So Much

Soo sooo much. All of it. Too much to ever recount, both, the faces and the facets of this trip my love and I took together. Mostly today, I want to share what I was surrounded by for days, and what I almost grew tired of talking about. But really I didn't. It was a necessary thing to be in the physical midst of all the dreams, thoughts, drawings and stitches I've been working at for I don't know how long. Necessary. Because I love sharing all of it, and what better way?



The chairs? Exactly as I asked for. The walls? Exactly how I pleaded from my honey. The Drawing Room proved to be a fabulous place to chat with countless friends, both old and new.



Many of the items that were sewn up for the booth are the prototypes for both a line of patterns due out this fall and a few sneak peeks at book projects.



Speaking of sneaks, here is one corner of the Garden Party half of the booth. I'll be more ready to show the new quilting line in its entirety after just a few more weeks.



And while we're here, and since you can see a bit of it up there, and thousands of other attendees have already seen. Here it is. My book. Aggh. So much emotion over all this right now, dunno know what else to say. I still have so much unpacking and reorienting left to do before I can eloquate just exactly what I was doing for 6 days. OH, and there's a blue ribbon to be unpacked as well for the best booth display in my booth size category. Really didn't see it coming, but it was just enough to get Jeff to help me with this again, so very thankful for that.

More soon, but I wanted all of you patient pals to share in the visuals.
I hope you've been well in my absence!!!
love from here at home, Anna

So as it turns out, I do take advertising on my blog

I am not even going to list the number of things I have sewn in the last 4 days for Quilt Market because you simply would not believe me and you would be certain that I lie. (I should say too that I do not recommend hand sewing for 13 hours straight. I can't feel my right thumb but it looks like its still there.) And speaking of lies, who, praytell, was that person blogging here under my name 2 weeks ago that said there would be Drawing Room stacks for sale in the shop this week? And who said there would be full shots of the fabrics shown this week? That was the liar, and she's not allowed to post any more.

I have heard from tons of you (hi everyone!) that have seen both our Drawing Room ad and the feature that MEHC so kindly did on me in the June/July issue. Thanks for all the nice words I've received on both! There will also be a podcast that corresponds to the article uploaded to this page within just a few days as I understand it.

So 4am is our call to be up and get to the airport tomorrow and not back till next week. Sorry there's no time to post the fabric shots before I go as promised. Bur FreeSpirit has their gallery up, and you can glean a bit of scaling info from the fabrics shown in our ad above too. So far I know the fabrics are ready for sale online at JCaroline, Purl, and Contemporary Cloth. If you know of other shops that have it online, please feel free to post a comment with a link! I am more than happy to let all these kind folks beat me to the punch of selling the goods. I'm lined up to get some studio assistance once I return so we should have the shop stocked and humming here before long.

Oh, and before I forget.... Somewhere in all this there has been an amazingly patient and hard-working man who has single handedly built a fabulous booth display and is too modest to let me take his picture while he's working. So he'll just be my traveling companion of honor who will be sick of my thanking and gushing about 5 minutes in. However seeing as he's a running man I'm hoping he can take the time to visit Nike HQ while in Portland. Anybody know someone who works there? I think that you need to know a Nikeperson to get a tour. Please pass on if so!

Okay pals, I'll see ya in a week, and if you're at market please come see me at booth 1705-1707.

mm-WAH! xoAnna

handmade for mom

I think what I adore most about Mother's Day is that there always seems to be an ample supply of love translated through drawings, words, bean plants, handpainted ceramics, and the like. And I am so warmed by all the levels of artistic development in our little brood from scribbles to skilled. I want for nothing.



Mom, I made you this clutch bag, Happy Mother's Day! Sorry you're not clutching it right now, but you know how good I am with timing and mailing. Your love of every scribble, every humble piece of pottery and each and every misspelled, handmade card I ever gave you inspired me more than you can know.

Whether you receive or whether you give motherly love, I'm wishing you blessings today!

xoAnna

Showers and flowers

These are the invites I made for my friend Julie's baby shower that I hosted here on Saturday. I printed the card stock first then cut little fabric ovals, cut about a 1/4 of them out for the buggy shape and stitched them down to the card. Then I glued the buttons on for wheels.



