New Year

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More Crafting, Less Stress

There is something about a new year that feels fresh and full of promise, with planned and unplanned opportunities sprinkled with hope and optimism. I acknowledge the privilege that allows me to write that sentence, and if I could be queen for a day, I would wrap the world in a warm blanket with a nice cup of tea.

This year, I plan to spend more time crafting, gardening, working with organizing clients and traveling. It would be nice to worry less, but it’s an unrealistic goal unless I can fit in a months-long Buddhist retreat, which leads me back to more crafting and gardening.

I revamped my crafting area, tweaked it, and then tweaked it again. Our home office/den was the family hub when the boys were young. It’s furnished with long-in-the-tooth IKEA desks and overhead cabinets. I removed the closet doors years ago and created additional space with shelves and a work surface instead of space for hanging clothes.

After a year of inhabiting the two desks the boys once used, I realized I preferred my curved desk and not the two long desks side by side. It also put me closer to the converted closet, so now everything is within arm’s reach, and I can look out the window when I craft.

The side-by-side desks hold our printer and supplies, Mike’s flight simulator, and the assorted detritus that lands on one’s desk. It feels good to have settled on the space, and while it’s often messy, it’s also easy to clean up.

Most of my crafting is paper-related these days. I used to sew, knit, and create scrapbooks, but card-making is an excellent way to relax, and the results are fun to share with friends.

At the end of each season, I gather my scraps and create small crafting kits to put next to our children’s Little Free Library or participate in Kate’s ScrapHappy challenge. That’s good fun, too. Yesterday, I helped my sister organize her crafting area and came home with stickers for more crafting kits. We recalled how, as girls, we loved stickers, so it’s fun to imagine another boy or girl having fun with them. Here we are in a Walgreen’s photo booth, circa 1970 and again about twenty years later.

On the gardening front, the off-season sunflowers continue to grow. It’s so unexpected. I had Mike snap some pics for height comparison, and then he steadied the footstool so I could see if a flower opened. As a bonus, we spotted a ladybug, a brilliant standout against the green foliage. A friend gave me another cyclamen as a new-year’s gift so its featured in the gallery as well.

We’re dreaming about our next travel adventure. Closer to home, we drove to Lexington Reservoir on the first day of the year and enjoyed the sunshine reflecting on the water, the scent of California oak and redwood trees, and simply being out in nature.

I hope the start of your year has you feeling energized and ready to take on the day.

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*Happy New Year*

Imagine.

John Lennon’s haunting ballad is as relevant today as it was when he wrote it in 1971. He would be happy to know that musicians around the world continue to share his ideals.

If you’re a fan of Lennon’s song, I think you’ll enjoy this beautiful rendition by Playing for Change.

My wish for all of us is Lennon’s vision for the world. Peace.

Imagine

John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today…
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

DSC_0021

Happy New Year!

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Garden Calendar Lives Another Day

Have you hung up your 2013 wall calendar?  Do you love a new calendar as much as I do?

My sister gave me The Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening Calendar this year.  It’s always been one of my favorites.  The pages are beautifully illustrated with helpful notations and interesting quotes. Here’s one:

Benjamin Franklin introduced kohlrabi to colonial America.The vegetable’s German name originated from the Italian words cavolo rapa, meaning “cabbage turnip.”

You learn something new every day! 😉

It’s fun turning over a new page to a new month and a fresh beginning.  Conversely, I removed my 2012 gardening calendar with great anticipation. In the past few years I’ve been re-purposing the beautifully designed pages into envelopes and stickers, tags and the odd bookmark.

This year I’ve challenged myself to use all of last year’s garden calendar in new and different ways. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Gift Card Holder

This design simply evolved based on the pattern of the flower.  The gift card holder folds into thirds and is held in place by a sleeve.  When the sleeve is in place, the butterfly keeps the top flap from opening.

gift card holder

Gift Card Holder (cutaway with sleeve)

Gift Card Holder

Gift Card Holder (closed)

Desk Top Organizer

I’ve always loved little boxes, and this one is no exception.  It arrived with some unexpected treasures from a dear friend.  Rather than pack it away with the Christmas gear, I covered the box with four different calendar pages. I used the stiffer cardstock from the front of the calendar to make a pair of dividers.  Now I can easily get my hands on what I need.

