Made Lately

Its been a pretty gloomy fall here in Washington! The bright side of which is a lot of time in the evenings for creating. This little pumpkin garland in a variation of this- with a crochet vine and leaves added. The color ended up a bit more tomato than pumpkin, but that means I could hang it in my kitchen year round! 

This dress is one of my favorites, but I like it better now with the addition of some shell buttons stolen from a garage sale skirt. Project cost? Fifty Cents! Which is just about right for me.

Lastly this skirt has been in the works for oh...two years. The fabric and pattern came long before the guts to try it out! But after exhausting my store of curse words on the machine, my iron, and anything else in the vicinity its more than an idea. And it was really quite fun in the end! Isn't it funny how much more intimidating things grow in your mind? But I'll be enjoying this skirt and a little increased skill for a long time to come. The under layer, by the way, is an old curtain (which I din't have to hem, ha!) What do you like to do on those long winter nights?

Welcome!

On this tiny corner of the internet I'll be recording projects, musings, recipes and photographs, plus some of the beautiful and fascinating things I stumble upon. 

Searching Words

I stumbled recently on the fascinating work of  Polish poet Winslawa Szymborska. She looks at things from a very unexpected angle, which leaves you with much to consider. One of my favorite poems was this-

Lot's Wife

They say I looked back out of curiosity.
But I could have had other reasons.
I looked back mourning my silver bowl.
Carelessly, while tying my sandal strap.
So I wouldn't have to keep staring at the righteous nape
of my husband Lot's neck.
From the sudden conviction that if I dropped dead
he wouldn't so much as hesitate.
From the disobedience of the meek.
Checking for pursuers.
Struck by the silence, hoping God had changed his mind.
Our two daughters were already vanishing over the hilltop.
I felt age within me. Distance.
The futility of wandering. Torpor.
I looked back setting my bundle down.
I looked back not knowing where to set my foot.
Serpents appeared on my path,
spiders, field mice, baby vultures.
They were neither good nor evil now--every living thing
was simply creeping or hopping along in the mass panic.
I looked back in desolation.
In shame because we had stolen away.
Wanting to cry out, to go home.
Or only when a sudden gust of wind
unbound my hair and lifted up my robe.
It seemed to me that they were watching from the walls of Sodom
and bursting into thunderous laughter again and again.
I looked back in anger.
To savor their terrible fate.
I looked back for all the reasons given above.
I looked back involuntarily.
It was only a rock that turned underfoot, growling at me.
It was a sudden crack that stopped me in my tracks.
A hamster on its hind paws tottered on the edge.
It was then we both glanced back.
No, no. I ran on,
I crept, I flew upward
until darkness fell from the heavens
and with it scorching gravel and dead birds.
I couldn't breathe and spun around and around.
Anyone who saw me must have thought I was dancing.
It's not inconceivable that my eyes were open.
It's possible I fell facing the city. 

Wislawa Szymborska

Fall DIYs

Its getting cold out! And other than long walks though leafy lanes, all I want to do is create. To that effect, here are some wonderful projects for when you'd like to celebrate nature in a more abstract (i.e. warm) capacity. Don't people come up with fantastic things? 

Literary Leaf Wreath

                                                           Adorable Pumpkin Garland

Lacy Skeleton Leaves