Pink Purl

Good Things

"Flowers and plants are silent presences; they nourish every sense except the ear..." --May Sarton

After nearly a week of fog and drizzly rain the sun has returned and graced us with her presence!  I'm hoping to do some gardening this weekend.  In less than two weeks we will take a trip to the US, so we're  holding off on getting in new flowers and plants until we return.  But for now the planting of seeds in the kitchen garden and making all else ready is enough.  The seeds we already sowed are sprouting nicely!  The beautiful, silent presences of the bleeding heart shrubs delighted me this week, their sweet hearts hanging on the line...I have garden madness on the brain, and am dreaming up how to plant out a new flower bed we'll be digging this spring.  "Norsk Hage Tidend", a Norwegian gardening magazine, gives me lot of ideas. 

During this last month or so, I've been rereading some treasured books--the journals of May Sarton.  A selection shown here: Plant Dreaming Deep, Journal of a Solitude, At Seventy and The House By the Sea.  Her opus of works is outstanding, she was a prolific writer.  Her poetry and journals are among my favorites of her many works.  She speaks of the joys and struggles of being a writer, of the inner and outer quest of the artist, daily life, modern times, the seasons, life in New England, gardening, books, people, spirituality...These books are like old friends, it's wonderful to be revisiting them.  I love to read, though I find myself squeezing in a page or two when I can during the busy days of late. 

Since the post I made a couple of weeks ago about blogging, I've received a lot of comments, as well as personal emails.  The majority of them have been very positive and encouraging, some quite delightful.  The responses have also been just plain very interesting.  We are so many, and we blog/read blogs for different reasons.  It's been great hearing the views out there.  And to everyone who's stopped by here lately, I thank you with a very warm heart!  It has also been fun reading the Five Faves lists going round.  Many links led me to blogs I'd not read before...and have found even more to add to my bloglines list--LOL!

Lots of good things at the moment--fruit trees coming into blossom, good reading; steady work on a couple of orders; planning and getting ready for vacation next month; tea breaks out on the patio in warm sunshine; lighter, summer-y fare to dinner.  And speaking of which, I have a new recipe to share today.  I came up with this for dinner one evening this week, Balsamic Baked Fennel with Asparagus, Tomatoes & Chevre Cheese.  You can find the recipe In the Kitchen. 

I know Charlie was featured here last time...But I had to share this funny set of pictures. (A couple of weeks ago I read an article online about writing "better" blog posts...it was suggested that bloggers not share details of family life nor share photos of family or pets...Hello!  These things make up the majority of people's lives, how not to post about such things?!  Personally, I love to read about family life and see people's pets--that's real stuff!)  Anyway, this is what's happening a lot lately when I go to take photos. I generally take many pictures, always trying for that "perfect" shot.  Curious Charlie keeps nosing in though--LOL!  He must and will see what's going on.  The conversation goes:

Me: Oh, Charlie...I'm working/taking pictures/ making dinner, etc., etc.

Charlie: Hey, Mom, what are you doing?  What's that?  Can I play with it?

Me: No, not now...But we'll have cuddles later (blatant attempt to get him to scoot!)...

*SIGH* So here's my boy again...Speaking of boys, both Charlie and Dear Husband are hungry, so off to the kitchen I go to make more good things.  May your weekend be full of GOOD THINGS!  Happy Days! :o)

Got Tagged!

A couple of days ago I had a great surprise...The very sweet and kind Vicki of Turkey Feathers tagged me for my Five Faves, my five favorite blogs.  A great honor, this request from a grand lady of the blogging world.  But this is a tall order--five faves--there are soooo many terrific blogs, and I read ever so many (don't we all--LOL!)  Still, there are several blogs I faithfully visit, so here goes...

Vicki of Turkey Feathers--she is very high up on my list.  Her creations & abundance of talent, as well as caring spirit, inspires me.  She is a crafting wonder, and I love to check in with her every week and see what she gets up to next!  And I love how she shares a joy of a life well lived.  The pure beauty of her blog makes my heart sing.

Britt-Arnhild of Britt-Arnhild's House in the Woods--She's a wonderful person, and someone I feel is a kindred spirit.  The writings at her blog make me think about life, about my life and all that is living.  Her joy of living & life is infectious.  She also has two other equally inspiring blogs, Britt-Arnhild's Blue Garden, about gardening in Norway, and The Blue Cafe, sharing a love of food and recipes from her Norwegian kitchen.

Toni of Simple Sparrow--Her blog is pure joy to read!  Her fresh, fun spirit is like walking barefoot in newly mown grass.  Another multi-talented wonder, her tales of crafting amidst busy family life are heartwarming.  Her crafty creations get one's own creative impulses going.

