Our dog Mac  seems to go through life without a single care in the world.   Look at him here with his tongue hanging way out and his tail alertly wagging in the air (a sure sign of joy!)  Mac always gets so excited over the littlest  things (car rides, the sound of the door bell ringing, when he hears “treat”, etc.)   Sometimes I wish that I could be as carefree and easy to please. 

And because of Mac’s enthusiastic nature he’s always making friends wherever he goes.  Check out his new beach buddie trailing right behind him.   Notice again Mac’s wagging tail and tongue!

By watching Mac I am reminded to “enjoy the moment” by taking time to have fun…letting it all hang out – tongues, tails and everything!

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Imagine what you can do with nothing but a bunch of recycled and free materials. That’s what I do most of the time, and this is an example. Here’s a list of what was used for this “free bird”:

1.  bird base – scrap fabric cut and sewn into a bird shape and stuffed with more scrap fabric
2.  bird’s eyes – black-tipped straight pins from my sewing supply stash
3.  fluffy bird texture – created from hand torn pieces of tea-dyed used dryer sheets
4.  “imagine” detail – from my scrap paper pile
5.  bird stand – two stacked garden spout handles

By the way, does anyone remember the Lynyrd Skynrd song “Free Bird?”  Back in the day (high school for me) this song was a huge hit and all the guys in school were freakishly crazy for it.   Does anyone remember how most of the leather-jacket-wearing-guys used to play air guitar (lol!)  I never fully understood the draw, but I probably didn’t bother to investigate it much either.  Anyone care to explain?  Wikipedia reminded me of the lyrics:  “If I leave here tomorrow would you still remember me?”   As I read these lines I could practically hear the tune in my head.   Isn’t it interesting how music has the power to stick with you even after decades have gone by?  And while listening to, or in this case merely thinking about a verse, I was instantly transported to another time, another place, another me (?)  Totally bizaare!

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This photo was taken a few weeks ago at my daughter Brook’s camp in Maine.    Notice how lovely the weather is and how happy we both are.  Me especially since this was the first time I saw Brook again since dropping her off, which was almost two weeks earlier (it felt much, much longer!)

Fast forward to yesterday, which was Brook’s first day back at school.   Is it just me or does the summer whiz by quicker each year?   Where does all the time go?  How come I couldn’t fit in all of my to-do’s during the summer?  Well, luckily for me there’s still this weekend.  My plans for this last bit of summer are simple: sleeping in, hitting the flea market, lounging at the beach, bike riding, enjoying some outdoor meals and definitely some late night movie watching.   Just the ticket for saying farewell to Summer!

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As the temperature cools and the New Year approaches (wow), this brand new Somerset Life 2010 Calendar is sure to come in handy.  Besides the amazingly gorgeous photos, inside you’ll find a complete list of submission deadlines (according to month even!)   I personally appreciate this very smart idea and plan to use it regularly to stay motivated and organized. 

Here’s a quick peek at March and November.   These two projects of mine were featured in previous issues of Somerset Life.  

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Practically nothing goes to waste in our household.  Here’s a batch of miscellaneous materials that were just given a coffee bath.   For a time-worn look, I dye ribbon, trim and used dryer sheets in a mixture consisting of coffee leftover from the morning’s brew and tap water (a 50/50 blend.)      Notice that this batch sits on top of a brown paper grocery bag which I’ll most likely use again since it’s now nicely stained with coffee.

This might seem a bit frugal but I think that it’s a good idea to reuse what I already have on hand.    This way I won’t be wasting any unnecessary time or money running out to buy more supplies.  Instead, I can use  this precious time to play around in my studio…while drinking a cup of coffee!

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Have you ever been somewhere so magical that it makes you feel like your heart is on the verge of busting wide open?  Just about every time I go to Parsons beach in Kennebunk, Maine I get a wee-bit woozy from all the beauty that surrounds me.  

This place reaches a part of me that I didn’t even know existed.   Why is it that when I’m at this place I feel almost invincible and brilliant (again almost?)   When I’m feeling this way and seeing things in this crystal clear yet hazy light I can imagine myself up high, flying and dashing across the sky.   If only I could be a bird at the beach… even for just one glorious day.  What would I see?

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Ever since our daughter Brook was born I decided that the number three was going to be one of my lucky numbers.   This seemingly insignificant number represents us, a tight little family of three.    I love how close we are.  I love how we can talk openly with each other about anything, especially the hard stuff.  I love how we always get each other’s jokes and I love the roar of laughter that follows.  

It is not a coincidence that I’m always on the lookout for this number to use in my projects.   This number inspires me…my family inspires me.

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Here’s an easy way to turn a common garden supply into a cute little basket.  They can be given as party favors or keep’em for yourself to store craft supplies.   

More examples of repurposed projects can be seen in the premiere issue of GreenCraft.

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This weekend my husband and I went to Boston’s Chinatown to enjoy some dim sum together.   The term dim sum in Chinese literally means “a bit of heart” which I think is very appropriate for what it represents.  The experience of going out for dim sum is very special for me and it is something that brings to mind many fond childhood memories.

To backtrack a little, it’s worth mentioning that I was born in Bangkok, Thailand.  And after the age of three I moved to the United States (New York City of all places.)  It was there that I spent many of my weekend mornings having dim sum with family and close friends.   During these occasions (which lasted for hours) we would leisurely drink hot tea while we ate and socialized.  I can remember how the restaurant would always be crowded with tables full of people and their happy chatter (picture about a hundred people in one room all eating and talking at once.)   It was not unusual for us to be seated with strangers at the same table during the busy dim sum rush.  And the tables weren’t the only crowded areas either.  It is customary during dim sum that dozens of servers would be swarming with their carts full of scrumptious appetizer-sized plates of food.  Then our job would be to simply pick and choose what looked good from these carts.  Yummy!

The tradition of going out for dim sum helps keep me connected to my past.  And although I’m a very long distance from my original home, I am reminded while sitting at the restaurant with my family and friends that home can be anywhere, as long as I’m with my loved ones.

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This is a great way to transform a vintage cookie cutter.  Just add a mix of coordinating elements (paper, mini oval tin top, a bit of broken jewelry, vintage pearls, etc.) to the inside of any old cookie cutter.  This project is easy and budget-friendly.  And as an added bonus, it’s green since it involves using materials that already exist. 

More examples of my altered cookie cutters along with two other projects can be seen in the current issue of Somerset Life.

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