Homegrown Hospitality

Breaking News

for my CREATIVE followers...I have been withholding something creatively exciting news for a week or so...eeeekkkk! and before I go on....NO...this is NOT about me.

So, let's see..WHO do you think of when you see silly little birds like this:

 
or sassy little friends like these:

 

or adorable little towns like these:

 
figured out who I am talking about yet?

I have a very CLEVER friend that I met several years back as I was taking some big creative steps.  SHE and I clicked instantly. 

It was one of "those times" where you just know.  I can remember as clear as day, sitting on the carpet, up against a wall in a hotel banquet room in San Antonio TX...listening to her, watching how she teaches and absorbing how she shares. SHE was animated...a bit CRAZY...super silly...OVERFLOWING with creative goodness and FULL of emotion (she still is all of these...)

SHE shares her loves, her losses..her emotion...her creativity and how to laugh at the knocks in life...the things you are probably going to laugh at later....maybe that is why we get along so well and why I can call her my friend and why I am harboring her creative comeback information...she was there for me when I was making big creative steps...and now I am right here for her as she .......

whoops...did you read that?

That is all I am going to say right now...just remember you heard it here first...HgK.

Let me make a suggestion...so that you are in the "know"

Go to her blog...sign up for the newsletter (upper right)...friend her on Facebook (paper airplane on left..stinkin cute!) and stay tuned here and on your local channels for breaking news.......

eek!

A Reflection

This is what choosing to "see" joy looks like to me when I take EARLY morning Pennsylvania walks.  Most of you know that I am a real baby when it comes to leaving the security of my own home....

You see, the thing is, when I go to PA, it does not happen. The extreme anxiety, the home-sickness for weeks and the last minute "I don't wanna go's" even when I know that Snoopy has to fly the little plane.  I seem to be able to see, feel and experience things differently than anywhere else (besides South Africa) and it is a beautiful thing. Just what I need (probably four times a year until at least retirement age...sorry Mr. Shuck!!)

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Josh 1:9

 
Here is a look at what I see and ultimately, how I feel....

A sturdy metal roof & strong red bricks that provide strength and protection...a weathered fence that stands strong inside a small concrete hedge to protect the surroundings..a parked bicycle that is ready for free and random pedaling...life that is thriving and the perfect splash of color against the weathered fence and the old red brick...a tiny patio that is the perfect place to sit and watch the trains go by, to watch the mountain of trees change colors and to watch the snow fall....even the right place for trash cans to be tucked away... years and years of history...age...a place nestled and protected between others...a sense of security & peace.

Do not get me wrong and think I am just in la la land...dreaming of "a white Christmas" and just plain cuckoo...(hold your comments, Mr. Shuck!) I am sure that it also has rusty pipes, leaks, saggy rain gutters, broken windows, damaged interiors and weak spots...shall I even dare say.. a rodent..or two (ugghh) but..

Don't we all ??? I do..and I will admit it all day long..if you'll listen...BUT (here comes the point)

It is the "Bless in the Mess" that we MUST find. (key word "Must")

Really, I can not tell you how necessary and IMPORTANT it is to slow down and become more aware and intentional because there are messes at every corner (and on the walks in-between the corners!) and if you choose to only focus on the messes (or better yet, choose to ignore them) whelp, sadly...you will miss experiences and the beauty of everything else around...

and for the Love of Pete...don't do that!

Messes, no matter how messy they are, keep us on our toes, keep us focused,  on track, tuned in and aware of changes that happen, the changes that need to be made and the possibilities of something better!

Thank you PA..for assisting me on focusing and renewing my spirit again. 

The Amazing Journey

I love this quote by Helen Keller and I want to remind myself (and you) of it as it really applies to this time of the year when people are strapped for money and stressed about gift giving....

 

"the best and most beautiful t h i n g s in the world cannot be seen or even touched they must be felt within the  heart"    Helen keller

 

oh..and speaking of loving things...I love felt...and I love felting wool...and I love hearts, duh...so this morning, one thing lead to another and I combined the quote with a photo of a felted heart and ended up with this...(sorry about the watermark across the print)

  
BIG plans for this little piece....have a GREAT day..fill it with LOVE.

 

Amazing Journey Thursday

Most of us "paper crafters" are....hoarders.  We talked alot about the definition of hoarding it on my trip last week and I guess I will be the first to step to the podium and admit it. You can admit it in the privacy of your own home.

"My name is Stephanie and I am a paper hoarder"

(this is where you say "Hi, Stephanie")

The thing is, when I come across a paper (okay, or felt, or buttons) that I really like (I would prefer to say LOVE) I buy it, in bulk, you know..just in case I want to use it...alot.

