my creative space

It's been a while since I've joined in at our creative spaces. I've been wanting to. Intending to, even. But somehow my intentions and reality don't always meet. Other things get in the way. Or distract. And lately, I've been choosing to spend my time off the computer. It's too easy to lose track of time and find that you haven't accomplished anything at all when you're online. We've all been there.

But today, I'm popping in at our creative spaces. I've finally gotten around to finishing a couple pieces that had been languishing. This scarf:

and this cuff bracelet:

I'd finished crocheting them both, but needed to "finish" them. Details like weaving in ends and sewing on buttons sometimes cause my creative momentum to stall. So I wove in the ends and sewed on the buttons. I even got around to photographing and putting them in my shop, something that I haven't been doing a lot of lately. I have more to go. Lots of things in progress and unfinished.

I've been thinking a lot about that. WIPs. UFOs. My creative space is filled with them. But which are they? Are they Works in Progress or Unfinished Objects? Can the terms be used interchangeably? I hadn't really thought about it before, about how significant the choice of words can be. And it is significant. Works in Progress conveys a sense of continued action. Unfinished Object sounds as if those unfinished projects have been discarded, partially finished and forgotten. WIPs is more hopeful. And I'd like to think that I'm hopeful. I intend to finish these in progress creations, even if I do find myself starting new ones instead. And, yes, with my work table lined up with those pieces I still need to finish and a looming deadline for my Handmade Joy Exchange, I find myself unable to resist starting a new project.

Although, perhaps, I shouldn't call this a "new" project. I bought the yarn for it a long time ago, so in reality, this is just another WIP that was just a lot less progressed than some of the others. In any case, I'm loving making these squares. I'll be turning them into another throw. Eventually.

Joy List Monday

Another Monday and another Joy List. Not sick of it yet. Are you?

Actually, I've been feeling a bit blue. It's oh-so-easy to focus on the negatives. To come down hard on yourself for not doing more or being more or, or, or... But stopping there is limiting yourself. I know you can't control your feelings, but you can control your focus. Maybe this is all a bit redundant, but I'm finding that I need to constantly think about and verbalize these things and remind myself to constantly work on them. Focusing on Joy is something that I need to be intentional about. It's something that I need to work on. It doesn't just happen because I want it to. Hence, these lists. I'm also thinking about ways to make focus on Joy a daily habit. A daily ritual. I have some ideas. What about you?

Here's today's list.

• a gardenia plant
• planting seeds
• new painting books
• sketchbooks -- looking through mine + Dana's upcoming class
• daffodils

I'm sitting beside the gardenia as I write this, hoping that this will be the gardenia I'll be able to keep alive (I have bad luck with them!), but also knowing that even if I can't, enjoying its fragrance while it lasts is good enough.

I planted some seeds outside and some inside, too. I feel like jumping up and down when I think about how it won't be too long before I can make dinner by simply walking through the yard and picking it!

And I feel like doing cartwheels after looking through my two new painting books. I'll share more about them soon.

I know I'll share more thoughts on sketchbooks, too, once Dana's class begins (there's still time to register if you want to get in on the inspiration!), but I wanted to share a couple thoughts I had after looking through my sketchbook yesterday. I've been keeping it since January of 2010 when I first became intentional about creative experimentation. It's been slow going, this artistic journey. That I'm still using the same sketchbook over 2 years later is testament to that. BUT, that sketchbook is full of some really good stuff. I worked out jewelry and bag designs in there. I brainstormed. I played. I think that putting more effort and focus into my sketchbook will really help with my creative development. Looking at my sketchbook and looking back at this creative journey, I feel as if I am on the edge of something great (and I see that I really have come a long way). Just as it's easy to focus on the negative and forget the Joy, it's easy to focus on how far I still need to go and forget how far I've come.

It's wonderful to have cut flowers from my garden, again. Daffodils are just the beginning. This winter there were only two months without flowers. I was still cutting them in December!

Many people are disturbed by our non-winter, but weather is weather. You can't do anything about it. In 2005 we had snow on April 24th and all the trees were damaged here. My hydrangeas took a couple years to recover. It's scary for those having to feed their families or support themselves dependent on how the weather affects the plants and trees. It's not just about pretty flowers and I know that, but, I want to focus on beauty and Joy. So, for now, hooray for the daffodils and the blooming trees. What comes will come. And we'll get through it.

I hope that each of you are able to focus on today's Joys and that they are many.

Rose Cupcakes

I love cupcakes. I know I'm not the only one, but even if they weren't trendy, I'd still love them. There's something fun and festive about a cupcake. It's small (or tiny if you make the littlest ones), so it doesn't feel like you're having a big dessert.  It's pretty and conjures images of childhood parties (you can't be unhappy with a cupcake on your plate). Cupcake liners make the whole production seem lots easier than making a cake (no pan to grease and minimal cleanup). There's a combination of frosting and cake to suit just about every mood.  I especially like yellow cupcakes with cream cheese frosting using recipes from The New Best Recipe.

