needing some distractions…

today is our “due date” — but no real signs of this baby coming our way soon, so I’ve decided I need a little distraction, and I also decided it needs to be positive and send goodness into the universe, so here’s a little grateful list for today, Thursday April 29, 2010, in no particular order:

• the fact that I am about to become a Mama any day now

• having had a healthy and easy pregnancy, the prospect of a healthy and easy birth

• a gorgeous new nursery and new studio, all ready and waiting to be used

• a green couch!

• the beautiful washer and dryer in our new basement bathroom (and the washer works on hot AND cold water!)

• birds, bears, bunnies and other creatures of spring

• leaves on the trees, even tiny ones

• our Curly Willow tree that has grown from a twig to a 15-foot tree in 4 years

• daffodil bouquets from my hubby

• offers for distraction and fun from friends

• HappyDog’s unbridled passion for squeaky toys

• sea-salt brownies (I KNOW, right?)

• pre-sliced mangoes and pineapple

• imagining my hubby as a papa — and all the joy he will bring to this little one’s life

• imagining our HappyDog and the little one as best friends; we imagine it is inevitable.

I also want to thank you for holding us in your thoughts today, on our official due date, and for hanging in there with us as we stay patient and wait for the little one to decide when she (or he!) is ready to greet the world. We will of course keep you updated, and will post something here soon after the birth. {But, you know, not too soon. We are planning to take it easy and revel in the beauty of this new life; thanks, I knew you’d understand}

I don’t usually do stuff like this, but this course just sounds too cool to not tell you about! (course starts April 12th)

The Handmade Writer is an e-course taught by Amy Spencer of Bring Yourself. I do not really consider myself a writer,  but then I have to remind myself that writing a blog post is certainly writing. And an Etsy listing, or even a tweet! If you are thinking of starting a blog, looking for tips on making your writing more expressive, or are just interested in honing your writing skills, I highly recommend you look into this course.

From the Bring Yourself website description of the Handmade Writer:

“Take a crafty approach to creative writing and use the fabric of your life to tell your own extraordinary stories.

“The Handmade Writer e-course will help you gather together material from every source imaginable. You will learn about the craft of writing and how to sew these fragments together to build your own pieces of creative writing. The e-course has been inspired by the strength of craft communities as well as the impulse to transform everyday finds into something amazing.

“…Handmade Writer is the ideal place to take your writing a bit more seriously and will give you the motivation to find space for it in your busy life. By taking a crafty approach, you will start using material from your world to inspire your writing. You will be amazed by what you can achieve and at the end of the six weeks you will want to keep on writing.”

Sounds kinda great, eh?

(Would love to hear if you sign up and how it goes!)

I painted this red-bellied woodpecker for the birdie calendar for the month of February:

And then last week (during the first week of February) this guy appeared at my bird feeder for the first time all winter:

Pretty cool.

But please excuse the image quality! The photo was taken through my (very dirty) glass door, while trying not to make too much of a scene and scare him off. Also my camera, while pretty awesome, doesn’t have much of a zoom lens. But you get the idea. A month-appropriate visitor.

Next month is the chickadee, but if your feeder is anything like mine it has been covered with chickadees all winter long. One of my favorite things about winter, actually — they are definitely my favorite bird (sorry red-belly, you’re cute, too!).

I just got in under the wire to donate a few prints to the Craft Hope for Haiti Etsy Shop, and the listing is up now. There are 4 copies of my print “The Question is Irrelevant, Love is the Answer” available, $12 each. I will ship them anywhere in the world — so get shopping!

There is a lot of other great stuff in the shop, all donated by hand-makers of all kinds. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders in Haiti. You can learn more about what Craft Hope is doing on their website. I also have to hand it to the organizers, all working crafty moms! They are doing great things, and I hope they can keep up the good work!

**update 1/21: All four of my prints sold in one day! So exciting! And so humbling to know I can help in this little way. There is still lots and lots of great handmade stuff to buy in the Craft Hope shop, even including some sewing and knitting patterns, so head on over!**

This post is a little late, but I wanted to be sure to wish you a Happy New Year with a little winter cheer!

We’ll probably keep our Christmas tree up for at least a few more weeks. I really don’t understand people who decide today means it’s all over. I can always use a good dose of twinkle lights and sparkly ornaments and glowly lights on houses to brighten up a cold winter day! I kind of wish it was ok to keep it all up until the snow disappears in March (or April).

