bundle of joy in the mail

i was the lucky winner of an amazing little bundle of joy from deb over at more whiffs, glimmers & left oeuvres this month. . .and the reality of this joyous bundle far exceeded any expectations garnered from the pics on her site! granted, i was already familiar with her amazing dyeing techniques as she had sent me one of her wondrous burritos a few months ago simply because i asked her what they were before i had ever seen one (such a lovely, and generous lady!).  i was flabbergasted by the sheer volume of marvels that she had managed to stuff into one of her little cuss pots...and with the beauty of the spring-filled damask napkin...and continued to be amazed as i dug deeper into the parcel to find a mountain of colored floss!  i'm already playing with ideas as i listen to these treasures whisper quietly in my ears...

thank you so much, deb!!

and now, i'm off to my studio to get some much needed selection time for a long-overdue australian package and a trip to town to find a post office!

namaste'

practice love. be generous. be rewarded.

i wish i had a heart to send to each and every one of you who commented and entered into this unscheduled drawing.  however, even without them, you are all winners! i was touched by the stories shared, not only in the comments section, but in backchannel emails from those that just wanted to share them.  debi mazar once said: "a hero is somebody who is selfless, who is generous in spirit, who just tries to give back as much as possible and help people." you are all heroes in my book!

i took all of your names and put them in the choosing jar...

closed my eyes, felt around, and selected a slip of paper...

and here is what i found when i opened my eyes again...

debi from the pacific northwest! you are the winner of the woven heart cloth!

here's what debi wrote in her comment:

"Mornin Joe! Thank you for coming over to my place for a visit, and your comment on my Tango Cat! She's further along right now and if I ever get a break from homework I'll finish her and post it on my lonely blog. I have so much to say on there... and it's been so neglected."

"It's funny, on Valentines Day I decided to smile and greet anyone I made eye contact with on the college campus. Wow, I was absolutely AMAZED at the result! So many people struck up a brief conversation with me. One girl looked so happy and radiant when she went on to class and she must have turned around half a dozen times to tell me how much she enjoyed talking to me. It was the same result several times as the day went on. It felt so good that I've been doing it all week. There are a LOT of lonely, sad students on campus with me. Sometimes it's just too easy to plow through your day going from one thing to the next, and you miss so much by not taking the time to connect to the people around you. Anyway, I hope I win your heart...my birthday is the 23rd! It would make a lovely birthday present!"

what a wonderful experience, debi!  i have found similar experiences when i've just smiled at people, too.  it's amazing, isn't it? i think it is all too frequently for any of us to plow through your days, not being present, and missing life that is right there before our eyes! it's amazing how we tap into our compassionate heart when we just decide to be present and acknowledge those around us in a respect full and loving manner!

debi, you have a big heart and a depth of soul! and now you have my woven heart small cloth!  happy birthday!!  i'll drop you an email so you can send me your mailing address and i'll get it in the mail immediately!

for the rest of you, gentle readers, you are indeed amazing people and i am honored to have "met" you.

namaste'

random acts of lunacy

it's almost midnight on sunday night...and the practice love. be generous. give away is about to end. i've been enjoying all the wonderful comments and stories and look forward to seeing who will win my little woven heart cloth!

it's been rather insane around these parts. the snows are bearing down on us again, and i've been picking up shifts at work like a mad man since so many have been out sick or on vacation.

i'm feeling a little like that poor donkey these days. a bit overworked...but can't really complain, seeing as how i can say "no" as easily as the next guy...

in the spirit of this insanity, i've picked up a double tomorrow and am headed for bed to prepare for those 16 hours of caregiving, so i will be announcing the winner tomorrow night.

yup...unfortunately so...but i'm fairly certain y'all can handle holding out for just a few more hours to see who won, can't ya?

right. i'm off to slumberland and to dream tranquil fiber dreams....

namaste'

one world one heart 2001 winner!

this year's one world one heart blogger event was an amazing journey! i joined in a little late, but not too late that i didn't get a chance to visit each and every participating blog. i didn't sleep much...and did nothing else for five days...but, hey, i got to visit them all! even had time to poke through them and get to see what everyone was doing. and let me tell you, there are some amazingly talented people out there! i feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to participate and to meet so many wonderful people and i truly look forward to getting to know many of them much better through our blogs!

but, as  peter s. beagle once said, “heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. a quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story.” but this story has come to its end. it's weird...you know the end of something great is coming, but you want to hold on, just for one more second...just so it can hurt a little more... but every ending is also a beginning, or so it's said. this event is ending...in more ways than one. but there are many new friendships beginning... so hurt though it might, there is good in it, too.

amongst these good things are the feelings of the winner of sky flower:

drum roll please

and the winner is: 

i have to say, wanda had an interesting strategy to win...she wrote:

"wowsers! what an awesome blog full of such talent!

thanks for a peek into your world. 

i licked everyone of your pieces so no one else would touch them. 

