Look What I Made!

When I retired I had visions of living the crafting life....somehow living gets in the way of that life, but I have been a little crafty lately...aside from the inukshuks!
Getting ready for a little holiday show/sale with our local Arts Preston group.

Really, I should do it more because when I am creating I am happy.  I am lost in the process.  It's a good thing...a joy full thing.

I love how the ideas just pop up and ask to be created.  I have a flock of owl ornaments living in my head right now.  The whole process is just interesting to me.  Not in any I need to figure it out sort of way, just a marvel in the moments sort of way.

So, here are the holiday offerings so far:

Tiny snowflake...1.5 inches square.  

I love making these.

Here's an example of the process I love.

This guy was, in my mind, going to be

a snowman...right up until I started sewing

and he wanted to be a snow owl instead.

I think he will be titled, 

"Whoooo, Baby, It's Cold Outside"

I saw something similar to this one done

all in paper and decided it would do 

nicely in felt, too.

Now, I want a plain pine tree with snow falling

all upon it with a dark, night sky.

Let it snow.

Let it snow.

Let it snow.

A lot!

And then another one wants to say

Let it snow.

Let it snow.

Let is snow.

Or not!

And the last picture in that one would be a little 

snowgirl in a bikini!

My sweet friend, Rachel, drew these angels for years.

Felt on canvas...painted canvas....and buttons.

Idea started from a Pinterest pin.  See?  

Sometimes they do get used!

I do, however, have the worst habit of

taking an idea and twisting it just a bit...

to make it mine.

To make it woolie.

11x14 canvas

If you haven't seen it on Pinterest, here's a quick

how-to.  Put stickers on the canvas.  

Paint over the stickers.

Take stickers off.

It's not perfect, but I like it for a first try.

I think I want to try turning kids art into woolies...any thoughts?

Big Mountaineer Craft Show this weekend.  Love to go see what hands can make....
Happy Weekend!   Our last one before the predicted 'Frankenstorm' coming this week.  Mix Hurricane Sandy with an arctic blast....we'll see.

Bigger Better Inukshuk

I went back to the river today with my friend, Stevie.  Isn't it amazing how often we take the treasures we live with for granted.  We both confessed that we could count on one hand the number of times we had been on the river...

Again it was peaceful and beautiful.  I really could get lost in the sound of the water and the quiet of the world.

We ate a picnic lunch and climbed on the rocks.  Then, I built a bigger, better inukshuk.  The other one had already been dismantled.

Here he is:

Can you see the face?

I really wanted a Sharpie to add some details.

So, how did these hugenormous rocks get here?  Were they uncovered by the river or were they pushed up from below?  And the time it took to smooth them into the shapes that made my inukshuk.  If you notice from the last post almost all the leaves are gone.

So much balancing...one on another.

Stevie found this rock with ferns and sea shells....

adds to the interest of the whole rock thingy.

Looking back on the walk out.

Through the branches.

Way down there!

And this is witch hazel.  Stevie just taught me about witch hazel.  It blooms two times each year, spring and fall.  Wonder where it got such an interesting name?  Isn't it used in home remedies?  For something?  Is it and essential oil, Rachel?

Tomorrow I have some pictures of Whimsical Woolies to show you!  Oh, yeah.

River Canyon:BIG Rocks

Another amazingly beautiful day here.  Some years by this time we have already had a big snow.  And I'm good with that, too.  But for now, it is still autumn in all the best ways.   (Did I really just start one sentence with And followed by one started with But? - Sorry English teachers and writers.)

I decided to take my Bible outside to study today and ended up down by the river...pause while I sing the song  :D...It is a very old river and it is one of the few that flows north.  It is a white water rafting river in the spring and kayaks play on it often.  It is called the Cheat and it from time to time rages uncontrollably.   Today, however, it is low and slow and gurgly...shining in the sun.

Have a look.

Walk down from the road to the river.

It was so hard coming back up that there

was no time for photos!

Calm water about 3 feet deep.  I'm on a big rock.

Fish.

Fish.

Me on the rock and in the water...you know?  

Reflectively speaking.

I want to go over to that biggest rock in the center.

Oh, look.  Here I am.

Are these some big rocks, or what?

On the way, I stopped to build an Appalachian Inukshuk.

Looks pretty impressive until you see the size of 

the rocks all around.

Slight change of prespective.

Rock chair.  I can see Natives all over this.

The big rock.  But no other big rocks quite close enough.

But, oh.  Look at this pretty read tree branch.

Oh, a whole tree...growing out of the rocks.

That kind of determination is kind of

like magic to me.

Big rocks tumbled about.  After the last big flood I remember 

that the first white water raft trips were like going 

down a new river because the rocks had been retumbled.

This is what was between me and the rock I wanted to be on.

In the old days I might have just jumped it...but with 

age comes....ummmm, wisdom?  

Another tiny determined plant.

And one last view of the Appalachian Inukshuk before 

I clawed my way back up to the car.