For my birthday I decided to tinge my frosting pink with the addition of some beet juice, but at the supermarket checkout I realized that although I'd remembered the beets, I'd forgotten to put vanilla in my shopping cart. I really didn't feel like going back to get some after having just paid for my groceries, so my lazy inspiration was to use rosewater instead of vanilla. My further inspiration was to enhance the rose flavor by using rose scented sugar that had been a Christmas present (the sugar has actual rose petals in it, so the cupcakes themselves have little bits of petal, too). I wasn't sure how it would turn out and I only guessed on the measurements. I may experiment further, but I like the somewhat subtle results enough to share my initial recipe here.

Rose Flavored Yellow Cake with Rosy Cream Cheese Frosting:
(makes 12 cupcakes)

For the cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rose petal scented sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks at room temp (check out Kerry's method for egg warming)
2 teaspoon rosewater

For the frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons liquid from canned beets (I'm estimating here, because I didn't measure... alternatively you can slowly add drops of the liquid until your frosting reaches your desired color)

For the cupcakes:
1. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugars and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter, sour cream, eggs and rosewater until smooth and satiny. You can do this by hand or with a stand mixer.
4. Divide batter evenly into the cupcake liners.
5. Bake until the cupcake tops are pale gold and a toothpick comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.
6. Lift cupcakes from the tin and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
1. While the cupcakes are baking, place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer to soften.
2. When the cupcakes have cooled, add sour cream and rosewater. Process until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl and stopping to remove clumps of cream cheese from the wire whisk as needed.
3. Add the powdered sugar and process until smooth. Add beet liquid and process until the color is  fully blended.
4. Frost the fully cooled cupcakes.

These are lovely served with tea (try a flowery or minty herbal), coffee or a cold glass of milk.

a perfect birthday

I had a perfect birthday from start to finish, including the rose-flavored cupcakes I made the night before (I'll share my recipe soon). Matthias and I both had the day off and the weather was amazing.

Took the boys to Holden Arboretum in the morning to see the magnolia collection in bloom.

Ate lots of good food and finally visited the tea shop/gift shop/artist's studio that we've driven by again and again.

It's only about 2 miles from our house and I can't believe it took us this long to actually go there. I'm already dreaming of my next visit. The setting is beautiful and the food (and tea) was yummy, too.

We sat outside on a patio behind the house.

There were gardens and interesting sculptures everywhere.

I'm sure it's even more beautiful when it's spring and summer for real.

We also walked around the Botanical Gardens.

The herb garden and rose garden are my favorite parts, but I also enjoyed visiting the fish in the children's garden.

And seeing all the butterflies in the glasshouse.

I wish I could have gotten a shot of the Blue Morphos with their wings opened up, but I was too slow with my camera (phone) and they were hungry.

Sunshine, flowers, good food. All. Day. Long. I took oodles of pictures. Walked and walked. Found inspiration everywhere and thoroughly enjoyed myself. No wonder I'm having a hard time going back to "normal" life today.

Thank you to everyone who sent me birthday wishes. On my blog, in email, on Facebook and in more old fashioned ways, too. All those birthday wishes brought me such Joy!

Joy List Monday

What do you do when you're not feeling very Joyful? Some days are like that. All of us probably have more un-Joyful days than we'd like. I think that's part of the reason I started with my Joy lists. To focus on the Joy that's everywhere around me. Because it's there, even if I'm not seeing it. Just as even on cloudy days the sun isn't really gone.

• beautiful weather
• flowers, flowers, flowers
• painting
• the Joy exchange*
• my upcoming birthday

In truth, it's easy to create a list, even when I'm not in the mood to sing and skip. Try it. You'll see. Or just hug somebody you love.  

Works for me.

*the Handmade Joy exchange is now closed. Thank you to everyone who signed up!! Check your email for the name and address of your exchange partner!

perfect days

Has your weather been as heavenly as ours has?

Signs of spring abound. Everything is budding and sprouting and growing. I had plans for the week that never quite happened thanks to the beautiful weather.

I now have a new gardening pal. It was the first day that the dogs and I were able to spend out in the yard and I realized that it was probably the first time in their lives that they'd spent the day outside, free to do whatever they wanted. They didn't quite know what to do at first. But they caught on. They also adjusted quickly to a full day of park visiting when Matthias and I ended up with an unexpected day off together (with our work schedules, that is a rare thing). Over six miles of walking at three parks.

They were exhausted by the end of the day, but I can't get enough of spring.

And the beauty of the woods. Magical as everything awakes.

I hope you've been able to enjoy some time spent outdoors, too.

As for enJoying, if you wanted to join my Handmade Joy Exchange, you still have one more day to send me an email. The exchange technically closes tonight, but as long as I get your email by tomorrow morning before I start matching everyone up, I'll include you. I hope you'll join us! The exchanged is now closed. Thank you to everyone who signed up!!

signs of spring

• flowers!
• frolicking, flirting and singing birds (the robins were singing at 4 this morning!)
• mud
• thunderstorms
• sunshine (not just a spring thing, but it sure makes it feel more spring-like)
• open windows
• warm weather
• budding and leafing plants, bushes and trees
• growing (and budding and blooming) houseplants
• squashed bugs on my windshield from my road trip
• spring peepers (heard them at a rest area)
• worms wriggling across the sidewalks

What signs of spring have you been noticing?  OR, if you're in the southern hemisphere, what signs of autumn?