Happy Easter...Happy Spring!!!!

Dear Pantry Violets-

Wishing you all a Happy Easter...Happy Spring!  I found this vintage postcard at a store that caught my eye while poking around the Marais area of Paris post-Briancon.  LOVE to all- Oolie 

EASTER decoration

Here it is!

The cabinet in the living room that holds my treasures.

Since I see it all the time,

it doesn't seem all that interesting to me.

Still, it does look rather appealing in a photo with all that detail.

How can you go wrong with a full printer's drawer?

(click on the photo to enlarge)

eggs....every year a new set of three...

close-ups of G's dragon and a couple of others...

These are some of my "faves"  

.......from 2 years ago...

Happy Easter Week to All!

...and Happy Passover to those of you out there who celebrate!

boxes

Here are a few photos of the goodies I dropped off today at Curiosa 

(great little shop in Santa Fe)

These boxes are covered with Japanese hand-printed papers.... 

They lend themselves to some pretty magical combinations.

I like the more subtle colors on this box...and the butterfly looks like it is just resting before flying off somewhere wonderful...

Now, the tiny birds on branches..... another "heart flutter" for me...

I was just outside thinking about how to get the birds on the boxes 

and there were little twigs under the Redbud Trees....

......... hmmmmmm.....

Do you love 'em as much as I do? 

Guess I'll have to make a few more of them, so I can keep one.

This "bird and heart" is a copy of the one I made

 for my mom for her birthday.

Simple and sweet, with a tiny sentiment 

stuck somewhere on each one...

Maybe I'll make a few more of these, too.....

more goodies on  polkadotponie.blogspot.com

more BIRDS

Here they are.

The next group of birds.

They will sit in birdcages and atop small boxes.

Just love 'em.

So elegant, in a way.

Nice on the nest, too, don't you think?

wheeeeeeee!!

For those of you who have no idea what we just did, check out these two photos!!

We look like we are in a wind tunnel - hair flying back, no wrinkles (!)

And then, WHEEEEEeeeeeeeeee! There we go through the rapids!

Thanks to Robert's skills, we made it just fine (and it was a sunny day...)

What a BLAST! .... really...... and we were holding on pretty tightly....HA!

Creatures

The creature making with my son's school class has gone really really well. It was quite amazing how all the children produced a special creature. The whole thing has spiralled "as things do" into more ideas. Once they had finished the creatures we asked them to all give them character's and then put them into groups to make a story. They spent a spring afternoon in the school garden creating little scenes, which left these little creatures a little worse for wear, but nothing a glue gun or a sling can't repair (My son decided to pull the arms and legs off his!). We spent this week making hand made paper and next week will turn this all into hand made books, so the paper theme has continued.

Have also been

making 20 houses for my other son's kindergarten. We think we will get them to paint them and then add creatures to them. As you can see hedgehog now has a home. I just love them all lined up together I understand your happiness with your baskets Jone, this gives me the same happiness, is it something about boxes and paper.

Love seeing all your blogs of late. Love the apron Taylor and your

yellow walls. Happy birthday Jone. Love to you all Joanna

BaSkEtS!!

OKay, Ladies (and gents).....

These are the baskets that are making my little heart go "pitter-pat"...

I am in LOVE....

It is so rare for me to do something that makes me sooo happy, but it does occasionally happen and it has happened this time.

The bases are egg cartons that have been carefully torn apart into individual sections.

Then, I add the delicate floral stems and form them into the handle.

From there, I use old hymnals (looking for more - anyone know where to get them?) and sheets from a Japanese anthropological notebook to papier mache the "basket" bowl.

Here they are, stacked in a basket ready for delivery.....

Couldn't resist showing you a couple of individual detail photos....
I can't tell you how happy these tiny things make me!!!

The delicacy and simplicity really turns me on!

Hope you like 'em, too...

more to come....

feeling inspired

Well, having been quite proud of myself last week because of another spoonflower win, I feel put to shame with all your completely gorgeous stitching and crafting! It seems as if I cannot actually achieve anything unless there is a competition attached to it!!! But I am now inspired and will get my needles back out......Nick will be pleased, we are knee deep in cloth at our house and every time I mention 'spoonflower" his eyes glaze over! Happy Crafting!

