Random autumn images

The weather is cool, the rain brought down lots more leaves. There is a carpet of them in my yard; the clouds were captured over the bridge in Manchester on Saturday, when we went to deliver our work for the ThinkSmall5 exhibit.
The on-line catalog will eventually include all of the works in the show. I'll post my own images of my work once it's been posted on the official site. Oh yes, this is a teaser.

Yarn-y goodness

I was having an azul kinda day on Thursday, so I stopped at The Yarn Lounge on my way home from visiting my shut-in friend. I went from feeling azul to feeling very sunny!! It's all of this yarn-y goodness that perked up my mood.

I got some Pagewood Farm Merino/cashmere hand-dyed yarn, with the color name : maple leaf. It's sock yarn but I'll use it for finger-less gloves/mitts.
I, also, got two different yarns from Plain & Fancy Sheep & Wool Co. of Henderson, TX. Hand-dyed variegated wool. One is called "confetti" and the other is "autumn leaves." They have no web presence it seems, but a search will get you their phone number & address.

They yarns feel so soft and the colors are just so scrumptious. The finished products will go into Fritzi, my Etsy shop. Come see me there when you have time.

Paper

I love paper. I love paper as stationery, as scraps for collages, as maps, as book pages, I just love paper! That said: I want to tell you about an organization that makes paper.

When I read about this organization last week, I knew I had to 1) post it on my Facebook page and 2) blog about it.
The organization was started by Drew Cameron, read about it here.
"Through papermaking workshops veterans use their uniforms worn in combat to create cathartic works of art. The uniforms are cut up, beat and formed into sheets of paper. Veterans use the transformative process of papermaking to reclaim their uniform as art and begin to embrace their experiences as a soldier in war."

Is this not an amazing and wonderful project? The web site offers ways to support this endeavor. Please check it out and pass the information to everyone you know, or blog about it on your blog!

This past week.....

This is an image of my little teapot, which has been in use non-stop all week. I've been drinking herbal teas for bronchial health, green tea, white tea, black tea, with honey all week. I'm hoping that this new week will find me cough free. It's been a week of coughing ever since I returned from Los Angeles. The good thing about this is that I decided to stay in, except for an occasional walk around the block with the dog, and one run to the grocery store. Not only has this helped me to heal, but it's allowed me to blog, get my photos on Flickr, and finish some knitting and get the new items on Etsy. So tomorrow, I'll get up early, get to the post office, visit my shut-in friend, buy more groceries, mindful of not doing too much and have a set back. It's a plan.

My Shop - Fritzi

I'd been knitting my mittens the past couple months while watching Dr. Who episodes. Since it's chilly and damp, I decided not to go outdoors today; instead, I photographed and posted some mittens on Etsy. My shop is looking good! Oh, yes, and I even sold a pair already. Take a look...use the link on the left sidebar.

New Collages

These small collages were made using the scraps from the collage I did for a book cover. The book, Shifting Sands, will be published Spring of 2010. These three will be mounted and framed together. I was going to enter them into an invitational exhibit, but my honey likes them so much he wants to have them and hang them in our home. Sweet! Now to do something else for the invitational.

Climage Change - BLOG ACTION DAY

Today is BLOG ACTION DAY on Climate Change. I've been thinking about what I could add to this awareness, how I could tie it in with my art work, my daily life, and was coming up with, frankly, not very interesting stuff. Being at the Griffith Observatory this past Sunday, I saw the Earth in relationship to other planets, to the universe. I saw Earth, our planet, our little ball in space and I felt awed by it. I, also, felt responsibility to do a good post today. But what?

Then, re-reading an article in the September issue of The Sun magazine yesterday, I realized that I'd found something I wanted to share, some of Thomas Berry's words from The Meadow Across the Creek: "We have disengaged from that profound interaction with our environment inherent in our very nature....Our children do not learn how to read the Great Book of Nature or how to interact creatively with the seasonal transformations of the planet. They seldom learn where their water comes from or where it goes.....We have indeed become strange beings, so completely are we at odds with the planet that brought us into being....We no longer hear the voices of the rivers or the mountains, or the voices of the sea....The work before us is the task, not simply of ourselves, but of the entire planet and all its component members....Every member of the body must bring its activity to the healing."