Jane of Yarnstorm--Her photos alone are enough to sink one's teeth into, they are sooo delicious to look at!  Her extraordinary blog is full of her many talents--knitting, quilting,  gardening and let's not forget the baking of all those fabulous cakes! Her knitting especially has me itching to pick up sticks.

Alicia of Posie Gets Cozy--Rosie Little Things--Alicia's was the first blog I ever encountered a couple years ago, I found it by accident after Googling something and that led me to Posie.  I thought her blog was the loveliest thing I'd seen in a long time, was purely amazed by what she creates.  Her use of color, materials & variety of crafting still continues to inspire me.  Seeing her blog gave me the courage to post at other blogs, and eventually create my own blog.

All of these ladies gave me the courage to share my own crafting and life beyond my own little world, my own little circle.  I visit them daily/weekly and love being part of the conversations in their comments sections.  But there are so many more ladies who I like to visit...Let's see who Felicia, Cathi and Erin are visiting.  Please share your five faves, my friends!  And if you've not visited my friends here before, do stop by and see them.

And, as always, wishing you Happy Days! :o)

I'll Take Romance

With a change of season happening out of doors, so too has a change come here to Pink Purl.  I used much of the weekend to make some style changes here and freshen things up--rather like a good spring clean!  Everything is the same, just prettier.  And in the coming months a couple of new photo galleries will be added to the left column.  So there's lots more still to come!

During the last week, week and a half, I created this new collection of bags (above), which I'm calling "I'll Take Romance!"  The first group is handbags.  From left to right, we have "Anne", "Dorothea", and "Margaret".  All of these are for sale, and the For Sale gallery has more specific details about each one.  I had a grand time playing with all the fabrics and trims making these.

In this second grouping, these are two wrist bags.  Here, from top to bottom, we have "Elizabeth" and "Jane".  These are also for sale.  These wrist bags are great for those times when a handbag/purse feels like too much, but carrying around an old wallet feels too shabby...everything you need in one small bag.

The names for all these bags were inspired by heroines in literature.  QUIZ: Can anyone give the last names of these characters, and titles of the novels & their authors?

A lot happening in general this week...A lot of crafting especially, and I've been crating a bit this weekend too, more in progress.  And while I've been sewing & such, DH has been creating his music.  We are also planning a trip across the pond for next month--so excited to soon be seeing family & friends there!

Rain today.  I'll not complain of it, as we do need rain, for it's been so dry lately.  But before the rains came, we started some seeds for the kitchen garden--beets, bok choy, carrots, fennel, savoy cabbage, spinach, zucchini...Other seeds can soon be sown directly in the ground.  And so much continues to bloom!  Here's Charlie, yesterday, admiring a new tulip.  He likes to stop and check out all the beauty too--LOL!

Hope you all are having a beautiful weekend... And that maybe there's a little romance in some shape or form thrown in... Mother's Day is just around the corner, as well as other spring/summer happenings (parties, proms, weddings, etc.), so take a look in my For Sale gallery for some gift ideas (or maybe  find a treat for yourself).  PayPal is accepted.

Happy Earth Day! :o)

Spring Has Sprung!

Thank you so very much with all my heart to all of you who have come here in recent days in response to my previous post.  Your supportive comments & emails mean more than I can possibly say in words...My cup runneth over...It brings me such happiness to know that what I'm doing, what I'm creating here is meaningful not just to myself, but to many others as well.  So I have decided to keep this blog going a while longer and see what happens!  And I look forward to you all joining me here whenever you can! 

Spring is having a big party outside just now...I caught all the spring flowers having a fashion show...Look at all these beauties!  Ruffles are definitely "in" at the moment...Lots of primroses, daffodils, grape hyacinth just now, violets, too.  Every day someone new blooms to say hello.

And there's been flowers of another kind making a fuss around here, in the form of fabric...Check back here by the weekend to see what else is blooming.

In the meantime, enjoy these...

Happy Days! :o)

The Circle of Friendship...

To blog or not to blog...That is the question I've been contemplating.  Earlier this week I was talking with a friend, who herself in recent months has been writing a blog.  She was a bit discouraged to still have so few readers commenting.  The advice I gave her was that she keeps going, pursues her topic, that she could never know what would happen, what doors would open, and that it was still early days...

This same advice is such that I have said to myself occasionally, and of late I find myself questioning it and why I blog.  I am soon coming up on my one year blogiversary, and so I am a bit reflective.  This blog began as a place for me to share crafts I like to make, and as a possible outlet for selling my handmade crafts.  It was also a way for me to reach out to others, hoping to meet others with similar interests, and to be, in even a very small way, a part of the extraordinary community of crafters who share their works, their passions, and their lives through the medium of blogging.  But very soon a tiny shift happened, organically, in that crafts alone became not my sole focus, and I myself began to share more of myself, my life, experiences, observations, musings, as well as the passion of creating things.

