Well...

... who'd a thunk!?!
Doodling as a "zen" and "creative" exercise!

Zentangling!

For all I know, this has been going on for eons ... but it is new to me!
I tripped across this wonderfulness when I started hunting down more info on a very inspiring stuff maker with a really great name---Julie Fei-Fan Balzer.
I've been playing with photo-transfer ideas for my own personal creative exploits and started watching YouTube clips totally mesmerized by Julie's makings.
With a click of my mouse I fell into this...


I could not wait to grab a fine tipped marker and start!
I must say, seeing that I spend a bulk of my creative time either knitting, stitching or keyboarding, the cool feel of a pen in my hand is odd yet pleasing.
Here is the start of my first attempt.
I began by mimicking Julie's lovely layers of ribbons and went from there....


I can only get better... I'm liking this. :)
I can see these as fun gift cards...

Ta da...

... te de!
It's here... it's here... it's here!


Gifted has just started shipping so grab those needles and/or hooks and get ready to start gifting!!
If you have a Ravelry account click here to view all of the projects. At the moment there are only a handful up. Patience.... I'll be loading them up as quick as I can...
Have a FABULOUS weekend!

Mexico...

... on my mind. That's what it must be!
It is my birthday this month so I thought I would buy myself an early birthday gift.
It arrived today. Just in time to be my companion while lying under a shady tree to avoid the second blast of heat that has drifted over us.


Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress--- Frida's Wardrobe--- Fashion from the Museo Frida Kahlo


I have yet to read a word. I quickly did a little flip through and lost my breath. From what I understand, on the day of her death Diego insisted that Frida's closet be sealed for 50 years. Once opened in 2004 every item was lovingly restored and catalogued.


From amazon.com--- "Now, for the first time, 95 original and beautifully staged photographs of Kahlo's newly restored clothing are paired with historic photos of the artist wearing them and her paintings in which the garments appear. Frida's life and style were an integral part of her art, and she is long overdue for recognition as a fashion icon. "

Oh, all of her rebozos!
I was fortunate enough to tour Frida's home in Coyoacan the last time we visited fantastically, dizzying Mexico City.


I could not help but cry as I moved from room to room. The beauty and passion and pain of her life could still be felt.


This is my cotton rebozo. I picked it up in a market on an adventure in Oaxaca. I was tickled to see one almost like it in the tiny gift shop at Frida's Museum. A little bit of Frida lives with me in The County.... sigh.


Now, where is that cool breeze?

Beauty...

... from chaos.
The older I get the more I appreciate hindsight and the more tolerant and philosophical I have become of chaos--- even when in the thick of it.
Three summers ago we endured

country road maintenance.

The "staging area" was the farmer's field directly across from the house. 6:30 every morning the workers would arrive with their pick-up trucks clanking and grinding. Loud, manly voices would travel across the lawn, up the wall and directly into our bedroom window. By 7 am the giant road eating machines would fire up. At 7:01 I would close the front facing windows keeping out a good amount of the dust and dirt but barely muffling the ten hours of mechanical cacophony.
It felt like months... it might have only been weeks.
When it was all done the road appeared only slightly wider and was filled and flattened. It was not "real" paving that topped up the surface, but what was applied kept most of the dust down and needed not to be sprayed with that gooey and odorous gawd-knows-what-black-muck-paper-processing-by-product-carcinogen that was used in the past. Brand new good-sized culverts were installed and Skeeter added a new mischief to her repertoire-- Culvert Crawlin'. Most disturbing was the frightening depth of the dug up gutters. I figured them to be deep enough to swallow up a Smart car. In the end, really not worth all the caffufle... or, so I thought...

Now I have what I have appreciated driving down other country roads in The County...


...wild day lilies in my gutters!! Those ominous, Smart car swallowing gutters!!!


All the grinding and moving had created the most lovely no-maintenance garden for me and all who travel down our road to enjoy from the end of June to the beginning of August.

Isn't chaos grand?