JourneySeeds

simple gatherings

Oh my...Kinfolk arrived yesterday.  Simple gatherings with friends. 

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.  ~Charles Mingus

Kinfolk is simply wonderful, delicious, lovely...it is how I want to live each moment.  If you haven't seen it...I don't say this often...you must have a peek.  Kinfolk can be found here.  To compliment this gorgeous work are beautiful films that Kinfolk has put together.  Below is just one of them.

Dutch Oven Bread from Kinfolk on Vimeo.

Thank you so much Kinfolk... 

A Glenwood cookstove...a memory realized...

 
Long ago I read Home Comfort: Life on Total Loss Farm....it was the 70's.  It was an important book to me at age 13.  It was about a group that formed, to live together in a commune in Vermont...called Total Loss Farm.  I loved the drawings, the stories and the ideas.  I carried the book around in my backpack with me. On the cover of this book is a beautful old wood cookstove.  To me it symbolized self-sufficient living, independence, radical ideas and a break with mainstream culture.  That book along with many others...including Helen and Scott Nearing's Living the Good Life...were books I referred to often.  It was the direction I was headed.  My husband figured out a way to surprise me with this beautiful Glenwood stove for my birthday.  This stove is a symbol to me of my youth, my dreams, my hopes...and now I have a wood cookstove sitting in my very own house.  He couldn't have given me a greater gift...I love it!

 Emma made this little blackboard for us to hang up and leave each other messages.

 
An upcycled treat stand that shall be filled with truffles and cupcakes...made by emma.

 
A cast iron tea pot...my favorite green...for tea, to sit by the cookstove one day.

 
For our garden to begin brewing more varieties of plants for our mead making.  The book is already in the house apparently...we don't want to share it  though.

 
Of course a romantic book about the beloved Beatrix Potter...so many tales have been read here over the years.

 
A box full of alphabet cards with artwork I love....

 
Some love from my husband...to put all those wildflowers he picks for me....

 


 
I think this Glenwood needs a cabin to live in....

More later today....

Winter Blue Birthday Retreat

 

Winter Blue Birthday Retreat Tent!  Randy made this for me for my birthday this week.  We had plans to go to Rowe for my 50th birthday for a weekend of  Waking to the Power of Myth with Stanley Krippner.  Alas, I injured myself and this has forced me to change alot of things lately.  It hasn't been easy or welcomed.  In fact I am pretty disappointed about it.  Birthdays around here are a big deal.  We prepare for weeks ahead of time...making surprises, crafting decorations, hiding gifts.  This past month has been spent caring for me.  Everyone feels badly that I am not going to get to do what I had hoped to do.  The workshop is going to be about...

" The 21st Century requires all of us to navigate our way through a world of bewildering personal and social changes. Your personal mythology — comprised of beliefs and motivations that operate largely outside your conscious awareness — is the internal guidance system that shapes your journey. Personal myths guide an individual in the same way cultural myths guide society. Our personal and cultural myths are constantly evolving. The more effective your guiding mythology, the better equipped you are to meet the challenges your life presents." It would have been a perfect way to begin this 50th year for me. 
So...instead things are still brewing and some plans are being made but we'll have to see how I actually feel on Friday. 

 

This retreat is made from all vintage fabrics.  The huge blue flowered fabric was a complete serendipitous find at the place where I have a little booth selling vintage goods.  The drapes came from a historic home in Woodstock...custom made, lined...beautiful craftsmanship.  So..that's the outside layer.  Then, inside there is a huge bolt of embroidered white fabric and a bolt of magenta pinks fabric that I also found.  The pillows are covered in vintage shams with lacework.  Randy gifted the colorful star and lantern to me.  The chair inside the tent is from his grandfather that came from Germany long ago.  I would have preferred to have everything on the floor...but, I can't get down on the floor right now.  Everything was arranged just beautifully and the finishing touch was the twinkle lights lining the whole tent. 

 

birthday star!

 

Randy found the lovely little lantern...and put it on a wooden box that we had.

 


 
In the daylight.  I am a lover of white and vintage fabrics...