I received lots of rsvps that were accompanied by squeals over the invites, so I highly recommend the process should you find yourself hosting a baby shower...or an announcement would be charming too. Weird. I never managed to do anything at all clever when having babies, just long afterwards now for other people. I know lots of moms who both have the baby and correspond in ridiculously adorable ways regarding the baby. I never managed a knack for both at the same time. I have however given birth faster than I glued on all those buttons. That's a knack, I suppose.



I sprinkled the house and patio with these "belly blossoms" before the guests arrived. I thought they evoked a sweet little in-womb view.



The day also proved to be a perfect excuse to buy this gorgeous girl-pink hydrangea when I was at Whole Foods picking up dinner Friday night. Not that I need an excuse, but I'm just sayin' - there was a real reason to buy it. Which always feels good.

Okay kids, back to work, more soon!

xoxox, Anna

Finish Line

I can see it. The finish line. But here is a highlight from the race to Quilt Market which is in full swing. My living room is kinda starting to look like a what my booth will look like. I found an old brass lamp, spray painted it red and covered a shade with the Nouveau Bouquet/Eccentric Cool. I trimmed the edges of the lamp with bias cut from Shadow/Eccentric Warm. If you want to know how to cover a lampshade first get to know a product called Steam-A-Seam. It will be your best friend. Then one of these days I hope to show you how to do all the particulars, cause its really fun and easy. And yes that crocheted pillow started here. Which doesn't have anything to do with the booth preparations but finishing it has been a nice distraction (as though there aren't enough of those). And yes, the living room wall color is now glass blue even though there is proof that I recently painted it sun yellow. Don't ask. If you have to know I will send you Jeff's email address and you guys can make fun of me behind my back. I am a chronic wall painter and I acknowledge it. That's half the battle as they say.



I also thought you would be glad to know that Nicolas hand-delivered all the members of the wren family to the safety of the front yard if they hadn't already found their way out of the porch. It was quite moving to see how gentle and in awe he was. And that little baby bird was as happy as could be on his hand for the longest time. Aaaag, it puts a lump in my throat. So most of the little creatures around here seem to be on their way to health and happiness.



The spring weather has even produced a few monkey sightings.

I hope to have some Drawing Room stacks of fabric up for sale in the shop next week and if you're on my mailing list you'll be the first to know when they are there. I hear the yardage should be rolling out to stores any day now, so thanks for being patient! (No one has been more impatient than me!) I will post some full view pics of the prints to give you a good look at everything as I put the goods up on the site.

Back to it, hoping you are well and sorry for the scarce posts over the past few weeks. Looking eagerly for life to return to its normal chaotic pace.

xoxox, Anna

Sideways Bird

So I should set something straight. While the recently shared bunny rescue may convey a sort of gentle nobility where all things small, helpless and creature-like are concerned, I am personally subject to being easily grossed out by anything in nature. You name it. No, I'll name it. We once again have a family of wrens in one of the flower baskets on the patio. My parents were visiting over the weekend (house-hunting even!) and we'd regularly bring up how darling it was that we could hear the exchange of twitters and cheeps between mama wren and her babes as she tirelessly delivered fresh worms around the clock. Well, the first day of flight finally arrived today announced by the more than usual chirps in the patio. Just like last year I made sure Jaws was outside, and went to get my camera. I opened one of the kitchen-to-patio windows and was greeted by two little sweetie-tweeties sitting in my potted peace lily. I zoomed in on the little one who was looking right at me. As I turned the camera's lens from blurry to focused, I just as slowly noticed what at first looked like a little worm sticking out the side of baby bird's mouth (how sweet, I thought). Yet as soon as I used my special live view zoom so that the bird's entire little face filled my LCD I immediately realized that little thing going directly sideways was it's beak! I almost dropped the camera at the sight of the mutant baby bird, and had to cover mouth to keep from tossing a toffee Cliff bar. Oh, and then the flood of guilt! The poor bird, I wondered if perhaps it already had its first big flight right into a window! Oh poor thing! But still, eeuuwwwuhh. I couldn't handle it. Closed the window. Went back to the studio. And have resorted to sharing the above bird. Eleni ordered this little birdie to adorn a new dress. Specifically that it be red and fuzzy and walking. That I can do. I have no doubt that if the kids were here they would have already performed plastic surgery on the baby bird and all would be well. Alas, the nature gene, I do not possess.

