Moving Onward...

My news for the NEW YEAR is that I have been accepted to join the US Peace Corps ! and I am leaving the country in about 18 days for my assignment and training in the Eastern Caribbean.

 

Looks pretty idyllic--huh? but the Island where I will be volunteering has alot of poverty---not always apparent behind the tourist industry's promotion of paradise. But more about that in a later post--after I am there and know more. This I do know: the average temperature is 85 degrees year round, it is a tropical rain forest, and the least developed of all the Caribbean islands.

Some of you may know that in doing this I am following in my parent's footsteps--they were in the Peace Corps for 2 years around 1971 and were sent to Jamaica (also in the Caribbean). In fact, their service there and hearing so much about the Peace Corps from them over the years, is one thing that inspired me to do this.

So, I am leaving Seattle on Jan 23--not long off at all! and very busy packing and dealing with last minute affairs. I plan to start a NEW BLOG about my Peace Corps life, and will probably not be posting much here. However, when I get the new blog up and running (hopefully soon), I  will post a link here for everyone.

oh! and in case you are wondering which island by now?---I am going to Dominica Island (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic)....see above? it is in red on the map....

I really lucked out with this location and plan to make the most of it and help all I can. So far, the Peace Corps tells me I will be doing "NGO Development"---which could be almost anything. I won't know until I complete my 3 months of in country training exactly where I will be or what I will be doing....so for now I'm just going with the flow and letting that mystery be. I know everything will be ok and I am on the right path....

Thank YOU : Out with old & In with the new

I want to thank all my readers for a great year! I now have online friends I would never have "met" without this blog. I am wishing all my readers a joyful and happy 2012!

I am determined to "make a living" this year with my creativity. This may mean some anxious times as I patch together my monthly income (and I live on very little) via selling my art, crafts, & designs, working as an "on-call" Nanny, and (hopefully)  teaching crafts. So far, so good and it is only the 2nd day of this year!

Last year --like life usually goes--had its ups and downs. Looking back I realized I was only employed (at a regular job with set hours)  about 7 months this year... yet somehow I survived. 

The best thing I did all year was to rent myself art studio space. Not only do I now have a great place to go and create, but (at least in my mind) somehow having an art studio legitimizes me as an artist. To me--- having the studio means I am taking my art and design work seriously. And guess what happened once I committed to taking myself more seriously???

ah, Yes!! my productivity and SALES went up since I created more items AND I actively marketed them, which of course resulted in more sales. And since I consider writing this blog part of my creative endeavors, I also plan to explore ways to make some income ($$$$) blogging.

So, please repeat after me : WAY WILL OPEN, WAY WILL OPEN......(and thanks for all your support!)

do what you love and the $$$$ will follow...

addendum: oh, and  this year I plan to do one special thing each week only because I want to!!! putting myself on the list of "to dos"

a NEW YEAR of Surface Pattern Designs!

Below are a few of my original textile or surface pattern designs---the top 2 are hand painted with watercolors, and the bottom left flowers on the black background are hand painted in gouache. The design on the bottom left was completely designed on the computer--in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Can you tell I really love creating floral designs and I love hand painting?

I usually do not create NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS because I have learned over the years that I rarely keep any resolutions I make. How about you? What is your success rate on annual New Year resolutions?

However these designs have been languishing in my portfolio----(stored under my bed!!!!)---for 2 years now and I have decided it is time I make a real effort to sell them and/or the many other surface pattern designs I have in my portfolio. So I am creating a plan for marketing my designs in 2012....is that a resolution? well not exactly. Which is good, as I want to avoid my usual failure---so I am planning for the NEW YEAR--how about you?

Political Art

In art school they taught that fine art should have "content"--ie some message, concept or tell a story. I think all ART is political---even decorative art reflects the culture it is created in--- so the personal is political becomes a tru-ism.

Last winter I created a linocut print which reflects the city where I live--Seattle. Recently, I decided to use that image for some OCCUPY SEATTLE "art"---so I created these 3" x 3" stickers with my artwork in the background. I love the spray paint font....rather like graffitti. I plan to stick these stickers up around my 'hood and share them with friends....my own bit of subversive "performance art."

