hole in my heart

how do i write this, when i'm still trying to grasp the reality of what happened.
my father died unexpectedly and suddenly 2 days ago at age 65. he had a heart attack during a sprint run at the park, it was very hot and humid that day. he was an avid runner as long as i can remember, typically running 6 miles a day. he didn't smoke, drink alcohol or coffee. he wore a seat belt. he watched his weight. he was active with a strong work ethic and lived a simple life in the country. ironically, he was a certified EMT and Wilderness EMT- prepared to save other people's lives. if he had come across himself during that run, he would've known what to do. the how's and why's repeat over and over in my head. but there are no answers.

we were to visit him in 2 weeks time. i had just spoke to him on the phone 4 days ago, and asked what kind of cookies he'd like me to bring (chocolate chip). our trip is now happening 1 week sooner to attend his memorial service. i'll still bring the cookies as promised.

what i try to focus on is that he had a great quality of life up to the last second. there were no doctors, drugs, hospitals or long drawn out painful decline. he went out in a bang, doing what he loved... running in the great outdoors, under the sun and sky. he also loved to fly and held a pilots license. i know he is flying now, higher than ever before.

(photo taken at his house)
when i look up at the sky, i will think of my dad.

'round the studio

vintage pom pom trim hanging to dry

hand-dyed mohair (+ mohair monster that landed on top)

* baby krishna *

hand-dyed red heel sock monkey tuches :-)
my studio is a colorful place.
hope you're weekend was color-full too!

sea spider in silly etsy treasury

Just got word my "sea spider" necklace is featured in Etsy treasury "That's Just Silly" by AdeleBeeAnn. Thanks girl! Fun, kooky stuff for your Saturday sillies...check it out :)

just cuz

sent to me by a fellow cat lover who knows me well :-) sorry i have no idea who to credit this surreal feline fantasy to (if you find out, let me know). the blue dress just kills me. a bit of whimsy to start your weekend!

happy + the hang tag

oh "happy" just look at you, so teensy resting on your hang tag- which in scale is more like a surf board. gosh they were certainly small ones, eh? my personal challenge is to make even tinier ones for next time. i think anyone who makes miniatures can attest that working smaller is more challenging in just about every way (at least for me it is). what can i say, it's a labor of love. so glad you loved them too :O)

7am in the Garden

(top) our purple clematis is blooming and thriving now in it's 2nd year of planting. last year it was such a scrawny little thing, it's fragile vines barely even reaching the lattice. i had "clematis-envy" last summer looking at the neighbors well-established blooms reaching the top of their garage. this year we can finally enjoy ours :-)

(middle) the organic mesclun salad mix seedlings. they were the first to sprout in our raised bed garden. hooray! something is growing!

(bottom) our first perennial wildflower patch, grown from seeds started last june. this is the glorious result of my experiment with no-dig method of gardening. i learned about it from an article by Lee Reich in Mother Earth News. it blew my mind and just makes so much sense to not disturb the soil. plus it's a lot easier than digging up turf and you can lay a garden bed instantly! we have white, orange and pink in bloom now...

whats blooming in your garden? enjoy your sunday!

a dyed sky

is the sky in the dye, or the dye in the sky?

i spent a good part of the evening dying mohair in fabulous new colors (that's my pot of dye above, just before stirring). and mother nature was mixing some colors too.
hope you're weekend is off to a brilliant start :-)

* thank you *

wowee, i'm so flattered by the great response to my mini dancing bears! they are pretty funky and unusual- i had no idea how they'd go over. i'm relieved that i'm not the only one who thinks they're crazy cute!

the bears are sold out.. except for dear little Rosebud on PFATT she's SOLD!

thank you all so much for being dancing partners with the mini bears!

PFATT Marketplace offering for May

Today is the 10th! That means today is the PFATT Marketplace monthly update! This is "Rosebud", my offering for May. She's a little different with thicker chenille limbs, holding a fruit snack of grapes. Available for adoption at PFATT or via my web site. SOLD

let's dance

put on your dancing shoes and grab a partner! so what if she/he is 3" tall? that makes 'em light on their toes :) these *new funky mini bear necklaces* have wobble jointed heads so their bodies jiggle and dance when you wear them. come see them today on my web site! xoxo

the Bear Update will be MONDAY!

weekends... something just always comes up, right? i was overachieving thinking i could squeeze out an update last night... and yet here i am next day in a race against sunlight for photographing but these things just can't be rushed. sorry to have you expecting bears today... the update will OFFICIALLY be tomorrow, MONDAY, at 2pm central (12 noon Pacific/ 1pm Mountain/ 3pm Eastern). if this is your first time ordering, check out my order page for more info.

there will be 8 new bears available: 7 for my web site update, and 1 for PFATT Marketplace update also happening tomorrow.

Hope you all had a sweet momma's day! you were all in my thoughts :)

momma's day preview

yes, i'm up and atom at 5:45am this saturday morning! one of the treats of rising early is seeing the sky transform with the sunrise, in just a few fleeting minutes. the day is new and full of potential. we're having chilly fall-like weather today which is ideal for working snug in the studio, and i have very special new little sweeties getting ready to meet you for Mother's Day! *new* designs! if all goes well, i will post a small update on my web site tonight, or tomorrow at latest. (things have shifted a bit.. no time for update this weekend, instead it will be on MONDAY). ooh goody, excitement!!

Easy Homemade Organic Rice Milk

When a neighbor/ busy mom of 3 told us she makes her own rice milk for her family, I had to investigate. I discovered it's SO easy and economical to make: 1 cup of rice = nearly half gallon of rice milk. So here's my first batch! Needs some tweaking, but overall I'm fairly impressed with it. For baking purposes (like the 1.5 cups I used in pancakes yesterday), it's impossible to tell the difference between homemade rice milk vs. manufactured. There's a few variations of the recipe out there, but I tried this one first. Goes well with homemade nut butter :)

Vintage Japan

(Into the Mist. Lone Pilgrim on a Mountain Trail, ca.1898-1908)

The work of Japanese enigmatic photographer T. Enami, of Meiji and Taisho eras. It has that dreamlike quality of early black and white films that I just love.

Animated T. Enami stereoviews of old Japan, created by Pink Tentacle from Flickr set posted by Okinawa Soba.

Tomorrow I'll be listing vintage View-Master Kodachromes and a set of vintage Japanese postcards on eBay, plus other fine collectibles. A few auctions are up right now (amber/ sterling silver jewelry) so take a peek. Happy May Day!