A Dying Art

While I haven't finished something handmade for some time now, this video, and the idea behind it encourages me to make the time.

Lacemaking in Lefkara, Cyprus from Etsy on Vimeo.

For my sewing fiends!

You know who you are.  For those of us who do any hand embroidery or other handwork trying to find a reliable marker that will always wash out has been a bit of a challenge.  I wanted to share something that might help... Pilot Color Eno blue lead. I ordered it after reading this article. It makes a nice fine line and washes out easily.  I know many of you have been happy with other products, but after a few major problems with some products not washing out or showing up years later, I swore off all but chalk markers. This has the added advantage of fading in the sunlight which might make it useful for those fabrics we choose not to laundry or laundry often. I've only tried the blue refill linked above and as always YMMV!

Simple beauty

A few new entries are in the works, but I wanted to share a wonderful site that I read about in this month's Victoria magazine. Sharyn Sowell's papercuttings are delicate vignettes of simple beauty that she obviously understands well and explains well:
"There are only two ways of looking at the world." said Thomas Edison. "One as though nothing is a miracle, the other as though everything is." And I choose the latter.
Every day I am surrounded by miracles that keep me in awe. My inspirations are the commonplace things we often walk by without even seeing....
Violets peeking out from a weedy patch in the neighbor's driveway; dandelions in my lawn. My husband dressed up as Santa for a group of children who gasp at the unexpected gifts. Warm mittens. Autumn leaves drifting like so much gold and red confetti. Wind in your hair. Kisses. The smell of chocolate cake or chicken noodle soup. Foxgloves, English daisies, sweet peas, or any other flower in my own little patch of earth.
My work is a celebration of those everyday miracles. I'll never reach the end of my ideas because my inspirations are the things that surround each and every one of us all our lives.
I need not travel to exotic lands for inspiration because I am tickled pink at the wonders right in my own backyard--and yours.
Whether your talent is making a mighty fine muffin or singing an aria, let me encourage you to use your gifts to the maximum, spread the joy, and open your eyes to the delights of your own little corner of the world. Even a common little weed can be inspiration for something wonderful. "

Also take a minute to read her blog; she shares with us the daily beauty she enjoys.