Anna, who is still feeling guilty

Rescuing Spring from the Jaws of Death

Spring


Rescue Squad


Jaws of Death

Moral of the story: If your dog learns no other command, learning "DROP IT!!" should be the one he does learn.

This has been a Spring-in-Tennessee Public Service Announcement.

Q & A

who? me and my book photography

what? spools of thread, silly

when? ongoing

where? in my studio

why? cause Juliana's not here and there's no one else to whom I can point out how silky and luminous these 50 year old spools of thread are, yet it needed to be done just the same.

They are beautiful, aren't they? Oh, why yes, they are! How nice of you to notice.

:: I will never grow tired of ::

:: Early morning storms in April and the glowing light they cast.



:: This clever stitcher keeping me company.



:: Her hushed whisper of counting stitches under her breath, tracking her progress which is every now and then followed by a proud and not so hushed announcement of "17!" or "32!!!" It almost knocked me outta my chair the first time.



She's even smart enough to take a break every now and then. I have so much to learn.

good weekend, xo,AM

When chairs go to sleep.....

.....I think they dream of being this. I know the thought of it is keeping me awake.

Just a mock-up of what I'll likely be lounging on at Quilt Market.

okay, back to it. xo,AM

Patchy

This morning's first light on the swept brick. Every muscle in my body protested getting out of bed after a weekend full of weeding, pruning, hauling, digging, tilling, sweeping, lugging, hosing, dusting, wiping....and lots of other -ings. But Jeff and I enjoyed coffee on the patio this morning for the first time in months.



Oh but Saturday was filled with studio -ings, like cutting, sewing, patching, folding, etc. Even a little drilling and mounting for a new shelf. I am in the midst of preparing two new quilt patterns for your downloading pleasure. The detail above is the Drawing Room quilt which is called "birdcage on a chain", and man, its fun to make. Can't wait to finish the top and share it with you. And a note to all who have asked, (though I will send some personal ones before the day is done) I have found my Portland furniture for covering! Thanks to so many of you who sent pictures (and pleadings) with very helpful notes and willing wishes. It is so appreciated. I settled on a pair of antique Queen Anne chairs because its going to work out best for my overall space, etc. I was even presented with a fabulous vintage outdoor iron piece that I'll use to display some Garden Party cushions on!



And speaking of gardens, above is the plan for the "garden wall" quilt which will be made from my upcoming line of quilting fabrics, Garden Party. I have fabric coming outta my ears. Hence all the cleaning in the studio this weekend, so I could make room for making. If you want just the tiniest peek at that upcoming line of fabric, Quilts and More magazine did a feature on me in their Spring 08 issue, on news stands now, where there's a few little pics showing the range. I originally thought that the feature was slated for a Summer issue, which is why I handed over Garden Party pics. Woops. There ya go. OH! Also, many of you have already found this, but in case you haven't, in that same issue, farther back is my pattern and instructions for the flower pin cushion seen here. Have fun making it. I've already seen some gorgeous examples out there in blogland.

Okay, my friends. Many, many patches to piece together in the studio on all fronts. My presence here will likely be patchy over the next week or so, so please forgive me. I may be able to throw in a few pictures with just a very few words of this or that. But two quilts, an upcoming show, and my final book edits are all keeping my head down but my heart glad. Be well.

xo,Anna

Patio-Oh!

I was flipping through some photos of our patio from last summer and discovered the beginnings of a few things that I forgot were ever captured. It's warmed up enough now that its time to clean out this space that has largely gone dormant for a few months. And just like last year, I'll have to wait until the new wren family hatches in one of those wall planters before I plant my lantana! Pesky birds. There's a nest in the garage too. We're quite fertile around here.



During the winter months we clear off and store a lot of the items that are on the patio and leave it pretty bare so that nothing gets more wear than necessary, cause its too cold to enjoy. In fact I think there might still be some cocoa mugs out there from the last snow a few weeks ago.



I do the patio slightly different every year, but always try to make it kid-friendly since they spend the most amount of time out here. I will definitely be redoing our little art supply station made from flower pots of pens, pencils and paints and piles of paper. The picnic table is a great place to send them when I don't want to worry about paint spills. I mean if you can't clean it with a garden hose what use is it really?



