Happiness in the Accident

My small collection of pottery just grew by one more.

My friend Karen brought me a beautiful little Raku pot

from her trip to Seattle....

and also a handful of perfect tiny pinecones.

I have another Raku pot and you can see it

in my previous post here....

http://inkspillersattic.blogspot.com/2013/10/watercolor-still-life.html#links

Raku means

"happiness in the accident".

It is a type of firing process

that dates back to early 16th century Japan.

Don Nibert, a famous late Raku potter,

said this.....

"What is it about the dynamics of this particular discipline that makes Raku so vital.  Raku exemplifies....a complex relationship of material, human activity, and qualities of the natural world...Raku implies freshness and simplicity; it also defines an accidental or happenstance element, maybe even a imperfection which lends elegance and uniqueness to the whole.  Raku has a beauty that stems from age.  It stresses the appreciation of transient things and of the cycles of life that give rise to change.  It can also refer to the quality of unpretentiousness or a kind of primitive naturalness."

--------------------

Did you notice?

The little Raku pot has a metal lid

with a Kokopelli engraved on it.

I love it!

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The tiny pine cones are now in my potpourri bowl.

I love pinecones, big and small.

Sometimes when I go to my cousins,

she gives me lots of pinecones from her yard.

Any new ideas for using pinecones?

-------------------

"Between every two pines is a doorway

to a new world."

---John Muir

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Words are all we have....

I've visited several blogs this week.

I enjoy them all.

 Many have mentioned their 'key words' for spring.

One of those blogs is...

http://blog.studiowaterstone.com/

You may wish to visit her lovely blog.

I love words, I love quotes.

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) Irish writer, dramatist and poet, once said...

"Words are all we have."

 

I have been thinking of just what my 'spring' key words would be.

Here are a few...

alive

barefoot

chirping

awakening

breezy

buzzing

"I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden."

- Ruth Stout

(Mexican heather in my garden...

tiny yet beautiful blooms)

"Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil."

- Reginald Heber

Savor the Day!

Yvonne



Barefoot...a simple pleasure

"... Barefoot, we're almost always at peace.
We're gentle and tolerant with our fellow man.
Stress and anxiety evaporate
and grief itself seems bearable
 as long as our feet are free .....
~Barbara Holland~
in Endangered Pleasures:
In Defense of Naps, Bacon, Martinis, Profanity, and Other Indulgences
*******

"and forget not
that the Earth delights
to feel your bare feet
and the Winds
long to play with your hair"
~Kahlil Gilbran~

One more quote for you barefoot lovers....

"If I had my life to live over,

I would start barefoot earlier in the spring

and stay that way later in the fall.

I would go to more dances.

I would ride more merry-go-rounds.

I would pick more daisies."

 -----Nadine Stair

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Patience

Being in any life transition is hard.
Selling a house, moving, new job...whatever.
All can be hard and can try one's patience.

Patience is something I've been cultivating for a long time and

I believe I have progressed over the years.
All in all,
I'm a pretty 'laid back' person.
Of course, I still have my moments of impatience.

Patience.....

what is it exactly?

The dictionary says....

"The capacity to accept or at least tolerate
things like

delay, trouble, or suffering...

without getting angry

or upset."

That means not to hold anger in

and pretend you aren't upset...

it means to really not be upset.
Patience is actually good for your health.

Do you remember these sayings???

"Patience is a virtue"
or
"Don't sweat the small stuff...
and it's all small stuff!"
or
the old Dutch proverb,
"A handful of patience is worth more than
a bushel of brains."
or
my favorite one by Emerson,
"Adopt the pace of Nature:
Her secret is patience."

Whenever I had to wait in line,
or got stuck in traffic etc.
my dad would always tell me
that it was teaching me patience.

Susan Bird-Harris wrote a good article
on learning patience....
http://ezinearticles.com/?10-Ways-to-Learn-Patience-Now!&id=509437

What do YOU do to practice patience?

Remember that patience will help you...
Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Breadbaking dance

"[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses,

 like a dance from some ancient ceremony.

 It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells...

there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise,

no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel,

that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts

 than this homely ceremony of making bread."

                                                       ---M. F. K. Fisher, ‘The Art of Eating’

  My breadbaking adventure has taught me a lot.

I haven't made bread from scratch in years,

(I usually just buy artisan bread, or at times

make my own in the bread machine)

so this was fun.

I was not discouraged

 even though my first loaf didn't turn out well.

