A Different Form Of Art

I haven't posted anything in a while because I've been working on a larger project--remodeling the kitchen in the house we bought in Hendersonville, NC--our new home. My husband spent almost two weeks getting up old layers of flooring (can you believe the former owner laid ceramic tile over four other layers of flooring--you almost tripped when you walked into the kitchen!). Anyway, he did that and also helped me with the cabinets. We really couldn't afford to put in new cabinets right now but I really hated the old ones, so I came up with the idea of adding trim & knobs and a great shade of paint. You can see what all of the original cabinets looked in the picture on the left. And the new, improved appearance on the left. We are a long way from being finished but, already, I feel as if I'm cooking in a new kitchen.

In the meantime, I've finished the top of my quilt that I've been working on for quite a while.

A good part of the time recently it's been up on the wall with me thinking about how to finish off the area where the corner stems met. I tried something else first and, after sewing them all down with the blanket stitch, decided that it didn't work. After a few more days I came up with the 3-leaf idea and am pretty pleased with it. And NOW it's back up on the wall so I can think about how I want to quilt it. Hopefully, inspiration will soon follow.

A book that I have recently read, The Talent Code, has been very helpful in terms of thinking about how we learn and how we can learn to create better. Read it if you want to think about learning in a different way. I was talking about it with my art group this week and they asked me what I had learned most from reading this book and I said that the main thing I had learned was the reinforcement of what I have been gradually learning over the past couple of years. And that is--to take your time in the creative process. Don't just rush your way through a project so you can get on to the next one. If you take time for reflection and letting your spirit guide your way, you will be amazed at what will follow.

And, finally, many of you know that the mountains of North Carolina had a pretty major snow event yesterday. We got about 12 inches of snow and, thankfully, kept our power throughout (so far). I LOVE the snow. I love the quiet that surrounds you as you step out the door. I love the opportunity to slow down when you really can't go anywhere. I love the great excuse to curl up with a good book. And, amazingly, I love to shovel the driveway so we can get out if we really need to. This afternoon, I took a walk and photographed this old spring that is near our house. I love it, too.