It takes time to build a readership.  At this point, though, I thought I would have more readers, or at least readers who took the time to write, to comment, to share.  My few "regulars" leave comments, and I am ever appreciative!  Feedback is always a boost, especially in reference to my crafts.  I see the comments here as a way to start a conversation, and to continue conversation, a dialogue, through the blog itself and through personal emails, which enhance each post experience.  The talk helps form a relationship.  A deeper connection to others was what I was hoping to share in here.  To consider the quality of a day, to engage in finding the joys in everyday things, to consider all the avenues which crafting often stems from--family, friends, the natural world, inner impulses, visual inspiration, shared ideas...

I read a lot of blogs, at least 20-30 weekly, and I comment/post at very many.  Those I always post at, I have linked here, so that others may visit them, if they've not already been aware of them.  Sometimes I receive a personal response from the blogs I post at, and this is always a thrill!  I love talking to other people, for sharing, even momentarily, a similar interest.  But I notice that no one has  linked to me, to my blog.   No one has done me that kindness. This is not a complaint, or about being nasty or sulky.  Mostly, I am surprised, because I believed it to be a friendly thing to do.  Of course, I realize at some point that if a blog writer is receiving 20, 50, 100 comments/posts a day, it must be a little hard to keep track of everyone who has encountered you, or to always make personal attempts to respond to all readers.  Since my weekly average is usually 3 comments per post, it's hard for me to even imagine receiving 50 to 100 comments--LOL!

While my blog experience has so far often been tremendous, it has also been challenging, and, sometimes, disappointing.  Lack of response is the disappointment.  I am a drop in the ocean.  A wave among many thousands and thousands of waves--the ocean being the vastness of the blogging community.  Those who create a blog know the great effort that goes into keeping one.  The time used to take/gather photos, contemplation and presentation of a topic, the answering of emails and response to comments, etc. 

Much of my readership is family and friends.  Sometimes they leave a comment, and this is another link in keeping in touch with them, as I live so very far away from many of them.  Recently I've had the joy of making a couple of new acquaintances through this blog--an exciting development and I appreciate their comments and getting to know them.  I also see others stop by here, but they do not leave a comment.  Perhaps they do not care to, maybe they are too shy, or maybe just looking, and that's all.  I welcome all visitors--I love visitors!  Most bloggers crave visitors, regular readers to share their experience.  I am one of them.  It is the comments, and continued conversations of you dear readers that keep a blog going!  We need readers to continue to be a drop in the ocean, to have a sense of communion.  One drop connects to another drop, and another...

With comments and feedback dwindling here, I cannot help but ask myself whether or not to continue writing this blog.  The truth is I love blogging, I enjoy every aspect of it.  It is great to come here, to see what has been said, to see where the conversation is going, to meet friends old & new--to connect!  My intention here is to connect with others.  To engage, to dig a little deeper , to share the passions of creating--whether that's handicrafts, food, the written word, books...Also to relish the ordinary extraordinariness of everyday living and the outdoor world.  My aim is to create a space where people can join in, where conversations happen on all things, where memories and experiences can be shared.  To bring joy and delight to others is what I hope to do here. 

But why do I write all this?  This is to encourage those who read this blog, and other blogs, to write a comment, or even a personal mail.  Those who come here often, I thank you with all my heart for being with me here!  If this is your first visit here, please read on, read the archives, and stay tuned for more...Blogs keep going through support.  Not financial support, but through words of encouragement, personal connection.  Please show your blog support when you can and post--make yourself known...You may have just made a new friend by visiting a blog. 

This is not my usual  kind of post--LOL!  And I certainly hope I've not frightened what little readership I have away!  But I felt the need to write this today, as it's been on my mind this week.  About blogs, why we blog, why we read blogs, etc.  I've been thinking about why I started blogging, what my intentions are for this space, what it might become.  Just as there are all kinds of people, all blogs have a life of their own, their own personalities, which reflect their writers/creators.  My blog is a reflection of who I am, in some ways an extension of myself.   My topics might not interest everyone, nor my crafts.  But I hope I have touched people deeply, even just one person.  I want to reach out to people.  This is a place where I hope all will feel welcome.  Tell me who you are, where you come from, how you found my blog, share a memory, a thought, a feeling...Only connect.  Tell your friends about this space.  Let's expand the circle of friendship...

For today I actually had another post in mind.  With all this thinking this week, behind the scenes much is in the works, including some more goodies to share here...Though due to some stress this week, I've not been able to finish everything by today, but I'm working on the finishing touches...so join me here next time.

"Friendship is a union of spirits..."  --William Penn

Happy Days! :o)