I believe

One of the things I love most about Christmas is the magic.  Seeing the wonder and delight in a child's eye fills my heart with hope and love.  I am reminded of the good in the world and what could happen when we believe in something.

I believed in Santa Claus for a long time.  Even though I don't remember how old I was when I stopped believing I remember how it all went down.  Each year my brothers and I would write letters to Santa and leave them on our dressers.  When we were safely nestled into bed the jolly old man would come in and scoop them up, or so we thought.  

The year I was on the fence about Santa I went through with writing my letter as usual and left it on my dresser.  The one thing I didn't do that I normally did was tell my parents that the letter was there.  This was my test.  When I went to bed that night I secretly wished the letter would be gone in the morning but had a feeling that it wasn't going to be.  

Just as I suspected upon waking the letter was still there.  There was no Santa Claus after all.  Knowing this was upsetting but it didn't squash my hope.  I still loved the idea of believing and the wonderment and awe that filled the days around the holiday.  

Today that joy of wonderment is still with me as I watch my nieces believe.  It lights me up to see the delight and excitement in those little girls eyes.  Having kids around during the holidays brings a whole new dimension of joy to the holiday spirit.

I may not believe in Santa any more, but I do believe that there is power in hope and coming together.  I believe that when we choose love we find a joyful path.  I believe that family and friends are what matters most in this world and that above all else we must choose kindness.  I believe that there is joy to unearth in the every day and that we must appreciate these little moment.  When I choose to believe in something I know that my heart opens up a little bit more and that is needed in this world.  

What do you believe in?  What gives you hope, lights you up and opens you up?   

fabric dolls :: handmade christmas

Last year I saw this adorable fabric doll pattern from Make It & Love It.  I had just begun my exploration of the sewing machine as I was tasked to continue the family tradition of handmade stockings that my grandmother had begun.  Unfortunately due to lack of time and the chaos that becomes the holidays I was unable try my hands at creating the doll.  

When this year rolled around I remembered the pattern and knew I just had to give it a try.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out as my knowledge of a sewing machine was minimal but I knew it would be a great project to help me brave the blues.  So I dug in. 

This was a great project for a beginner like me.  There is nothing to complicated and it is so satisfying to see something come to life.  

I became and expert at filling a bobbin and threading my sewing machine.  I was able to switch out my threads in a flash thanks to the help of my trusty side kicked who showed me how to do it and sewed his very first piece of fabric together.   It was exciting to learn something new.

I had intended to make the dolls each with different clothing, but there were some mishaps along the way and beginner mistakes of not choosing the proper fabric.  Legs and arms ended up never finding a body and a misfit doll had a face that just didn't seem right.  

Along the way I celebrate the small moments like seeing shoes on the feet.  I was sewing, yes I was sewing.  And in the end it all came together.  I had two adorable dolls made with love for my two nieces.  

am so glad I took the risk and gave this project a try even without much knowledge of sewing.  It was fun to do and even more fun to see the two little girls hug their dolls.  I am looking forward to creating more with my sewing machine.  

winter solstice

Happy winter solstice to you and yours.  Today we welcome back the light and celebrate a little bit more sunshine filling our days.  For this I am grateful.  

braving the blues check in

So far the winter has treated us kindly.  The days have not been to bitingly cold and I have had the opportunity to step outside from some fresh air more often than not.  Having a plan in place has definitely helped me to brave the blues and keep me on track from not falling down the rabbit whole.  

I have been keeping myself busy with some creative projects.  I unpacked my sewing machine and jumped on in.  I do not really know how to sew but I am learning.  It has bee so much fun to watch something take shape.  Have a creative outlet to turn to and a project to complete keeps me energized and focused.  

More often than not I have revved up my juicer.  Getting healthy foods into my body always makes me feel better.  One of my favorite go to juice recipes is:

• A few Carrots
• One Beet, two if they are really small
• One Green Apple
• One Lemon
• A couple of stalks of Celery
• Some Ginger
• Romaine

This is one of my favorite combinations.  I love the healthy dose of energy that the beets provide me.  Do you have any favorite juicing recipes?  

