house wren studio

moving

Taking apart the house room by room and preparing to move tomorrow. Seriously.

Tomorrow!

I'm excited about my new little apartment. It is the first home I've chosen by myself. Ever. 

Lots of light, airiness, a beautiful space with a bit of outdoor access too. There will still be birds, neighbors and a wonderful village to walk to.

I'll be close to Maggie, James and the baby, my mom, my old town, old friends.

But there will be so much to miss here. 15 years of family memories. I'm taking all that with me though. No bubble wrap or boxes needed.

Need to get packing. So much stuff! (Massive moving sale to come.)

See you back here soon with news of Vermont which is just a few weeks away. A bright, sunny light at the end of this tunnel! (Also - My Etsy shop only has digital downloads right now because I can't keep up with orders until I get a little settled. Thanks for your patience.)

 

summer love

This has been the loveliest summer I can remember. Weekends seemed to get the best weather and there was so much to do. 

Over here, the projects are lining up as we prepare to sell our house of 15+ years. That means mostly clearing out. Oh, the stuff! It's time to let it go and seriously downsize. 

More than anything, of course, I want to sit down and make more stuff. Draw, stitch, paint, sew. There will be time when the weather cools and there is a new settling in. In spite of all the chores and distractions, I have enjoyed so many adventures this summer. And there are still more to come. Next month Meleen and I will be hosting two retreat weekends in Vermont. We are going to make felt cottages and journals among other things. Perfect opportunities to destash here. I'm so happy to be heading back!

 

The felt cottage class is one I've taught before and it remains a favorite. Looking forward to crafting and relaxing with old and new friends again in one of the prettiest places ever.

August snapshots to follow and a bit of exciting news too ~

Grammy and Erin 

an evening walk through my friend's orchard.

uncovering a favorite house wren image.

my tattered summer hobo bag in need of mending.

planning a new holiday project.

gladiolus delivered color and drama daily.

the farmers' market, a town event for table and photos.

visited the other side of the river's shoreline.

bowled for the first time in 20 something years.

dusk on the Hudson again and again.

a Yankees game in the bleachers!

The most exciting news around here is that Maggie and James are expecting a baby boy this winter! All of us are beyond thrilled for them. So much love awaits. So much!

{And yes, that box of baby clothes was the first one I pulled down from the shelf. After three girls, a little boy will need his own new handmades. Happily, there are a few things that will have another turn. I made this little shirt for Erin in 1978. All of it handstitched. Even the buttonholes! Will it surprise you to hear that I still have the pattern? Folkwear's #109 Little Folks} 

well, hello again

And suddenly, it is August. Busy days, lazy days. 

Gladiolas! Paints and threads. Pattern and color.

Our dear friend Lynne moved away so we had a farewell craft night and decoupaged a keepsake trunk.

Found an old, old, old book in my stash and discovered that there were state maps inside. We used all the states she lived in and then added copies of my vintage NY postcards. I printed the backs too and added messages to Lynne over the faint handwritings from the original senders. Really pleased with the finished trunk, but I'm so sad to see her go!

Finally finished this and reloaded the Etsy shop.

And then - and then! - Meleen and I went up to Vermont to begin prepping for the Fall Getaway. Oh, how I love it there!

We prettied up the rooms.

Stitching up curtains, digging through treasures, hanging pictures (and vintage pillowcases).

We took time off and wandered around the scenic country roads.

After all, it was village tag sale weekend. Every corner was dotted with signs, every road led to a sale.

This photo is all I took away from this barn sale, but I'm so glad we went. Seriously spectacular.

I came home so excited and inspired by our plans for the weekend. It sold out very quickly and we still have lots of inquiries about openings. Thinking we'll do it again at another time of year, possibly late spring or summer 2014, so if you might like to join us, email us at fallvermontgetaway{at}gmail.com. 

Hoping your summer is creative, busy .... and a little bit lazy too. 