I even left my own drawing board out there, and only in looking at these photos did I notice that my first sketches for Drawing Room start on the patio. Fancy that! I had forgotten! (and btw way thanks all you Portland furniture owners for your help...I'll be making that decision this week, and thanks Amy, for spreading the word!)



And when trying to decide how to make cheap, relatively weather resistant art for the patio, I dreamed up the painted silhouettes that went on to achieve Martha fame as we all know now. So funny how innocently some things begin. I can remember sitting at the picnic table with the little ones and making a list of all the different types of animals we see in our yard. This is how we decided which silhouettes to make. When looking online for animal silhouettes to use, we came across a bird identification chart, that I decided had to be on the patio too. So I just printed it out and freehanded the canvas, then painted it.



I also now remember that when I shot the pictures that I had just finished reviewing my first samples of needlepoint pillows that I designed, and the launch of those goods seemed soooo far away. Now its just weeks away!



The other variable on the patio each year is which plants survived through the winter. This year, I think about half of them did. Anyone who knows me well, knows that this is an astonishing accomplishment. Helped in large part by my dear Mom checking on them every time she visits. (Mom, the plants say thank you.)



So that's the job for this weekend, return the patio to its fun and cosy splendor. Its quite encouraging to be able to review last summer, because I was otherwise uninspired to do all the cleaning it'll require. Now, I'm thinking how this space of ours may produce new sketches and ideas that might well blossom into..... who knows what!

xoxox,AM

Cows gotta eat, kids gotta play

Lucky for us we can take care of both any given Sunday at Grandma and Grandpa's farm. Everyone should have the chance to do this at least once. So many giggles. How was your weekend?

xo,AM

A Portland Proposition

Four little birdies are going to market. And they need your help! I have a proposition that I thought would be fun (if nothing else) to throw out there....specifically for those of you who live in the Portland, Oregon area. And I've read my blog stats, so I know there are a bunch of you!



Cutting to the chase here it is:

I will be exhibiting at the Quilt Market May 16-18 and would really love to have this new vintage sofa I had recovered for display and naps when no one is looking. However. That would be crazy impractical to get it there (7 feet long). So I started thinking. Which typically is cause for concern. But I think I may have come up with a fun plan. Maybe I should tell you the plan now.

Here's the plan:

Do you live in the Portland area?
Do you have a vintage-ish sofa/loveseat/chair/set of chairs that needs recovering?
Would you like to cover them in Drawing Room fabrics?
Would you like the fabric for free?
Would you be so kind as to find an upholsterer to get this accomplished between now and May 16th?
Would you also be able to kindly transport the world's most beautiful sofa/couch/loveseat/chair to the Oregon Convention Center?
Would you be able to part with it for three days then come pick it up?
Would you mind if I sit on it for three days and maybe spill Starbucks on it?
(I'm kidding about that last one.)

If you said (or gasped) YES to all those questions then keep reading.



A few couch specs. I am not horribly picky (that's a lie) about the style of the couch, but I would definitely prefer something vintage-ish with wood trim, which typically translates to Victorian, Nouveau or some such thing. Just so you know. If you actually were able to answer yes to all those questions though I will entertain your piece no matter the style. I was able to swing my 40's sofa for 400$ at an antique mall, and spent 560$ to have it covered. But its big, has double piping trim and is covered on the back too. I think I actually got a pretty good deal on the covering. But anyway...just to help you know what you could be in for.



A few fabric specs. My first choice is to have it covered in this Eccentric warm Sketchbook print. If you have two pieces, we could talk about mixing..... or even if you have a good reason to choose another print, and want to write an essay (kidding) about it, I will consider something different. I realize that this is nothing near a giveaway, but probably closer to a trade. My couch took about 15 yards to cover, so that's nearly 300$ in retail value of fabric.

So what d'ya say?

Email me at amatannamariahorner.com

Whew. That made me tired for some reason. More coffee.

xoxox,AM

AND-because I imagine you've been wondering, the Drawing Room fabrics will not be hitting stores, including mine, for another few weeks. Things always take longer than you want them to..such is life. You will certainly know when they do however!

