The sky was distracting and overly busy, and rather than cover it up, I removed it.
I had wandered around my bins a bunch of times before finding the grey cotton, which I consider to be perfect.
The sharp line along the bottom edge of an arlee barr swatch kept grabbing my eye in a bad way… and so, even though my intention was to keep as much of the swatch visible as possible, I added a “tatter” from Deb Lacativa to bring some of the dark of the midsection down and to slightly interrupt that otherwise distracting line.
A still life from my sister’s mantel. 
And, more stars and reflections from Salem on Christmas day. What wish would I wish upon a star tonight? The first day of 2012?
One of the New Year urges I am feeling that is relevant here, is the desire to write juicier shit on this blog. I find the reporting that I stick to in order not to make myself wildly vulnerable, boring, to be frank. It is tough to be soulful enough, consistent enough, productive enough, or funny enough about my stitching work to add the kind of verve and zest that make a blog worth visiting. So, how to do? Any ideas?
One idea is to abandon my strict policy of not including quotes from my large library of inspired writers, out of copyright diligence. Who cares? Does anybody check? It’s not like I’m about to be ‘discovered’ and therefore have to be original across the board… Thoughts?
Another idea is to devote a day a week to a post of non-craft writing… I could groom one piece of writing per week to share here. Things like character sketches, pages from the journals I kept for the boys as babies, writing that comes out of writing prompts (right now I’m ticking through the prompts on creativewritingprompts.com) or my Thursday writing class. I’m conflicted about this because when I see too much text on a craft blog, I skip away. But maybe others are different? And, if this energizes ME, and ONE OTHER person, does it matter if it is being offered to an audience primarily interested in pictures?
love seeing that stitching through the light. i say do here only what pleases you and you will attract like-minded folk.
That is a practical and expansive approach, deanna. thank you!
If only I had heard Deanna7Trees wise words as a college freshman, I could have completely skipped over a really unfulfilling college experience and crappy marriage! I love her wisdom and completely agree, and not just in regards to your blog, but those words speak to my own life as well. Do what you love/be who you love, and you will attract to you the people you want to be with. Brilliant!
Hi Lisa… thanks for your comment. It is a deceptively simple rule to live by, and as I look around for ways to frame a ‘resolution’ for 2012, I think it is as good as they come. “do here only what pleases you” – why do anything else? – “and you will attract like-minded folk” – Maybe I can even view the attraction of the like-minded as a completely secondary benefit.
I know what you mean about college and first marriage, and I don’t want to elevate suffering into something worthwhile on its own account, but I can’t help but think that the crucible of those years made you who you are, and therefore that passage is to be thanked and appreciated.
Dee your work is so inspiring! In the top shot,I love the gash of separation between earth and sky. The gray bolt reminds me also of peeking through the blinds, something I do alot of in the winter.
re incorporating writing to a visual themed blog … the solution in 2011 (for myself anyway) was to fragment everything. Now, after a year of that, I think it might be better to keep it central and just have ongoing multiple themes in one spot. It is hard to keep all those balls in the air, better to stay focused in one place, I think.
I suppose that pulling things together, pulling them apart and adding new elements is all about the creative process and we never really know till the end what works best.
In any case I look forward to 2012 and seeing what happens here! xo
Agree with Deanna. 🙂 Can see why you liked the word “permission” on my blog post. Happy New Year Dee! P.S. I include quotes from newer writers in the spirit of “review.”
well i’ve never believed in separation, maybe because my life as a mom is all sort of a horrid jumble pretty much all the time and i find ideas from here and there infecting everything else that it is difficult to pull it all apart.
i have however, shied from blogging about my children too much, or incorporating their photos too often because we’re fixing to move to a very small area and i’m not a whole lot like the people there and i don’t want someone judging or criticizing my kids off my own stuff but maybe that’s silly.
i think do whatever. i tend to like people online because i like the person and not because they are a quilter or a this or a that. i often shy from reading anything that seems too canned or commercialized but will often spend long periods of time on blogs that are friends, whether really friends with the person or not.
i also don’t enjoy reading blogs where all that gets discussed is what someone bought and how fabulous it is. even if it is fabric. to me i don’t see anything exciting or inviting about this line of fabric being all the rage or a kitchen newly outfitted with ikea goods.
just some thoughts. be yourself. the love will follow.
Thank you for the thoughtful responses, Ginny, Serena & Deb! Permission – to be, to do, to feel, to think, to record, to worry less. A big ‘yes’ to all of that.
Ginny, I’ve noticed that a LOT of bloggers have more than one blog – and have toyed with it, even started a separate gardening blog (quickly abandoned)… but as a person I am already so fragmented that I’ve resisted that route.
Serena — the crazy, chaotic, upturned pace of raising kids DOES ease as they get older. One of my favorite comments about childrearing was by Ed Asner (of all people) who said: “Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare.” I HAVE noticed, in the arc of my life, though, that surrendering to being a stay-at-home mom was challenging because it accentuated a tendency (for me, anyway) to want to live without structure, and to jump shift from one thing to another in a heartbeat (not always a bad thing, PS).
I agree that it’s important to shield our kids… my boys have not made many posts, and I try to post pictures that don’t really reveal their faces (and when I upload pictures of them on flicker, I usually set them as ‘private’). I do this out of respect for them, not out of a desire to protect them, because I suspect that I couldn’t really outdo their exposure on FB. Again, their ages matter here.
I’m glad you pointed out, Serena, that it’s the PERSON behind the blog that matters, and less so how they shape their posts. I know I read others because of who they seem to be and what kinds of values filter through, not because their pictures are perfect or they can teach X, Y or Z.
In any case, Day Two of 2012, and we are off and running!