I'll be back here Sunday night with a give-away for you. See you then!

summer simmer

All those cool days turned into hot ones, proof that summer is fully here. Walks at the river, to the pond and then little projects inside. Friends came to visit which inspired serious house cleaning to get ready. Always good to actually see what's here and think about why. Mary likes orange, so I collected a bundle of orange favorites for her. 

I like orange too.

Wishing you all a good weekend. Holiday next week! 

a beginning and a bit of an end

I cannot wait to share all the details of my trip to Houston and Quilt Market. Even the flight away from home was magical. (How I love NY!) The weekend unfolded in the best of ways and I will be back soon to show and tell.

But first, my focus is re-entry. There is still snow on the ground here and there and our poor broken tree teetering ominously. The old lilac was crushed too. Wish I could mend it with needle and thread.

Plenty of happy things to think about while we snip, saw and bundle. Still trying to take it all in!

batten down the hatches

(the neighborhood after a "big rain" last March)

I had a few things in mind to post about, but Irene is stepping in front of that.

Mo and I managed on our own through Floyd in '99 (Andy was away). We lived right on the Hudson then and the whole place flooded in the space of two hours - building groaning, windows rattling, water rushing under doors. Shoes floated down the hallway like little skiffs. The two of us were the only people still there in what was essentially a three-acre factory warehouse of darkness and water. A long terrifying night.

This time, here we are all cozy in our tiny house a bit up the hill - under towering (and swaying) willow trees beside a flood-prone creek out back. 

We'll be better prepared this time. Candles to stitch by and all the other stuff too. I'm glad I spent my summer emptying the basement. 

Click to enlarge the image below. We are just above the top of the map on the river. Serious times. (The Times reported that they are closing the subways for fear of the above-ground cars rocking in the wind!)

Just hope those trees stay standing. Right where they are.

summer loves :: five

Summer laundry.

*********

This weekend, we are preparing to welcome Erin and John Paul back from Boston as they begin a wonderful new adventure in New York. Won't be much time for hanging around in swimsuits, but there will certainly be more laundry for a bit. 

For the first time since 1996, our family will all be together in neighboring zipcodes! Yay!!! We're so excited!

green day

Maggie had this wonderful idea for me and came over last night to make sure it was in action. We got our groove on sorting some studio sweets for flat-rate ship/shop boxes. By color!

Yesterday I tried it out and made up one that was all pinks. It was much more fun to destash by color - like filling treat bags for a party or a class. We put on some cute vintage aprons (discovered in the mix), got our laughs going (Mom, that's not Green! Yes, but it looks so pretty with Green!) and generally had a very nice evening.

Hot as blazes out there, but today it feels much cooler in the studio. More room to breathe. Thanks, Mags! As promised, I'm working on Orange this afternoon. Or maybe Blue. Or Yellow.

behind the scenes

Backstage here there's a lot going on. The not-so-pretty part of life with lots of stuff, directions and untidied ends has finally caught up with me. I'm on a tear to destash and empty the baskets and bins.

This morning I heard that it's Nelson Mandela's 93rd birthday today. It was suggested that because he spent 67 years in public service, that we try to dedicate 67 minutes today to the same effort. I'm going to spend it collecting household items for the animal shelter. Along with the fifth carload of donations to the church sale, I have a mission for the day, actually for the week.

Then maybe for a little bit at the end of the day, I'll get back to finishing my perfect world for Jane. (And yes, the weekend's Etsy orders are ready to go too. Thanks so much!)

Happy birthday, Dr. Mandela!

P.S. Anyone want those cookie boxes from the wedding or the kitchen shower doll? Email me at chlyons9(at)gmail(dot)com.

filling

* vases with peonies .... one hot day took them from bud to bloom too fast.

* luggage for my weekend teaching trip to Saint Louis and MEHC workshops.

* Etsy orders, envelopes and sampler stock.

* sampler sketches with details to stitch.

* the hoop with a new design for the road.

I can't believe it's already June!