I have been going downtown to the Occupy Seattle marches about once a a week and I find them inspiring for several reasons. Of course, I agree with the philospohy--in fact I am one of the 99% of Americans with not much of a safety net and currently one of the millions of US citizens who are unemployed. I also find the Occupy movement's General Assembly style of consensus organizing and the diversity of the folks involved heartening and inspiring.

Already this movement has managed to get our President to change the student loan rules and now greedy Bank of American has "decided to remove the $5 fee it was implementing for debit cards." I firmly believe that if we work and stand together we can influence and change our country.

Of course, coming of age in the 1960's---with the Vietnam War protests---and seeing how they changed US policey (eventually) contributed to this conviction. Our generation changed out culture--but then we dropped the ball...and became complacent. Time for us all to wake up! and step up again. Won't you join us?

p.s. oh yeah--if you want some stickers e-mail me--I am selling them at cost of production...about 82 cents for each one...with a small price cut if you order 20 or more...lets spread them around town!!!

Raging Grannies Hold a Bake Sale

It is now official--I am a RAGING GRANNY! Yup --the Seattle Raging Grannies held a bake sale......

 We made about $80 for the Friends of the Library.....and reminded folks passing by that we are in a senseless and wasteful war.....and that this coming year Seattle taxpayers will pay $370 million for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan about 100 times what we would need to avoid next year's cuts to Seattle's libraries.

If you want to know more about the Raging Grannies....check out their website: http://raginggrannies.org/ 
They are out in the streets promoting peace, justice, social and economic equality through song and humour.
I am proud to be a Raging Granny!
Here is the website for the Seattle Raging Grannies : http://www.seattleraginggrannies.com/

BLOG ACTION DAY 2010 : WATER

TODAY IS BLOG ACTION DAY and this year's topic is : WATER

Ah! this is a topic dear to my heart...H2O or water. I grew up where water is abundant, a Northern Rain Forest in Southeast Alaska where the rain pours down most of the year...or frozen rain (snow). I always took abundant water for granted, until I moved to California.

While writing this blog post, I decided to do some research on water consumption and people. Did you know that : Every week, nearly 38,000 children under the age of 5 die from unsafe drinking water and unhygienic living conditions?

This statistic shocked me--even though I have traveled to countries where the drinking water was not safe, I still took my ability to purchase clean water in those countries for granted. And we in the industrialized richer nations use much more water than other much poorer countries, just consider these statistics:

It takes 24 liters of water to produce one hamburger.

The shiny new iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that’s 40 million liters to charge those alone. And--more people have access to a cell phone than a toilet! (what is wrong with that picture?)

That cotton t-shirt you’re wearing right now took 1,514 liters of water to produce, and your jeans required an extra 6,813 liters.

I never really thought about how much water is used to create all the products we rich countries consume. What can we do to change our over-consumption of this precious resource?

According to this Calculator, the average American  uses 1190.5 gallons of water per day. Want to find out just how much you use? Check out the h2o Preserve footprint calculator. The Calculator estimates the total amount of water you use, or your water footprint, using information you provide about your water use and habits.

I find it always an eye opener to check out my own consumption. According to this calculator I use a whopping 699.41 gallons of water per day! (wow!! I had no idea I used that much) I am below the national average, but still...

At  then end of your assessment the water footprint calculator gives suggestions on how to lesson the amount you consume. For me, conserving water starts at home. I now pledge to brush my teeth with out the water running EVERY TIME and to eat less meat since the amount of water used to produce animal products far exceeds the amount used for growing vegetables and grains. Fortunately for me I live in a GREEN co-op household and most of my housemates cook vegetarian--so I am already eating less meat.

Most of the other suggestions the water footprint calculator gave me our household already does...since we are a very green aware household. I will also be thinking twice about buying new cotton clothes, though---since producing cotton uses so much water. Actually, I do prefer to shop in thrift stores for clothes---since I currently live very low income.

And, as a knitter and craftsperson--this makes me think about cotton yarn?!? oh dear! I wonder if it takes less water to produce some of the new fiber yarns--like tencel, hemp, and bamboo? I sure hope so....and while these facts may seem grim, the positive side is that more and more worldwide activism around water and water issues happens everyday. Many organizations like water.org are actively working to change the situation. Won't you join us?