Christmas Gift Box

Christmas gift box from a dear friend

Desk Top Organizer

Desk Top Organizer

Dividers

Dividers

Box Lining

Box Lining

Napkin Rings

Once folded in half and glued together, the pages are quite sturdy. I cut them into strips, formed a ring, and stitched them together with a scrap of raffia.  Now I’m all set for Thanksgiving.

Napkin Rings (8 for next fall)

Napkin Rings (8 for next fall)

Envelopes, gift tags and stickers

Assorted gift tags and labels

Assorted gift tags and stickers

Envelope

Envelope

Wine Tag

Wine Tag

Postcards from the Edge

I used the only bit of white from the calendar to create a writing space.  The reverse side of the postcard has a quote.

Two-sided postcard (back side has quotation)

Two-sided postcard (back side has quotation)

Bunting

For the Fairy Garden…of course.  🙂

fairy garden bunting

Drawer Liners and a Poster

Drawer Liner

Drawer Liners (My husband swears we need all these remotes)

Poster

Poster (back of guest bath door)

Check this out:

Katherine at Pillows a-la-Mode likes to re-fashion or re-purpose clothing in a similar fashion. She held a contest a few months back. The lucky winner mailed her a beautiful embroidered jacket (that not longer fit), and Katherine turned it into a tote bag, a tissue holder, a pillow and more. You can check out the contest winner and lots of other fun ideas at Pillows a-la-Mode.

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San Jose Frost: The Garden Goes Under Cover

Galileo Thermometer, Out in the Cold

Galileo Thermometer, Out in the Cold

The temps were mighty chilly last night, the coldest we’ve seen this season. Yesterday’s low was 37 degrees F (2.7 C), though still ten degrees warmer than our city’s record low . Though we have overnight lows hovering around freezing, it generally warms up with the rising sun. Today, we still had frost on the grass at 10 am. Parts of our deck had a thin layer of ice. Good thing I noticed the ice before slipping across the deck and landing on my keister. It made for a better day.

My husband took his Galileo Thermometer outside so he could enjoy the novelty of the visual changes, though it doesn’t measure lower than 62 F (16 C).

Icy paw prints

Icy paw prints

It’s interesting to note the micro-climates in one’s garden. Though both the front and back gardens receive morning sun, the front garden took much longer to thaw.

Crisp, frosty leaves

Crisp, frosty leaves

I’m still holding out hope that the coleus survive the season, but the more reading I do, the more it seems unlikely. Never one to give up hope, they’re bundled against the chill in a blanket of frost cloth.

There are differing opinions on the benefits of frost cloth. Some of my reading suggests heavy watering to reduce a freeze. Others recommend strings of holiday lights to increase the temps by a degree or two. Since I have the frost cloth, I figured it couldn’t hurt.  I’ve been watering as well when the rain stops for a day or two. I’ll have the definitive answer come spring.

Frost cloth protects Coleus

Frost cloth protects Coleus

Galileo Thermometer

Lindy checks the temps

In the meantime, I’m enjoying the novelty of the colder temps and the pretty pictures it affords.  My boys are still hoping it will snow here one day. The last time it snowed in San Jose (and remained on the ground) was 1976. I think we’re long overdue!

Frozen bird bath

Frozen bird bath

Frosty tips

Frosty tips

Kissed by Frost

Kissed by Frost

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Sailing into the New Year: Party in the Fairy Garden

I’ve been sprucing up the fairy garden today.  Word has it there will be a party going on.  I cleared away the furniture to make room on the dance floor.  It’s freshly swept and covered with fairy dust.  You haven’t really danced till you’ve danced atop some fairy dust.

Aerial View

Aerial View

I was fresh out of fairy-sized disco balls, so I improvised using a glass bauble from an old flower arrangement.  I squeezed out the last drops of Sticklesâ„¢ glitter, brushed it on all the surfaces, then rolled it in sparkles for that extra-special glow.  What do you think?  Won’t those fairies have fun!

Please have a seat

Please have a seat

I tucked the table inside the garden yurt, decorated with pink candles (their favorite).  The party theme is “Sailing into the New Year.”  Will you look at that fancy ice sculpture?  It almost looks like…glass.

Candles and Sculpture

Candles and Sculpture

I draped some glittery blue ribbon flown in all the way from Canada to create a small, flowing walkway.  Fairies have wings, but they enjoy slippery ramps as well.  The invitations read: B.Y.O.B. or bring your own bauble, so I’ll be anxious to see what they bring.