Working in the paper crafting/scrapbooking industry makes it a little tough when I like so many things from so many companies from years past when really, stores, manufactures' and designers would prefer that I "promote" the latest and greatest.  

This is where I have gotten into a little bit of a pickle because I have soooo much stuff and I am such an "equal opportunity" paper and product lover that it was time to change  my "roll" in the industry. 

I truly feel that my skills help me to coordinate this, that & the other from all mediums, regardless of what release they are from, which manufacture produced them or even if  it is paper (because I love felt...and canvas...and corrugated cardboard) 

At the end of the day, if you have created something, from the heart..nothing else really matters.

Case in point. 

I ran into an old friend at the beginning of this week.  She was with her brother and sister-in-law and introduced them to me.  She continued to tell me that he had VOLUNTEERED to head to Afghanistan for an entire year...and that he leaves tomorrow.

This where I inserted my own foot into my own mouth and repsonded "You Knucklehead!"  Here I had just been told that this man, with a family, had selflessly vounteered to return to a country ten feet deep into war..

and I called him a "knucklehead"

Luckily, our conversation diverted onto the subject of chocolate chip cookies and I did manage to hear that he mentioned that he LOVED cookies (even though all I could think of was "What the h#*! was I thinking???)

but then I really did start thinking...and baking!

Fast forward to last night where I took a few of the neighborhood boys to meet a "Real Solider" and apologized and thanked him for serving our country and the boys presented him with a gallon sized can of chocolate chip cookies....embellished with paper that I had "collected" "loved" and "hoarded" just waiting for the perfect time to use it.

 

 

The Amazing Journey Thursday

For those who are new here..welcome...each Thursday, I take you on my "Amazing Journey" and blog about something specific, usually faith based, with a little creative boomerang tossed into it..so, grab a cup of coffee and have a seat..today's post might be a long one!

 
Today's subject/project started with an idea that popped into my head yesterday as Deena and I hit the grungy streets of downtown Los Angeles...where my faith is often tested (either by the people sitting up against the walls sharing drinks in brown paper bags or with Deena's "creative" driving skills (someday I will be able to NOT drive like a grandma!)

Anyways....I usually feel pretty insecure until we get to our parking spot and then I find my comfort zones (the places we always go to) and am filled with satisfaction, delight and excitement as I find the things that I went for (and several that I did not) and even take a little time to joke and giggle with a man that is not from our country, but is proud to be an American...(I told him that I liked his "birth" name much better than the name he picked when he became a citizen in 1985 and he was very happy!)

anyways, here  is the background story:

The last bit of cash I had in my back pocket covered the purchase of an impulse buy as we headed back to the car...

  
a $2.50 box of Rit Dye, in "Scarlet", duh.....

anyways...got home and sadly, forgot about my purchase (I think that is what happens with impulse buys!)

I turned on the a/c because it was 97 degrees (in November?) did my mom chores of pick-up, homework, laundry, a little GH and a nap, (hey, this momma needs a nap!) and headed out to ol' HOT sheadteau (turned on the a/c in there, too!) and started to go through my finds...

when I remembered my box of Rit...

now, honestly, should have put it down and went in to make dinner...

um, no.

Grabbed a snippet (reminds me of Lanie) of each of my new trims..a handful of buttons, and my Scarlet box of Rit and headed back into the house.

 
okay...my eyes are really bad (getting worse by the day!) and I did not have my glasses on to read the directions (reminds me of a conversation on the drive to LA!) which, by the way are printed for ants, so I pretended I was making Jello...kinda...

I needed a bucket...and "thou shall NOT use the car wash bucket"...so....I emptyed out the black plastic witches calderon that was on the sink and full of Halloween candy....filled it up with HOT HOT HOT water..and sprinkled in some "Jello" (Rit Dye)...the hard thing was, I could not really see the color..because the calduron is black..but the jello water (I mean Rit Dye water) looked BEAUTIFUL...

so,

I dropped in all of my pieces...

and stirred...

and stirred...

and after only 10 minutes....maybe even 9 because I was so excited to see what the change was....I got these beauties (and I do not even like pink, duh!)

 
now, yes..I KNOW...they are all different shades and they were all in the same bucket..at the same time for the same amount of time...

but that is because they all started out as different shades.

Here comes the Moral of my "Amazing Journey" story....

Think about how each piece started out "neutral" with their own design, a slightly different color, and a "general" purpose....

 ...and then how when they were all thrown into the same bucket, for the same amount of time..they all changed and "absorbed" CHANGE differently....

Each one still had their own design but now, a slightly NEW different color and now maybe,

a more defined purpose...

CHANGE is good...for the soul, heart, mind and cute crocheted trim!