Did you know that Thursday April 30 is "Poem in Your Pocket Day". I have a few poems that would be high on my list for this honor, but I'll have to think which one I should actually put in my pocket. How about you?
On Thursday, we end National Poetry Month with Poem in Your Pocket Day. It's simple: select a poem you love, then carry it with you to share with co-workers, family, and friends on April 30, 2009.
Poems from pockets will be unfolded throughout the day with events in parks, libraries, schools, workplaces, and bookstores. The Poets.org website has ideas and classroom activities.
My knitting pattern was featured today on Resweater. If you have any thoughts of making things from recycled sweaters, you should check out this blog for ideas or for links to shop for the sweaters that Kris of Resweater finds and lists on Artfire.
Saturday was mostly a work day, making felted flowers from recycled wool sweaters and working on a custom order for a persimmon colored neck warmer. The neck warmer will be finished today and packed up for mailing. Some of the flowers still need finishing and pin backs for completion. I have 10 in all so far, they are so much fun to make. I'm thinking I may make a few smaller flowers into barrettes or elastics for hair. While flowers were blooming inside my house, JJ, my "constant gardener", was outside tending to the lovelies and digging in the dirt. Thanks to his efforts, the yard is looking absolutely splendorous..full of blooms and soon to be blooms just like my craft room.
Here are my new eco-friendly coffee cup sleeves, just listed in the Etsy Shop. Did you know that in the U.S. alone, over 400 million paper coffee cup sleeves are disposed of everyday? This little sleeve can be tucked in your purse, pocket, or glove compartment and reused every time you get a latte to go.
Topic's to choose from for this Carnival: 1. Now that spring has sprung, it's planting time. If you're into gardening, what would your dream garden look like? What flowers/bulbs/herbs would you plant? What about garden doodads or statues?2. Your Own Space: describe your dream studio (or if you already have one, give details!). Decorating, supplies you wish you had, size, etc.
I have a couple of different versions of my dream garden. In version one, my dream garden would include an orchard with fruit and nut trees and berry bushes, a vegetable garden with tomatoes, corn, and squash and loads of flowers of all types. Of course, since it's a dream garden, it would be almost completely self sustaining, requiring no weeding with automatic sprinklers and a perfect drip watering system. In the center would be an arbor and a winding garden path would lead from a gorgeous patio to the different areas of the garden. Version two is my Arizona dream garden. It would be filled with cactus of all types, eucalyptus and Polo Verde trees, yuccas, and other southwestern delights.
It's fun to fantasize, but I'm actually quite pleased to have the gardens spaces I do have in both my Idaho and Arizona abodes.
If you haven't seen this YouTube video called "Waking Up Canadian, you really ought to watch it. Turns out, it has real significance for me. My parents emigrated from Canada to the US when I was in second Grade and when they later became US citizens, I automatically did also. At the time, I was excited about becoming a US citizen and I remember dressing up in a velveteen dress to go to the swearing in ceremony. I remember thinking later that it was unfair that I didn't get to decide for myself whether I wanted to give up my Canadian citizenship, after I learned in school that I could never be elected President of my new country.
My parents took a citizenship course and studied California history as part of their application process. As a result, my parents knew California history better than most natives of the state. Both my parents came from provinces in Canada where English was spoken. When my Dad went to the courthouse to apply for citizenship, the clerk commented: "Mr. L. how did you learn to speak English so well in just a short time in our country?"
I've gone to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site and read about this change in the citizenship law. Not only does this amendment make me a citizen of Canada, but it also makes my two children citizens.
The new law will give Canadian citizenship to certain individuals who lost it and to others who will be recognized as citizens for the first time. This includes people who lost their citizenship as minors as long as they were born or naturalized in Canada or born outside Canada to a Canadian parent in the first generation born abroad. Citizenship will be automatic and retroactive to the date of loss or the date of birth, depending on the situation.
I try to make it back to Canada every year or two to visit my old aunt and see my grandfather's summer home. The photo just above was taken on one of those trips. I used to imagine moving back to Canada, in fact I briefly considered applying to Canadian universities, but at the time I wasn't a Canadian citizen. Even if I never move back to Canada, it's nice to feel like I've reclaimed some of my history.
I have fond memories of Easter Sunday's growing up; My mother always made Easter outfits for my sister and I. I think my favorite was the pink and grey check jacket with pleated grey skirt in the photo above with my sister.
These earlier photos of my sister and I made me laugh because I'm sure the photo with the bikes was taken after we had posed for the earlier photo. In fact, I'm
surprised we were allowed on our bikes in those outfits...must have been after church. We often had our outfits completed with gloves and hats.
I like this one a lot, maybe because I have that slightly mischievous look on my face as I glance up at my mother. My Dad was never in these Easter photos because he was always the photographer.
This is the final one I could find, probably taken when I was in late high school...with my sister and the young man who later became her husband. This was probably the last Easter dress my mother made for me.
I found a link to this beautiful photo essay on two different websites by photographer Phillip Toledano documenting the days with his 97 year-old father after his mother passed away. Even though the circumstances were different, it made me think about the passing of my own father almost twelve years ago.
In addition to being a very touching story I was fascinated with the presentation of the photo essay. If you nove your mouse to the bottom of a photo it will partially expose the next one. Click it to move forward. Or move to the top of the image to partially expose the previous one and click to go back. Thumbnails can be exposed by moving your mouse all the way to the left. You can also use your mouse normally to click to move through.
Get a box of tissues and click on over to watch. Then go and hug your parents if you are lucky enough to have them still with you.
It's been a while since I've posted a new project. I did knit up a couple more of my cabled neck warmers but figured most regular readers have had their fill of those. Here's my new obsession....I'm using some of my stash and leftover yarn to make a series of felted bowls. I love how they are turning out. I basically knit what looks like a little hat (see my Wordless Wednesday post below) and then felt it. I've also been working on some felted leaves.
Just as I was preparing a feature for the April Etsy Blogger, what a nice surprise to find my sweater Moo card holder featured here.
And this month's featured Etsy blogger is.....TwoZanyZebras who blogs here. I tried to post an Etsy-mini of her work but couldn't get blogger to cooperate (anyone who can help?) but here are some photos of my favorite items from her shop, aren't they adorable?
Since April 22 is Earth Day... The Blog Carnival topic is "Let's Go Green! What can you do to make your Etsy business or your home a little bit greener?"
If you are a regular reader, you know I love recycling and reusing things in my craft. With the Etsy Blogger's theme of going green it seemed like the perfect time to share some tutorials and inspiration that will help you go green in your crafting or your every day life. All these ideas come from Craftstylish.com which if you haven't discovered it yet, is a very cool site.
