Bella Dia

Happy Spring

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens

Happy Spring everyone!  Our spring looks a lot like winter here just more brown and muckish.  We got a fresh layer of snow last night but it has almost completely melted. Now only four more feet to go! 

I made these carrots for the kids Equinox baskets.  They are posed with Sour Cream, my youngest sons lovey that he's had forever.  I used this pattern but modified it some.  The pattern calls for increases until you reach 32 stitches around but I stopped at 20 stitches and then kept going until I reached the length that I wanted.  I believe the smallest carrot is 12 stitches around.  I only printed out the first page of the pattern by mistake therefore I'm not sure how they did the green tops so I just improvised mine.  They are stuffed with poly-fil only since my kids are too old for rattles as called for in the pattern; they're really too old for these in general but they don't mind indulging their mama every now and then.

I've been working on a new project that I am planning to unveil next week.  I'm really excited about it and can't wait to share it with you so be sure to check back on Monday for the grand opening :)

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and Easter!

Simply Happy Pretty Things

"Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy."

Sarah made a comment about my tag line - "simply happy pretty things" - and I realized that I had never really said where it came from. I came across this quote from Osho and I just loved it. It reminds me to take notice of and enjoy the little things, to find peace and joy in nature and to try and live simply. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Cleaning My Studio On A Snowy Evening

Whose room this is I think I know,
Can’t blame the kids - it’s mine, to sew.
I can’t believe these piles of stuff
Are filling up my studio.

My little cat must think it queer
To see me get up off my rear
Between the fabric, thread and pins
The darkest evening now is here.

I ask the kids to make some tea,
I’ll be gone awhile you see.
I must focus, no distractions,
By crafty books in Japanese.

This mess is ugly, dense and deep.
But I have paper bits to sweep,
And piles to go before I sleep,
And piles to go before I sleep.

*my version of Robert Frost's
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

For everything there is a season

This is my contribution to the Collective Souls journal, Believe. I based my pages on the quote from Ecclesiastes, "For everything there is a season...". You can see the other page contributions here.

It took me awhile to get going on this project. I haven't worked with paper and collage in such a long time that it was kind of difficult getting the creative wheels in motion.

This page and the one above it face each other in the journal.

A fall version of the first page which represents spring showing how the seasons, like everything else, come full circle.
------------------
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

How To Enjoy Ourselves

"If we would enjoy ourselves, we must take the world as it is; mix up a thousand spots of sunshine, - a cloud here and there, -a bright sky, -a storm today, calm to-morrow, -the chill-piercing winds of autumn, and the bland, reviving air of summer."
-The Old Farmer's Almanac, 1854

This is a picture of my kids skating with their cousins here in town. The fire department covers a local park with water at the beginning of winter and then it gets maintained as an ice rink through the winter.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

A Dream Come True

Oh my! I've just found out
that the Dalai Lama is coming here,
where I live, in the fall!!!!!!!!!!! This is a
dream come true for me!!!
Being able to hear him speak, to see him,
is on my list of things I want to see/do/experience before I die. I am overwhelmed with feelings of happiness and gratitude.
The stars and planets must have aligned over my little world because I never ever thought it would happen like this.
I don't know what else to write because
the rest of my post would be more of the same: ...happy!!!!!! ...thrilled!!!!!!! ...excited!!!!!!! ...elated!!!!!!
Sometimes, very good things happen.

Why I love him:

My religion is very simple.
My religion is kindness.
-Dalai Lama

Our prime purpose in this life
is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
-Dalai Lama

The purpose of our lives is to be happy.
-Dalai Lama

This is my simple religion.
There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.
-Dalai Lama

Whether one believes in a religion
or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.
-Dalai Lama

The Easiest Gift of All

"Some years ago, a department store in
New York City, in recognition of the pressures its sales clerks were under during the Christmas rush, presented the readers of its advertisements with the following homely philosophy:

The Value of a Smile at Christmas

It costs nothing, but creates much.
It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give.
It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever.
None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer
for its benefits.
It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends.
It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and Nature's best
antidote for trouble.
Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is given away.
And if in the last-minute rush of Christmas buying some of our salespeople should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you
to leave one of yours?
For nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none left to give!"

from How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie