the best part of the day...

sometimes the best part of the day is when you allow yourself to explore and play...

necklace. unfinished wood, ceramic, vine, adjustable 36" neoprene cord. 2013

and sometimes when you play you end up with a really great necklace.

: : karen anne

a beautiful day...

i woke to the sun streaming in our bedroom window and nary a twinge in my back. the sky is the most intense blue and the air is wonderfully fresh and filled with optimism. it feels like that anyway!

i've made the day's quilt and i'm ready to have a play day. and that starts with a treat at starbucks. after that? i have nooooo idea but i can't wait to find out!

2.25.2013

the gift of blue skies
the gift of cold crisp clean air
joy of simple gifts

: : karen anne

be still my heart...

i had planned on driving down to baltimore today to see the american craft council show at the convention center, but, alas, a twinge in my back made me think twice about a long drive. so instead...

i cleaned the studio! oh my heavens does it feel good to have things in order again - it made an amazing change in the whole energy of the space. it finally feels calm and welcoming again instead of like the frenetic crazy house it had gradually become as i worked without taking time to clean up at the end of the day. i think i've learned my lesson. sure hope so.

here it is in all it's splendor:

i think i'll sleep well tonight! and tomorrow, back willing, i can get back to aero pilates...

sweet!

: : karen anne

a quiet day...

today was a quiet day. woke up not feeling well, so i decided to just take it easy.

2.23.2013

the peace of a cloud

a saturday spent napping

no cares no worries

it was so lovely.

hope to head down to baltimore tomorrow to take in the american craft council show. fingers crossed i'll be feeling like myself again.

: : karen anne

smiling...

today's quilt had me smiling. its sort of a combination of the now-requisite haiku and the funny stories that accompanied some of the quilts in the past:

2.22.2013

beware the big wave
you who are napping in peace
no sleep in its wake

i think i'm jealous of an old high school friend who posted on facebook yesterday that he was on his way to mexico...

beware the big wave, mr. o'hara!

: : karen anne

my thoughts...

2.20.2013

they come from afar
their origins are unknown
they come and they go

: : karen anne

word of the day...

some mornings i wake up and there is a word - a random word - glued front and center in my brain. sometimes there's a whole phrase sitting there, but usually it's just a word and usually in english, though there have been times when it's a foreign word and i'm not even sure of the language let alone the meaning...

i have no explanation for this. it just happens.

anyway, today was a "word" day and the word was attenuated.

wasn't quite sure what it meant, so i looked it up:

what struck me right off was that word and definition, with a bit of rearranging, composed a haiku.

so....

2.18.2013

attenuated
weakened in force or effect
unnaturally thin

some days it's just kind of nice to get a little help from the universe right from the get-go, you know?

i say "unnaturally" in four syllables so the last line works for me. you?

: : karen anne

the joy of buying from etsy artists...

purchases from other artists on etsy are always such a treat. they all seem to want to go a bit further than the buyer expects; a way to share the joy of their creations in more than one way.

case in point - the beautiful shibori scarf i bought from donna kallner which arrived today. i love how  she had used the tissue of an old pattern to wrap the scarf, tied it with a thin black grosgrain ribbon, and included a delightful heart made from some kind of vine. i felt so special that i had to take some pictures to share with you:

isn't the packaging and the scarf lovely?

i can't wait to wear it - and the heart will find a special place in my studio.

next time you have to buy a gift, or need a treat for yourself, please consider finding an artist on etsy whose work speaks to you, especially if that artist also happens to be a member of TAFA (The Textile and Fiber Art List) like donna and i are. i know you won't be disappointed!

: : karen anne

today...

may your heart be filled with joy and love...

happy valentine's day!

: : karen anne
(with love)

searching for warmth...

i've been chilled all day.

sat still too long working on a project after completing the day's quilt.

decided to do a snippet piece before i ended my studio day, and now i feel as though i've warmed a bit...like i had a brief visit to a warm, sandy beach:

snippet #3. fabric on watercolor paper. 4.75"square on 7.5" x 11". 2013 

i'm looking forward to spring...

: : karen anne

the wisdom of wendell berry...

it's a quiet sunday. we got up early and satisfied a craving for blueberry pancakes at cracker barrel. 

(oh. my.)

since we got back, i've just been puttering around in the studio, reflecting on some gems by the one-and-only  wendell berry:

There are, it seems, two muses: the Muse of Inspiration, who gives us inarticulate visions and desires, and the Muse of Realization, who returns again and again to say "It is yet more difficult than you thought." This is the muse of form. It may be then that form serves us best when it works as an obstruction, to baffle us and deflect our intended course. It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings. 

: :

And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our own feet, and learn to be at home.

: : 

I have always loved a window, especially an open one.
― in  Jayber Crow

: : 

Don't own so much clutter that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire.
―  in Farming: a hand book

: : 

good stuff, huh? makes ya' think...

and that's a good thing.

: : karen anne

late entry:
oh for heaven's sake...why can't i just make a cup of tea without seeing that the strainer has, um, 
p-o-s-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-i-e-s?  what could it be? (why are you asking me? i just DO this stuff!) now that i've photographed it, it will be dismantled and put back in the drawer from whence it came. serenity will once again reign in my home...(would that my mind would still itself...)

cheers,

: : karen anne

morning light...

the light this morning was spectacular, making the living room glow as i sipped my coffee with jake curled up beside me. i love february light, don't you?

2.9.2013

dawn of a new day
pink skies illuminate hope
joy delight wonder

i hope you have a wonderful weekend filled with joy, delight, and wonder!

: : karen anne

snippet #2 and a little gouache...

another snippet work - this one on a 3.75" square sewn to a 7.5" x 11" backing:

and i did another little gouache with perforations and embroidery: 

thinking about trying to combine the two somehow; integrating areas of gouache with the snippets...

: : karen anne

i'm a lucky girl...

today is a quiet winter morning, much like those that have come before, but for some inexplicable reason, i'm struck by the deep goodness of having a happy marriage and of how lucky i am to know that. thirty-four years with the same man is something to be proud of i suppose... but it's more to be cherished i think - just as i cherish him. i'm not an easy person to live with. he has his moments, too. but, all in all, we love each other, respect each other, and honor each other and our time together.

the feelings came through in today's quilt and haiku:

2.7.2013

an easy exchange
conversations ebb and flow
still life of marriage

i love a sweet man who makes me laugh and who makes me coffee each morning.

i'm a lucky girl.

: : karen anne

snippets...

i have lots of teensy little snippets of fabric lying all over the place.

what to do with them? throw them out? i don't think so...

i decided to play around with them and make a small composition with the first few i picked up:

i sewed the scraps to a small piece (4.5"x3.75") of watercolor paper, adding a few perforations with a large needle.  then, after i sewed the small paper to a larger piece (7.5"x11"), i added four lines of sewing machine perforations.

i don't know... it's just a little experiment ... but it was fun to do something with a few of those little pieces.

maybe i'll try a few more as time permits, huh?

cheers,
karen anne