Fabric birds

SpoolSewing.com

A fun little project to use all of the fat quarters that I have collected for no real good purpose.  The PDF can be found here.

Fabric of my Dreams

Am I the only person in the world who has ever wanted to have her own custom fabric?  Not to sell or anything, just to use for myself?  Maybe only for one amazing project? No?

Well, happy day, I am excited about a website called Spoonflower that does just that.  (Ooh, I find the name "Spoonflower" exciting and perplexing.)  It's $18/yard and it's on quilt-quality cotton.  

When the service comes out of Beta (when they get the bugs worked out), you can order other people's designs or, get this, you can just upload your own design for other people to buy.

Check it out!

whip up

Okay, I'm not really certain why it's taken me so long to share this with you.  I suppose I was just being stingy.

So, the website of much happiness for today: whip up.  It's a weird assortment of crafty things.  Sometimes it's really exciting and inspiring, some things maybe you'll pass on, but there's always lots of cool stuff to look at.

Browse and enjoy

Desiderata

The other day I was reading up on Buddhism, with it's main tenet to eliminate suffering and the desire for ephemeral things.  I happened upon an account of two Buddhist monks' pilgrimage from Los Angeles to Ukiah, CA (about 500 miles) taking three steps and then bowing -- the entire way--to bring a message of peace to all who would see them.  As a Latter-day Saint, Buddhism itself is very foreign in its beliefs and practises, but this pilgrimage took the cake for strange.  Until I began to read about it.  They could have been two Mormon missionaries.  Their journey took 2.5 years as they averaged about 1 mile per day.  They were ridiculed as religious fanatics, mistaken for Hare Krishna's (which irritated them to no end), and wrote home every week.  They found simple joy in the food that often poor members gave them, laughter in the antics of children along the way, and peace in prayer and study.  I found the whole account (a collection of their letters) to be inspiring and it really rang home with me.  (No, I'm not converting to Buddhism.)  The following day, a friend shared this poem, and it really summed up the universal Truth that had so sung out to me  -- desire the things that are permanent, that really matter, the things that are not things.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant; 
they too have their story. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; 
they are vexatious to the spirit. 

If you compare yourself with others, 
you may become vain or bitter, 
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. 
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 
Keep interested in your own career, however humble; 
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. 

Exercise caution in your business affairs, 
for the world is full of trickery. 
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; 
many persons strive for high ideals, 
and everywhere life is full of heroism. 
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. 
Neither be cynical about love, 
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, 
it is as perennial as the grass. 

Take kindly the counsel of the years, 
gracefully surrendering the things of youth. 
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. 
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. 
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. 

Beyond a wholesome discipline, 
be gentle with yourself. 
You are a child of the universe 
no less than the trees and the stars; 
you have a right to be here. 
And whether or not it is clear to you, 
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. 

Therefore be at peace with God, 
whatever you conceive Him to be. 
And whatever your labors and aspirations, 
in the noisy confusion of life, 
keep peace in your soul. 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, 
it is still a beautiful world. 
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

--by Max Ehrmann

Polyvore

Kira's daughter Princess Bluebell loves to shop online for pretend outfits, sometimes for her pretend siblings.  For people like her (and maybe you), there is actually a website for that: Polyvore.  You can put together a whole ensemble as a lovely collage from places all over the web.  I like how my friend Minna in the above photo included food and a location for her outfit.

Please forgive me for taking 5 months to post something...

I hope that this makes you smile and makes it all better.

Gooseflesh

Whoa.