sneak peek: inspired by nature

 i'm always inspired by nature. one of my daily pleasures is observing what goes on in my back yard.. the fluttering dance of colorful visitors: butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, gold finches, grasshoppers, dragonflies. the new bears for my august update carry the blend of summer colors, from pinks and purples to gold and black. summers palette leaves nothing out, yet effortlessly harmonizes the bold and the subtle in fantastic, unexpected ways.

stay tuned for the official update time announcement coming soon... and fully enjoy these late summer days!

buzzin' fly

(title of this post is a Tim Buckley reference :)
some buzzin' buddies in our garden. it's so rewarding to give the birds n' bees a natural source of food/ habitat. i see bird fights all the time at the neighbors bird feeder, which BTW is attracting the elusive orange feral cat to their yard instead of mine. bright yellow finches visit our wildflower patch every day, nibbling on seedheads of dying back flowers.. so i leave half dying flowers for them and cut the others to rebloom for the insects. a happy balance.

indoors- this week i've battled a 2 day invasion of the ants in the kitchen. we had heavy storms which always makes them come indoors. but it was better than a flooded basement like my neighbor had. after a half dozen natural repellent attempts (vinegar, cinnamon, peppermint oil, bay leaves) i had to resort to the deadly black ant traps which worked in conjunction with the natural remedies. so sad to watch the hard working ants carrying away the poison, i always feel like a murderer! a good repellent is a wad of cotton with a few drops of peppermint essential oil/ orange and or lemon oil stuffed in the hole where the ants come in- smells nice too.

so finally after regaining control of my kitchen, i could get back to working on bears for abracadabra. the plan was to have them there before end of this month (oh, that's in 3 days!). so i'm doing what i caaaann! after that, it's all about Hugglets festival. i need to order business cards and supplies, and waiting on my passport. i can't believe it's only about a month away.
so i best be gettin' busy like a bee... xoxo

socks and shibori

my neighbors must be thinking "that's a lot of socks!"

the wildflowers in our yard are blooming like crazy. a cornucopia of colors which have inspired the hues in my latest tie dyed monkey socks:

while i had the dye pot going, i couldn't resist throwing in some girl/ guy tees:

these are shibori japanese dying techniques. by no means am i a pro, but i'm getting the hang of it. it's a fun DIY project. the hardest part is waiting for the dye bath and seeing how it turned out!

another blistering 100 degree day in chicago, so i'm staying put in the studio with a tall glass of iced half-decaf coffee. i am working on a few new bears before diving head on into monkey madness. and stay tuned for PFATT offering in 2 days. stay cool and in the shade where you are!

spring is sprouting

some works in progress for my spring update!

happy spring colors: tulip red, peachy apricot, leafy green, tomato orange, snow cone electric blue ...

and more works in progess in other areas of the house...
our organic veggie garden sprout-lings:

i've been tending over the little peat pots with glee. if the harvest goes well, we'll be doing a lot of canning this fall. the goal is to have enough filled ball mason jars to last us til next spring. it's tomato madness!

will show you more sneak peeks of new bears til i make the official update announcement...which will be very soon.

have a glorious shining spring weekend!

i'd be safe and warm...

...if i was you-know-where.
hey there! we're back from our week long california trip and readjusting to chicago weather (boo-hoo). as one often feels after a trip, i am simultaneously rejuvenated and exhausted. we had a wonderful time staying with friends in pasadena, visiting art museums, gardens, malibu, topanga, and had what may possibly be the best pad thai ever.

march is around the bend! i'm planning for my march bear update and have some shop orders to complete. and *new* ePatterns will be in my etsy shop before end of this month. lots to look forward to!