I loved sitting out there in the middle of the river on the rocks and reading the Word of God.  Just doesn't get much better than that.  Now, to carry that peace out to my part of the world.  The people  I can touch...who are in need of peace...much peace.   

Maybe I will show you the river again in the spring......whooooosh!

Eyes To See

We are in the middle of a lovely season of change here in the mountains of West Virginia.  The trees have colored up beautifully, the days are still warmish for the most part and the nights crisp and cool.  Does that sound like the perfect fall, or what?   We are at that point, though, where the next big wind or rain might take most of the rest of the leaves off.  Today it was to be rainy, so I went for a drive to see what my eyes could see, just in case all the leaves were gone tomorrow.
I get home from tutoring, change into comfy clothes, eat and get ready to leave...I LOVE being retired! I'm not too tired and it's not too dark for adventures.

Out to the car to see that indeed the leaves  are falling...

My first stop was Hardee's...I know, but their advertising was better than my will power.  When I placed my order, the nice guy, Jay,  up there on the other end of the ordering thingy, took my order and then said,  "Oh, hon, I can get you everything you want and an apple pie for less than the special."  Well, OK, let's do it...sucker for a guy trying to save me some money.  When I got up to the window he was all smiles and "dears" and "hons" about how he had saved me money.  As I waited I listened to him treat the cars behind me just as sweetly.  I told him that if anyone asked me, I was going to tell them he needed to be moved up to management.  Bigger smile and a reminder that his name was Jay.  Eyes to see  - a young married man happily doing a job that many would find less than honorable, and bringing joy in the process.

Off I go all fueled up (me and Gwendolyn -the car).  I drove down to the river and all along it to Rowlesburg and on to Rt. 50.  I couldn't stop and take pictures because there was river on one side and mountain on the other and usually trees in between.  It was amazing. 

Eyes to see - the landscape more like a giant, fluffy, fall colored quilt or plush carpet than anything else I can think of.  The folds of the mountains running down into the river valley just speak of ancient moldings of mighty formations in the dribbles and downpours of water.  I passed willows swaying like the most graceful of hula dancers and then I started the nearly vertical 3 mile climb up the side of the mountain to Aurora.  I'm not sure if that was measured in 3 miles as the crow flies or the snake slithers.

At the top of the mountain I sort of pull over and take a couple of pictures in the lowering clouds and light.

Top of the world...around here anyway!  Aurora is also the home of Cathedral State Park, a virgin hemlock area.  Those of you who know me know that I am sort of directionally challenged...as in when I go to the mall I just always keep the stores on my right hand so I know which way to go when I come out of a store.  So, the idea of wandering in the woods as evening is getting closer and rain is getting closer is not really me, but I wanted to show you some pictures so I got brave enough to go in just a little way.  But there weren't any good pictures...so, a little bit more.  The trails were marked with red (for my trail) so I decided to be brave and go for it.  Now, I wasn't planning to do this so no one knew where I was and I didn't have my phone.  It is the DEEP woods....look....

OK.  This part isn't scary.  It also was very close to the parking lot.

See?  Lots of trees.  

Look at the light leaves on that one lone deciduous tree.

And a sign.  You always feel safer with a sign, right?

Lots of TALL trees.

No people.

I did pass one lone girl running.  And then 

she came around and passed me again.  

I asked if I was getting close to the

parking lot.  She had come from the direction I 

thought the parking lot should be,  but she

said she didn't know, it was her first time out

exploring in this area. 

Oh.

Another patch of light.  But it wasn't really light at all.

It was dark and a little creepy and drippy and close

with this one little tree that seemed to be glowing.

I was brave for awhile.  Walking pretty fast.  Taking pictures.  Enjoying the solitude.

THEN, I got a little nervous and tried going off the trail and straight through the way I though was out. I was wrong.  I prayed and God said, "Stay on the path."  OK.  Back on the path for a LONG time (you know how long time seems when you don't have any watch or phone and it is starting to rain and getting darker).  Then, I get more nervous and try off trail again - really?  I'm a crazy Israelite wandering in the wilderness when all I had to do was "Stay on the path."  I did this one more time and each time had to go back to the path...which did, in fact, lead me right out to my car.  Thank you, God.

Eyes to see - God knows best and wants what is best for us.  On my own I would have been dangerously lost...but, when I listened and obeyed, I found safety.

By the time I drove back down the other side of the mountain and right back to the same river I had followed before going up the mountain, the sun was shining.

Eyes to see - the light at the end of the adventure....

And my favorite look in the fall - a dark sky with colorful leaves glowing in front.

So, open your eyes to see...and your ears to hear if you happen to be wandering alone in the deep dark woods!

Pieces and Parts

Sometimes it is the big picture you want to see, but often it is the pieces and parts that make up the big picture that are most lovely.

I love the patterns and designs that are all around in nature and architecture and rides on the midway.

And feet in worn boots....big and little leaning into each other.

I love the surprise of an unseen hiss, swish and boom that lights up the night sky...even with a nearly full moon.

I know that forever and always my little husband loves me, but those times he passes by me and drops a kiss on the top of my head are most lovely.