Simple Things : Happiness and Gratitude

Today a friend on Facebook pointed me toward a website about HAPPINESS--- Happier.com, and the website posed a question for me that I have been considering : what makes a good day for me? can I even answer this question? I can tell you what an ideal good day is...but how often do I pay atention to my good days? (how often do you?)

I know that when I have a bad day--or a horrible day--I pay attention to that---I may even tell someone : "I had a very bad day today"--but how often do I call a friend and say, "I had a very good day today?"

How come we tend to pay more attention to the negative in our lives and just take the positive for granted? I have been trying to perpetuate a new habit in my life : acknowledging all the good that comes my way every day. I no longer want to dwell on the negative aspects of my life---and to do this I am deliberately cultivating the habit of daily gratitude. So, I try to spend some time every day to make a written list of everything I am grateful for in my life. If I miss a day--I do not chastise myself, I just remind myself to do this every day. I believe that cultivating daily gratitude will make me eventually happier, healthier, more joyful and relaxed.

Part of all this, is also learning to enjoy and savor the day-to-day events and simple things in my life, and be grateful for them, aslo...and to this end, I also try to create a drawing (again everyday!) of some "simple thing" in my life that I am grateful for....hence the black and white drawing here.

Today's Quote: " There are two ways to live your life. One is as nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --Albert Einstein

SPEND NOTHING Days PLEDGE

If you have followed this blog for awhile you know that one year (not too long ago) I went 9 months without buying anything new. This year---2009---I have decided to declare ALL Tuesdays and Thursdays as "spend nothing" days. How will this work? well, on those days I will not spend any money---with the exception being only $$$ spent on transportation--since I do not own a car, so I pay for public transportation. I will do this for the rest of the year 2009.


This means that if I feel the urge to eat out on those days--I won't. Or buy that latte, or go to a movie....or buy a book, magazine, or newspaper...and I will have to plan ahead so I have adequate groceries on hand. Now, you may be wondering what difference will this make--since I can just wait and spend money on Wednesday? or another day?

First of all, I know from my "buy nothing new" experience--that this will prove to be a consciousness raising experience for me---this will help me become more aware of when and how I do spend money.

Secondly, how many of us have had the experience of putting off purchasing something and then realizing that we don't really need that item we were going to buy? (Thinking it over...always a good plan.) So, I imagine this will cut down on some of my impulse buying...whether it is the impulse to buy a latte or some other doo-dah I don't really need. This will be 102 days in the year where I do not spend any money---imagine that I would have spent an average of $15 on each of those days----that is $1530.00 I am saving!

In addition, this will curb that impulse I have to eat out---rather than just cook for myself....(at least 2 nights a week.) This is a way to force myself to become more frugal---which I need to do right now. Frugality is the word for 2009!


Quote for the day: "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."---Dorothy Parker

Crafting it Forward : Make New Knitters

How much about knitting, crocheting, beadwork and quilting have you learned from fellow crafters? I learned to knit from my Grandma, and ever since I have been CRAFTING IT FORWARD.....like the concept of Pay It Forward...crafting it forward means to teach others what you know, so they can then teach others...and the traditions and stitches of knitting (or whatever art/craft you are doing) get passed down generation to generation.

Benjamin Franklin championed this notion (only his involved $ or debt) , he wrote: " I do not pretend to give such a Sum; I only lend it to you. When you [...] meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the Debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with another opportunity. I hope it may thus go thro' many hands, before it meets with a Knave that will stop its Progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money."

And I first was introduced to this concept through the film Pay It Forward where the concept was " described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in repayment of a good deed that one receives. Such good deeds should be things that the other person cannot accomplish on their own, and the person doing the good deed then asks the other to pay it forward. In this way, the need to help one another can spread exponentially through society creating a social movement with the goal of making the world a better place."

I do believe sharing what we know and/or our skills can help the world become a better place. I taught one of my daughter's to knit, and hopefully--since I will be living in the same town as her soon--I will teach my other daughter to knit, also. I will certainly teach my Grandson when he is old enough--age 6 or 7 is a good time to start, I think. I have found that if you knit around them---- small children will invariably want to try it.