planet snow part II

looks who's baaack-- snow creatures! remember them from last february?
i think i have "shoveler's-elbow" from clearing the porch and cutting a narrow walking path out front through 4' deep snow drifts. now i get to rest :)

i saw a seagull glide serenely overhead, as we humans (featherless bipeds- as Plato once said) laboriously dig out mountains of snow on the ground. oh, to be a bird. even though it's freezing outside, you get my gist.
no strength left to type anymore... need-hot-beverage. is 3:47pm too early for hot cocoa with a shot of brandy? please say it's okay!

bare branches

a study of trees in winter
or
california dreaming.
we're heading out west in february for a week to thaw out. i know it's a ways off but i can't wait! every winter i am reminded how crazy i am for living in the midwest. it's 15 degrees outside. yep, i'm insane {*.....*}

"Who will love a little sparrow...

...who's traveled far and cries for rest?" (Simon and Garfunkel "Sparrow")

so you're thinking, what's this? yet another bird post? it just happened that way, i swear! my grandpop was an avid birdwatcher. he took my brother and i birdwatching as kids, and gave us those little red wooden bird calls. maybe a bit of the birdwatching is in my blood.

the first day of december has brought us our first snow. i don't know how these little troopers survive the bitter mid-west winters. but somehow they do...

as the wildflowers roots do. as the evergreens do.

as we will do... with the aid of thick blankets and hot drinks :)
stay warm!
xxxx

on the wings of the wind

yesterday morning an incredible flock of 33 geese passed over our home. i'm glad to have been looking out the window just at the right time. geese are a common sight in this area yet i am always awe struck by the beauty of their flight. whether it be a single bird or 100.

another flock of a different feather passed by yesterday afternoon. this flock numbered 31 birds. Rob had mentioned he saw what he presumed to be the biggest *flock of seagulls (*no pun on the band intended) the day before. as luck would have it, yesterday he was in the yard and i noticed his gaze fixed upon the sky...

...observing poetry in motion.

"But you were never made, as I, on the wings of the winds to fly! The eagle said."~ 1911, Will Carleton, poet.

i cannot readily identify these aerial friends from my rudimentary knowledge of bird breeds, but seagulls they are not. cranes maybe? they emitted the most gentle and soft pigeon/dove-like cooing, a beautiful and melancholy sound... if you know what birds they are, please do leave a comment and let me know. i was enchanted by them.

bon voyage my friends! how i would love to fly away with you.

*thank you Chicago for being the first US city to dim tall building lights to save birds' lives during migration season. to learn more visit Lights Out at Audubon.org and Lights Out Chicago.

a Garland of Birds

"Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart." ~Seneca

sunbathers

our first giant sunflower! i planted about 5 seeds but one dominated the others and took over. the overhead powerlines aren't very picturesque, but it's the city and that's how it is. the squirrels use them quite effectively as aerial bridges. speaking of squirrels...

i looked out my window one chilly morning and saw this little guy sunbathing absolutely motionless on the tree trunk for a good long while. enjoy it while you can, right?

we were graced with another Gemini sighting today. a real close encounter... our back deck! Rob ushered me into the kitchen "hurry hurry, shhhh.... don't scare her away". i said she can't hear us through the thick deck doors ;) it was so comforting to see a kitty nearby while having morning coffee. we miss the company of felines. i couldn't leave the room until she left.

have a fantastic weekend! hope there's sunshine on ya. xoxo

catching rainbows

last night i was watching Newton's Dark Secrets (Netflix) and how Newton discovered that white light is made up of a spectrum of colors. i thought about that as the morning sun produced a little rainbow on my kitchen wall, reflected from a mirror. pretty interesting documentary, i dozed off as it was getting a bit spooky on the topic of alchemy.

on a totally different subject, i'm miss busy hands sewing away for an October update. my birthday is next week, so that's what i'm aiming for!

autumn light

the light is changing, signaling changing of the seasons. i get a melancholy feeling when the sun sets so much earlier now than summer. geese frequently fly over head and a part of me tugs to fly away with them. suddenly i'm asking "who wants hot chocolate? :) hope you're sailing smoothly into autumn as october is just hours away.