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Compost Studios:
Devoted to the art of reducing, reusing, and recycling experience through words, art, and poetry.
November 4, 2009 at 06:09 Nothing makes you appreciate your health and vitality as much as losing it, even temporarily.
Suddenly, the ability to bound out to the mailbox is a gift. Carrying a laundry basket with ease truly makes you a domestic goddess, and lugging groceries up the stairs is like possessing superpowers.
And the colors outside? They seem even brighter and more beautiful.
November 1, 2009 at 16:14 The rain arrived on Halloween night and fell steadily and heavily into this dark and dreary Sunday. Despite the extra hour of sleep, I had a hard time keeping my eyes open this morning and couldn't resist the pull of my big red sofa.
The Girl needed to get supplies for a science project so she and I ventured out to A.C. Moore Crafts this afternoon. We dodged puddles as we crossed the slick black pavement on our way to the potpourri-scented air behind those heavy doors. It is not an attractive store, but we love to come here and soak in all the potential for creativity looming under the stark fluorescent lights.
This is America, so we weren't surprised that on the first day of November, all things Christmas had taken center stage in the merchandising of the front of the store. Christmas music was being piped into every corner, and normally this annoys me, but much to my surprise I didn't mind.
OK, I admit it, I was ENJOYING the music--the very same music that I ban from my own home until days before Christmas. Was it the deep gray of the day? My fuzzy red sweater? The sense of happy possibility that I always feel in art stores? I don't know, but the Girl I both felt glimmers of Christmas spirit, even with the fall leaves still lingering on the trees.
I came home and thought about Christmas cards and family photos and things I might make, things I might give. It made the gathering gloom outside my windows a bit less oppressive.
To be honest, some years Christmas preparations have felt more like a demanding second job to me than a celebration. Maybe this year will be different--lighter, happier, freer. Let's hope so.
October 30, 2009 at 16:30 My friend Lisa has such a warm and generous spirit. I see it in the way she loves her family and her two sons, her willingness to put volunteer hours in every week at her boys' school, and the kindness she extends to her friends.
So often when I see her, she is bearing small and thoughtful gifts. A necklace she whipped up for my daughter, a bookmark for me featuring beads and bird charms (favorite symbols of mine), or a bar of Belgian chocolate.
I've been facing a few challenges behind the scenes at Compost Studios, and Lisa knew about them. She invited me to join her for a Girls' Night Out at her friend Barb's house, and when she came to pick me up, she had a surprise for me. I gave a little squeal when I pulled this out of the bag.
Every time I see this, it makes me smile big and wide like a monkey. The dancing blue sock monkey on this side of the mug has a companion red sock monkey on the opposite side who is sporting a purple cap and waving with his lime green paw. They make me want to wave back or maybe dance a little bit when no one is looking. Those cute bouncy polka dots on the outside of the mug line the inside of the rim too. I just love details like that.
Thanks Lisa! As the Girl always says, "Mama, you have the BEST friends."
October 29, 2009 at 08:33 A peek at autumn in my corner of the world. These photos were taken last Sunday before gray clouds and heavy rains blew in and thinned the foliage.
October 27, 2009 at 15:08 Last week marked my final acrylic painting class with a local artist. This Friday I start with a new instructor and a new approach. We'll see how that goes. I'm not sure I'm really cut out to be a painter, but hey, I'll give it one more try.
For my last assignment, I tried to recreate some of the sunflowers I saw in a field by my home. Hmmm, looked a little bit like the lollipop flowers little children draw. I wish I'd made the stems bend and given it more of a sense of movement. The perspective is skewed in the foreground. I did like my sky and all the shades of green I managed to introduce in my foliage.
We spent about an hour in class doing a quick landscape. I liked this one, despite it's unfinished look. The sunflowers were painted on canvas. This is just a piece of poster board and eventually I may cut it up and make cards from the bits and pieces. Sorry about the flash bloom in the center. When I turned off my flash, it was too blurry.