I love this aspect of knitting groups--everyone is always willing to help others learn how to do something new in a knitting group, and I have certain knitting friends who I turn to when I need something demonstrated--since they are more expert than I am.

Today's Quote: " Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend." ---Albert Camus

Up Clutter/Down Clutter

Soul Coaching : Day Five
Energy Up/Energy Down

I do believe that too much clutter (and messiness--but let's not even go there) does "pull you down" and steals your energy. So, de-cluttering is good---but that does not explain why I am so stuck right now with doing this.

I have a huge resistance....to straightening up my room. Actually, my room is not really cluttered--just messy --- I pared down so much when I had to pack up everything I owned and move....that really--I do not have much here in my room that I would get rid of.

Here is one small area I de-cluttered---it is now an oasis of "up-clutter" (ie. an area that gives me energy because it is not cluttered) in my messy room.

and here is an example of "down clutter" (ie. clutter that pulls me down) Oh! I really hate this photo! The Virgo in me does hate clutter and messyness so....

So, I will commit to de-cluttering the space around my computer today. I hope you all have a good uncluttered day....and that fresh invigorating energy fills your life ;-)

Today's Quote: "Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there." ---Josh Billings

Big Changes & new knitting: "MITTS!"

Today I woke up so full of HOPE--for CHANGE--- and with the strong sense that we have taken our country back! Yes! and a sense now everything will get better. I like Patti Digh's post over at 37 Days blog---"He [Obama] will need our help. All of us, not just Democrats, not just African Americans, not just youth, but all of us. Hope cannot be bipartisan. Government cannot be theirs to run, it is ours to run. Let us continue our gestures of belief." That really sums it up for me.

Soul Coaching: Yes, by day 4 I am "noticing old stuff/ patterns/blockages coming to the surface" ---- my small room has gotten even messier--and I thought we were supposed to de-clutter! An old pattern for me is thus: I let my space get messier and messier until I just cannot stand it!--and then in one big swoop, I clean it all up. I am hoping to change this pattern to one where I clean & and organize a little each day, and I put things away more often.....

I sure like the notion of re-framing my tendancy to be blunt into "honest self-expression"---since sometimes my bluntness has caused trouble for me. I had a harder time transforming my other faults into positive traits--still working on that! and being an observer of myself has always been hard for me---don't know why, but I'm trying that today, also.

Meanwhile I have been knitting these MITTS---a shorter version of mittens--ie "fingerless mittens--I have one finished and the other one on the needles....these are knit with Noro Kureyon....lovely soft and cozy wool yarn. A nice small quick knitting project--guess what my family is getting for holiday gifts this year???




and the pattern is from this excellent book by Clara Parkes of the website Knitter's Review.
I have this book on my wish list...not only does she write eloquently about all types of yarns--but the patterns are wisely chosen to highlight the various yarns characteristics. So-- lovely projects, lovely photos--a must have for my knitting bookshelf.


Quote for the day : "What if you just knew everything was working out perfectly?"

Soul Coaching

I am joining a " book-blogging" group--and today! the 1st of November--- is the first day.

The concept behind a book-blogging group is that a community of bloggers work their way through a book, sharing their experiences by posting on their own blog and by reading what other participants are sharing. You can choose to share as much or as little as you like. This book blogging group is hosted by Jamie at THE NEXT CHAPTER blog. (thanks Jamie!)

We're starting out with the book Soul Coaching 28 Days to Discover Your Authentic Self by Denise Linn.

I was attracted to this group and book because I am in the midst of a huge life transition--a friend recently told me that he thought transitions were just chaos--and since mid July that is how I feel most of my life has been--rather chaotic and messy.

Soul coaching "is a process that takes you to your spiritual source and helps you find meaning and sacredness in your everyday life." (and who could not use that?) "It allows you to take an honest look at yourself and your life, face fear, release old negative patterns, get motivated, and step boldly and joyfully into your future."

Now, I am aware that this life transition---although not from my own choice--was never-the-less caused partly by own action--or inaction; so the above concepts---taking an honest look at my life, releasing old negative patterns and so on--- seemed very appropriate for me at this time.

