Every Little Bit Will Help...

Please, please, please~If you love animals and want to help save sweet, innocent, adorable and helpless seals~please check out this link on the Humane Society of the United States website and sign this pledge to stop eating Canadian seafood until these cruel seal hunts are ended!
Protect Seals

This sort of stuff just breaks my heart over and over again. Who could kill something so helpless? I will be so grateful if you take just a minute to sign this pledge and make the decision to boycott the Canadian seafood companies.

THANK YOU ALL!

A New Old Thing...

Today was the day~We went to pick up my new-to-me piano from my oldest sister's house. She lives about 2 & 1/2 hours from us. It was quite a process! I hired a piano mover there to help us get this six-hundred pound beauty onto our truck and another mover here at home to help us get her into the house. I don't know why, but I'm sure it's a her. Isn't she lovely?

I had to get her all dusted and find a pretty scarf right away. She's a bit larger than I was thinking (somehow in my mind I have a way of making everything fit just the way I want it...but in reality it doesn't always work that way!). Luckily the spot I had picked out does work well. There are a few sticky keys which I'm worried about and she needs to be tuned, but overall not bad for about $150.00 moving costs (that even included our gas!).

I've always wanted to learn to play piano, but not badly enough to learn! My mother tried to teach me a bit when I was little...I remember the masking tape "cues" on the keys to help me remember what notes went with which letter. I decided in the 4th grade that the flute was the most beautiful instrument in the world (other than the harp which still remains, in my mind, the most romantic and beatiful looking of all the instruments). But there were no harp players in the elementary school band so I went with the flute.

It's strange how quickly I've forgotten notes and music reading. I began my first ever official piano lessons about 3 weeks ago and really am enjoying it so far. I like how I have to completely concentrate. It's absorbing and I don't have time to worry about things, or think too much. It takes all my effort to focus on what I'm doing.

I love thinking about who owned this piano before me. (Well, I mean before my sister). She got it from an older man who no longer wanted it...but it was built in the early 1900's...who played it all those years? Where has it been?

This scrolling on the front is one of the things I fell in love with first...it's so delicate and unnecessary; that's why I think I love it the most. It's just for prettiness.

A Renewed Commitment to Fun & Frolic

Last night was our monthly Soup Night. I had so much fun, as always. Between the all the stories and laughter and snorting into my water glass while attempting a hiccup remedy that my husband was trying to teach me (involving pressing a butter knife against my forehead while simultaneously drinking), I realized (again) how much fun it is to just enjoy simple things like a meal with friends. Fun, frolic and being completely caught up in the moment is something I want to add to my life. I tend to be introverted and know that I dwell too much on the sadnesses and worries of the world (my own, and the world at large). I want to be more carefree! I want to have fun! I want to do silly things and be impulsive and remember that living isn't all about being super-responsible and that the world will not fall apart if I let my hair down and have a good time. Everything doesn't always have to be perfect~I don't have to try to be perfect!

Basking in the after-glow of a wonderful evening, I feel like more is possible. I want to be more on top of my blog for one thing. I LOVE reading other people's posts and seeing their beautiful photography...it's such a great way to connect with others who have similar interests. For instance, Deb's blog is incredibly fun to poke around in...what a creative girl! I've found all sorts of other great sites through hers. Then, there are two blogs I know I've mentioned before, but they are just so wonderful! The first is Alicia's blog it is WONDERFUL! I check it out every other day or so...it's like an online magazine and her style and ideas are so inspiring. And of course, one of the first blogs I ever happened upon, Alison's blog is like a vintage handbook...I love the way that Alison writes...completely real and true and poetically beautiful...Plus she is always on top of gorgeous little goodies near and far. By the way, if anyone can share with me how to add links to other people's pages on my blog, I would be grateful...I can't seem to sort it out!

Anyway, I digress. In addition to being more up-to-date on my blog, I want to be more up-to-date in my life! I want to take time for the simple pleasures that I miss half the time because I'm rushing from one task to another, if not in real-time than in my mind. I want to quiet my mind more. I want to take time to enjoy those moments that make you realize how alive you are.

Ahhhh, Gee~And New Bags...

Ahhh, gee. I just got word that I wasn't selected for "That's Clever!". Drat. I was so hoping...anyway, I'm happy that they are coming to Vermont and can't wait to see the shows which feature artists from this area. Congrats to you all! I think it's wonderful and I hope someday they will come here to film again.



In the meantime...I've re-discovered my creative spark (thank God!). Here are some photos of my newest bags. I love the messenger style bags...they are SO comfortable! AND they are perfectly sized...not too big, not to small...(as our little tow-headed friend would say) they're juuuuust right! Plus they will be fun to alter, once I get the making of them down pat.

Dreaming of "That's Clever!"...

Oh my. I can't believe it's true~one of my all time favorite shows on HGTV is coming to Vermont to tape! "That's Clever!" will be here the last week of October and first week of November. How exciting!

I saw the ad in the local paper and had to submit my application. The woman who walked me through the process was so kind and helpful. She said there MAY be a spot or two left and that a decision should be made by the end of the week. Oh my. Can you imagine? Anyone in my family could tell you that this is my childhood dream. I used to make up commercials, taglines, talk shows, etc. My sister, Aimee and I spent HOURS taping "shows" and radio jingles onto tapes (that would be audio tapes...way before VCR's ever came out!). I remember clearly going to the gorgeous Boston Aquarium and my favorite part of the AQUARIUM was an area where they had a video camera and a screen and you could watch yourself doing the evening news. I love this stuff! I've secretly always dreamed of having my own little craft/art show on the local cable network.

Well, I hestitated to post that I was applying on here. I mean, now if I don't make it I will feel so bad that I got your hopes up! But, I suppose it's more important for me to share this excitement than worry about that. Sorry, hope that doesn't seem too selfish...
These photos are some of the projects I submitted. My "theme" was mixed media purses/wall art. I wish I had better things to submit, but everything happened so quickly!

If I make it onto the show, I bet you will all hear my screams of glee from wherever you are in the country.

If you wanted to say a little prayer or cross your fingers, I wouldn't mind a bit...

A Chill in the Air...

There is a chill in the air...it raises the hair on my arms and creeps down my boots and up into my jacket. I had to scrape my car for the first time this fall just last Friday. Part of me loves it, part of me loathes it. Fall is so unreal to me...I still don't really get how the leaves turn those incredible colors. Pumpkin orange, flaming red, sunlight yellow...how does it all work?

Fall is one of my favorite seasons (spring the other). I love the crispness in the air, the smell of leaves that have turned color, the feeling of warm sun saturating already cold bones. I love snuggling in front of the fireplace and sipping hot cocoa and reading. I love hot baths and settling into the warm burrow of flannel sheets and quilts and bedding.




Halloween is nearly here and since I've been together with my husband (8 years this fall), I have a new appreciation for the spooky and magical feeling that Halloween brings. We have the front porch decorated to the hilt (literally, I can see it glowing orange 4 houses down the street when I get home from work); complete with pumpkin lights, black, flying, scary creatures whose eyes light up red, a strobe light, spider lights...the list goes on. I don't really decorate inside anymore for Halloween, except for this explosion of ribbon and vintage cards I put together today. This ancient metal piece is a pot rack but I adore it over the kitchen table.