March into March

Here we go - into one of the most fickle of months.  It could snow tomorrow - it could be sunny and warm - it could rain until it floods...  You get the idea - this is March.

Working on this month's punch needle was somewhat of a chore.  The colors go all over the place -- deep and somewhat dark, a spark of green here and there, a wind that will blow all the branches dried by the cold winter and once in awhile a lovely sunny day promising that Spring will be here on the 20th of this month.

Although they don't photograph well I've used two words framed and mounted (they were formerly earrings).  One says 'ebb' and one says 'flow' -- perfect for the month of March.

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer  in the light and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens

Sneak Peek

Some people do 'spring' cleaning at this time of the year. I've been doing 'spring' shopping.  My first stop was the paint department at one of our local home improvement stores.

What a wonder of color lay before me.  I started collecting color card after color card.

Next up was a trip to the shops for embroidery floss. The threads I already had at home were hopelessly 'wintry' in color and tone.  With my color cards in hand I started pulling out all of the 'light bright' colors and shades that I could find.  

Here's a sneak peek of my first Spring piece.

I want to happily wave goodbye to Winter and to greet Spring with joy and abandon.

"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius

Spring Colors

I can hardly be contained inside my studio these days.  The colors of spring are calling me. And so, while in my studio I have resolved to try to capture some of these outside colors in a 'Garden Cottage'.

The design drawn -- I've written (in pencil) the various shades of floss that I want to use.

The door is attached and the fun has begun.  Although I'll never capture the true nature of the colors and beauty outside my window perhaps when finished it can be a reminder of all that I have to be thankful for during this time of the year.

"Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into." - Henry Ward Beecher

A Journey Through Time

My hands have been moving as I meditate on 'Time'.  Drawings have been made.

Colors chosen and beginnings begun.

Moving steadily along.

"Patience and time do more than strength or passion." - Jean de La Fontaine

Paint by Numbers

Some of you may remember the 'paint by number' kits that were a big fad way back when.  When looking for an image to post I found out that they actually still exist.  For those of you who have never heard of them - they were preprinted designs with numbers in each little section and they came with pots of paint that were numbered.  Then the 'artist' could paint the picture following the numbers.   

As I work with my cottage pictures I make a point of writing down the floss color combinations that I use in each section.  Sometimes I have to go back to fill in a section, or I change my mind and want to put a different color in a different place, or - and this is most likely - I forget after leaving the stitching for awhile whether I used two strands of one color and one strand of the other - OR one strand of the one color and two strands of the other.  Yes, it can get a little confusing.

So there I am with my little drawing filled with 351 (2), 350 (1) and on and on.  Its been a lifesaver many times -- but as I looked at one of them the other day I thought - perhaps I should destroy these afterward lest someone think I was 'stitching by numbers'!!

"A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers." - Plato

Building a house or two or three

I believe its time to do a little house building - three houses in fact.  Drawings are made.

 

Designs drawn upon Weaver's Cloth.

 

Color thoughts are filling my head.  Warm colors this time I believe.  Perhaps "Wildflowers" thread in shades that appear in 'tobacco' or 'marigold' or perhaps the one skein that is nameless because somehow the label has disappeared.

"Where we live is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." - Oliver Wendell Holmes 

Desert Trees

If you've been a long-time visitor to my blog you know that I have a fascination with trees - or at least the trunks of trees.  I'm always looking for patterns in them and marveling at their shapes, forms and textures.

Our recent trip to the southwest desert allowed me many 'tree events'.  Desert trees are always very inspiring to me.  They are constantly subjected to the forces of nature.  Sun, rain, snow and especially wind can shape these beauties into 'twisty' forms that leave me in awe.

We found this lovely winter white tree in Nevada.  When we asked its name we were told it was the "Snowball" tree.  Its blooms, as they fall from the tree, leave the sidewalks and yards covered with white petals.  Doesn't the trunk look like its advertising winter all year long?  Although it might look like someone has carved into this tree to make the designs it has formed these markings in its bark all by itself.

This pine tree was found on the plains that surround the drop into the Rio Grande River.  Very blustery there and as you can see the wind has been playing games by twisting its trunk into lovely, intricate shapes.

"To touch the earth is to have harmony with nature." - Oglala Sioux

A Charming Leaf Pocket

The latest, and perhaps last pocket.  This design was driven by the leaf charms that I recently discovered.  Such perfect little metal leaves - they definitely needed a home.

This design also seems to be a fitting ending to summer.  My mind and creations will soon be drawn inside - to warm colors and quiet days.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus

Moon Dust

The moon has long been my talisman. As a child I had to begin wearing glasses and the first thing I noticed upon donning them was the 'man in the moon'. I had heard that phrase but never knew what people were talking about because to my eyes the moon was a flat disk up in the dark sky. Now I could see the 'man in the moon'. My bedroom window, which was right beside my bed often showed me the full moon and its light. It was often bright enough to wake me out of a sound sleep. I would lie there and make wishes and know that 'Mr. Moon' was watching over me. It was easy to fall back to sleep knowing that I was so gifted by this big, bright orb.

Today, when the trees are not in full bloom, the full moon shines into my studio. Still watching out for me I guess. When I choose bead colors I often think of the moon -- I call many of my choices 'moon colors' because to me they seem soft and muted as if a cloud has passed over the moon. I love the feeling that soft colors give to me. I honestly admire those who can bead with bright, colorful beads -- I love to see them -- but for my hands it is the muted, misty colors that seem to represent most clearly what I'm trying to portray in my work. Hmm, sort of a mix-up there that the muted colors would portray me more clearly!

I'm drawn to soft greys and lavenders, robin's egg blue and aquamarine. Do you think I'm still whispering in the dark to my friend the moon by using these oh so quiet colors?

"Follow your inner moonlight, don't hide the madness". - Allen Ginsburg