In three weeks I will be moving from Berkeley/Oakland California to Portland, Oregon. Of course, I am both excited and a bit apprehensive about this move. I guess I thought the process of being in an online book group and reading this book and doing the suggested activities would help to keep me grounded and aware while I pack, apartment hunt via the net, and move.

Am I ready for change? the honest answer: not really--but life thrust it upon me, and so I am endeavoring to go with it. A few days ago I set up a small alter in my room---I was unaware that the Soul Coaching author Linn would suggest doing this--I just felt the need to have one set up....synchronicity already?

"We can't control our destiny, but we can control who we become."---Ann Frank

Blogher 2008: My Take or Where were you?

I spent yesterday at the big Blogher Conference in San Francisco---such great female energy and enthusiasm! 1000 women bloggers all in one place. I met many interesting women bloggers ( and I just spent a nice quiet Sunday afternoon checking out their blogs and websites--about 40 of them!), ate some good food, learned some new techie terms, and mostly enjoyed the whole day. The conference was the 3 or 4 person panel discussion format--but the panelists all answered many questions from the audience, and the spirit of passionate women bloggers certainly made for some interesting and lively discussions. I say women on the Net are a force to be reckoned with!

By the afternoon (why do conferences always start at 9 am?) I found myself wandering around forlornly thinking "where are the craft bloggers?" (Yeah--where were you?) I met about five bloggers who said they blogged about crafts--but that was it--and the Craft Blogger Meet Up had about 12 women and was moderated by a DIY blogger who did not write about crafts---so hey! us crafty women bloggers were seriously under represented ---WHY?

If you have a craft blog I do urge you to check out Blogher--a website just for women bloggers to connect with each other...Blogher "The community for women who blog. You say it. We share it." I know there is power in networking and organizing and this conference just re-enforced that knowledge for me. Thanks Blogher!

I did meet the woman who has the wonderful craft blog Zakka Life....I have been reading her blog for awhile--and found her comments at the Craft Blog Meet Up to be right on. I have discovered I really enjoy meeting bloggers in person--especially after I have been reading their blog for awhile.

I also met two local (California) women food bloggers with great blogs : Foodista, and Food Gal. And I met a "Mommy Blogger" (a group who had a very large presence at this conference) from Alaska (for those of you who don't know--Alaska is my "real home"---I was born there, lived there exclusively until at 38 I decided to attend College--but I digress) anyhow-- she blogs from Anchorage, Alaska and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her blog: Scribbit, A Blog About Motherhood in Alaska.

At lunch I met a women who has a blog/website all about girlfriends---she was giving out postcards that said "Thanks Girlfriend" on them--- do check out Girlfriendology.com, her blog review of the conference is excellent.

I suppose in retrospect--the lack of crafty bloggers allowed me to meet some women blogging about subjects I rarely explore via blogs--so my internet horizons sure expanded from attending the conference.

Art & the Environment : Sustainability and Slow Cloth

I just found this fun website with numerous free vintage knitting images---doesn't this one just spark your imagination?

And I have a few other links I want to highlight for you all----my brother, who lives in Juneau, Alaska is a board member of a local organization ---TURNING THE TIDES : "Turning the Tides is an Alaska-based nonprofit grass-roots organization composed of citizens, students, Alaska Natives, scientists, educators and musicians who are concerned with the health of the ocean. We promote ocean-friendly practices, clean-up efforts and waste reduction through various projects." He has created a visually appealing informative short online video OCEANS OF PLASTIC The film starts and ends--fittingly enough--with Alaskan Natives drumming and singing....



Since I spent much of last year creating cloth bags for BYOB (bring your own bag)---and replaced all our plastic bag consumption with cloth bags---the trick now is to always remember to have a cloth bag with me (!)--have you noticed how often businesses try to give you a plastic bag? Anyhow, my brother tells me the cloth bag I made for him is in the video---can you spot it? Hint: it has a bright pieced quilt pattern with black and white checks.

If you read my blog often you already know I have a love for our Mother Earth, and I am concerned with the current "climate crisis" facing all of us--in fact, I consider global warming/climate crisis to be the most pressing problem we all face. Much of my artwork reflects these concerns. Just scroll down here to my Jan 6th post about my "Homage to the Trees" small quilt for an example.

