After the passing of each season I like to revisit some of my favorite experiences, such as the blurring of day into night.  The golden center has a mesmerizing effect…pulling you in, into a peaceful lull.

I think Mac loved these moments as much as I did.  He even slowed down enough (which is rare for him at the beach) to savor this easing of light.

And speaking of light, one day as I was reading this book at the beach, I realized that I forgot to bring a bookmark with me.  And since I don’t like to bend the pages in order to keep my place, I looked around my immediate area for a piece of something to use as a bookmark. In seconds I spotted a small piece of debris sticking out of the sand, and as I plucked it out I saw that it was a piece of bark…shaped like a birdie! I was beyond delighted to find this amazing surprise.  This felt like some sort of sign to me, but what exactly?  I’m still not sure.  So I decided to “bookmark” this moment for another time…hoping that perhaps a clue would later appear.

Soon after, while browsing some artsy shops in Kennebunkport (down the road from our vacation home) I saw the message below written on the walls of a studio.  To me, this message came across loud and clear, so I decided to take it to heart by taking it easy.  Looking back, I’m so glad that I listened.

And you, what signs have you come across recently…and did they leave a lasting impression?

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After a good, slow summer and an unexpected break from making art, I’m so very ready for some solid studio time…how about you?  If you’re feeling this urge also, and enjoy looking through artful magazines, there are three new Stampington issues available this month.

Inside Somerset Holidays and Celebrations, you’ll find my article featuring altered vintage cookie cutter ornaments.  I know that many of you like this particular project (I’ve previously shown similar pieces on my blog), so I’ve provided full instructions within the article for those of you who are interested in learning the technique details.

Within this same magazine you’ll see a beautiful project from Abby Bastedo and Melony Miller Bradley.  I love flipping through the pages and coming across artwork from fellow blog friends. This makes me feel like we’re all connected.

In the new issue of Somerset Apprentice, I spotted some bright and cheerful artwork from Jennifer Taylor, Jana Holstein (both are multi-talented editors at Stampington) and the lovely Jeanne Szewczyk.  Inside this same issue you’ll also see my painted bottle bookmark project.  I haven’t picked up my brushes lately so seeing this project is a reminder to me that I need to dip into the watercolor paints again.

The third magazine that I’ll mention is Somerset Studio.  Inside this one you’ll see a few mica necklaces that I made using photos of windows and doors from my travels.  Again, the instructions are included within the article.

While enjoying Somerset Studio, I couldn’t help but smile when I came across more wonderful artwork from blog friends such as Scarlett Clay and Renee Zarate.

In case you haven’t already heard, Stampington is giving everyone access to their digital magazine, Handcrafted Inspirations. To view the entire issue simply click the cover image below.

Inside there’s a fabulous project from Ellen Wilson.  And also a jewelry project from me (shown below). If these necklaces look familiar to you, they were previously published in Jewelry Affaire (Autumn 2011).

Fall is already in the air in my area.  And along with the entrance of the cooler breezes, I’m feeling a rush of renewed energy both personally and creatively.  Many project ideas have been swirling around my mind and I’m excited to get going on transforming these thoughts into something tangible.  Does inspiration cycle like this for you also?  And what projects have you been imagining?

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A couple of weeks ago, while Brook was away at camp, Bill and I took a quick trip to NYC.  This trip was mainly about Bill’s work, but in between his meetings we were able to sneak in some quality time together.

We stayed at a hotel in Soho that was very convenient to where Bill needed to be for his meetings, and I was very happy to be surrounded by so much to see and do while he was busy doing the work thing.  In the mornings, instead of rushing off to try and squeeze in non-stop activities, I decided to take it easy and began each day by simply soaking in the view from our room.

Then after having some breakfast in bed, I’d leisurely head out to see some of the neighborhood.  Poor Bill was on a tight schedule, but I was free as a bird.  It was such a treat for me to have this open time…time to just walk around and look at the beautiful buildings under the brilliant blue sky.

And as I walked around some more, I noticed that the sky was reflected onto the windows in soothing shades of blue…

…and a bit later on, swaths of pink would appear throughout the sky…

…and onto the windows as well.

And then the night would come and the lights would begin to go on, illuminating the streets and the buildings in the sky in flickers of varying color.  It was like a visual concert, and the view from this garden park walkway had little noise to distract either visually or audibly.  It was all very peaceful.

It seems that nowadays wherever I go, I am drawn to search out some quiet time to enjoy the sky and to walk about in whatever pockets of nature are available.  Thankfully, most cities offer these kinds of places.  And if you’re lucky, you’ll also find walkways near the water – strolling while listening to the lapping of the gentle waves as the sun sets is such a perfect way to end the day as well…especially when you are with your special guy.

And you…have you been enjoying the sky and/or waters?  I hope that you’ve been taking it all in and taking it easy as well.

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I enjoy slowing down for meals, especially when at home…and especially when I’m with my family.  During these everyday moments I like to take a minute or two to appreciate the food on the table as well as all the other good things that are in my life.  And sometimes these feelings are carried through into my handmade creations, such as the altered napkin rings featured in the most recent Somerset Home.

Things at home have been on the quiet side.  And there are still a few weeks left of summer for our household before Brook begins school again.  She’ll be entering her first year of high school…I can’t believe how quickly time speeds by!  Thank goodness we still have a decent chunk of time left with her at home – I plan to savor every bit of it together.  I’m so not ready to let go, but I know I must…eventually.