Glad

Right now I am immensely pleased with any color that is happening in the yard. I think mostly because I haven't had the chance to tend to anything, yet some things just appear, and I feel like thanking them every time I walk by. Even the weeds.



I'm always scooting by so fast, arms full of this or that, on my way to something that has nothing to do with flowers. Every year I have mixed emotions about Spring. I am so glad for it, but I always feel like it rushes on without me. I tell myself each and every winter that I will get out in the garden and be ready for it. Plan for it. Nuture it. Alas. I likely don't have to tell you that the above picture is a weed. What is wrong with me? Have I resorted to elevating weeds to picture-worthy status to compensate for my gardening guilt? Hmm.



I didn't even know I had a forsythia. I just happen to look a certain direction in the far corner of the yard. Boom. There it was. I love these things! I'm so glad I have one. Could it be that for the nearly four years we've lived here, that I just didn't walk in that part of the yard spring after spring after spring? I think so. Okay, that's pathetic.



Anyway. I'll get out there. Soon. Quitting my job and gardening full time has been a verbal threat that I've thrown around for about 10 years. It usually accompanies some sort of mini career catastrophe or frustration. But then the truth of less flower-money comes to light and I get back to work. I'm pretty sure there's a balance somewhere in the soil and toil of it all. I do get to tend other blooms, I suppose. Little human and fabric blossoms. Not so bad.

Wishing you absolution from any garden guilt you may have. xo,AM

*and thanks for all the dressy comments! sooo kind!

A dress and it's designer

I love them both.

These aren't the final ad shots, but we did get that done. In the nick of time, naturally. Designed it, she did. Now if I could just get her to not surf on my computer while I'm drafting the pattern she might learn a little more. Not complaining. I do have to say something mom-like.

Have a Bright and Beautiful Easter. Eastern Orthodox Easter is still a few weeks away for us, but I will be thinking of many of you out there cracking eggs and celebrating renewal!

love, Anna

Taking Risks

I was up late and I'm up early, feverishly finishing this dress that Juliana designed. It'll be the part of some magazine ads for Drawing Room, and I have about 24 hours to complete the whole shabang, including the sewing, final fitting, styling, photography, any photo editing and final art for production. Started at about 9:30 last night. So go ahead and ask me, should I have dropped everything and taken 7 people on a 30 hour round trip car ride for 5 days just to play with our family's newest baby? Should I have talked on the phone yesterday for two hours to a dear friend who I've missed lately? Should that coffee be sitting so close to that dress? (Should I really be drinking coffee out of a cracked mug?) I say yes to all. I can't enjoy what I'm doing unless I enjoy what I'm doing and about once or twice a year I remember that.

Besides, I could photoshop a coffee stain out. Show ya more soon. xo,AM

Babyhogging

It's been the baby hogging olympics here.  I think I'm winning, but here is Juliana, the matriarchal cousin, with the newest little cousin. Introducing grandchild number 11, Grace Kalliope.  I can barely stand to let anyone hold her, even for a minute and I even hover while she needs to nurse.  Luckily we're a close family, so no one minds.

I just noticed that Jennifer posted my interview tonight so enjoy if you can stand to hear my babbling about design, fabric, art, making....and babies........but I don't think there's any baby-making talk...can't be sure though.

g'nite from NY, anna maria

My country home

Well, okay it's not mine, exactly. But I am fortunate enough to be able to use it like it is. Here's another corner of my friend Tracy's house where I spent all day yesterday working on more book photos. Whenever we get together, we always drag each other around our houses asking the other's opinions about this and that, colors, furniture, ideas. etc. We like all the same stuff generally, but we're just different enough that we really benefit by including each other's input. We also match right up where housework and our attention to it are concerned, a relief. My very best friends are the ones I don't clean up for. (Like you!)