LOL also love your furry creatures. 

thanks for being a part of OWOH and love your fabulous prize! "

i gotta tell ya...apparently it worked! good thing she didn't want my critters...i don't know if they'd have taken kindly to some stranger licking them!  i guess i should have licked her orange-haired dotti doll while i was over at her wonderful blog (http://needlewings.blogspot.com/) and maybe i might have won it, too! (sigh) well, next time i know what to do...

so, wanda, be sure to check your inbox for an email from me asking for your mailing info and sky flower will be on its way to your door first thing monday morning! i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed creating it!

namaste'

practice love. be generous.

sasha dichter wrote on her blog the other day about rebooting valentine's day as generosity day, asking for it to be "one day of sharing love with everyone, of being generous to everyone, to see how it feels and to practice saying “yes.” let’s make the day about love, action and human connection – because we can do better than smarmy greeting cards, overpriced roses, and stressed-out couples trying to create romantic meals on the fly." she talks about how we can do this by setting the "goal to spend valentine’s day being more generous, giving more money, sharing of yourself, being of service. all acts of generosity, small and big alike, count. but you have to say "yes" to everything that’s asked of you, all day long! it’s about creating more generosity in the world, and becoming a more open person along the way."

i've been thinking about this today as i've gone about my day's routines. remembering to be more generous. opening doors. sharing what i have with others as i encounter them. leaving generous tips. baking a huge pile of heart shaped cookies for my neighbors. gifting quilts to those who are in need of their warmth and love. donating clothes and food to local charities.

this has brought such warmth and joy to those around me and in my community. to my heart as well. i'm quite certain that this will be a continued tradition in my home. i would be honored to hear about any of your experiences inspired by these thoughts today! or, in honor of this week being national random acts of kindness week, of your experiences inspired by these thoughts throughout this week! that's it. no giant hoops to jump through. just share one of your experiences of generosity in the comment section of this post!

as my last act of generosity this week, i will be drawing a name at random from all comments made to this post between now and sunday, february 20, 2011, relating your act of generosity or random act of kindness and will be awarding that person with a special woven heart small cloth (measuring 6" X 7"). this small cloth sports a freehand heart woven from strips of cotton fabrics up-cycled and repurposed from my wardrobe, embellished with a heart applique cut from a scrap of vintage quilting cotton, all hand stitched to a vintage woven cotton napkin backing cloth. this heart-felt small cloth can be used by itself to adorn your wall, counter top, journal cover...or could be repurposed and incorporated into one of your own creations!

i will announce the winner next monday, february 21st. be sure to include your email address or to check back on monday so that i may send you your gift! if i have been unable to contact you and have not heard from you by the 23rd, i will draw another name, so stay tuned!

now, go out and be generous! spread love and kindness where ever you go!

namaste'

~one world one heart 2011~ blog event & giveaway

hello and welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere! i am a mixed media artist currently focusing on re-purposing fabrics and fibers. i have been a blogger and podcaster for several years, though this particular blog is fairly new. started just last december to mark my new journey into this particular medium. i live with my slobbery saint bernard, sachi, her fat n' lazy cat, piper, and his scoundrel of a mutt, nicky, here in billings, montana.  i lead a creative and contemplative life here and wouldn't change it for the world. being in a rather secluded area of the states, i enjoy meeting new people online and love exploring others' blogs. seeing what they are creating. sharing ideas. thoughts. views.

i found this, the fifth and final one world one heart 2011 blog event, while stumbling around in debra's blog and am pleased to have done so in the nick of time to join in on this wonderfully exciting event! one world one heart was started as a way for bloggers worldwide to get to know each other over the past several years. there are a lot of amazing bloggers/artists participating and i am eagerly looking forward to getting to know them better. many thanks to lisa for organizing this amazing event!

sky flower

i am offering a door prize just for visiting my blog as part of the one world one heart event. it is a tall cloth i created last month as part of a workshop i've been involved in by jude hill. it is composed of re-purposed and re-cycled cottons and silks and measures approximately 8" X 16".  the top half is woven strips of cotton and silk fabrics culled from my wardrobe and a few fragments from my quilting activities. the tree is a product of my experimenting with my mother's die cutter last christmas. the moon is from a delicate vintage cotton lawn hanky, as is the tiny blue "sky flower" in the snow bank. all have been kantha stitched and quilted to a backing cloth of indian cotton. there are tabs across the top so you can tie it to a nice twig or rod for hanging.  it is entitled sky flower and has many stories to whisper quietly into your ear.

you do not have to be a part of this event to win. all you need to do is leave a comment on this post below and include your email address so i can contact you should you win. i will pick a winner from a hat (or large bowl, or barrel...depending upon what is required to hold all the names) at midnight on february 17th and will announce it here on my blog, as well as email the winner.

it has been a joy having you stop by and i hope you poke around and see what i've been up to. if you find yourself intrigued, i hope to see you again and again! i also look forward to exploring your blog and getting to know you! meanwhile, be sure to head on over to lisa's wonderful blog, as she is our magnificent host for this event! you can click on the links to the other bloggers participating with their own door prizes while there or by clicking here.

namaste'