 


 


 


 


 


 

That's it!  I know it's alot of photos and thank-you for humoring me by looking if you got this far.  I have always loved forts and tents and over the years we have created and owned many tents.  This one is one of the prettiest.  My husband knows I love pretty, romantic, hideaway sorts of places.   The idea for this tent came from Design Sponge. Randy adapted the design a bit which of course is part of the fun of creating a hideaway space.  So, grab some fabric, a pole, a few hooks for the ceiling and you too can have your very own hideaway for your special occasion! 

vintage valentine surprise

 

 

 

My daughter has grown up around lots of celebrations. She created these lovely valentine pretty things to look at just for me.  Being laid up isn't much fun.  It's nice to see something cheerful on your cruise around the space with a walker....I love my kid!

 
And because stories are good medicine...she got me this beautiful book to look at.  And this one too..

 

 
She got me this book too...a book all about the seasons with alot of my favorite things in it.

 

 
This book is cut and frame worthy...it's painful to do but, the prints are beautiful to look at!

 
Emma is the best at giving me surprises!

 
Here is a found cupboard for the shop...we might put a new handle on it.

 
Lastly...reading about Rituals....because of course a birthday is coming by soon...and that is indeed a yearly ritual!  My plan had been to go away for the weekend to a Myth and Story conference.  It doesn't look like I'll get there due to this back injury right now.  However, the story is still going on around me....

Black Swallowtail Farm...

 
Black Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillar...4 of them resting on Fennel.

 
Maude oh noble dog...she's been sneaking eating the strawberry plants!

 
A crazed cat....

 
Cat Yoga


Too often practiced ritual of eating s'mores on a summer's night...listening to tales about Floyd Fest

 
This was the score of the year!  If you are a lover of dishtowels....check out this find!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I hope you have a productive day today...whether or not you're washing the dishes.   
  

gyspy wagon.....

A friend made this beautiful gypsy wagon a few years back now.  I was thinking about them today because they were giving away some of their Oberhasli goats.  I found them a person that wanted to take the goats. I know it wasn't an easy decision for them to give them up.  Animals do that to us...whether or not it's a goat or a dog.  They are a part of our circle.  So, I wanted to show you a beautiful photo and link to the creation of this gypsy wagon that Kevin created.  It is a work of art indeed!  When we think of making a gypsy wagon for our travelling selves this is what often springs to mind. 

Gyspy Wagon Photo Album of the process of creation....simply beautiful.

10 things sunday....

elsie over on A Beautiful Mess does a 10 Things I Love Sunday post.  I thought I'd try that today because I think it's a cool way to find other online shops to support indie businesses I like, while supporting creative artists. Spread the local (online) indie business love around. If you have a creative indie business that you might like me to write about and share here please contact me so we can feature you here.

   

roadside projects on etsy

 I couldn't pass this one up...Banjo, trees & the birds...sweet afternoon!

 

roadside on etsy 

 How to fall in love with you series at ink on my fingers. 

 

onelovephoto...I love this photography site.  Look at their blog for more. 

bellawish...a story of loss, grief & healing to discover hope, motherhood, connection, dreams, joy & creativity. Photo by Lisa Field- Elliot of doorwaystraveler.

found over at shapeshifting

 
Lily by salbug  

colorfly...the artist intent at creative work.

track and field designs

seed bombs   

What is Dying to Be Born  

 Have a great Sunday!  Try Creativity for a moment....

stories of linens...

If you go to a vintage store with $8 in your pocket and pick up piles of linens and look in the corners you can walk out with this sweet find.  There is something about linens that attract me.  I am in love with fabric.  Fabric is like paintings to me.  The handwork done on the old linens is so intricate, so beautiful. Each piece has a story that I want to know.  Who made these sweet pieces of art?  I like bringing stories from other places into my home.  It all sits simmering together.   

lovely...

source 

source

source

source

source

source

source

source 

source

source 

source

source

sunday tea...

 One of my favorite teapots...

Teaguyspeaks is a good place to start for reading about teas and teablogs.

 Free fabric scored at the dump swap shop....

 February....