Pleasant surprises

When I first stared dying roving, I discovered fast, I was on a steep learning curve - especially with regards to Kettle dyeing. For me I liken it to standing on a balance board!....
#1. Start with a color in mind - okay, just for fun, hot fuchsia ( AKA- standing on the board).
#2. Apply imagined color (little lean to the right)
#3. Opps! way too much pink in the dye pot! Quick... (lean to the left for a hard correction!) Throw in some blue...
#4. How about a little green and a dash of brown. ( My legs are getting wobbly... wiggle, wiggle , balance, balance!) And TAH DAH! I get this....



Phew! What a work out! Not a total disaster but, not quite what I had envisioned. For me... Control over the process has been a gradual and hard earned achievement. And a blast to attain! :)

For the time being, I named my friend "My Many Colored Days" after the Dr.Seuss book and stashed her! Until recently when...

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to go ahead a see what this roving would look like spun up.
And I got a lesson in pleasant surprises!



She is not anything like what I had intended... but thank goodness that 'intentional" part of me isn't always "driving the bus". I would miss out on a lot of adventures a long the way and getting a chance to discover that when it comes to creativity - It's in the process of wobbling that I come into balance.

Stayed tuned!!! I am working on my first Art Yarn ever! (It's a present for a very dear friend.... shhhhhh don't tell :)

Butterflies & Roving Inspiration

The butterfly symbolizes freedom, fun and joyous times. What better inspiration could there be for roving!

Speaking of symbols…. I’m adding some hearts to my etsy heartstone shop. Maybe you might find something nice for Valentine’s Day…or a special wish for yourself!

Cheers!

Home is Where the Dog is!

I thought today it would be fun to introduce you to my friend whose button namesake is Twlya.

First of all, you should know these are my Twlya  Buttons....

Light, airy, sweet and joyful! That what I think about when I see these buttons. My Twyla design is one of my most popular buttons..... which is absolutely appropriate because Twyla is one of my most special friends.

Here she is....see the resemblance?!

Twyla is my Angel Heart. She is my girl. Because I have three gorgeous boys and a wonderful husband it was my intention to level the testosterone field by adopting a female companion. Little did I know she would have more energy than all of my boys put together and she is four! Twyla is my Joy! My Whimsy Girl and the kindest, sweetest dog I have ever known. She is very sharp (I think it is the poodle in her) and very people oriented. She also loves to police our three cats and lets them know who is top dog and... she is extremely food motivated (A girl after my own heart J). She especially likes tomatoes when I am making salad.

She always hangs out in my studio with me when I am making clay creations.  She is actually sitting next to me as I type. So you can know that all of her light, sweet, joyful energy is surrounding me whenever I am creating your buttons. 

If Twyla had a bumper sticker it would say "Life is Fluffy!"

She also wanted me to include a picture of one of her personal favorites....

The Extra Large Twyla Button with Blue Violet Stain and Clear Glaze.

I hope you have a Fluffy Day!

A Day (well okay three weeks) in the Life of an Indie Button Creator!

This month has been quite dynamic ~ espeically for the past couple weeks while I have been filling two wholesale orders for two amazing LYS here in Portland. 

The Knitting Bee and Twisted.

I am so excited and honored to have a presence in these two Beautiful Stores. 

And I now I am packaging up flower buttons to contribute to the Showers and Flowers Phat Fibers Sample box for May! And as always I continue to enjoy the sweet interactions I get to have with my wonderful Etsy customers in their pursuit for "just right button". 

And now a quick description of what I've been up to!

First I apply the texture before I cut out the button.

This is a multi step process that involves, stamping, drying and then cleaning up the buttons.

Buttons drying here....

Once they are all cleaned up and button holes are ready to go, they are ready for their first firing. After their first firing (the bisque firing) I apply glaze to the buttons. (Sometimes glazing is like painting with invisible ink! You never know how a button will turn out until it has all ready has been fired! Talk about mystery and intrigue:-) 

Then I load  them into my little kiln to have their second firing. 

Your buttons get fired to a temperature of more than 2100 degrees F!.... 

To become transformed.

This is how I package my buttons for my wonderful retailers.

I call them "Button Adoration". They are my buttons of love!

 

And this is me saying thank you to ALL!

I must express, part of Evolving to Joy is knowing that I am growing a business that is so rewarding and fun for me and for all the people I get to meet in person and through the internet! I am grateful to all of you for your support and enthusiasm for my buttons. 

Wishing you a Joyful Day!

Shelby

Wonder

According the the Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition for Wonder is 

"1. a cause for astonishment

2. the quality of exciting amazed admiration

3. rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience"

And this is exactly what I felt when I saw this beautiful flower pop up in my garden.

It's called a fritllaria meleagris, or Scarlet Bells

I call it a fairy skirt!

The geometric pattern just baffles my mind!

What a flashy show for such a small delicate flower. 

My reward for looking close. It speaks to my absolute conviction that ...

"Joy finds wonder everywhere!" ~ anonymous

Let's keep looking together :-)

True Friends

Now I have a Clean house and a full Heart!

A couple ingredients of Joy I discovered yesterday is flexibility and openness. And most importantly that true friendship is one of the Greatest Joys of all. We relocated about a year and a half ago, so while I have been orienting to my "new" life here in the Beautiful Northwest, I have had a lot of time to think about what true friendship is all about.

Some times it's hard to know how much someone means to you until you have not seen them for awhile. Amazing how restorative it to be with someone you can just relax into being with.

"True friendship is felt, not said" - Mariecris Madayag

So true. I was left last night with the realization that true friends give YOU back to yourself. And the alchemy and synergy really happens when we can do that for each other. This is one of the deepest gifts of all. I am so glad you came to visit Jim. It was a gift to be with you.

photo courtesy of Moncia Hansen

Lots of times when I am working in my studio I am flooded with thoughts of all the people that live in my Heart.

photo courtesy of Monica Hansen

Here is a picture of the Button I attribute to my longest, dearest friend Sheila. Her friendship means the world to me. She is a gift to my Heart and an Angel in my Life. When I thinking about the meaning of true friends last night, I found this quotation that made me think of Sheila. 

"A true friend is  some one that knows the song of your soul, and sings it back to you when you have forgotten the words" -Anonymous

I am honored to say, we get to do this for each other.