BLACK &WHITE WEDDING

Recently I had the opportunity to work on a black and white wedding - and for some reason the simplicity of black and white really appealed to me.

And so it comes to be that my shop is full of the color of the moment - right after this I am moving to hot pink and tangerine-- quite a difference - and I am ready. Though I loved making the flowers - I am always happen to move on to new colors.

And so it goes as this order goes to its intended bride - new colors will  visit the barn and just in time for spring!

Pot hole paranoia

Who would have thought that lurking under the ice and snow that buried our roads for the past two months were craters, pot holes and in some cases near virtual sink holes destined to swallow up all but the largest of vehicles with the largest of 4 wheelin' tires.

I have made even the most mundane trip to the local store into an adventure in driving. I steel myself for the event... I scowl and survey every bend and crook in the road. Some spots I have memorized and others catch me totally unaware with jaw jarring drops and thumps.

There are "safe routes" and surface of the moon routes popping with craters, heaves, creases and bumps.  I choose the former but I am continuously surprised by new holes popping up daily with the spring thaw.

Road crews even have signs as of late; Road work ahead pot hole repair.

Who thought of the term "pot holes?" Some are not like pots at all, but more like giant abysses or craters destined to swallow your vehicle whole.  What kind of pot were they thinking of ?   These are monster holes not anything that could be contained on a stove top!!

We have one more punch from winter coming later this week - one least wisp of a breath of cold air bringing perhaps (I pray not) MORE snow...  This makes even more challenging choosing a daily route as I am sure the storm will open up more pot holes that were just repaired, and I will have to memorize a new  routes, more swerving, more race car driving... shortly I hope the pot holes will be a thing of the past and I will be complaining about the heat and the squished mosquitoes on my windshield.

Cate :)    

HAPPY VINTAGE VALENTINES DAY

Just a quick craft today to celebrate the romantic holiday fast approaching.

Sending Love....

Vintage Music paper 

Cate

Let it go....

Watching the snow fall again  I am always taken by  what snow can do for your inner soul - but only if you slow down to feel - listen - learn.

It blankets even the most crowded city street with a white sparkling blanket. It muffles noise and allows inner thoughts to be percolated without the intrusion of every day noises.  It settles cars in their driveways slumbering and waiting. It forces walks, talks and time to pause. It makes us STOP and it  makes us let go of  our usual routines.. settle in...pause...reflect and maybe be still in- watch and  learn.

 I hope we can enjoy it for what it is... a pause ... a break and a time to let go....

cate ~ peace

SIMPLE DREAMS - The art of doing nothing...

It dawned on me the other day as I watched my cat lounging on the couch that to be a cat might not be a bad thing. She lounged with a sense of relaxation  only a cat could emulate.. I was jealous... It was 15 degrees outside.  We had been hit by two "polar vortexes" (buzz weather word this year) and yet she  seemed to have a devil may care cavalier attitude about all of it.  I pondered if I could squeeze next to her just to grab a little "cat nap." The sun was streaming in the front window and despite the cold outside the living room was toasty warm and the couch was incredibly inviting. I thought she might not mind sharing the space - she looked at me rather, peevishly , however and with an almost imperceptible eye brow lift as if to say "Don't crowd me."

But... my human nature overtook me and I thought about all the things I needed to do and chose instead to "work." I left the lounging to her.  I spent the day working and also thinking about the counter cultural split man versus pet and I was for just a few moments drawn into the simplest of thought processes. What would it be like to get up and have "nothing" to do but eat... sleep... play a bit...eat a bit and sleep a bit more.  Would we humans tolerate such a schedule? Would our brains atrophy if we were to put them to such low level usage? Would we be happy returning to a simpler state of being like our furry friends? I cannot answer those questions for I have forgotten the art of relaxing... as have many of us.  We are surrounded by gadgets and gizmos that beg our attention and demand our fingers or eyes be engaged 24/7. I am annoyed by this lately, screens that grab our attention, phones that whistle, squawk, buzz, vibrate. Enough... I want to shout.. just be still.

Tabitha - lounging - 

Thomas, her brother, prefers the floor. 

Our carriage barn - chock full of crafty ideas

The polar vortex has created 4 foot icicles on the barn

Ruby often assists in the barn - she loves to lay by the pellet stove! 

I often dream about it, but work always calls me... I dream about being surrounded by piles of creative magazines and books and just reading and ripping out pages for future inspiration and having  just the time of my life in a sea of  magazines on my bed! Maybe one day I could live this dream.  I think about it a lot and often think about getting away to a massive farmhouse in New England with a few good friends and "nesting" enjoying company, conversation and the art of doing nothing...

Dreams can and do come true sometimes so I have not relinquished my hopes to launch these simple dreams.

cate :)

WINTER - 2014- CrAzY

Winter rolled in with blasts of weather that I can honestly not conjure up memories of weather so absurd, unpredictable and chaotic that it defies expectations.

Mornings that can start out at 0 degrees and turn into afternoons in the 40's and vice versa.

We saw a frigid cold of 2 just a few days ago - which was accompanied by a blast of snow to the depth of approximately 8 inches only to see that wiped out  a few days later with fog, torrential rains, and now mud with barely a trace of the 8 inches left a mere three days later.

We are expected to see frigid temps tonight near 1 degree - only to wake to a morning in the 50's.  It is rather interesting, bizarre but frightening.

an outdoor fire pit treated to a snowy cap!

chilly!

frosty snow like winter's cupcake icing, perfectly formed and shimmering

Holidays - Love them - but need them to be over....

As much as the feverish ramp up to Holiday season leaves us gasping for air and pushing the midnight oil, I find I like it less and less... sad to feel that way..  but honestly I find myself yearning for a larger meaning to the whole spin of the season.

The stores begin to ramp up in October and there is a mad dash to get through Halloween, Thanksgiving and then the icing on the cake -- the crown of the holidays! Christmas.  The packages get opened, the food gets eaten and with a big sigh, a few hugs, an Alka Seltzer or two it's over. Slamming the door on another year.

Could it be better? more memory making? sincere? simple? authentic?  I'd like to think so, but it's  hard to change  years of history and store sabotage.

We had a simple tree in the barn - only 4 foot tall - fresh cut nearby - very dainty and simple - decked out in  paper ornaments, garlands and pinecones.  A larger tree stood outside dressed simply in lights. We made a bonfire in front of it on Christmas eve - but it was so chilly it was hard to sit there and not shiver! Wonderful snow flurries dressed the tree on the eve which was a magical event.

I truly long for a simple holiday - fresh snow falling, a panoramic view, a fire in the fireplace, a pie in the oven, and a simple enjoyment of friends/family bringing and sharing gifts from the heart and hands not stores.

I am going to try that next year and see what happens. Throw down the gauntlet to change the memories and create a new ideal Christmas holiday.

Papercatz tree in barn studio-decked out with paper and nature themed ornaments. 

pinecone decked out in sparkle-sparkly paper birds

burlap cardinal with clothespin

cranberry and evergreen mason jar with simple light table decoration