Healing Space

Oceanside, Oregon and Trillium Lake. Two places we cherish collide in the photo, an homage to the solitude we experience when we take our mini breaks from this busy life.

Initially, I was daydreaming about Dominic (which is REALLY common). As I downloaded our recent beach trip photos, I noticed he was standing on this huge rock and the shadow cast over the backside of it was so intensely black there was almost no detail. And then I saw the stars, little bits of lights twinkling there and a new mini photo project was born. 

Bao Zhong Tea from Tea Chai Te was keeping me in a state of continued creative bliss so I moved onto thoughts of my Dad. Passing back into the Spirit World a few months ago, I have found many ways to grieve my sadness.  From songwriting and creative projects like photography, I have chosen to allow myself to turn my sadness into joyful acceptance thru creative play. The stars I saw twinkling in my memories of my Dad were reflecting back at me in some NASA space photography, so I choose some favorite family photos & two collided, creating a few supernovas of healing and release for me. 

 

Each time I create, I let go a little. I let go not of my love for my Dad, but of the thought that this present moment is sad because he is not in that body anymore. He is not in that body but I'm so grateful he took the time all these years to leave us lots of great memories and mementos to remind us of the great love we all share. And as the stars in the photos have been going supernova for the last hundreds of millions of years, so too shall my love for Dominic, my Dad, my Mom, my children Dimitri & Sol, my sister and her family, my grandparents, my in-law parents, my extended family, my friends, my employees, my customers and everyone of us who makes up the stars in the night sky.

Gifts of the Heart

This last year for me has been one filled with awareness and appreciation of the amount of care my husband gives to our relationship and family daily. Every morning, he wakes with a gentle smile and has miles of patience to spare for our wildly awake little boys. There are moments when all you see is tiny feet, arms and legs all over him as the boys climb their Daddy like he is their official jungle gym. As I type this sentence, he is dragging one leg, overbite growling and acting like a zombie while slowly chasing our squealing and giggling boys around the house.

There are many moments I could list where he shows his love in unconscious ways. From doing the dishes daily and giving me hand massages to ease pain to bringing home foods I'll love weekly that can meet my evolving dietary needs in our quest to achieve pain free living for me, he inspires me to love myself too. And this winter season, he surprised me yet again with some beautiful trinkets that speak to how he sees what brings me joy. To have a soul mate who appreciates all the things about me that make me "Angelbabybaby" is the biggest blessing in life. What a guy!

Made by Jinny, owner of Laonato, created this dainty origami squirrel necklace using gold plated brass. As a friend of a squirrel, I am very grateful to have a reminder of Nutty in such a beautiful creation. The very tiny details of this design are so amazing and I look forward to pairing this necklace with one of my own favorite necklace designs I made a few years ago- a gentle black Tektite stone and gold chain.

Other jewelry in the photo: Gold dipped Birch leaf earrings from Tillamook Cheese Factory gift shop $25; Gold dipped crystal quartz necklace, my own design

To add some more sparkle to my life, my husband also gave me these beautiful silver fairy slippers.

Handmade in Athens, Greece with the best quality leather and fur
from 100% sheep wool (muton), these very soft slippers are the creation of G.Papi of the Esty shop, Sandalianas.

Baby Zebra Hat for a Rockin' Friend & Her Sweet Little One.

You know when you meet someone for the first time but feel like you've been friends for years? With joy, you're so excited when you cross paths with someone who gets you so well, and is so fun to be around. Someone in the last year has been that person for me. She's wonderful, and although we haven't been able to spend tons of time together, she always makes me feel at ease and really see the humor in everything. Light of heart with lots of wit, I felt compelled to make something for her that was equal to her uniqueness when I found out she was having a baby.  

I created this little infant zebra hat using a few variations of crochet stitches and alternating super soft acrylic blend black and white yarn.  Normally,  I'm a huge fan of using natural fibers especially when projects are created for infants. But I've made a few hats in the past for my boys with these yarns and they were not only the softest, but the boys didn't have any skin reactions, even though both had major skin sensitivities when they were little. The yarn has enough give to allow stretch over a smaller cotton cap too.

My creative process is very free and fluid. I just create as I go- no patterns, and I don't record what I do. It's a form of meditation for me, and as I create, I allow my mind to focus happy, peaceful thoughts on those who will be receiving the project.  And there is usually lots of moments of joy and humor, like the instant I realized I had finished creating the mane in a way that would go seamless into my design and convey that adorable "rebel" vibe I was wanting.

For those interested in finding a pattern that is similar to this, there is one by Etsy shop, Emie Grace Creations, owned by Miriah Gilbert of Washington. She has lots of entertaining animal hat patterns, with great pictures of her designs.

