capricorns

the new year brings two birthdays in our house.  the first is my youngest son and then comes mine two days later.  i'll promise not to go on and on about this but i'm having a hard time believing that my youngest, my baby, is now 18. where did the time go?

i do have to talk about my birthday cake.  for reasons i won't bore you with, my daughter was moving on my birthday.  full blown renting-a-van-filling-it-with-a-couch-bed-etc.-moving.  so for more reasons i won't bore you with my middle son and i went with my daughter to her new home 2 and 1/2 hours away and helped her while my youngest stayed home.  we didn't get home till 2:30 in the morning but there, waiting for me, was a birthday cake, baked by my youngest who had never made a cake before in his life.  he even shaved some chocolate on top.  it was so unexpected.  it was beautiful.  it was delicious.  best birthday cake i ever had at 2:30 in the morning. 

and i was so pleasantly surprised to find the next post art exchange in my mail box!  even the mailer is a work of art.  now i've got to add my little bit to it and send it on.  i am loving this whole experience.  

knowing you knowing me

photege

well don't i feel special. :)  two women from the post art exchange that i'm a part of have asked me to participate in a kind of get to know you better/get naked in blogland post.  the first invitation came from tamber at yellow porch light.  she's an artist and an herbalist and i love her piece called trinity. check out the story of how she came up with the name for her blog.  the second came from courtney at run 2 the wild.  a little while ago she celebrated her etsy shop's first birthday with over 700 sales!  she also has her work in a gallery for the first time.  and she's the brains behind our post art exchange so she's talented and smart - a great combination.  i love the very real and honest thoughts that these women share on their blogs.  it's inspiring to me. 

ok, so the first part of knowing you knowing me is five random facts about me.

i love the ocean.  i'll take a day at the beach over just about anything. my parents used to bring my brother and me to Long Beach on LI even during the winter.  we'd gather shells, walk the boardwalk, play some old fashioned arcade games like skee ball and then get knishes.  great memories.  sometimes i wonder why i moved to the mountains.

i went to the fashion institute of technology a loooong time ago to become a fashion designer.  somehow i didn't quite realize that i would have to sew the clothes i was designing.  that was kind of the end of that.

i used to have a little vintage shop in an antique center.  i loved it but didn't make much money at it.  

i hate wearing socks.  that can be a pain in the butt when you live in upstate ny.

i like to read cookbooks like novels.

ok, here's the second part - the questions to answer.

what is the best story you've heard or read in the past couple of weeks?

my kids are constantly telling me stories about their days and i love hearing them.  the antics of a 17 year old who has just gotten his license, the experiences of a college student and the adventures of a 24 year old moving to the big city.  and i've got jane eyre on my bedside table.

is halloween a holiday you care much about?  if so, how did you celebrate?

halloween has always been about fun to me.  when my kids were younger we would throw the best parties.  we would decorate and bake and cook like mad.  now there are certain traditions we still follow like pumpkin dip and ginger snaps.

what blog have you discovered lately that you really dig?

fleachic: flea market savvy  :   great design before and afters for inspiration

art in red wagons   :   beautiful words and images

ginger mandy   :   just found this blog but i'm liking the mix of politics and curry coconut pumpkin soup

what was the best thing you ever found at a thrift store?

this is just too hard to answer.  too many things.  ok how about a pair of fabulous citrus orange shiny sheer curtains that i have yet to hang.  

where's the farthest you've traveled?  

the farthest places i've been are florida, arkansas and montreal.  geographically florida and arkansas are about a tie but montreal felt the furthest and not only because they speak french there.  loved it.

how do you get inspired?

i get inspired by seeing art - going to a museum, a gallery.  it just starts that creative excitement, that feeling in your gut.  also by a sunset, a song, some beautiful words strung together... oh yes and blogs.

what is the one thing you wish you could do but don't have the guts to?

oh you know, trusting again.  but i'm working on it.

or maybe it's hang gliding.

what is your biggest dream?

to be a successful non-starving artist.

what is the one thing you hate and love about blogging?

hate: having to censor myself

love: meeting people i probably never would have met otherwise.

what is the most important lesson you have learned so far in life?

well, things i've experienced but am still learning - life is what happens while you're busy making other plans and change is inevitable.

done! (huge sigh of relief)

my nominees

(only if it fits with your blog schedule/structure)

joana at trincar uvas

angela at garden and sea

holly at quiet galaxy

jennifer at grimmricksen

diane at the expressive palette

my questions for you

what is your least favorite chore?

what is your favorite book(s)?

what inspires you?

do you have a favorite childhood memory?

what dishes are always on your thanksgiving/holiday table?  feel free to share recipes!

instructions

nominate 5 other blogs in your post (all must have less than 250 subscribers)

post 5 random facts about yourself

answer my 5 questions, then list 5 of your own for the other bloggers to answer

let your 5 friends know you have tagged them by commenting on their blog

handcrafted in virginia

thanks ladies!

post art exchange #1

you can't imagine how excited i was to see my first piece of post art exchange in the mailbox today.  it was like my birthday in the middle of my ordinary wednesday.  then to find that the envelope held a box, a 3d postcard... how creative!  i had all these thoughts at once - can i keep it, can i just plain keep it?  and  - it's perfect the way it is, i don't want to add to it.  and then - wow, she is talented, my fellow post art exchanger.  her name is ashley by the way.  so i'm dying to show it to you in all its original beauty but part of me doesn't think it's fair to ruin the surprise for the next recipient.  so here is a little bit just to absolutely tease you.

yes, there's a window in the box...

this so does not do it justice but it will have to be enough for now. especially since i don't plan on altering it too much.  i've got an idea that will add my touch but leave enough room for more transformations from the rest of our little group.  

i'm so glad courtney started this art exchange.  its a very lovely thing to get to know these women through their art.

and finally listed this piece in the shop.  i'm kind of liking having it around but....

goodnight kids :)

anticipation

courtney from run 2 the wild has started a post art exchange and i'm so excited to be a part of it.  ten of us will make a post card and mail it to the person on our list who will then add to it, enhance it and then mail it on to her person and so on until we all have added something to it.  and so, each post card will have many fingerprints on it - a collaborative piece between people from a few different continents.  i think there's something very cool about making art in this way, with people i've never met. 

i can't wait for the mail man (person?) to come.

check back here and run 2 the wild for more post card art!