Overfeeding

It's a good thing that cats won't eat themselves to death when you overfeed them, cause this is what happens when Anton fills the cat dish unsupervised. Had to snap a picture - this made me laugh.

Puff Stretch

Here's Puff, stretching for a scratching.

Anton's cheeks and trucks in all their glory

Flatbed Truck

More napkin art!

Portfolio Box

Here's a project I completed this past weekend for a recent Portfolio Center grad.

Four custom trays to fit individual hand-held portfolio pieces, all held neatly in a three flap box with ribbon closure. Your provide the book cloth & dimensions and I do everything else for $400.00. Two-week turnaround.

Da Flood

The rain caused our back porch to flood and seeped into the floor of my studio. Kind of a mess and a bit of panic. Nothing was damaged, though my carpet stinks. It needed cleaning anyway. It was interesting, working through the challenge of a flood with Doug. We made it through and I think calmly. That's another notch in our belt.

Funny thing about marriage. My idea of a perfect one has certainly been challenged. The vows we took so many years ago can be rewritten daily if we want to. It's constantly being reinvented. And we're both of us going through a great number of spiritual transformations. It is an awesome thing to watch happen. Again, my idea of God was the big rusty cog in my understanding of this life and how things work and can/should be. Once that changed, I broadened and I feel a great weight has been lifted off me.

The parental God, the christian God keeps you needy, guilty, ashamed, weak and helpless. It keeps you bound to things, people and obligations. It shales all personal responsibility off your shoulders. It comes at a huge price of OWING and atoning for your natural shortcomings.

This new god is about love only. No debt. No shame. No guilt. All love. It's all love. And I am strong. And things happen as they should, comfortable or not. It's all great information to bring me closer to the god I know I am. I am responsible for my own pace, my own learning, my own choices. And there is no fear. If I see it or feel it, I look right at it and ask it what it's telling me. The way through working through your fears is the only way.

God isn't fear anymore. It's all okay.

Car Cake

For my Bunnie's birthday, we bought a plain chocolate sheet cake and a tube of white icing. Took me three minutes to draw a 2 lane highway and plant a cute set of Cars decked out in army gear on top. He loved it!

Bunny book finished!

Finally finished the tape-bound bunny book.

Anton Turns Three!

On Wednesday, Anton will officially be three years old. We celebrated last night with dinner and singing and presents at our place with Nanny & Baba. He got a street sweeper from us and said when opening it, "snuggle street sweeper." Mom and Dad got him a sandbox that he's playing in right now. He ate cake for the first time and loved it. Last night he woke up at 4am, nudging us out of bed to go downstairs to play with all his new trucks and toys. Finally went back to sleep with some tears (I was flooded with my own xmas eve memories as a child.)

Really fun to see him "get the birthday thing." Next year will be even more of a blast! I'll bring cupcakes to his class for lunch on Wednesday and we'll sing again. So excited!

Here are a bunch of photos. Enjoy!

Teacups

Here's a nifty idea I'd forgotten reading about months ago. I'd read it in some funky magazine on how to organize the impossible, etc.

Open up your top dresser drawer and fill it with the little teacups you never use (I'm a big hearty chunky coffee mug person and these darling vintage teacups were gathering dust in my kitchen for years!)

This is a great way to organize your jewelry or sewing gear. Hang your earrings over the lips of each cup and they're visible at every angle.

I wish this were my idea but I can't take credit for it. Pass it on!

Binders Workshops

It's official friends! Sign up now online for one of these fun workshops at Binders I'll be teaching this Fall in October and November.

Nuther Collapsable Container

Here's a larger collapsible container we'll be learning how to make at the Binders Giftmaking workshop this Fall!

Marvelous Exhibition

This Secret Belgian bound book has a beautiful horse on the cover from a 1940's children's coloring book. Yummy!

Just a couple more

Even More BitterSweet cards

Fall Bookmaking & Calligraphy Classes at Binders

Online signup for these classes available soon. Or call Binders to sign up over the phone.