I recently found this great website THE STORY OF STUFF. "The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. "

This website--and her blog--are well worth a visit, and please watch her video and pass this on....as well as a succinct recap of how our consumerism adds to environmental problems, she has many good suggestions for actions all of us can take to help heal our planet.

How does this relate to knitting and craft? ah well, check out this blog---the The Red thread Studio--Slow Cloth, New Cloth, Art Cloth. For me, a sustainable lifestyle and the concept of SLOW CLOTH all go together.

The Spirit of Gift-Giving

The Holidaze are soon upon us, and so I offer this short list of precious gifts to give--which will not cost money, and mean so much more than any purchased gift.

1. The gift of LAUGHTER
the saying, "laughter is the best medicine" is true, you know ;-)

2. The gift of LISTENING
but you must really listen---no interrupting, no planning your answer--just attentiveness

3. The gift of a COMPLIMENT
a simple kind and sincere remark can change how someone is feeling

and do not forget to give one gift anonymously---good for karma, the kind energy may come back to you tenfold. Real generosity is what I strive for during this season---and I expect nothing in return--since the point is to make someone else happy. (Plus, I just love making fun crafty items to give away!)

Todays quote:
"No one has ever become poor by giving." --Ann Frank

Mourning for the Sea and Sea/Beach-life

Human error--a large ship hits the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and oil spills out...we all pay for our oil habits--but right now the wildlife in the San Francisco bay are paying--in death and sickness.


As of Monday:
New numbers on oiled birds in care:

652 live birds
126 washed of oil
485 dead

All of the birds are being treated at the OWCN's San Francisco Bay Oiled Wildlife Care and Education Center in Cordelia.

In case you are thinking that this is not very many injured/dead birds---consider that these are only the ones the rescuers have found or captured, and how much other sea and beach life is affected by this oil spill of bunker oil. The oil is still shifting around the bay--each day we read and watch the news and another favorite beach---with abundant wildlife---is oiled. Many of the beaches impacted are in national parks --the gooey bunker oil is in football size globs---and threatens the dungeness crab fishery in the bay as well as wildlife.

I find myself saddened and in mourning for what we do--in the name of "civilization" to our ocean and planet. If the oceans are in trouble--and there is increasing signs that this is so--we are in deep, deep trouble in terms of human survival on our planet. After 20 years of a livelihood on the ocean as a commercial fisherwoman, I feel deep empathy and affinity for the ocean, and so I feel her pain when we mistreat her.

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I no longer own a car. After I saw the Al Gore movie "An Inconvenient truth" I got rid of my car (and did that feel good!), and joined our local City Car Share. I urge you, dear reader, to consider your carbon footprint and what you can do to curb your use of oil---and please take a moment to say a silent prayer for San Francisco Bay.

In the words of Bay Area folksinger/songwriter Malvina Reynolds:

"The sea, the sea, the fragile sea,
Our source, our provider and our road to liberty,
Now we use it for a dump hole in this mad economy,
And we never will survive a dying sea."

San Francisco Bay resources and nonprofits that need your money and help:
Baykeeper
Oiled Wildlife Network
Save The Bay
International Bird Rescue Research Center

Why I BLOG

Thanks to a thought provoking post on Sharon B's blog In A Minute Ago (one blog I read daily)----during the past few days I have been pondering the focus of my blog, and I realized I have been writing less, and just showing more photos of my crafts. This led me to wonder: what makes an interesting blog? what do I like about the blogs I read everyday? and what is the goal of my blogging?

I like a blog with both content and inspiring and beautiful images or photos.

1) I tend to read blogs I know will have links to other blogs with interesting content, craft tutorials, or art (In a Minute Ago, Art for Housewives, Whip Up, The Purl Bee)

2) I also like blogs--with good photography--that highlight design trends. (Design Sponge, Print and Pattern)

3) I enjoy blogs that are humorous and write about crafts ( Yarn Harlot) or show their craft process (The Lone Beader, Yarnstorm)

4) I read every post of one writer's blog--37 Days, and always check out the premier blog about bookselling--- Bibliophile Bullpen.