And speaking of letting go, Brook’s been away at summer camp for 4 weeks and we finally get to bring her home this coming Friday.  At first Bill and I were not keen on letting her go for so long, but Brook very much wanted the extended experience (for 5 years prior she’s been going to the same camp for their 2 week session) so we thought it would be okay for us to follow her lead and let her sign up for 3 extra weeks.  On one hand, I’m glad that our girl is gaining independence and ready to wander off a bit on her own, but on the other hand I’m fearful of letting her go.  Parenting sure is tough…and at the same time, I’m learning so much about myself (and life in general) because of it.  Who knew that my little girl would be my teacher…of life…of love?

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I started this blog on my birthday three years ago.  And every year since, I like to look back and reflect on the things that I’ve learned through my experience over the year.  So far my favorite part has been having the opportunity to get to know so many of you better…thank you for reaching out and connecting with me.  I’m so happy that this blog has turned out to be a two way communication.

Lately, I’ve been feeling a pull towards the calm…a quiet place where there are less words and more thinking.  This being the case I most likely won’t be at my blog as much (I’ve been posting roughly once or twice a week) or maybe my postings will be less scheduled and more spontaneous.  I’m not really sure how it’ll go, so for now I think I’ll just let my instinct guide me along.

Many thanks to you for stopping by…I very much appreciate your interest, care and support.  BTW, I hope that my new blog banner reflects the serene mood that I’ve been moving towards.  I believe that from a peaceful place our truest inner selves will be revealed.

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I know that many of you enjoy using recycled materials to make your special somethings.  So I thought I’d share a little project that I created that’s featured in the current issue of GreenCraft (available August 1st.)

I used vintage toys and other recycled bits to create these playful placeholders for a special gathering.  And your guests could be invited to take one home as a party favor.  The instructions are included in the article in case you’d like to make some for your next event.

Since we’re on the subject of repurposing, I recently took a strap from Brook’s sandal (she didn’t like the shoes because they were very uncomfortable and I couldn’t bear to see them go to waste)…

…and added some found bits as well as a couple of beads to create this cool and casual bracelet.

The flower at the center is a vintage earring (remove the backing and use a metal hole punch to make two holes which you’ll use to hand stitch the flower to the leather strap).  Then add a vintage button and a couple of beaded dangles to the flower with a jump ring.

Making new things using old things…oh what fun!  What new things have you been up to?

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While at the beach recently, I was treated to the most wonderful smells and sights of wild roses in full bloom.

These delicate white petals seemed to mirror the gentle clouds floating above.  It was such a calm and beautiful scene.

Within this moment of calm the opposite was happening around the blooms.  And as I stood there and watched it was all buzz, buzz…

…and buzz.  This little guy was so focused on feeding that he didn’t mind me being there one bit…it seemed that we were both busy taking it all in.

There was also a lot of activity happening amongst the pink petals.  BTW, don’t you just love the color combination of pink with yellow?

Here’s some more buzzing action going on…

…and some hovering too.

Coincidentally, that day my toes were painted a happy shade of yellow.  Here they are dipped into some sparkly, shimmery sand. It seemed that on this particular day, a storm had washed up and unearthed small, sporadic patches of this magical mica-like dust.  It’s strange how on my many trips to this beach, this has never happened before.  You can imagine how excited I was to come across this amazing gift!

With joyful thoughts in mind, after getting home, I created a necklace inspired by the glorious beauty that I experienced that day.  Making something tangible (especially wearable items) allows me to hang on to those special moments.

How about you…have you been feeling the happy buzz of yellow also?

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I’m pretty sure that most of you know by now how much I enjoy using words and messages in my artwork.  In the current issue of Somerset Studio (July/August) you’ll see two of my perfume bottle pieces…

…one with a personal message on it.

In case it’s hard to read, the message is: Truth and beauty fill the soul with peace and harmony.

A single, simple dangle compliments the bottle without complicating it.  I wanted the words to speak the loudest in this piece.

Here’s a look at the other piece, which ended up being somewhat more playful in personality.

I love playing around with bubbly bits, don’t you?

The instructions for how to make these paper perfume bottle canvases are included within the article.  If you come across any other questions please feel free to contact me…I’m always very happy to help.

Happy summer days to you, and wishing you much peace and harmony…

…and some playfulness as well!

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Ah…clouds…love em!  So much so that they inspired me to make some soft-puffy charms, which you can see in the new issue of Somerset Life.

If you’d like to make some too, the detailed instructions are included within the article.

I hope you’ve all been enjoying the summer so far…and experiencing some happy heart love clouds also. It’s amazing how the simple things can bring us so much joy.

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Lately some deep thoughts have been surfacing, having to do with complicated issues…which led me to form these words:

Do you grow light,
or do you grow dark…
in the flicker of someone else’s happiness?
Choose to be a conduit of selfless love.

I recently created the piece below with the subject of love in mind.  I guess this subject has been on my mind a lot, whether good or bad.  Exploring this area so fully is new for me.

There is always hope…

…with love as an anchor.

I created the above piece using a fishing weight that I found during one of my beach outings many months ago.  And I think that you already know that feathers (like the one I used above) are a regular find for me.

It’s pretty amazing to me how these symbols of hope (feathers) and love (my interpretation of the fishing weight) are everywhere…if we choose to be in the moment and really look.

BTW, the typed text that you see on the canvas is from a portion of a poem that I wrote years ago.  Recently, after reading it over I decided that the words did not feel like a good fit anymore.  So I tore away the excess, and was surprised to find that the remaining words still spoke to me.  Isn’t it interesting how you can repurpose even a poem?  Maybe we can reinvent or repurpose ourselves, by stripping away the parts we would like to leave behind, revealing an evolved self, a truer self…a better self.

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