A Winter’s Evening

 Already well into December. How can this be possible that the dark days of winter are heading so quickly into the winter solstice. Soon, moment by moment, we will begin moving into longer days and shorter nights. I have always loved winter. Sitting in the big leather arm chair, engrossed in a movie, knitting or crafting away the darkness of evening. This winter though is challenging. Friends are missing. Hugs, long coffee breaks, an arm about a friend’s shoulders. All kidding.

In my bead shop it is the same. I am missing the kaleidoscope of customers that arrive at the door from not only all over this region but from areas around the country both far away and then back in my own yard. Conversations are welcomed, warm greetings extended and we are all excited to see and hear each other for the brief moments we pass each other in the aisles of the shop. In this season of both aloneness and at home ness, I wish you peace, comfort and creativity. 

I am going to immerse myself in the Crown series right now on Netflix and work on the little pink scarf for my neice that may or may not make it in time for Christmas! ♥️☀️🌀🧿

moving further in

 November has rolled around and with it, dark early evenings. Here in the Northwest it seems as if it is getting dark by mid afternoon and I reach for that cup of warming tea. Sometimes I dream I am living on the rugged coast of England in a stone cottage by the sea and I think of the mist rolling in as I settle down with beading or knitting, maybe even a good book. I think craft all the time, of course and lately I have been taking my two days off from the shop, we are actually closed for those two days, and spending most of the day in the studio. I have become addicted to British television shows and I am happy to put one on  the television and listen while I make jewelry or construct treasures. Sometimes I am just getting beads or gemstones ready to be sold in the shop. Nothing arrives in the bead store the way you see it in the shop. It must be strung or counted, tubed or looped, bagged or labeled. I like to do this work. I think I am putting love and energy into everything and it will leave my shop with its rightful new owner, imbued with energy for the the next incarnation of itself. 

My studio is divided into work areas. There is beading, sewing, needlepoint, drawing, metal work, resin work and the main work table is available for anything and everything and everything. This afternoon for 20 minutes, I found myself doing nothing. Just sitting and looking out the window. The pandemic has made me more introspective and I allow my mind to roam freely, giving it a little vacation. We have stellar jays all around the yard now as the neighbors have figured out the perfect snack for the, They are so blue and noisy and flighty and playful. Hypnotic in their little games. I can see them wearing little necklaces of crystal beads or maybe red. In my mind they are the women of the neighborhood, having their day at home, listening to the kids, planning meal, walking the dog. They are friends telling stories, sharing gossip, talking up their families and life in the 'hood. What fun and when they become bored and their talk is over; off they fly in swooping , graceful arcs.

Well, enough romance on this blog tonight. I will be taking pictures and adding to it later. I never seem to have pictures here on the computer although my mind is full of images. Happy November.

Herewith, I leave you a little dark night magic as these are glass glow in the dark beads! Just what a dark November night needs - captured sunlight! 

Almost Halloween

 Halloween is tomorrow! Can you believe it? Even during the pandemic, time continues to fly by. Starting Sunday, the days will get darker earlier and I will be finding time to do beading or drawing or knitting in the studio with a good ( hopefully good ) Netflix movie or series on. What will you do for the winter nights? Just imagine, it will be warm and summery again before we know it.

While this picture may seem out of place on my blog, I love it. It is a friend's completed fence, or property screen is perhaps a better word; everything about it is inspirational to me. The contrast of the circles of wood against the open wire work of the structure, the negative space below- it all conspires to make me want the same imagery in my drawings and beadwork. You will just need to stay tuned to see what I come up with. I have to say the blue of that sky, the greens in the trees and the mellow brown color of the ground are also inspiring. Nobody does color like the natural world. 

So in our coming darker evenings and stay home time, enjoy these mellower moments, time to be creative and stay well. 

 So here it is now October 16th, 2020, four years after the last post. In the middle of a pandemic. Closed for 90 days without income. What did I do? Had a creativity explosion in the studio and made all kinds of things. Even sewed but most of all I ate. For comfort. For stress relief. Out of boredom. Not any exercise really. Tonight, oh good grief, I noticed my second belly roll had become a tire! Bigger than a mountain bike tire. My body aches. Is it the fat or pandemic worry? I threw out the Dove milk chocolates. At least the remainder of the bag. Journey starts. Onward until next October.