5) I really like a blog that posts a new entry everyday--like both In A Minute Ago or Whip Up do.

So--why do I blog? what is the reward for me? One reward has been all the new artists I "meet" (virtually) who leave a comment on my blog. And I must admit, I find the admiring and encouraging comments folks leave about my art and crafted items to be a boost to my creativity. Especially in the winter, I tend to just stay at home and create all sorts of crafty items in my studio---and so don't get much feedback on what I create---until I photograph my latest creation and upload it to my blog--then I almost always get a reaction or a comment or two. I also like the sense I get that someone is listening when I write---or that I do have an audience for my creations. So, I suppose blogging --for me--is also about connections between people on a global scale.

I love that I can write ---from my home--- and people from all over the world can stumble upon my blog, and then by reading my blog, become acquainted with me and what I create.

Sharon B says about her blogging "From my own point view I think the goal of a blog has to be bigger than just recording my life or promoting my work." I suppose the goals for me--at this point--(I did not start out with these goals in mind, and this could certainly change) are : to promote connection and friendship between artists and crafters, to use my art to critique our culture, and to promote respect for our Mother Earth.

TODAYS QUOTE:
"Friendship exists outside our modern economy of scarcity... It's not about apportioning vanishing resources of time and energy. Friendship is a blessed relic of the ancient economy of the gift, and the time freely given to people dear to you actually creates magical abundance." ----VICTOR HUGO

Blog Action Day

Today is BLOG ACTION DAY !

On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you know --although I write primarily an art and crafting blog---I care passionately about our Mother Earth and how we treat Her. You may even know that I spent the first 6 months of this year following my pledge to "buy nothing new for 6 months" which impacted my habits and thinking about cultural consumerism--and my own consumerism.

You may also have seen my posts here on creating my own grocery bags (BYOB = Bring Your Own Bag) and using recycled sweaters to create handbags. I love to see the creative ways artists and crafters use recycled materials.

Here are some of my favorite online Earth loving and environmental blogs, artists concerned with the environment, and resources ---do check them out today.

Astronomy Picture of the Day (just a daily reminder of how beautiful the universe is)

Art For Housewives (great links to many artists using recycling in their art)

Ideal Bite : "Ideas for Green Living"

Quaker Earthcare Witness

The Compact : Buy Nothing New

The Garbage Day Project

Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping (great humor!)

Step It UP!

Treehugger

Grist (environmental humor and news)

David Suzuki Foundation

There are--of course many more--and over at the Blog Action Day blog I see that they have tracked more than 5000 blogs participating and writing about the environment today--so far--(and it is only 9:30 am where I live)--POWER to the internet!

PINK is Powerful

CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities. We reject the Bush administration's fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead calls for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to non-violence.

Time's Up for Buy Nothing New!

Some of you readers my know that 6 months ago I took a personal pledge--to not buy anything new for 6 months. Well, on August 1st--the 6 months is over. How did this pledge affect me? Well, to my surprise this pledge did not really force much of change to my lifestyle. I already mostly shopped at local thrift stores for many items--the biggest change was not buying new books, or yarn, or beads. The 2 areas I cheated (---just a little ;-) in were books and yarn. I did buy 3 new books (in 6 months! that is hardly nothing...for me--I used to buy 3 or 4 a month) and some yarn for projects. (Not all this yarn, but you get the picture....)

The other area I noticed was the thought process I went through on small impulse type purchases. At first, I would have to remind myself--even though I liked that cool drawing pen--I did not really need it? and besides--it was new--so a "no-no." Later, I could just look at goods for sale, and know I was just looking--and WOW! did I save $$$ by not buying all those impulse purchases??? Yep! plus---less clutter from needless stuff. I guess this was a good reminder that most of the stuff we think we need (or our culture tells us we need)--we can do without.

That said, I do have a small list of new things I plan to purchase--most having to do with recycling or alternatives modes of transportation, or my design business: bike racks for my bike (so I can carry groceries), this water bottle (so I can always carry filtered water from our tap), and a larger bed scanner and printer (for my design business), and a laptop (again for my business). But most other stuff I can do without---what a revelation!