magazine, and I don't know who was quoted, but I have carried this little piece of paper around with me for nearing thirty years. I believe in this quote just as much today as I did then.

"I require little of my own life; it need not deliver money or fame or even happiness. But it must suggest to me enough significance that I remain interested in it, as much as if it were a play."

Going Into the Closet

I'm taking the quote “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” (William Morris) and changing it to "Have nothing in your closet that does not make you feel beautiful." Today I am tackling my closet. I'm trying very hard to stay focused and part with things that I used to love, but are now either tired or somehow have "shrunk" or just don't fit my life. There's a beautiful dress that I bought, have never worn, and if I'm honest with myself, I know I will never wear it. It's a dress that would have looked great on me 15 years ago. It will never look great on me now. It needs that thin frame and flat belly that have recently disappeared to make it work. So far, it's not in the pile. It needs to go in the pile.

All of the t-shirts from my 5K races are in the pile. That was a tough one. I don't wear any of them; they just hold memories of a past identity that's hard to let go of. I think it's time to let go.

For organizing my summer things, I'm trying something that I read on another blog. I'm hanging all my hangars like this:










Then as I wear something, I'll hang it back like I normally would. At the end of the season, I'll know which items did not get worn.











If what they say is true, that your environment mirrors other situations in your life, I wonder what my closet says about my life? By the end of the day, I'm hoping my closet says something fabulous!

Sweet Dreams

This little piece was my test experiment for painting a quilt. I actually love the way this looks even though the lettering stinks and the border is sloppy. The letters were drawn in glue and painted around with textile paint then colored in with fabric markers. I love the idea of this piece and would like to do one "for real." For now, Lucy will tuck her baby dolls in with this one which hopefully will result in sweet dreams for all.

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Next?

I love completing a project and looking back at the process and seeing what I'd do differently next time. My favorite row on the quilt is the top row -- it's the sun, then a green, then a landscape. The colors all flow together just right. If I was doing it over, I'd design the entire quilt around those colors and that "scape." It's peaceful and cheerful at the same time.

My next project is a guest book for a friend's wedding. I've been trying to come up with a way to make it different than a regular guest book but don't want to over complicate it or mess it up. Her invitation is very simple, very elegant so the colors and style will be great to use. My thinking cap is on. This weekend I'll do a test book.

Baby Quilt

The quilt is finished and hard to photograph. Here's a collage of the blocks.

And for a slideshow

I'm playing around with Picasa and the web album possibilities. This is a slide show of some art projects I've done over the past few years. A few of Sam's & Henry's are thrown in for good measure.

White Out

Penguins vs. Red Wings at home. Pittsburgh fans wore white t-shirts. An amazing effect, all those white t-shirts and the white ice. When the Pens scored, it was a visual extravaganza. I know the white-out is not an original idea, but OMG it worked! They won!!

Imperfect Perfection

Yesterday Tom read my horoscope and it said something like "You move faster than most people." I probably wouldn't have described myself like that, but I admit there are many times I think "Why aren't they doing such and such? If they'd just . . . "

Today was one of those times I probably acted too quickly. At least, I acted before I thought things through. My sister's house is for sale but isn't getting the action she wants, i.e. sold, so after a conversation with her, I listed it on craigslist. The response was so overwhelming, I had to delete it less than four hours later. I need to figure out what to do. Who knew?

So, I'm remembering the quote: “Winners take imperfect action while others are perfecting their plans.”- Kevin Nations. I have no idea who Kevin Nations is, but I like what that says. It's so easy to get caught up in wanting to do everything just right that we take no action -- I should know, I've done it. Still, there's that paradoxical side of me that acts and then decides the next step based on the outcome of the first. I'm a planner, but in so many ways, I'm really not. I'll do something and then figure out how to make the first step work. The quilt I'm working on is a prime example. An idea that may or may not work. More on that later. Especially if it works.