TO CROSS AN OCEAN

Says J.K. Rowling: "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

And said the Fox to The Little Prince: "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." 

And said Christopher Columbus: "You never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." 

It's New Year's Eve. Let's raise a glass as we resolve to make audacious choices, follow our hearts, and utilize courage to lose sight of a shore so that we can cross an ocean.

Happy New Year.

{Stuffed heart by Colette Copeland.}

WITH ROOM FOR YARN

One person who understands about my yarn obsession is my good friend, Susan Tuttle, who recently gifted me with this oh-so-clever yarn dispenser made from a Starbucks cup. 

Yup. She took a standard cup from Starbucks to which she adhered sheet music and added some other yummy embellishments to the cup's sleeve. Soooo clever. Soooo cute.

The needles can be tucked between the cup and the sleeve and of course the skein of yarn that you work on can be nicely tucked within the cup, with the end threaded through the hole on the lid. 

It's actually a perfect gift idea for the knitter in your life. Thanks, Susan.

Happy knitting. :)

 

28 STITCHES IN THE ROUND

It's no secret that I'm obsessed ...

... to yarn, that is. And it's no secret that I have a passion for knitting socks as shared here and here. So lately, I was fiddling with my stash of sock yarn and thought to myself how cool it would be to just knit a tube ... just like you would when knitting a sock, but without ever turning the heel or ever closing the toe. You know, just a long skinny tube scarf.

So that's exactly what I started doing. Normally, when I make my socks, I cast on 14 stitches on each needle, which equals 56 stitches when using four double pointed needles (plus a fifth to knit off each of the four needles). I decided to cut that calculation in half so I only cast on 7 stitches per needle, to yield a total of 28 stitches that are knit in the round with the same double pointed needles.

 

After gathering four skeins in coordinating colors, I just started knitting 10 rows of each color, and randomly purling a row here and there, to add some interest. The great thing about this is that although the first few tails will need to be buried, there is no need to bury any other tails as you knit up because they will all be hiding in the tube. So cool.

So here's how it's lookin'. I have a ways to go but I can't wait to see what else my muse inspires me to do before it's finished ... maybe some French knots, or some buttons or ribbons. 

It's in moments like these that I walk around the house declaring to The Mister, The Kiddos, and The Pups that I'm a knitting genius ... as they all look at me as they nod and say uh-huh, uh-huh.

AULD LANG SYNE 2009

CATHEDRAL FROM A ROCK

When Amazon delivered this package to my house recently, it came with instructions to open the gift BEFORE opening the envelope to learn the name of the sender. So I followed the instructions and kept both the envelope and gift tag unopened as I unwrapped the main gift.

 
And out came The Little Prince ... one of my all-time favorite books which I've written about extensively, including here.

Of course I have many copies of this book ... but not like this one ... a pop-up book where with the turn of each page, magnificent things like this scene occur.

Before I opened the gift card and envelope, I had a hunch that the sender was Michelle — my longtime friend, my editorial advisor, my confidant. I was right.

 

Because she's known for quite some time, about the inspiration I have gained from The Little Prince, and the wisdom imparted by The Fox ... that "One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes."

Michelle has also known about my other source for inspiration who in a way, I liken to The Little Prince ... Buzz Lightyear ... a character whose optimism and determination demonstrate to everyone around him that indeed, he is more than a toy, and yes, he can fly.

ALWAYS TOGETHER

"Merry Christmas," says little Andrew. "Here's something I made for you, dad."

"And I made this one for you, mom. It's our family. Always together."

Adds Monica, "And some dark chocolate that I know you won't re-gift, mom. I love you."

 

How blessed am I?

Warmest wishes to everyone for a Christmas filled with imagination, chocolate, and heartfelt words of love and authenticity. 

THE SUM OF OUR CHOICES

Throughout the journey of life, if we are lucky, we collect very special friends whose integrity and talent shine so bright and so strong, that we become stronger and brighter just by being in their presence.

Linda Warlyn is one such person. Someone who over the years has demonstrated such an incredibly gentle and sincere touch with all she does that it often leaves me speechless. Like this bundled set of wisdom that she just sent my way with a clip that she embellished with her tremendously artistic hand. Says the first quote from the bundle by Camus: "Life is the sum of your choices."

 

It makes me wonder about choices. Is it true? Are we the sum of our choices? What if some of our choices we regret? We all go through that, don't we? But I think Camus had a point. Though in hindsight we think about how some choices might have been better if differently made, they all contribute to who we become. But the most important thing about choices is our ability to learn lessons from them ... and to develop the wisdom to make better ones as we move along. Indeed, the choices we make become an indelible part of who we are.

But if we become so fearful that a choice might be the wrong one, we'll become so debilitated that we are unable to make another choice, and per chance never move forward. We gotta make choices. We gotta know when to make our move. We gotta, as Conrad says, "put trust in life."

 

FranklinCovey GIRL

You might remember my telling you here that I've been a FranklinCovey girl for ages. Ever since college, actually. To enhance the experience, I've been known to treat myself to a new binder every few years and embellish it to my liking. After all, who says a leather binder needs to stay looking all neat and unaltered?

So to alter my latest binder, I just gathered paper elements that could complement the focal image of Louisa May Alcott. I picked up this image of Alcott during my vacation last summer. Her life, her fortitude to continue making her mark in spite of life's challenges is an endless source of inspiration for me.

 

These five meditative lines were provided to me by one of the most amazing colleagues in my life. I generated the lines onto craft paper, tore it up, and glued it onto a tag from anthropologie and adhered it to the binder.

 

And onto the flap, I attached a small stuffed heart made of felt and stamped muslin that my dear friend Ruth made for me. To me, life's too short to carry around an organizer or anything, really, that isn't customized to exude all that I am, and all that I hope to be.

JANICE ALL AROUND ME

Check out these totally awesome coasters ... they have the art of Janice Lowry on the front sides. 

The exact time when I opened these coasters was the evening of December 8th, right when I was in the process of posting my Farewell Letter to Artists announcing my new venture, CRESCENDOh. I couldn't believe the timing. Because the letter ended, as you might remember, with a dedication I made to Janice Lowry, who has been such mentor for me over the years.

The back sides of the coasters are filled with quirky and optimistic messages. And the one that had this message ... "trust me, you're going to love this" popped out at me that night ... a message from Janice, I'm sure, who was giving her seal of approval on all of my plans. 

These coasters were created by Jon Gothold for his company, DGWB ... who understood and loved Janice like no other. A person who knows about optimism and moving boldly and courageously forward. Always.  

 

As I move courageously to construct my new beginning, I find Janice all around me ... as I look around, as I look forward, and mostly, as I look upward. 
 
 

TO MAKE MY MARK

You might remember here, my telling you how pre-purchased cards in a box can become elevated with a bit of stamping and embellishments. Well, I thought I'd show you that not only can the cards become elevated, but the box that they come in can be embellished in like fashion ... like this ... to use once all the cards are gone ... to store keepsakes, and to beautify your writing area.

 

 

Sometimes, I feel that all I need in life are rubber stamps, inkpads, some sheet music, ribbon, and a few buttons. All I need to make my mark. Yup. That's all I need.