work in progress (wip) - mandala embroidery

so far a mix of stem, split, and back stitches

sometimes i get the urge to embroider.  i've never gotten terribly into it and it's so hard for me to actually finish an embroidery project i've started.  usually i get to a certain point and decide that there's puckering and/or the stitches aren't even enough and/or i'm out of that color thread i need and/or it just doesn't look good enough to finish so it gets put into the time out corner, or the textile recycling. 

nonetheless i keep coming back to it.  there's something about it that's very soothing and meditative.  i feel like it's the textile version of an adult coloring book.  you use it to create pieces that aren't functional; you create them just because they're beautiful.  there's something i like about that concept, although i usually err on the side of functional when it comes to how to spend my crafting time.

embroidery project and supplies living in my new skull project bag

whether mandalas are on trend right now or i've been looking at a lot of related imagery, it seems like mandalas have been everywhere lately and they have really been catching my eye.  so far i think it looks pretty good.  i'm just going slowly, trying to enjoy making decisions and fixing mistakes, and most importantly taking it one stitch at a time.

in case it does end up a total failure i bought a mandala coloring book.  if it goes well i have more mandalas to trace and embroider.  if it turns out horribly and i never want to embroider again i'll throw out my embroider threads and buy some markers!

just kidding, i already own all the markers.

a few thoughts on things.

i love that feeling when i run across an old notebook and find a journal entry or list of things to be grateful for or some other snapshot of my life at that moment when those thoughts seemed important enough to write down.  i love memories on facebook, too.  reading through my old blog entries was like a combination of both: words and pictures.  i love being reminded of where i was two or five or ten years ago so i can appreciate how much things change and how they stay the same...

i've always enjoyed writing and i started feeling nostalgic for my blogging days.  i was writing and journaling a lot over summer but lately my inspiration has shifted.  i was processing a lot of heavy thoughts and emotions at that point in time and now that the dust of life has settled a bit, i feel like i can shift my thoughts to lighter matters.  i want to fill my mind and my life with whatever makes my heart sing.

i've noticed throughout life that my interestes ebb and flow; there's always some creative output but it varies.  i'm not sure if it's this way for all creative people or just some, but i've definitely touched on the concept in brief conversations while browsing the aisles at a craft fair, at the fabric store cutting counter, and in the checkout line at the yarn store.  it seems like it's part of the shared experience of creating.

there are so many things to learn and experience in this existence that it can be overwhelming.  i want to try all the things and read all the books and go all the places and live all the experiences, but my time and capacity are limited.  i've knitted, crocheted, played guitar and piano, drawn,written, journaled, painted, sewn, i've made toys, garments, even blankets.  now as a single mom (oh i didn't mention, did i?  i've split from my husband since my last post and relocated to a much smaller place) who works full time, runs marathons (or at least marathon int he singular: my other big piece of news is that i finally ran my first marathon!!!) i try to put more thought into how i spend my time.

i guess all that to say i know i haven't blogged in a long time and i'm not sure if this will be the start of getting back into it, but it felt right at the moment to share a snapshot of my life at the moment here, if only because i'll enjoy revisiting it in a few years.  i thought about starting over, but somehow the name reloved seemed even more appropriate now than ever.

you make time for what's important to you.

just a few things in life that i've been enjoying lately

jack frost and ladybug girl (an untimely halloween post)

this post was written and saved at least a year ago and for some reason i never published it so here you go...

it's still such a foreign concept to me that my kids can be so little with such strong wills.  we start negotiating halloween costumes mid-summer and for the first time ever they both decided on costumes early on and stuck with the ideas.  

the ladybug girl dress and tutu i had already made up last year when the ladybug girl obsession began. my son came up with the (pretty cool) idea to be jack frost and would. not. stop. until said costume was finished 

both costumes are pretty simple.  jack frost just needs brown high water pants, a blue hoodie, the right stick, and a crap ton of paint and he's good to go.  ladybug girl just needed the dress, tutu, and a couple of accessories my friend donated to the cause.  they were both so happy with their costumes it totally made the months of pestering worth it.

we lucked out and found a stick that was just right at a park... and it promptly broke as he was bringing winter to the living room so it had to be taped...  a couple times...

for the pants i sacrificed my brown denim thurlows.  they didn't fit any more so no big loss, and bonus points for having that pre-worn look.  the sweatshirt was a goodwill find that had to be cut and sewn to size.  it turned out... ok.  i definitely didn't use a pattern and i definitely should've worked all the details out ahead of time instead of winging it.  it fits well enough for a halloween costume though (even for a halloween costume that saw pretty much constant wear for a couple of months).  it took some creative cutting to work around the logo and the zip.  before pic included so you can imagine the hair-pulling trying to cut around that logo....

and hey, lots of people recognized him at halloween so i'll call that a win =D  for those of you that don't know (and i wouldn't blame you) the character is from a movie called rise of the guardians.  not terrible, but definitely no wreck it ralph.