Anyway the photos. Eleni was with us all morning, as she modeled a few shots. She has been loosing sleep thinking about her big day with Sylvie the white horse. We've been talking about it for weeks, but had to wait for the pasture to be dried out enough, and the weather to be warm enough. Sylvie is an old girl, so sweet and gentle. Tracy was brushing her while Eleni patiently waited for her role to begin. I was taking snapshots of the scene. At one point Tracy had to remove her jealous donkey, Joseph, because he was making a spectacle of himself so she asked me to hold Sylvie's reins. The look on her face (horses do get looks on their faces) was so hysterical. She just kept looking at me out of the corner of her eye like 'you have no idea what you're doing, just stop it.' I was laughing, holding the reins under one arm and snapping pictures, Joseph ee-aaww-ing like an ass, Tracy tying him in to the pen with the goats and sheep, and Eleni standing precariously on the fence whining to come into the gate so she can ride Sylvie. I imagined this must be what its like for every sewing book author. It is, right? (I won't even mention the baby chick Tracy recently rescued from the tortures of mean pecking chickens at the feed store. Her 6 year old named it Pecker.)

It was a beautiful day. Later in the evening Tracy came over and after we did the 137th tour of rooms, questions, show and tell, and design opinion gathering we enjoyed a sit in front of the monitors viewing all the days events. Whew. Over 600 photos with the hopes of getting 5. But we got them. And it takes every morsel of strength in my being to keep them to myself and my publishers. When it was time to get back to our families, I sent her home with sample cuts of the above fabrics because she has two chairs she wants to cover and I think any of these new Drawing Room fabrics would be quite swanky in that room up there. Good, right? Right. And it pleases me with an obnoxious amount of splendor that someone else thinks orangey-gold and pale plum are perfect for the living room. I love you Tracy. And I would love you just for your palette and house but in fact you are a dear friend too.

Oh and speaking of sending off pals with prints....don't forget that this Sunday the 16th Jennifer at CraftSanity is posting our podcast in which 4 fabric winners will be announced. That was a very enjoyable interview, and I really hope that you enjoy the chat as much as I did. It actually got quite....um....personal, I guess for lack of a better word. You guys came up with some very poignant questions, and I was happy to share what I hope were actually answers to those questions. It felt a lot like just spilling myself into the phone so please forgive me if it sounds just exactly like that.

Okay so I'm headed north to NY for a few days to kiss my new niece relentlessly. I'll try to post from there but I might be too busy nibbling baby toes.

love, AnnaMaria

Here ya go, then

You have to be the sweetest bunch of blog readers. Mean it. What a soft cradle my thoughts rested in as I read all your comments and relived all your experiences with you. Some days go by without a hitch. Other days you're stopped in your tracks and question something as simple and seemingly normal as putting your child on a school bus. On a bus? Are you kidding? What I am thinking? And thats how it goes. Feeling assured and feeling horrified all together in a busy mind.

Anyway, let's concentrate on the soft, gentle and fluffy for now shall we? Oh good, thank you. I made cupcakes for a photo shoot this weekend (well okay, I dreamed up the photo shoot thing in the middle of stirring the batter to add to the why-I-HAVE-to-make-cupcakes-list) and I wanted to tell you that if you haven't tried Alicia's most wonderful Cloudburst frosting, stop what you are doing right now and do so. Soooo good. I'm pretty sure they are just about gone and I made them less than 24 hours ago. Anyway, the frosting is just yellow-y white enough that the pink that resulted from just a teeny tiny drop of red dye was the perfect shade of pale coral-pink to sit next to the new linens I was shooting (oh my goodness, have I told you yet? They're here if ya wanna see). So I was tickled pink, I tell you. Not sure one could be tickled coral.
I managed to save 3 for you as I warned the kids that these are for mommy's work. Don't let them sit there long, or I'll have to work on them.

love your pal, Anna

Landing Softly

It was sunny in the living room yesterday afternoon and I was making progress working on some book photography, hoping to accomplish just one more good one before the kids got home. Right on schedule at 3:34 I heard the scuffle for the doorknob and the usual chatter of young voices and the bus breaks releasing and accelerating down the road after dropping off my middle three. But. There were not three. The boys busted through the door just as I got to it and asked me where Isabela was? Where Isabela is!? Why are you asking ME!? Wasn't she on the bus??!!!! They didn't know. Neither of them knew. How could they not have known. Didn't matter. Got both phones out, dialed one to my neighbor, the other to school. Karen picks up. No answer at school. Karen asks her little Josh if he saw Isabela on the bus. Yes. He saw her asleep on the bus. Asleep! Gasp. I slowly transitioned from the stomach-dropping thought of wondering where on earth she was (though my hands were still shaking along with my voice) to the slightly less painful stomach-dropping thought of how scared she will be when she wakes up and realizes that she's missed her stop. I decided to save the sister's-keeper lecture for the boys for later. Then I put in another call to the school bus authority, immediately being put on hold, the other phone trying the school again.....both calls trying to find a way to reach the bus driver (who was a substitute!)....also grilling the boys about who stays on the bus after them, and scanning the school directory for some of those phone numbers....thinking perhaps I could beckon other parents to run out to the bus to tell the driver he has a sleeping girl on there. While I was doing those seven things, I was also hovering on the ridiculous thoughts of what if he doesn't realize she's back there.....
But then I stopped. I stopped when I heard an exasperated little girl bust through the door with tears all over her face and nothing coming out of her mouth but 'mommy. mommy. mommy.'