Entrance to the Fairy Garden

Entrance to the Fairy Garden. Won’t you please come in?

Blue Ribbon ramp

Blue Ribbon Ramp

As for you, my dear reader, wishing you all things wonderful in the coming year.  Thanks for your love and support, your likes, votes and comments.  I’ve learned so much this year and I’ve had a great time along the way.

Happy New Year!!!

Looking for more blogging fun, inspiration, and joy?  Here are a few of my favorites (in alphabetical order):

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Winter Solstice: Near Miss

I guess I missed it.

I’ve been referring to my wall calendar all week and according to the cute little box with the number 22, winter solstice occurred at 6:12 am EST today, December 22nd, 2012.   With all the “end of the world” talk this week, I somehow failed to connect the winter solstice and the end of the world on the same day.  My calendar was plain wrong.

December 22nd, 2012

December 22nd, 2012

It’s no small irony that the calendar producer is a company called Sounds True.

Sounds True Calendar

Sounds True Calendar

The rest of the calendar entries were correct this year, so you can appreciate why I missed it.  Remaining dates are in good working order as well:  Christmas, December 25th. Check.  Boxing Day, December 26th. Check. And finally, New Year’s Eve, December 31st.

Here’s is what National Geographic has to say about the solstice:

During the winter solstice the sun hugs closer to the horizon than at any other time during the year, yielding the least amount of daylight annually. On the bright side, the day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days leading up to the summer solstice.

“Solstice” is derived from the Latin phrase for “sun stands still.” That’s because—after months of growing shorter and lower since the summer solstice—the sun’s arc through the sky appears to stabilize, with the sun seeming to rise and set in the same two places for several days. Then the arc begins growing longer and higher in the sky, reaching its peak at the summer solstice.

The solstices occur twice a year (around December 21 and June 21) because Earth is tilted by an average of 23.5 degrees as it orbits the sun—the same phenomenon that drives the seasons.

During the warmer half of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted toward the sun. The northern winter solstice occurs when the “top” half of Earth is tilted away from the sun at its most extreme angle of the year.

Please join me in counting down to the first day of spring; the Vernal Equinox.  For those of us that long to get our hands in the dirt, that’s a date we don’t want to miss.  And for all you computer experts who know that the internet is always right, please help me understand why my countdown calendar (right sidebar) it teasing me when it says March 20th is in two months?

 

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The Christmas Tree Dilemma: Real or Fake?

The Crew: Ready to deliver the neighborhood trees

The Crew: Ready to deliver the neighborhood trees

I struggle with this question every year: Is it better to have a freshly cut tree or an artificial one?  I think the answer is neither. Or both.

Aren’t you glad we got that settled?!

As a nature-lover, I’m not fond of the idea of cutting down a tree each year, only to throw it away (or at the very least compost it) after a few weeks. People float the idea of a live tree that you bring indoors each year, but given the size of the average pine or fir, the tree would outgrow your home in a few years. Further, the tree would do poorly in a dry, heated home, preferring the outdoors instead.

Clearly, artificial trees are the way to go.

Or are they?

Fluffy Under the Tree

Fluffy Under the Tree

Artificial trees last a long time. You can use them year after year, they never dry out, they’re less likely to catch fire and they’re sized for the average home. They are, however, made from synthetic materials, that will one day end up in a landfill. Styles change, the frame of the tree might break or you may buy a bigger (or smaller) house that dictates the size of the tree.

In our neighborhood, we have a coordinated effort to display cut trees on our lawn each year.  The trees go up the first week of December and come down New Year’s day. I’m block captain for our street, and we make it a family affair. We borrow a neighbor’s truck, load up the trees, and delivery them up and down the block.  The neighborhood coordinator purchases over 300 trees.  Each block captain collects the order forms, deposits the checks and then delivers the trees.  It’s fun and festive.

Indoors we have an artificial tree that we store and use year after year. We made that choice for all the reasons I mentioned above. So…I feel like a fraud at times, supporting different choices on either side of the door.

One choice isn’t really a choice at all: simply giving up the long-held and delightful tradition of a Christmas tree.

If you celebrate Christmas, do you put up a tree each year?  Real or fake?

Here is what others have to say: