treasured gifting, or what to do with all those tumbled crystals

some treasured friends celebrated their birthdays recently. my girl and i made a pot of chai, a playlist (it's still all about Lanie Lane at the moment) laid some treasures in front of us and we got our craft on.

some wool felt, a bottle of glue and hundreds upon hundreds of tiny tumbled crystals that my girl has been collecting throughout the year (hidden in various sandpits, along ocean shores and other places of interest throughout her habitat). cut to size, name squeezed out in glue then she carefully chose each treasured crystal to fill up the letters. so simple. she loved it. i loved it.

we made a little treasure pouch as well, filled it full of more hand selected crystals from her collection, wrapped them in her drawings with cards made from his paintings and sent them on their way, to the treasured recipients.

by all accounts, they were received with love and are, indeed, treasured.

it's summer after all....

alice adorable

when i awoke this morning to this

i knew it was going to be a good day. more than one sunflower per stem? while i'm sure it happens, it's never happened in my garden and i am feeling very blessed for it. let's take a closer look to soak that sunshine-y sunflower-iness in, yes?

i came inside, did the morning do, then when all was quiet, I made these new headbands. i had my small girl in my mind when I made them and when she got home from school she told me they were adorable. as is she.

to market

i'm off to market on friday to sell some wares. some treasure bags, some velvet headbands and some other random pieces still being made. i'm enjoying the process of making the same piece in different colors with different trinkets. it's making my studio all rainbow-like, which is an extra lovely bonus.

the few hours of making i had today were well and truly helped along by the 'shuffle' button on my ipod. there was dylan, there was ron sexsmith, there was rufus wainwright, there was those acapelicans, there was bjork, but the stand out was definitely clare bowditch and lanie lane. i sang as loud as a girl at home alone in the country can sing. i implore you to do the same.

 

first....

...of the season

on dads

Me and my dad have a thing going on. I understand him and he gets me. That special father daughter thing that people write books about? We have it. I treasure it.

He is a journeyman, my dad. He heads off places, experiences them fully, writes about them, then returns and shares them with us. Sometimes mum goes with him. Sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes he flies for 30 hours away and sometimes he drives 90 minutes away. Regardless, he is as inspired and eloquent about the sunrise and birdsong in rural Victoria as he is about the ancient back alleys of Italy.

He's about to head off again. A short, tropical journey this time. I made him a bag to put his shoes. A small stretch of time, 2 pieces of calico, a little thread, and some ribbon and he has a utilitarian gift (which he loves) I finished it off with a stamp of the Buddha's feet on the front corner.

And these feet
They will take your weight, my love
These feet will drive your dream engine
Feet, baby, this is where the road begins
Roadmaker, Red Raku

My small girl and her dad have a thing going on, too. Theirs is a love so powerful and fertile that I can see them growing within it. Strong and bouyant. She, the vine and he, the sturdy wooden fence. She, green and fresh, unfurling and fruiting as years pass. He, as strength and stability, with pockets to rest in when dormant and to unravel from with the sun's warmth. She makes him gifts, regularly. But this gift? This was a little bit special, this one. This was a breathtaking beauty, this one. I heard his big heart give a little 'boom' when he opened it.

 I love the dads in my life.

 


     

truancy

sometimes we skip school, appointments, responsibilities and shopping lists

and just play and breathe and wander 

bless these days