A finished project at last

The apron is finished but my little photographers (alas both taller than me) were not able to photograph it very well. Here is the best shot. It does look very long in this picture, but my friend Marilyn is taller than me. (Who isn't?) I like the way it came out. It was fun to make. I bet my friend will be surprised. Next I am working on a spring sampler and some fabric charms. I am going to Seattle Wednesday and I am bringing my stitchery with me. Ah look in the background, our kitchen has finally been painted. Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you.

Still Trying

I check out Pantry Violets on a regular basis and am constantly delighted and inspired by the creative output of Jone - LOVE the Easter eggs! - and Danielle, and all you other talented ladies. Anyway, finally found a little time last week between paper work and gardening and cleaning ponds and choosing tiles for the barn renovation, to do a bit of sewing ( I know, I know, everyones' lives are as busy and complicated as mine, but it's comfortable to have an excuse for not having exercised my creative muscle lately).

My project was a collage for an old friend who will be celebrating his 60th birthday on April Fool's Day and, Ooooo, I enjoyed myself so much - it was like a much needed meditation. I'm keeping my fingers crossed he likes it, though I know men can sometimes find small textile things a tad "girlie" and his house is somewhat bloke-ish. A girlfriend of mine had given me a little jar of delightful heart-headed pins for Christmas and I'm ashamed to say this was my first opportunity to use them (I made a little heart-shaped wrist pin-cushion to put them on).

Whilst stiching I remembered a colour "sampler" Carol and I saw at the textile fair in February. The lady was selling cotton and silk embroidery yarns and had done this amazing, huge linen sheet of tiny jewel-like coloured squares of cross stitch; it reminded me of a Paul Klee painting, quite exquisite. I asked her how much she wanted for it, but she told me it was a work of love and not for sale. Anyone else know how she feels?

Easter EGGS

I have been painting! A LOT!!!

These are my favorite tiny eggs - about 1/2" in size.....

I just love the details... and the colors.... and how little they are!

I am working on bird cages, too....and birds. 

This is the first stage of the cages - wire and foam core board.

hmmmm, best get to work to finish 'em up.

....and more eggs! With just a gold pen and a silver pen - ta da! .... magic .......

Easter is Coming

I have been asked by one of my favorite shop owners to do some "goodies" for her for Easter.

So, I went to the craft stores today to stock up on the necessities.....love the colors so much!

I couldn't resist the little ribbons (I can never resist the ribbons!) ...and the little yellow boxes.

I have an idea what I'll do, but am waiting to get started to see how things progress.

Thought of Becky when I found the little muffin cups in her polkadots...

The "flitter" is not from today's shopping, but from Addison Papers in Berkeley a long time ago.  I am not sure how it will come into play, but I know that it will add a lot to a "little something"

These are eggs that I painted many years ago. I found them in the bottom of a box and pulled them out for inspiration.

What are all of you working on?

I am back and ready to challenge all of you to some creative "something"....

....whadya say?

tiny treat

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

I got home to a wonderful little treat of a package from England...... wow!

Here is the group.... so darn CUTE!!! See the details below:

I am just in awe of Danielle's expertise with the sewing machine. I can see where Fran gets it.

Isn't this the most charming card you ever saw?! And it looks like me!

When D told me that she had found the tiniest little something to send to me, I could not imagine what it could be.... ta da! 

Here it is! ....with the little envelope in the beak.

It is perfect....

....AND the latest in the fabric dolls from Danielle Hanson! What a personality! (5 inches tall)

Thanks, Danielle, for making the return home even more sweet.

I love you and our friendship!

xoxo

We're Back!!

We are back from the Grand Canyon!

OMG!!!!

It was incredible in soooo many ways.

For more photos on polkadot ponie......check 'em out!

We love all of you and hope that you are all well. We will be sharing some of our adventures with you in the next few days... weeks..... months..... as long as it takes!

Birthday girls!

Happy birthday

Jone, Clare and Cynthia!

Love

Becky