(It was like a ton of bricks,

and very tough.

Not good)

I wasn't sure if it was something I did

 (oh no, it couldn't be THAT!... wink)

or maybe it was my homemade starter below,

(No...I'm sure I made that right too)

or maybe it was the recipe I used.

(that's got to be it... of course...teehee)

So I picked out another recipe,

a 'no knead' recipe at that...

and used my homemade sourdough starter as before,

and got busy again.

The second loaf is like heaven!

Just let me know if you want this no-knead recipe.

Now, I'm off to enjoy a slice of my bread...

with butter, and a glass of iced green tea with lemon.

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods;

 and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”

---James Beard (1903-1985)

Visit Kimmie for Tea on Tuesday.

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea Day with Eleanora Duse

It's Tea Tuesday already!

How time flies!

Today I am having some tea

that was sent to me by

Patricia at

Artfully Ooglebloops.

The tea is a blend of green tea, acai, pomegranate and blueberry .

Very nice, thanks Pat!

All of those good things from the earth,

and the cup my daughter Jessica gave me years ago,

made me think of one of my favorite quotes...

"If the sight of blue skies fills you with joy,

if the simple things of nature have a message you understand,

rejoice,

for your soul is alive."

---Eleanora Duse (1858-1924)

Eleanora Duse was an Italian theatre actress,

in the 1800's and early 1900's.

She was the only woman to make the cover of

Time magazine in 1923.

Many said she was more talented than any other female of her time.

She became her characters.

She knew how to.....

Savor the Day....

Yvonne

WIP's to Share

This week I've been working on several new projects.

I'm making some Fragment Fabric Collages,

each with a different theme.

This one is a cowgirl theme and says,

Cowgirls Promise--All Grit and No Quit

As you can see, I have each piece pinned on right now.

I will do some stitching and add some embellishments,

like the vintage buttons and lace you see here.

Then I will add batting and a back to it,

along with a way to hang it.

 Fragments are a fun and easy way

to use up scraps of fabric and lace.

---

I am also making

felted wool wrist pincushions.

While visiting my cousin Paula recently,

I saw that she was using one,

and how handy it was.

She had lots of felted wool and fabric scraps,

so I started making them during my visit with her.

I love using mine,

when I'm doing hand work.

My plan is to make plenty of handmade items

for the Christmas season,

that is quickly approaching.

Do you have any great ideas you would like to share?

If so, I would love to know how to make something new.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Spirit, Strength, Feminity of Woman

Spirit, Strength, Feminity of Woman

(16 in. by 20 in.)

is my submission for Week 30 at

 Paint Party Friday

I love the use of stencils for background designs.

 Real lace was used as a stencil for her veil.

I didn't paint her to look realistic,

but I was happy how she turned out.

Most of my mixed media pieces have a quote

or words added to them. 

Is feminity a word?

Not sure about that one.

Contrast is also important.

Here the brick(ish) and wrought iron background,

vs. the lace veil and rose.

Hope you visit PPF because now

there are more than 60 blog participants

showing some very creative art pieces.

You can click on the PPF logo in my sidebar or

click on

http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Let us dance in the sun.....

Ever since we moved into this house

and my DH built the potting shed with the arbor,

I have been wanting to write something on the arbor.

I finally decided on....

Let us dance in the sun...

My DH ask me if that meant me

or the flowers...

and I said both.

This is the first part of a quote

that I have liked for many years.

The second part is ...

"...and wear wildflowers in your hair".

"Let us dance in the sun,

and wear wildflowers in your hair."

A good thing to remember I think.

Don't take things so seriously, enjoy life,

stop worrying, laugh...

in fact I wanted to remind myself of those things so much that

 I wrote some on my studio walls,

all from inspiration from my friend Karen.

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Tea day ideas

Hello tea lovers!

Glad you dropped in for a cuppa!

For today's Tea on Tuesday

I'm having Organic Bangkok

by Harney and Sons

This is a delightful classic green tea

with coconut, lemongrass, ginger and vanilla.

Visit http://www.harney.com/ for more info on their fine teas.