I think of this, oh so scary, our planet in big trouble, and what can I do, little me, what can I do? I remember that great Margaret Mead quote:

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

So I will continue to join with others in whatever small way I can to support whatever needs doing to help our planet heal. In the meantime, I'll be aware of what I consume, what I waste, what I recycle, what I reuse, what I re-purpose, and do the best I can. And to you, my dear friends, find what works for you. Find something that you can be involved in, no matter how small.

Here's something we can all do to take action here
and here.
We're all in this together, we're all on this one little blue ball in space.

Los Angeles, the Wedding

We traveled to Los Angeles to attend the wedding of my niece. It was held at a beautiful old (for L.A.) venue, Cicada.
This is the view of the doors, which we were waiting to open, for the bride and her father to appear for the first time. While we were upstairs having cocktails, the staff transformed the space from ceremony seating to dinner hall. It was a beautiful ceremony and a wonderful party.

I rarely show the personal on this blog, but I had to include a photo of my 95 year old mom at the cocktail hour, wearing the lovely outfit that my sister made for her. She really enjoyed herself. During the dancing, she was tapping her hands to the music, wishing she could get up and join the dancers. I, also, had to include this sweet photo of another niece doing J's polish the night before the wedding.
We had a really good time, having the chance to connect with relatives, be tourists in Los Angeles, and be at the Skulls exhibit opening. Now we're home, recovering!

Los Angeles, busy days continue

We drove up to Griffith Park Observatory. It was very crowded with visitors and we had to park down the hill and walk up a steep road. The views were terrific, though somewhat foggy so we couldn't see downtown L.A. or the ocean very clearly. This observatory has been seen in lots of movies. It's a beautiful building and the inside is full of wonderful displays. There's a planetarium, which we didn't go into, a cafe and a gift shop, but the views are the best part. Check out the link above and you'll see the famous facade.

Los Angeles, busy days continue

We had a very, very busy day on the day that we went to the Museum of Jurassic Technology which is amazingly curious. We were able to have tea and cookies there. After that, we drove down to Venice Beach, which is has a crazy boardwalk full of shops and a skate board park. There are palm trees, and benches, and sand, and the Pacific Ocean. It's all very nice if you don't pay attention to the crowds of tourists and the stalls selling sun glasses and cheap souvenirs.

After Venice Beach, we drove to Marina Del Rey, just 5 minutes away, to attend the pre-wedding party for our niece and new nephew-to-be. It got dark while we were there, the doors were open to the deck, we could step out and see the boats and water. It was a lot of fun.

The drive back to our hotel is a blur...I don't remember doing it. Oh yes, we rented a car, and I ended up doing all the driving, and I managed to avoid the Freeways, which meant that I didn't get caught in any traffic, but then, it also took longer to get anywhere or not depending on, yet again, those traffic jams that Los Angeles is famous for.

Los Angeles, busy days continue

Before strolling through Farmers' Market, we had brunch with cousins at Marmalade Cafe. The food was yummy and we were able to sit outdoors and watch people passing by. The restaurant is in the shopping center called The Grove, a typical open air California style mall. It's adjacent to the Farmers' Market.

Los Angeles, busy days continue

I remember visiting this place, Farmers' Market, as a teen, when I went to L.A. to visit my older sister, who had moved there. It's still the same! There were neighborhood people sitting around having coffee and reading their Sunday newspaper. The Bob's Homemade Donuts shop was still there. You can get pretty much everything you need from meat to fancy macaroons. There is one shop that sells just hot sauces and mustards. We did not give in to the tempting apples covered in all sorts of sweetness, but did buy some fresh figs.

Los Angeles, busy days.

We took the DASH bus up into Hollywoodland (developed in the 1920s and where the name Hollywood came from) to have breakfast at the Village Cafe. The Antiques dealer, Alan, whom we met at the opening on Friday night, told us about this. What fun! The DASH cost only 25¢. Alan has this cute little antiques store on the corner up from our hotel. He gets things from movie and tv props and costumer people and sells them inexpensively. How cool! We went up to Griffith Park to see the observatory. Also, very cool. Here's a view looking down and one looking across to the famous sign. I had to take a photo of the water drain. A good reminder. Here, some of our drains remind us that the water goes right into the Chesapeake Bay.