This is what we woke up to on Christmas morning. We spent the night at my parents’ house, along with two of my brothers who were in from out of town. We woke up to an icy winter wonderland, followed by all kinds of yummy treats and a big breakfast with everyone and maybe a few presents. It was super fun.

We had to wait till the next day to see my youngest brother Brian and his girlfriend, Sarah, who made me this amazing bookmark, plus little gift bags for yummy treats.

It was a very crafty Christmas, indeed.

I made this ellie for a very special little kiddo that I have yet to meet because he lives on the other side of the country. Someday!

and my darling Sarah G. made us this pair of amazing birdie pillows! Isn’t she the best? I think they are pretty much the most beautiful things ever. {thanks Sarah!!!}

I also bought us this fuzzy lil’ mushroom from the lovely Cary of Little Love Blue. We both love it so much! (The garland behind it is from CATA from a few years ago. One of my favorite parts of our tree-decorating!)

It’s this weekend! It’s going to be AWESOME. I can’t wait to see/meet you there! yippee! (I’m table #84! Near the Theramin!)

I was at Twist this weekend! I did not take any photos!

It was wonderful, though, and I had lots of fun chatting with customers and friends and my fearless helpers and fellow vendors (why are you all so wonderful and fun to be with?!) — and thankfully some of them captured the day in pictures. You can see a few nice shots on fellow vendor Maeg’s blog, including a photo wherein I appear to be as humongous as the Sasquatch on her t-shirt, but that’s ok — there’s a baby in there (Did you hear?)! I was so grateful to be able to spend the night with my lovely friends, too, so I didn’t have to drive back and forth Friday night/Saturday morning. They showed me the sights in Florence and Leeds; I’m definitley going to have to go back for some swimming this summer!

So yesterday I spent the day lounging and doing not much of anything, in an attempt to recuperate and get some energy back. John and I had a lovely and gluttonous brunch at the Dakota restaurant, followed by movies and tv-on-the-internet and a leasurly stroll or two around the neighborhood. One of those was at sunset and the sky was so darn pink, it was quite amazing! And again, I didn’t take any pictures. I’ll try next time, I really will.

I am so thankful that I sold almost all of my new holiday ornaments (little stuffed birdies!), but now I need to get back into making-mode for Mass MoCA this weekend! My back is still bothering me, though, and I’m trying not to aggravate it and make it worse. I am going to attempt some gentle yoga today; I really need to get back into that. And apparently back into taking photos for you, too. Like I said, I’ll try!

here I am. But sort of wishing I was still here:

with these lovely ladies:

sigh. We had a great time up in the woods and mountains of Maine. It was a quick visit, with a very rainy day for our one full day, but we made the best of it.

We have been friends since High School, and I find it most amazing that we are still in touch. What’s more, we are probably closer, better friends now, after all these years. We can make each other laugh and cry even harder than we used to, and it’s sometimes even harder to say goodbye. Why don’t we all live closer, ladies? I’m so lucky to have Stephanie so nearby, and I think we will get even closer once I’m a mama, too. But wouldn’t it be nice if we could all get together like this all the time? I’m missing you all muchly!

hehe. We had a GREAT time, which may or may not have included moose and lobster hats, lots of snacks, squash and salad, a selection of board games, a rousing round of charades and a dance-off. More photos here.

yup, it’s fall in New England. A nice peaceful rainy sunday here today. Lovely.

“A Vision of Squam” art show at Artstream Gallery on North Main Street in Rochester, NH is opening today! (Friday the 11th from 5-7pm)

I’m so excited to be part of this show, full of wonderful artworks inspired by the Squam Art Workshops in Holderness, NH last fall. I’m so honored to have my work hanging in the company of such talented artists. I so wish I could see the show in person, and have thoughts of ’stopping by’ on my way to Boston this weekend, but it might just be too far out of the way.  If you are in the area (i.e. on your way to Squam Art Workshops next week?!) go visit! Artstream is such a gorgeous space, owner Susan Schwake is such a lovely curator (and talented artist!), and Rochester is an adorable little town. The show is up through September 30th, and was conceived by the amazing Liz Kalloch. swoon.

In other news — if you’re in Boston this weekend, don’t forget to visit me and the rest of BerkshireMade at the SoWa/South End Open Market; Sunday September 13, 10am to 4pm. We’d love to see you there!