Spending the day today getting ready to take my two girls to Disneyland!!!!! I am excited because the last time we went I was pregnant, so I could not go on any of the rides with my 8 year old, Sydney.
This time I have 9 month old Rowan, but bunches of other family members there so we can take turns watching her. This is our first big trip together as a family since we hurriedly drove across the US in 2008. That trip was not so fun. Before that we had a wonderful trip with all of these people to Prague in the Czech Republic.

On the creative side of things, I am trying to decide which project to bring to work on. It may be the Sara Like Tiara shawl, or the very purple Michaela Scarf. (See above pic) The scarf is too stiff so I need to pull out the yarn and rework with a larger hook. Silk mohair should NOT be stiff. :)

I'm also hoping to find sopme funny trinkets or beads at Disneyland for another project I have been considering, but not holding my breath. Their stores have a very limited spectrum of merchandise!

Fabulous earrings

I got 2 amazing pairs of earrings in the mail today from a friend in Australia, who has a jewelry making business that specializes in lovely Tensha beads, like these. I could not believe how much more gorgeous these were in person! I highly recommend her shop, Eartopia! which is at http://www.facebook.com/Eartopia

New blanket is up in the etsy shop

This is the blanket I've been whining about for 2 weeks now. Still not sure how to get this to post up pics straight to the blog, but getting there.

Women's History Month- contribution by Juliet Marillier

"We stand on our mothers’ shoulders


When Gillian invited me to post here as part of Women’s History Month, I immediately thought about the different ways in which men and women pass down their legacies to future generations. I touched on that in a scene from my novel Heart’s Blood. Here, secular scribe Caitrin, employed to sort and translate family documents, is taking time to look at some garments stored in an old chest.


The library held the ink and parchment records set down by men. But that was only half the story. Women talked to their daughters and granddaughters, weaving memories. If no living women remained, one might still learn something from what they had left behind: a garden planted in a certain pattern, a precious possession set away with careful hands, a gravestone for a beloved pet. And clothing. I did not know who had owned these gowns, these delicate undergarments, but perhaps they had something to tell me."

I thought that this particular article by Juliet Marillier had some things to say about creative families, and families in general, so was apt.  If you have not read her books, you're missing out.  You can find out more about those at: http://www.julietmarillier.com/   to read the continuation of this article the link is: http://gillpolack.livejournal.com/786322.html

Awake

I'm still feeling the same glowy feeling I had at 4 am this morning when I did the last blog, but it's been overlaid with a severe need for caffeine. I settled for instant espresso powder poured into a chocolate atkins shake.

I'm waiting for the baby to get up from her nap (she's been upstairs asleep, and leaving big drool marks on my arm) so I can get her dressed and take her out for pictures on the first baby blanket that's going up in the Etsy shop! I'm excited to see it in natural light, and to see the difference that the light change can make in the photography. It's been a process trying to learn about how to take pictures for a shop and make them look good. I want to try a light box too, but I need to actually build one. :)

First post ever!

This week has been sort of an exciting time for me. I feel like a butterfly. I've felt walled up into a tiny chrysalis for about 3 years now as I've gone through some big changes in my life, not the least of which is being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, being told I could no longer work, partially losing my sense of identity..... I'll talk more about that in later posts.

This week I feel like I'm suddenly expanding. I am on the side of the tree fluttering my damp, fragile butterfly wings. I am exploring new ideas and feelings, and am so excited about them that I can't sleep.

I like that after 20 years or so of using my logical left brain, I can suddenly, joyfully, leap into the abilities of the right side of my brain!

This blog is part of that, and will talk about some of the process of making the artwork I am doing now, reinventing my life as a disabled person, raising a family, and whatever else happens to capture my fancy!