Oh what a warm long tearful hug that was. The tragedy in her little face was just so bitter and scared. We had the longest tightest hug on the big chair while I continued to assure her with pats and rubs and squeezes and warm silence and rocking. Such a big girl spilling off my lap but still so tiny in her heart. The world is still so huge. The other side of the neighborhood on the bus without her brothers must have felt like the edge of the earth.



I thought about telling her she should try to stay awake on the bus. I thought about suggesting an earlier bed time. I thought about telling her how her brothers' will be told to take better care of her. None of those thoughts quite seemed to match her needs during these moments. So I just let her know that we would find her anywhere. That the feeling she had of wanting to be home was the same as my feeling of wanting her home. And that nothing will ever take her away from me. Not even a nap. Small smile. And that I'm really glad she woke up because I didn't think she would fit in the lost and found box at school. Finally a giggle. That giggle is life.



Just on the other side of that giggle she resiliently hopped up and said "Hey ya wanna see my PE homework? It's a tripod! You have a tripod and I know how to be a tripod now too!" And then I knew that we were finally brought to what must have been the moments she was anticipating while she drifted into slumber on the bus. She must have been excited to come home and show me this. Then she pulled out all her crumbled, folded, curled and imperfect papers from her day, sharing everyone with joyful back to usual words, that slowly erased the residual little crying heaves and returned us both to our sweet afternoon.



And then it was back to the tripods. One after another her little tomato face about to burst. Falling down. Getting back up. Tumbling over. Trying again. But every time a soft place to land. And I knew that I had succeeded. I was her soft place and my hands stopped shaking.

xoAM

Studio Sprucing

That warm breeze that blew through the house over the weekend has indeed gone into hiding, leaving us with a chill again. I've been hiding out in the studio the past few days, with nothing but music, sewing and photography. Its been a gooooood few days. And somehow all that fresh air did more than clear away stale winter air, it refreshed my whole attitude and inspired a bit of sprucing. The best part is it didn't cost a dime. It just required me sitting and staring for a while, remembering some things I've been saving (i.e. previously spent dimes), and dusting off a few other items. A handful of those Dresden plates finally got the recognition they deserve (we'll save the actual quilt making from them for retirement, of course). I have this one bulletin board over the drafting table that is painted with the same color as the wall (a highly recommended tip for making the items on it feel like they're floating). I try to change the board every few months which reminds me of watching my elementary school teacher, Ms. Spitzer decorate the class bulletin board as we worked on math facts. I was entirely too distracted with day-dreaming about how I would do it myself, and how she should have left slightly more space between the laminated illustrations of apples and books. I think I must have been a unique child.



Speaking of unique, aren't these the prettiest hooks? I tend to hoard little items like this, when I see them, especially if they're on sale. Then put them away not knowing what to do with them, until finally it hits me. No need to wait for the perfect spot to hang my coat (who needs a coat when you don't go anywhere), my paint rags are certainly worthy of a print-y hook all their own.



In fact it was the act of putting up those those patch-y little prints that reminded me that I even had them. I love tracing back brain triggers. I used to do that in my head as a kid when I couldn't sleep at night. I'd make note of what I was thinking about, then trace back each thought, trying to recount the mental path that led me to that thing on which I was pondering. (Oh my goodness, I'm conducting self child therapy.)



