Moss You Can Wear and Moss That Might Like to Wear You If You Hold Still Long Enough.

Look how beautiful and lovely. A pendant reminiscent of moss and stone. Neither are real, so you don't have to worry about water or weight or even little lively insects taking up shop in your jewelry. You can find this and OTHERS! at AdornJewelry, which I found through secret notebooks wild pages.

They have both inspired me to add my own image of moss.

I took this picture back in January in my garden, because, well, that's what January is like in Florida. This is a planter that was covered in this cool moss with sprouts-- or whatever that is.
It was kind of hard to photograph because there was so much green. The planter was green, the moss was green, the background was green. I like this shot because you can see those moss things so clearly. I like the narrow focus.

Maybe I should start taking daily photos again. Hmmm. I really want a new camera, but it is not in the budget at the moment. Someday, though.

Cool Idea(s) by Ashley over at 31 experiment

Just found this great blogger who has all sorts of great handmade ideas... a whole post on inspiration for making your own business cards. The above picture is only one out of many she is showcasing. Her name's Ashley and her blog is 31experiment. Check her out. I'm pretty sure I'll be visiting regularly. Not quite sure why I've never seen her before.

Ahh! She's only been blogging since February. Lots of great projects over there in a very short time. Thanks Ashley!

Armour Sans Anguish-- Are You Woman Enough for This Dress?

The Doily Dress from ArmoursansAnguish. Made to order and only 260$! I imagine this as a wedding dress for someone daring and slender and young. She would walk down the aisle with a feather fascinator and a bouquet of dark dark, almost black, red roses. A bride who always wanted to be a ballerina, and cares not a whit for any of that industrial rigamarole.

But then, maybe one could also visit their site and get Tawny and Julie to lengthen that flirty skirt and widen the straps just a tad, and one could still be a Degas Ballerina with a splash of shabby eco chic punk thrown in even though one was heading down the road to 40 years old.

My New Art Studio!

It came! Yesterday, I got the WIP bucket that I won on maya*made for her first blogoversary. You can't imagine how lovely it it. Well, maybe you can.. Look at it!

First the wonderful bucket, wide and solid. I was growing out of my little beach tote, needing to dig deep into the thing to reach my paints. Now I will be able to see them, and I can put my paper pads in there too, along with my satchel of pens and my tin of pencils. Even my little jar of water and my palette.

Some people have whole lofts for their studios, garden buildings, basements, attics, farmhouses, even an airstream or two.

Me, I've got a little maya*made bucket to carry around the necessities-- to the kitchen table or the living room sofa in front of the tv, my corner desk in the playroom or out into the garden. Wherever I need to be. Could be anywhere, really. Good thing my studio is portable.

(In addition, there's a wonderful printed moleskine sketch pad that I will keep by my bed in case inspiration hits in the middle of the night, a burlap pincushion, which I really need [I have a portable sewing kit in another beach bag] the most marvelous smelling lavender sachet, I want to carry it with me everywhere)

Keep an eye on her shop and be quick and you might be able to snatch up a WIP bucket for yourself. They go fast... you can see why.

Art or Dream? Life Size Doll House

If you follow my likes and my paintings, you will often see little houses. Or you might see apartment buildings. Sometimes, you might even see cross sections of houses, looking like doll houses.
Just like this.

Yes. That's the inside of my head, and here is is in Saskatchewan. Real live. Life size. Canadian artist Heather Benning created it and stocked it with furniture from the 60's, when last the house was kicking.

I'm not sure what this house means to me, but it means something.

Thanks to Mrs. French for posting about it here: Bliss: another house that has been on my mind lately...

Stuff My Kids Gave Me and Other Spiritual Practices

Stuff My Kids Gave Me This Morning, 3/31/09

In a post on Spiritual Practices for Hope in Uncertain Time, Magpie Girl talks about walking in the dark, about riding out the wave in writing and about breathing true things. All beautiful practices. Go there to hear what she has to say. At the end of her post, she asked a question. "What spiritual practices do you have to nurture hope in times of uncertainty? "

That got me to thinking about what I do when money is tight and there isn't any on the horizon, and the only thing that keeps you going is hope. You've just got to believe. How do you keep the faith? Now, I'm not religious, although I know people turn to religion for that hope. Me, I have to turn to the little things. The beautiful things, the point of it all.

That's what this blog is supposed to be about. Little things. Inspiration. Cheap and/or free things, so I thought this is the place for me to share a little bit of what I've learned, not just the cool things I see on the web while going about.

So these are the things I have done in uncertain times.

I have kept a list of at least three things a day that made me happy. Sometimes it was tough to make my quota, Sometimes my happy file floweth over.

I have taken a picture a day. Often many more than one. There are beautiful things out there if you look for them. They turn up everywhere.

Lately I am starting to draw a sketch from life once a day… or maybe not even once, maybe just every once in a while. When you pay attention to the line of a grape stem, you start seeing the wonder all around you. I think it also helps to take up a project so you feel like you are growing as a person and being productive, even if other things aren't going so well. It could be the photography or it could be learning to play guitar or cooking vegan, or growing a window garden.

Also, my kids keep giving me stuff they find, rocks, berries, twigs… I think I’d like to collect these things somehow, a record of them. Perhaps a photo of them, laid out on a piece of paper. (Oh, hey, it's already done! Inspired by this post, and this post. See, this blog really is my inspiration file. Just stick around and see what else I create based on what I find here. :)

Also, have picnics. Take walks. Window shop. Stop and listen when someone is playing music in a public place. Sing. Dance. Spin with a child. People watch. Go barefoot. Have long heartfelt conversations. Have sex. Stand in the rain… take advantage of all the free sensual and spiritual pleasures in life.

Life is still good, even when it sucks.

Keep the conversation going. What are the things you do to keep hope in tough times?

Beth Hannon Fuller

"Making art and ignoring the dishes since 1994" Now that's a blogger I can get with. Beth Hannon Fuller has 3 kids... little ones, and does a painting a day. I mean, I don't know if she does one EVERY day, maybe it's 5 out of 7 days a week, like me. But how cute is that studio/workspace of hers? And how cute are her pieces? Go check out her etsy shop. She has originals and prints for very reasonable prices.
Love this blueberry collage with the little stem over the map.
and I am really attracted lately to anything that resembles a lollipop. I'm doing trees shaped like these olives. Ivy calls them "popsiple" trees and makes me draw them all over the place.

found via paper n stitch blog. she's the featured seller.