Humility unwrapped

             I panicked...got overwhelmed.  And I forgot. 

I forgot to go in the strength I have...with what I had been given.  Forgot to observe the birds, carefree in the care of God, who have enough for each day.  Who make amazing nests from our remnants. Instead I thought it wasn't enough.  I needed more to be like the other sellers...to be enough.

 I bought too much with money I didn't have...and I didn't have enough time to use it...Now I have piles of unused fabrics and a bill to pay.

Today I am unwrapping grace and forgiveness and Love.  I am remembering who I am really, and that I don't have to be like the popular girls!  God is redeeming my mistake with humility...a true gift that lets me be grateful for who I am, not worried about who I am not. 
...I am slower in my work since my accident...don't get large quantities of things made. 
...I am committed to working with recycled stuff and vintage stuff instead of all new..."reimagined remnants and treasures"
...My creativity works best in making one or two of a kind, not lots of the same thing. 

..and that is my "lovely, messy truth" today...I get to be who I am TODAY, not yesterday or years ago, but now...and love this me, because my God loves me the way I am.

 

...so today I offer that.  and I am grateful for what I get to do today--make skirts!...and so grateful that I am God's reimagined treasure.

What are you struggling with about yourself that you can see through eyes of grace and humility today?

You can go here for more tuesdays unwrapped:

chatting at the sky

Tuesday's Gifts

I am undone by autumn light! ...its long shadows and brilliance astound me...literally 3 of my lines of November's gratitude list have to do with it.  I am a lover of colors, and I think autumn light does something indescribable for color.

 This beautiful little angel given to me by someone dear, has a broken wing.  Later I will glue it with some really great stinky glue.  But she has captured me with her peace even with her broken wing!  We have adopted 3 broken kitties over the years.  The last one we named Harry Potter---he seems to be endowed by his Creator with magical love. 

Harry Potter

Lily, one of our broken kitties

 

 

Chula, once a very frightened little kitty

The past 2 days I have watched a miracle unfold as the 3 (loving, angry, and fearful)  PLAYED TOGETHER!!!  I never thought it would be possible.  But Love truly does heal even anger and fear.  Even mine.  For this Love of God I am soooo grateful.
 

 

And finally, today, I go into my studio to work/sew/embroider...grateful today for the joy of doing work that I love...and for this gift of MY Creator.  It has truly been a healing art for this soul.  I am so happy that Emily is doing tuesdays unwrapped now...It is the perfect break from the busy holiday stuff, to slow and be grateful for the ordinary in my life.  Here is her link to find more blogs tuesdays unwrapped blogs:
http://www.chattingatthesky.com/2011/11/29/tuesdays-unwrapped/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ChattingAtTheSky+%28chatting+at+the+sky%29&utm_content=Yahoo!+Mail

May you see all your blessings in front of you today!
Love, Kathi

Skies of Blue

Cherry  Blossoms are starting to come out!  I'm hearing Duke Ellington singing in my head...

"I see  trees of green...red roses too

I see 'em blooming, for me and for you...

and I think to myself, what a wonderful world

"I see skies of blue...clouds of white

bright blessed days...dark sacred nights...

and I think to myself...What a wonderful world...."

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

are also on the faces...of people going by...

I see friends shaking hands, saying how do you do?

They're really sayin, I love you

I hear babies cry...I watch them grow

They'll learn much more...than I'll ever know

and I think to myself, What a wonderful world...."

So, I had to sew a cherry blossom dress for a wee one!  This one fits an 18-24 month girl...I love it with the eyelet top and bloomers

These little capri bloomers come in all sizes up to 4T...great with anything!

"Blue skies smiling at me! "

I couldn't make up my mind whether I liked this daisy and blue skies dress better with red or a black and white polka dot ribbon-sash, so I made it available with either!!  I think hot pink or lime would be really pretty, too!

"...and I think to myself, what a wonderful world
...oh, yeah!"

Dylan always wore the hat and his boots on backwards to garden!!!
Hope your are experiencing some wonder in your world today!

Taking Time

  

"Nobody sees a flower, really.

It is so small.  We haven't the time

and to see takes time, 

like to have friends

takes time."

-Georgia O'Keefe

 

This weekend I needed to rest my mind.  We worked outside Saturday, cleaning up the yard, planted a few things and Chloe, cut some beautiful flower arrangements. 

Camelias floating in my Japanese ikebana bowl

Today, I went out  to photograph some of the beauty in my own yard that I walk right by, forget to be thankful for, or worse, am too busy to even see.  We planted the camellias to celebrate our anniversary #17, and the crabapple tree was the year before...they are finally really budding and blooming...some  good things take time!  The roses we planted for our 15th anniversary  (15 old roses)  bloomed right away, but are so much fuller and bigger now  (we just had our 21st in January!)

 

  I tend to be impatient, and struggle to trust that the peonies really will come back again this year!!  This weekend, I took some time to really see, to talk to a friend, write a far away friend, plant with my husband and cut flowers with my daughter...I laid on the grass and took photos of crabapple blossoms and iris.  And it was good!

Laura Bray over at  www.katydiddys.blogspot.com had a great blog today about Sunday rest, and has a fun week of blogging planned.  Check it out!  

I hope you had a restful weekend and are re-energized for this week!

Tea and Gratitude

One of my special moments this holiday season was to meet my mom's dear friend who has also been a huge giver of vintage linens and things for my business!  Janelle is a SWEETheart, and our few moments of thrift storing in SoCal this December were cherished by me!  At the end, she gifted me with this Beautiful handpainted pansy tea pot that I had fallen for!  along with another bag of her awesome vintage linen finds, which are soaking, as I write this, in her special recipe that I have found to always work, and am going to share with you all! But first a little gratitude list on this cloudy rainy day!

1. Somehow, there is enough!
2. the gift of being able to create treasures from remnants
3. i am loved
4. my angel dog, Bowser 
5. stacks of vintage fabric waiting  to be transformed into little girls' dresses and ruffle pants
6. the pause and a cup of tea
7. My daughter asked me to take HER  thrifting today                                                    
8.  my Husband has a job interview tomorrow!
9. a new decade to write upon   
10. Inkspot, Lily and Chulita, our 3 cats!                                                               

                  
                                                            

                                     I love handmade cotton lace

                                                                            These will magically become clean in Janelle's SPECIAL RECIPE!  read on...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

The only thing I have to add to this, is that some really stained pieces have needed a day or 2 of soaking before they really get stain-free!  IT IS A KEEPER RECIPE! It's kind of like forgiveness and acceptance:  if i soak in them long enough, even some pretty bad stains can be removed!