Case in point. It only took me 3 months to remember to screw on these little sparkely knobs. I had gotten four of them intended for a different cabinet, but only 3 survived, due to them being left out in the studio for so long and Eleni having appropriated one of them for something in her doll house. Can't find it now. Since there's only 3, I used two of them for these cabinet doors. I'm reserving the 3rd as a back up which feels smarter all the time especially when I catch Eleni trying to unscrew them behind my back. Darn that sparkley temptation!



And these are what I came up with for the set of four that I needed. A little burst of fabric strippi-ness that is really fun and easy to pull off. (Yes, I intended that pun, and in fact I sat and thought for at least 1 minute trying to come up with that pun.)



These are all the ingredients you need. I tied up about 4 bundles like this, then tied each of the bundles to the loop of the screw-eye. I guess its sorta no different than a pompom. I ripped my strips instead of cutting them, because I think the frayed edges are more charming. Once you've tied on all the strips you want, just place a small piece of wood inside the drawer over the hole to screw the screw-eye into. I happen to have some random, imperfect homemade building blocks which can only be explained by saying that at one point in my motherhood I thought that real wooden building blocks were entirely too expensive so we tried to make our own. As it turns out, real wooden building blocks could perhaps be one of the most reasonably priced items on the child toy market. Also its important when building with them that they be straight, ask any general contractor. Oh and well sanded to avoid splinters, too.



Anyway, they cheerfully help me out at my little fabric wrapping station that I've organized for my shopkeeping. And no I haven't made all four of them, I was too overwhelmed with both my own geniusness and the desire to point it out to you to do all four of them at once. What am I, a factory? Why no, I am not. Please see homemade wooden blocks.

xoxox, AM

This changes everything

Did you feel that?
It feels as though life itself just blew in here. I believe its commonly referred to as sun and wind.

Be back soon, xo, AnnaMaria

Short but (very) Sweet

I thought you should know about this post at Craftsanity right away! Go forth and be nosey!!! Now if my bolts of Drawing Room would just clear customs we'd be all set. I had a fancier post in mind for this fabric giveaway announcement, but my bolts are not here for their closeups. Shouldn't be long now, but I didn't want to wait on letting you know how to enter this one!

xoxox, AM

Bubbliness

Have I said yet that finishing the book is really just the beginning of the book? It's true. It is. You are not yet free from reading about the process, and mostly because I'm fortunate enough to be playing several roles in this adventure story. So the projects are drafted and made, the instructions and techniques have all their illustrations, the text is written, the cover photos are taken, but I am now working on the majority of the interior photography. I have never considered myself a photographer. (I hope my publisher isn't reading this.) I think I get lucky every now and then, and sorta know what I'm doing. I do think that when something good happens in my photographs its a little of both, luck and knowing only a little. I think above all else, I am an image maker and photography, just another medium. My favorite scheduled photo day so far has been the day spent with a fun project and that precious little Cece up there. I had to stop and nibble her toes every now and then which made the shoot take at least an extra hour. I absolutely cannot stand how cute this baby is. On the very day we did this shoot, my brother in New York called me in the midst of it to tell me that my new niece Grace Kalliope was born. What a joy! There really is nothing like a new baby. Only a few days previous my oldest friend Jennie gave birth to twins. So poor Cece suffered through all the affection I had built up for these long distance babies. Ahh! Beautiful bubbly babies!



In addition to scheduled shoots with highly paid (in kisses) models, I have been stricken with an odd desire to photograph random objects around the house. I'll see light hitting something a certain way when passing through a room or like the photo above just see pretty colors. Oooooh pretty colors. I'm really so easy to please. I find that tinkering with the camera in controlled situations like these is a great way to get to know your camera and experiment. Its like any new relationship I guess, you have to spend some time with your new friend to understand them a little better.



Interacting with your subject matter is highly recommended as well. Totally safe when its just a kissable baby or a non-alcoholic drink. But speaking of, I need to say that this Izze business is SO yummy! I am not a fancy fruity drink drinker by any means. I'm basically a milk, oj, coffee, water kinda girl. But I have some news. This stuff is like midday wine! SO good and naturally sweet but not too sweet and definitely wine like but doesn't make you sleepy or want to eat a plate of gouda and crackers. I have only tried the pomegranate at Juliana's request. She loves it. Wait a minute. Fruit drink tastes like wine. Juliana likes fruit drink. Why does she like it so much?

hmmm.
xoAM