Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!

Wishing you the beauty and joy of Christmas shared with family and friends!

Along with blessings for a creative and prosperous New Year 2012!

Sandra

Preparing for Christmas Craft Nite

In the spirit of excitement getting ready for my friends to come over for a Christmas crafty nite, I dressed up these lanterns with cedar, painted pine cones, ribbon and sparkly glitter for my front entrance. Then I realized that maybe they might be a fire hazard? Oh well, they look really pretty even if the candles aren't lit!



We had fun, laughter, and were surrounded by the twinkling Christmas lights, glowing candles, Christmas music, while working on a few last minute cards, and other surprises. I am so grateful for the friendship of these beautiful ladies! All creative and passionate in their own areas of expertise!

Visit Violette's blog for tons and tons of colourful inspiration! Lucky me to live just a hop, skip and a jump from Violette's magic cottage!

And my friend Paula the writer, and Brenda, the music teacher! I hope to have another relaxed evening like this very, very soon! I am truly in the Christmas spirit after our very festive and fun crafty evening.

Preparing for Homecoming

Only two more days before my daughter arrives home! It's been a long year without her here and we are so excited she will be home for the holidays. It will be a merry Christmas indeed!

Happy creating,
Sandra

First Week of December

I can hardly believe it is the first week of December! Today was so mild and sunny, that I took my camera and went for a wonderful walk in the sunshine. The sun kept playing in and out of the clouds with me, making great shadows and high contrasts. I took a lot of nature photos which I had hoped to upload, but for some reason, I cannot upload any photos right now.

I woke up so early, excited for the day, and wanting to take full advantage of the light while it is here. The days do seem to short right now, I look forward to the Solstice already.

Slowly, slowly, I am gearing up for the Christmas season. Only a few more days until my daughter arrives home from Norway. She has been in Europe now for almost a full year! I want to make sure her room is nice and welcoming for her when she arrives!

Can Christmas be coming in just over three weeks??????

Lots to do and create between now and then.

Happy creating!

Sandra

Vintage Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Giving thanks for wonderful family, friends, good health, and the beginnings of the holiday season!

Have a wonderful holiday, wherever you may be during this season...

Watercolour and Waterlogged

What's a girl to do? It's Friday, and I am waiting, waiting, waiting for a return phone call. So, although the rain is pouring outside, I have some wonderful music playing, a cup of tea steeping, and a pile of art supplies.

This is the best way to spend a rainy Friday afternoon!

Creatively yours,

Sandra

Just How I Feel

How quickly my moods change! Yesterday, the sun was shining and it was brisk and cold, but I knew the weather was turning, so I bundled up and dashed out for a walk before the sun went down, and today it is back to cold, gray drizzle. I was feeling all optimistic and energized after that great power walk in the sunshine. But, now, the weather is affecting my mood. I feel a bit isolated and dreary. Can't help it...it's just how I feel. Maybe a little poetry will put me back in the frame of mind I was in yesterday. Can't hurt?



The Autumn Sonnets

If I can let you go as trees let go
Their leaves, so casually, one by one,
If I can come to know what they do know,
That fall is the release, the consummation,
Then fear of time and the uncertain fruit
Would not distemper the great lucid skies
This strangest autumn, mellow and acute.
If I can take the dark with open eyes
And call it seasonal, not harsh or strange
(For love itself may need a time of sleep),
And, treelike, stand unmoved before the change,
Lose what I lose to keep what I can keep,
The strong root still alive under the snow,
Love will endure -- if I can let you go.

by May Sarton, from "Selected Poems of May Sarton" 1978

or maybe Anne Lamott will shake me out of the doldrums.

“Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.”

― Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life