Kool-aide Dyed Yarn Ring

Cast silver, kool-aide dyed, handspun yarn. Pretty dang cool by robarye, here.

Hello Grass

I finally did my first mow this past weekend. I had a foggy memory of that first spring lawn mower power but you're never prepared. My chickens were drunk on the greeness of it all.They've worked so hard in the last month fertilizing it. wooohooo. I couldn't stop staring at the acid mouth watering verdant lush sweep. It isn't really green till you mow it. Levi and I mowed a path to the back meadow and we just had to do some skipping on the way back from the compost. ahhh... green has arrived. Go ahead get those toes on some soft tangy blades. You know you want to.

Image from evanlevine's flickr photostream

I think women (and men) like to photograph their feet

Nothing like the first time in spring when those pretty toes get to be exposed to sun and grass and soil. Gotta get the boots, the shoes, the socks off ASAP. thank you flickr pals- No.1- Benedyct Antifer, No. 2 Edri Ana, No. 3 Kate_Elizabeth,  No. 4 Psycherika, No. 5 Robarye, No. 6 Owlbookdreams, No. 7 jamelah, and the last is from kadiwow.

5.26.10 Color Swatch

PANTONE No. 583

oh you newbie you

you pip squeak of a hue

with your two front teeth missing

there always seems

to be a rebirth coming from

your directional field

my toes become magnets

when you show up in spring

always a grin 

on your face when you face us 

with your

complete eager 

agreeable

hopeful

skipping 

sweet

stain of earth juice
-Alyn Carlson
Photo- 
Levi at 5 months by Mippy

Buttoned Up Beauties

Some sweet little button/brooches from Birthine from Copenhagen, Denmark. Incredible craft, color sense, and of course good use of red thread. Makes me want to loose a button or two. Happy Friday!

Red Threads

I can't seem to get enough of embroidery lately. And I think a lot of the world feels the same way. I don't know is it's my Swedish petticoat showing but I'm really loving the red threads I see out there. Some choice stitchers I've come across lately- First from rocks in my dryer, second from whimsiology, third from liliesovalley, no. 4 from minceco, five by foxesandrobbers, six by courtney, and the last by chartreuserepublic.

5.18.10 Color Swatch

 P  A  N  T  O  N  E    N  o.   1  9  2

red. 
please don't take this the wrong way,

because i would hate to get you mad,

but i do like you very small.
there have been times it was helpful

to have you as large as the sky 

to fill stadiums for me.

because of you
i didn't have to say a black word

to exes and should have been exes

bosses lovers friends

but for now i like you itsy bitsy in my rooms

my little red button

so mighty with so much 
altoid muscle

you can knock over any green with envy jerk

with just a glance, raised brow

or give the kiss of death
with just a peck on the cheek

i love you in my corner

a cube in my paint box

a thread in my dress

a feather in my cap.

be mine red

you little drop

of life

love you 

red

Wedding Hat No. 38 for Brin + Alex. Photo by Paul Clancy.

Poem for Monday

I live near a river, which reminds me every day needs to be like a river. What comes by for me, what I catch, what I remember to do is what I have for this minute. Today. And that's all I need to have, to do, to be. Because if I don't catch it, remember it, do it, it will come for me again. When the time is right. But Robert Bly says it so much better.

People Like Us

by Robert Bly

for James Wright

There are more like us. All over the world
There are confused people, who can't remember
The name of their dog when they wake up, and
     people
Who love God but can't remember where

He was when they went to sleep. It's
All right. The world cleanses itself this way.
A wrong number occurs to you in the middle
Of the night, you dial it, it rings just in time

To save the house. And the second-story man
Gets the wrong address, where the insomniac lives,
And he's lonely , and they talk, and the thief
Goes back to college. Even in graduate school,

You can wander into the wrong classroom,
And hear great poems lovingly spoken
By the wrong professor. And you find your soul
And greatness has a defender, and even in death
  you're safe.

For more of my rivers you can go here.

Fun Friday Chalkboard Paint

I found some nice pics of chalkboard paint being used in a fresh way.
Have a great weekend. From flickr- bedroom think cloud from sarah here,
spice rack from rhapsody here, from Martha Stewart, baby night table
from babyblogspot here, and from jkenning here.

Keri Rounding's Wearable Felted Art

I've been coming across more and more artists finding inspiration where I have lately- the sea and especially on a microscopic level. Keri Rounding's felted, delicately colored sea creature have been on my "love to have one" list for awhile. I can see one of her petri dish brooches on a nice white coat.

Keri Rounding is a graduate of Sheridan Institute’s Crafts and Design Program: Textile Studio. There she learned that she had a passion for creating unique wearable accessories made using handmade felt and embroidery. She now strives to create what is new and unusual. Using science and the sea as inspiration, she creates a sense of humor, a story and a personality in each piece. Working out of her home studio in, she is now exhibiting and selling her work in person around the Toronto area and online through Etsy.

www.kerirounding.com

Can you tell me about your latest body of work?
I am currently working on a series of felted pieces inspired by the sea. I am hand making the felt from raw wool using needle and wet felting techniques. The pieces are becoming pins, hair pieces and necklaces. I am experimenting with lots of colour combinations and different shapes.

What inspires you the most lately?
I have always been inspired by creatures from the sea. But lately, I am looking into scientific images and working with images of amoeba, germs, and other microscopic creatures.

Can you describe the best thing you saw on your last walk?
Lately I have enjoyed visiting the local nature conservation areas and taking hikes through their paths. I see so many interesting root systems, trees and plants. Specifically, I came across a tree that was split into six pieces that seemed to have been hit by lighting. I stood there for awhile trying to figure it out.

What are five things that would happen in the perfect day of work for you?
- Wake up early without using an alarm clock
- I would be super inspired to create and new ideas would flow
- The lovely spring weather would not appeal to me at all and I would actually stay inside and work
- I would be packaging up lots of sales
- The studio would stay clean!

Can you describe the best pair of shoes you've ever owned?
I bought a pair of flats that cost less than $20 which were the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. They weren't pretty and I wore them until they were
just plain ugly. They finally fell apart on a camping trip.

What are you doing this weekend? (May 15 and 16)
I most likely be outside enjoying the weather, possibly a hike.