{there are no mistakes, just beautiful reinventions}

{Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Art is knowing which ones to keep.  ~Scott Adams}

I have long since learned that this is the beauty of {ART}. There is no right or wrong. No proverbial black or white. We, as creators of art, are free to claim our mistakes as much more. We are free to scoop them up, recycle them, re-purpose them, reinvent them ... make them into something beautiful once more.

... but first let me take you back a bit ... 

I have long since been a lover of the primitive arts. Years ago I bought a simple set of directions, a rug hooking frame and some scraps of wool. I was literally {hooked} if you will! Armed with a new cutter and a notebook full of designs I began creating rugs. 

They took hours and hours and hours and hours to make, but they were {real}. They were going to last a lifetime. A craft of the past. When someone ordered a custom designed rug they were in fact getting an heirloom.

 ... fast forward ...

I recently started what was to be a miniature {rug} for a wall hanging. Somewhere along the way it dissolved into something smaller than miniature. A mistake. {or so I thought}. So I tucked it away for another day ... after all, the wool had been dyed, stripped and partially hooked. I could abandon it, but I have never had to heart to take a rug apart ... and so that day came. Last week, as I rooted through a cupboard I stumbled across the partially finished {miniature rug}. The colors were wonderful and since I have been a fanatic crazy woman making bags left and right around here I decided then and there it might not be a rug, but it could certainly be a bright and cheery panel on a bag.

... and so it was ...

I remounted it on the frame and finished the hooking. It was satisfying to be holding the hook again. Once it was complete I sewed it to one of the panels of a duck cloth tote bag I was working on ...

... a fresh and funky design. Birds, hearts, arrows, scallops, flowers ...

... as I am huge into {re-purposing} these days as well, I gathered up some cool vintage fabric my sweet, sweet neighbor gave me and used it as a liner for the tote bag. Some canvas straps, a shabby muslin ruffle and of course, a {great big huge ruffly silky flower}. I even threw in a hand dyed velvet center for the flower ...

...the reverse side of the tote is embellished with a tiny felted heart with wings ...

... and so there are no mistakes.

 Just {beautiful reinventions} ...

... and always a reason to {CREATE} !

Enjoy!

{linking up to some wonderful places here!}

{Be Mine}

{Valentine's Day}, a day of romance, flowers, candy and love ... it is one of my favorite holidays. Not for the candy or the flowers, but for the air of mystery surrounding this special day. There are many different theories to just how this day got its' start, but only St. Valentine knows for sure. What I {love} is the anticipation and secrecy ... a day when we, as adults, can relive the giddiness of a child, waiting and hoping for a certain {note} or treat from a special someone ...

... to receive a special {Valentine} at this time of year is intoxicating. There are so many little delights to be had in these love notes ...

 ... so each year I make my {Valentine's} ... something that speaks of the past, a time when these notes were made with distinct care for their intended recipient ...

... this year I wanted to create a {Valentine} that was representative of a vintage {memory book} ...

... a miniature collection of mementos - vintage tinsel, cupcake paper flowers, stitching ...

 ... vintage book paper, ruffled and painted with a glittery coating and a petite silky flower ...

... itty-bitty letter beads and layers of pretty papers ...

 ... and lots and lots of sparkle ...

... a recycled fair ticket is cut into a stacked heart ... velvet and glittered ribbons are added as 

whimsical tabs ... a heart fashioned from vintage fabric is stitched to the card ...

... so many layers ... LOVE LOVE LOVE ...

 ... the pretty blue floral paper is another cupcake liner . The puffy fabric heart has been stitched across. My Sophie said it looks like {lips} ! ...

... the {Valentine} itself is an over sized tag shape with pretty pink & red stitching around the edges ...

... the top of this giant {tag} is embellished with either a shabby linen tie or a loop of hand dyed vintage seam binding,  and a glittered clothespin ...

... a hodge podge of {Valentine} mementos ...

... that will be a {sweet treat} for someone I {LOVE}.

 ...made with {L O V E} for all of my very special Valentine's!

... enjoy!

{linking up to some great parties here}

{a love of numbers & how counting calms my heart}

I have always loved numbers.

  Sometimes people ask me why I have such an affinity for numerals and I am pretty sure my standard answer has always been somewhere in the realm of "because I like the way they look..."

...but that isn't really true. I DO love the way a simple digit will turn a sign into a conversation piece or a pillow into a piece of mathematical art. I love the way a group of numbers will turn a table top into a game board or a chalkboard into a funky frame for lists. The possibilities for using numbers in art are endless, and they have a certain allure when drawn out in certain fonts, but none of these are the truth behind my reasoning or love of integers. 

  The reality is this. Numbers calm me. They soothe my heart...equalize my soul...even if I don't realize it they steady me. Ease my mind. Allow me to think more clearly.

I can not take my walk without finding myself counting...not the steps I take or the cracks I cross over. Not the trees I pass or the birds I see fly overhead. Just numbers. Lots of numbers. It is a tonic for me. A way to push the worrisome thoughts aside. A mental pushup. A subconscious workout.

 Sometimes it is the counting itself that brings me awake to what I am doing. An uncomfortable situation...a scary thought...a nervous moment. Suddenly I am awake and I am counting. It is as if my brain realized the overwhelming process that is taking place and switches gears of it's own accord. Is it normal? Probably not. Does it help me? Who knows. But it DOES allay my fears...a simple and often endless string of numbers stroking my thoughts, disburdening my mind.

 So I love numbers.

I live with OCD and counting helps... it is just another one of life's sweet bonuses that numbers look so great in ART FORM.