For more tea posts visit Kimmie at

http://artinredwagons.blogspot.com/

Tea day ideas....
...from me and also from the book
Steeped in Tea: Creative Ideas, Activities & Recipes for Tea Lovers

--learn about ikebana flower arranging and chanoyu tea ceremonies
--take a class in ceramics and make your own teapot
--attend contemporary teapot exhibits at art galleries
--scour flea markets and antique shops for your favorite tea related collectibles
--take an armchair tour of India, China, Kenya, Japan, or Sri-Lanka
--celebrate some occasion with a tea party
--eat lunch at a tea room
--try a new tea blend
--learn how to cook using tea
--custom design a tea basket and give it to someone who needs a smile
--learn how to tea dye
--make a tea dream pillow
--learn how to make Chinese marbled eggs with tea

Ecstasy is a glass full of tea and a piece of sugar in the mouth.
--Alexander Pushkin (circa 1830)

Savor the Day!
Yvonne

Happy Easter sunrises

I'm always taking photos of sunrises and sunsets.

Here are three of my local favorites.

This one was taken on Baffin Bay here in south Tx.

We were staying in a little campground,

in our RV, right on the water.

Beautiful mornings!

This one is the same campground

and shows the view from our RV out to the fishing pier.

This photo has not been altered in any way.

This one was taken by my DH with his cell phone.

He was out on the boat,

and it was very foggy.

He sent it to me right at that moment,

because he knows I love sunrises.

I think it looks like a beautiful watercolor.

Turn your face to the sun

and the shadows fall behind you.

---Maori proverb

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Nature's Peace

My DH and I had to go into the city today.

After all the appointments and necessary things,

 we made it out to the island for a late lunch.

We ate bacon wrapped stuffed shrimp with all the goodies,

over at one of our favorite eateries.

Enjoyed eating on the open porch watching the passing boats

and the curious birds.

Then after lunch

we drove down to a good place to do

 some more bird watching.

I got some pretty good shots with my little camera.

I think this beautiful guy was posing just for me.

This great blue heron was preening his feathers in the marsh grasses.

These two bird buddies let us get very close,

before flying off to meet their friends.

Many of the birds were catching their own lunch.

Others looked very peaceful just floating in the warm waters.

LATER that day....

when my DH and I returned home,

we sat in our backyard swing.

We were enjoying the warm breeze,

 listening to the cooing of the doves,

and laughing at the hummingbirds

playing in the sprinkler.

"There is more to life than merely increasing its speed."

---Gandhi

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Paint Party Friday--Flowers

"Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. 

 They are the hieroglyphics of angels,

 loved by all men for the beauty of the character,

though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning."

---Lydia M. Child

Happy Paint Party Friday!

I love flowers!

The flowers here are starting to bloom,

more and more each day.

I decided that a floral painting

would be appropriate

for this week's PPF photo,

since Spring is well under way.

This is how I did it...

First I sketched the vase and flowers loosely.

Then I did an under painting on wet paper,

letting the colors run.

I put certain colors of paint in places where I knew

 flowers and leaves would be,

background and foreground.

That layer had to dry well before going on.

Using three different brushes and mixing colors,

I painted in the foreground flowers and leaves a bit more,

leaving hard and soft edges.

Then that layer dried well.

The next layer was detailing everything just a bit more.

I like to keep things abstract and loose,

with just the illusion of what it is.

After that layer was dry

I put in the centers of just a few flowers.

Lastly, with a liner brush,

I put in some twirly things,

and splashed different colors here and there.

To see more Paint Party Friday art,

go to

http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

or click on the logo in my sidebar.

Or why don't you join us!

Savor the Day!

Yvonne

Come on Spring!

After that last cold snap,

we are now back into the 70's and beautiful weather.

Yesterday I was out planting seeds in the garden.

I already have lettuce coming up

from the seeds I planted prior.

It sure felt good to get my hands

in the dirt yesterday. 

Gardens inspire me in my fiber art

and also my watercolors.

One of my favorite garden books

is called

Simple Pleasures of the Garden: Stories, Recipes & Crafts from the Abundant Earth

by Susannah Seton

The book is separated into seasons

and filled with interesting information.

There are also quotes throughout the book and

these are some of my favorites.

You can use them in many of your projects.

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of

winter lies a miracle...a seed waiting to sprout,

a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. 

And the anticipation nurtures our dream.

---Barbara Winkler

Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,

Exhilarate the spirit, and restore

The tone of languid nature.

--William Cowper

In the garden every man may be his own artist

without apology or explanation.  Here is one spot

where each many experience "the romance of

possibility."

--Louise Beebe Wilder

Even if something is left undone, everyone must

take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.

--Elizabeth Lawrence

A happy life, must be to a great extent a quiet life,

for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true

joy can live.

--Bertrand Rissell

Savor the Day!

Yvonne