spin me 'round

this might be perfect in our living room with its cozy charm, fireplace, and dark stained wood. we would load it down with all kinds of tunes, from the national to michael jackson to simon & garfunkel. alas, money has not sprouted from any of the trees in the park nearby, nor in our own little yard.

for now i'd happily settle for this from anthro instead. have you ever smelled it? all i have to say is good thing it's not edible.

my one not-so-little pup who gets to come to work with me (the best!) currently has a mad case of the stinkies.

flowing

inspiration from this

plus these vintage grey beauties

and this sandstone-colored fibery deliciousness

equals something i can't wait to start/finish/share with you. (but don't hold your breath. all of these fine stitches take a little longer---with life and work and holiday preparations, give me a couple of weeks.)

good to feel the creative juices flowing again. many thanks to those who helped me get back into the swing of things here with their commissioned projects. loads of fun. votes of confidence so greatly appreciated.

and at some point i've got to get to posting other recent creations on etsy. . . .

hope you are well.

inner space

we're still basking in the glory of having more living space. it keeps proving to be so therapeutic. for example, this week i have been unpacking screenprinting supplies. the reunion has been a happy one and they told me they love their new, roomy digs. i told them they can have rule over the entire bungalow's basement.

they were grateful. (just don't tell them that i hope to someday upgrade to a process that's a little less . . . well, jerry-rigged. but then the heat lamp can go back to being a heat lamp, the tri-pod a tri-pod, the door glass to door glass, etc.)

ah, creativity within the creative process. counts for something, right? do you have any funny stories to tell?

glad to get back to into doing what i'm doing. a happy weekend to you.

bright like my TV

every week i look forward to the tiny desk concerts at npr music. last week's featured artist was k'naan, a young man who grew up in war-torn somalia and who's nothing short of a hip-hop master, they say.

what do you think?

i love 'fatima'. eager to know k'naan's work, perspective, and experience more. the world is so big.

Fatima

(second song in video)

Picture the morning taste and devour
We rise early pace up the hour
Streets is bustling hustling their heart out
You can't have the sweet with no sour

Spices herbs the sweet scent of flower
She came out precisely the hour
Clouds disappear the sun shows the power
No chance of a probable shower

I fell in love with my neighbor's daughter
I wanted to protect and support her
Never mind I'm just 12 and a quarter
I had dreams beyond our border

Is it true when they say all you need is just love
What about those who have loved
Only to find that it's taken away
And why do they say that the children have rights to be free
What about those who I've known
Whose memory still lives inside of me

Fatima,
What did the Young Man say
Before he stole you away
On that fateful day Fatima
Fatima,
Did he know your name
Or the plans we made,
To go to New York City, Fatima

(more lyrics here.)

savor

our biscotti for the baking. your new recipe for the tweaking.

fortunately, things don't always go the way you think they will. our adjustment to being homeowners is taking much longer than i thought it would. no, we weren't instantly and fully nested or responsible by any means---probably still aren't---but that's okay. once again, a slow process is doing us a lot of good, and we are getting . . . somewhere.

thank goodness for the obsession of having "arrived" coming to an end. this will no doubt be one very full experience to take in.

i'm thankful for the details. it's turning out to be the little things.

to note, when we finally got past the dread of having to rake the millions of leaves that landed in our small city lot, we found there were rich colors and scents, fond memories to take in, new ones to stow away. and pausing to relish the aroma of baking biscotti and to appreciate our far-more-than-likable kitchen (in direct comparison to previous ones in chicago and cambridge) was not an insignificant moment either.

there are plenty of projects we have yet to do: sand and stain the chairs we found for the dining room, paint the bathroom, finish the floor in the studio, decorate . . . everything. they don't overwelm me. if so it's because i let them.

it's better to enjoy life. take things one at a time.

slow down and savor something.

lazy sunday

the fountain square art fair yesterday went well. it was a beautiful day, there were visits with friends old and new, and even some sales. i'll take it.

but what a welcome reprieve now. ready for that normal rhythm once more.

and with a little help the morning's gentle rain here in the circle city, i think i've almost found it.


a good sunday to you, too.

freitag bags

we watched the helvetica film last week and caught a brief glimpse inside the freitag factory. i had seen these types of bags around before, but upon searching for information about their specific company, subsequently revisiting and then revisiting their online shop some more, i became very intrigued by what they do.

F17 Joe messenger bag

since 1993, before the 3 R's really even caught on, let alone were cool, the freitag brothers have reused materials like nobody's business. old tarps, airbags, bike inner tubes, and car seat belts, to be exact. and there are several different types of items they make available, too.

F53 Denver wallet

F72 Donna bag

the prices may be steep, but if you're lucky you might be able to find some of these swiss beauties in a nearby shop of yours and save a few bucks, which always helps. and if nothing else, freitag's creative work certainly serves as inspiration in the realm of taking something old and making it new again. cheers to that.

now go and try that out for yourself, huh?

(all images via www.freitag.ch.)

over here

on the grounds at the indianapolis museum of art a few weeks ago

it's been awhile.  just wanted to let you know i'm still alive.  and thanks for checking in here and there.  i've missed you.

my excuse this time?  the short of it is that absolutely every last ounce of energy has been spent on work and settling into our home for the past couple of months (and on some wonderful visitors, too).  thankfully, i'm making a job change soon that will provide much more regular hours, not to mention what i think will be a slight increase in opportunities for artistic inspiration/expression.  all of this should help to get my feet back under me quite nicely.

that's really  just what i need---routine and inspiration---because i've signed up for another fair.  if you're nearby, be sure to check out the upcoming one in fountain square on september 19th.  if not, you'll still find pics of new lovelies here, and eventually in my etsy shop, too.

can't wait to find my rhythm in this space once more.  i'm excited about what's to come.

best to you,

abby

snail's pace

we find these discarded snail shells all over one particular section of our garden.  i love it.

in recent years i've not been one to read into things, or one to share any of my quieter daily thoughts, but the natural beauty of these small discoveries is too much.  

they are my companions.

for years it seemed like life was moving at a snail's pace.  day in, day out---with little joys along the way, sure---but the rhythm was the same.  slow and steady, despite all my efforts otherwise.

but we're here.  and after all this time, hundreds of job applications, and a handful of interviews, i finally have a job.

all i have to say about that is, tall, grande, or venti?

with thanks,

abby

gang's all here

we made it. we're in that house of ours and working steadily. you wouldn't believe all that's been going on. in the last two weeks we/i:
- moved into a house
- decided to paint nearly every room of that house

- started weeding a very full garden that had been sitting while our closing was delayed and central indiana experienced an unusual amount of rain (= lots of work to do)
- resumed the morning ritual of an iced latte to accompany my online job search

- watched our bees build comb, brood, and store up honey

- bought a old patio set at the fabulous midland antiques
- adopted a feral kitten that showed up on our back porch
- celebrated a soggy 4th of July with my family where we played cornhole indoors
- discovered CraftStylish, thanks to my sister, and upcycled a t-shirt into a cardigan
- HAVE NOT touched my blogroll, unread posts easily reaching some mystery number over 1,000 much too long ago, and
- HAVE missed this virtual space and am trying to rethink it's purpose, since it and you all have helped me stay sane while waiting for this dreamy living space to come true.

there's so much more, but at least you get the gist of things. for now i plan on sharing bits and pieces of what our new life in indianapolis looks like day to day, so stay tuned. one goal of mine is to get to you see just how great this little city is, ever full of surprises.

and not much longer until i unpack all my craft supplies, too. did i tell you this place has a studio above the garage?

hope all is well with you,

abby