of late, it has been all about finishing projects that have been set aside, many times with just a tiny corner to be stitched or painted.

and framing some of the work i want to display in our home.

and listing a few others in my much-neglected etsy shop.

you see i have so many varied artistic interests that i sometimes get sidetracked launching new projects.

so i have started a pad with a list of the things i REALLY want to make. ofcourse, i continue to stray once in a while, as when i stopped one night to sew this indigo beaded moth.

it ultimately went on to win an award on flickr's explore with over 12 thousand views worldwide.

or when i stopped to paint this sympathy note for the tragedy of MH 17 for my dutch friend Hans Peter.

i have also been putting together some packages to thank a number of friends who have sent me some wonderful handmade gifts, such as lynne hoppe who sent me a couple of originals

and rebecca brooks who sent me the most gorgeous saughtered double-sided shrine ro hang from my ceiling fan

in turn, her gifted prompted me to stitch these scapulars

but i've also been catching up with the garden

and walks on the beach

and still hanging up pictures in the house

and tidying up the studio

i need more time. lots more time because

just love love to create.

what do you think of this new technique i ventured into? my daughter and son are both modernists and i wanted to make tatiana something for her apartment. what a contrast to what i usually paint huh?

i leave you with this beautiful creation from my friend Julie Ippoliti

proof once again that we are all a gift to each other. 

as my friend hans peter so wisely write to me the other day

"This 'us & them' finds its roots, i believe, in the illusion that there is a separate 'me'. The older I get, the more i realuze: i am you, i am this bird, i am this tree, i am this stone."

I DID it

                       SOLD

two weeks....that is all i had between a visit from my creative friend Nola to the actual event. before i knew it, i had said yes to what SHE believed to be shareable about me. during those two weeks preparing i had doubts more than anything due to the time pressure but something told me this was a challenge and i went full throttle. And I DID IT. 

i had a friend build me two display walls to hang my art on, much like an art gallery. and i took a thing of live green with me in the form of lemon balm to show my respect for the Life force that ultimately motivates all I do.

so there i was, pushing myself to reveal through my available work, who i was, what i meant to share, what i meant to say and i worked night and day, amidst the chaos of daily life until i was able to put a decent display together.

the above are two pieces that sold

we spent many an hour sifting through my previous work for printable material but, surprisingly, it was my originals that sold, one woman in particular by the name of rachel buying four of them

i am going through a house form phase

as you can see both in my painting and my stitching

and the flowers in my garden

i stitched, i pasted, i painted, i collaged, i printed and packed, framed and boxed everything right in the nick of time.

all for the

of Art and spreading culture.

courageous me!