the handmade life - May 8th, 2007

In a recent post, Helle talked a bit about training one's self to see light. Timely, as I very recently realized my desire in creating art is to capture lights and shadows in threads. It is true that I have no gift for figuring, so that forces me into the abstract, landscapes at best, but that is what moves me anyway! Daily I am brought into my wings by some play of light, be it delicate or dramatic, on the land or water.
Also, I have a growing sense of how to articulate the rich symbolic language that is always whispering in my ears or pounding in my heart.
Now I need to practice relentlessly techniques that will enable me to translate my dual visions of light and symbol, symbol and light, into stitched scraps of cloth.
I have been inspired by jude's textile studies, very much. These are right up my alley, and exercises like these would fit into my schedule. Also inspiring in the same vein are Lee's daily postcards. I don't have any of my own work to show you right now. I feel brand new and blinking in the light.
Nevertheless, I feel like I am in the process of discovering my peers through the blogosphere.
!!!

hee hee. I have been needing a little sign along these lines for my craft table so I thought I would make today's random stitch exercise have a purpose.

so hey! I was tagged by helle the other day to do the 7 things meme. Random facts or habits? okay!
1. My car is usually at least half full of other people's recycling.
2. I have spiral tattoos on the top of both feet.
3. I lived for several years without electricity. We always kept a car stereo available, powered by batteries, and usually one light, but little else.
4. I have dandruff.
5. I am passionately interested in insects.
6. For about a decade (when I was a kid), I thought I was going to be a professional actress (not a star). I was really into theater. However, I haven't been in a play in over 20 years now.
7. I have a growing desire to be completely nomadic, on foot.

I tag 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

It was hard to pick people to tag. why? cause I don't read a lot of blogs (it's so hard to find the time!), and I have not commented on some of the blogs I do read, given the need for a google/blogger account which I haven't gotten yet. also, I haven't been blogging long outside of lj and I don't think my blog is widely read...yet.

So, I had a breakneck weekend with tons of fun and very few stitches (outside of my mandatory daily rows on the Irish Diamond shawl). Saturday was Mark's and my 16th wedding anniversary. Sally and Roger treated the whole family to dinner at Astoria, Oregon's new Fort George brewpub. It was great food and drink (wasabi ginger ale!) and after dinner we wandered the Saturday night streets in sunglasses (well, I was) looking for deesert and checking out the action.
I could go on about the wonders of being married for so long, but it will have to wait. It is amazing, though. Over these long years, I have learned things I never imagined existed.

Sunday had Kate and I driving up to Seattle for a glitter meetup, glitter being an online forum. It is an odd thing, being willing to drive hours to hang out with people you have never really met. But Kate and I are fast real life friends and we met through the internet so whatever. It was a blast.
Here's a funny photo of all of us. I'm in front, go check it out, I've got on this totally fab capelet somone gave me. Plus you can see the new sunglasses...

To add to the fun, a couple of us were stopped on the street by a young guy with a camera who said he was doing a street fashion piece for the Seattle PI. There goes one minute of my alloted 15 of fame...except I haven't been able to find the photo online...

well I have a bit of stiching to do before bed, so I'm off. G'night!

Beautiful beautiful day. This is where Opal gets to spend her horse time. It's quite a menagerie over at Joan and Vicki's.



These beasts have very very good lives.

Some links that have been moving me:
I want this wooden bento box. And this book on making old fashion root beer and ginger ales.
Recently added to the links list is Kiliii Dreaming. Nature photography for the most part. Here is a great picture of turkey vultures. They are among my favorite birds. Kiliii's site came to my attention after he built a driftwood kayak with Mark's friend Brian of Cape Falcon Kayak.

The recent disappearance of the honeybees has been really hard on me. I will need to make a post just about my thoughts about this. There are many.

You know I like to keep you abreast of Opal's musical preferences. They are so varied! In current hot hot rotation are Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express, an Old school hip hop mix tape that I have been dragging around for 18 years (Siberian Nights!), and Nightmares on Wax's DJ Kicks. Gotta love it, especially as it is playing all day. Poor Alice. She likes the dulcimer.

Opal says, "Records are like big, lo-tech cds. They got the grooves and stuff. They got the grooooooves."