I have also been enjoying sending and receiving postcards as a part of the Love Notes Postcard Project.  For this round I created a couple of postcards using watercolors.  It was nice to sit down for a little while and really focus my energy on these postcards.  

For me there is such a thrill that occurs when I see a little sliver of sunshine in my mailbox sitting next to the bills and excessive amount of catalogs that I receive.  These little pieces of paper lift me up and change my day for the better.  I can't believe next week is already our third and final prompt for this round.  

How about you?  How have you been braving the blues?  Do you have any secret recipes or  warrior moves that you can share?  What is helping you get through these dark and cold days?  
I encourage you to join me in braving the blues.  Check out the hashtag #bravingtheblues on Instagram to see what else has been helping me.  Maybe it will inspire you in #bravingtheblues 

sew crafty

This weekend I pulled out my sewing machine and decided to jump on in.  There was one particular project that I had to finish up from last year, yes last year --- when my sewing machine broke and I couldn't figure out how to fix it.  This particular project needs to be complete before Christmas, so now is as good a time as any to get it done. 

I am LOVING my new machine.  It is so easy to use and was set up in a flash.  I wish I would have taken it out of the box sooner.   My living room is filled with bits of fabric, pins, and all sorts of sewing goodness.  It is an explosion of color.  Not having much space to lay everything out makes it a little bit challenging, but I am still enjoying the process.  

There is something magical to me in watching my creations come together.  In seeing the pieces that I cut out actually take form.  I do have much to learn about tension, stitch size, and fabric but these little works of love are a fun experiment.  

I wish I could show you more images now but these pieces are gifts for some very special folks and I don't want to ruin the surprise.  I will share more after they receive them.   

Sewing was a great way to help me brave the blues.  Yesterday it was windy and cold outside.  I went for a short walk but knew I needed to do something to prevent me from laying on the couch and drifting away into a bluesy nap.  So out the machine came and instantly my spirits were lifted.  My creative drive revved up and I even made two trips to the craft store to pick up somethings I didn't have, and then somethings I forgot.

Working with my hands soothes me.  I love how I can physically see nothing turn into something.  I think that little sewing machine is going to get a lot of use out of me.  

braving the blues :: getting outside

The hours spent indoors during the week weighs heavy on my heart.  I seem to  be unable to remember the last time I saw the sun.  The air is crisp, but I knew I needed to get outside.  Nature heals me.  It brings me back to center and reminds me of the goodness that this world has to offer.  

During the week I lose my motivation to get outside.  Leaving for work in the dark and coming home in the dark pulls all the energy I had stored up from my soul.  The chill in the air pushes me to want to curl up under the covers and drift off into dream world. 

With my camera in hand I am pushed to walk beyond the four walls of my home and into the world.  I get to experience the beauty that is living and breathing right outside my door.  The camera forces me to slow down, breathe deep, and seek out moments to capture.  Taking photos reminds me to savor the opportunity for this moment even if the air is freezing.  

I am so grateful to have a partner in crime who will step out into the cold with me and capture the things we find.  I love going on photo walks with him because we each come home with different images in our cameras.  He is drawn to the bigger scene and I am drawn to the details.  Even if we are looking at the same thing we both capture different angles.  I love seeing the contrast between our photos and what the other was drawn to.  

The winter challenges me.  It takes work for me to stay creative and feel inspired.  This year I have mentally prepared myself by making a list of ten ways to prepare for the blues.  These words are tucked into my heart and have set me off on the right foot mentally.  Having this small list and being more conscious of battling the blues has helped me navigate this journey.  Sharing it with others has reminded me that I am not alone on these battle grounds. 

I have also been using instagram to share my moments in hopes of inspiring others to brave the blues as well.  Sometimes just seeing a photo of something someone is doing gets me inspired and takes me out of my funk.  You can find my images through the hashtag #bravingtheblues  

I invite you to join me in braving the blues.  Tag your photos and together we will bravely step through winter and create beautiful memories along the way.  What are your go to self care moments to get you through the winter?