A Few of My New Favorite Jeweled Things (I've made)...

I have been in a creative cyclone for weeks. Just when I find I need a mental break from life, in pops an inspiring idea that propels me into action. My mind clears when I'm creating, and I find that with each project, just as I am bringing things together to create something new, I feel I am growing in my world perception and empathy as I think of each materials origins and impact on humanity. I feel the woman in Nepal who shaped the gemstone, the animal AND the humans who were the originators of the leather. I am connected to all and want to share my love for life in it. I love experiencing my creative moments and being present in them.  If I had the time (& desire), to post each time I created something, I'd probably be over limit on blog entries (if that's possible). Instead, I'll give you a brief glimpse into what my fingers have been creatively up to.

A few fun baubles designed to inspire vibrationally through gemstones and rare rocks like Black Tourmaline and Tektite...

Then I found inspiration in working with leather and created these leather teapot necklaces for our staff (the guys received tea cup key rings).

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And finally, a fun shirt I modified with vintage pearl beaded garland I received from my husband Dominic's Granny.  This shirt was originally really wide in the neck with no support, so adding a few new positioned strands of this beautiful gray garland created something fun and now functional to wear. I first used a fabric glue to set the garland, then hand stitched it to the shirt. No more safety pins to keep this shirt up!

Memory Keeper for My Little Monkeys

One of my favorite things to do with my sons is to flip through our photo albums, showing them great memories of our past, with family, friends and even old family pets. From our wedding photos in Maui, Hawaii to trips to the Oregon coast, capturing moments of joy are a passion of mine that create life long happy reflections I get to share again and again.

Noticing we still hadn’t created a photo album for each of our boys, I was happy to come across some adorable yellow felt letter stickers that went perfectly with some small green fabric covered photo albums at a few craft stores on our recent family trip to Southern Oregon. This project took only about 30 minutes and was very simple to put together. Simply line up the letters on the album and stick them on. I also found some adorable felt monkey stickers and since I often call my sons, “my little monkeys” they were perfect for this project.  To protect the letters, I am reusing the plastic cover that came with each photo album. There is also a pocket in the back of the album, perfect for a CD of other photos (great for adding later as my boys get older).

Now Dimitri and Sol both will have the opportunity to see pictures of their adventures growing up in a quick, personalized way.

A Polite Hat for a Polite Mind.

Grief. Not something you may want to encounter, but just like love, it’s an emotion we all experience at some point. At 98 years old, my Great Grama was a pillar of joy and strength. She inspired me from an early age through her love for color, costume jewelry and even jewel-encrusted sandals. But what she passed down to me was a deep reverence for faith and humanity. Her firm, yet polite ways of reminding my sister and I to be nice when we were kicking each other under the table during lunch as children were (although probably a huge reason I tend to err on the side of being overly polite), such a clear message to me about how interconnected we all are. We all deserve respect. We all have something unique to offer.  So in my grief over my Great Grama’s exit from this physical world, I found myself honoring her through my craft, creating a soft wool hat that I know she would have politely said, “Well done, Angela. I love it.”

My Great Grama & Grampa Leuppie.

Rosy Ring Around My Neck

Not to be confused with the nursery rhyme, "Ring a Ring o' Roses" or "Ring Around the Rosie" by Kate Greenaway from the 1790's, this necklace was created to beautify my wardrobe and not ward off black plague as some historians may attest.

In need of something pretty for a fantastic dinner engagement with some new friends, I pulled a heap of yarn scraps together and was inspired by the warm rainbow of bark, burgundy, red, orange and coral colors. At first attempt, this necklace started out shorter, but as I worked on it, I came to see the folly of having a scalloped petal collar around my neck. 

A clown, was not the impression I wanted to portray (although, my goofiness still shined through out the night as I challenged a new pal to a "Running Man Off". Yes, there is video evidence, and no, you may not see it.). So, I lengthened it by adding a burgundy single stitch chain that weaved through the top of each petal. The fringe, was a fun afterthought, as I liked the idea of incorporating more of the rose bud colors into it.

The yarns I used were Michael's Loops & Threads Charisma 100% acrylic yarn in Mountain Majesty and a super soft acrylic/wool blend from Bernat Roving Collection in the color bark.  
 

Who Says a Kid Can't Safely Rock a Scarf?

Inspired by repeated requests from my son, Dimitri, to dress like his Daddy, I dedicated a few hours this  week to crochet a safe scarf he could wear that matched his new favorite beanie. A major fan of Yo Gabba Gabba, I had special ordered Dimitri a Muno beanie (& Solbug a Brobee beanie) from an awesome Etsy shop in Indiana back in the fall. With winter in full stream right now, it became apparent how uncomfortable a traditional scarf was for our little boys as they found it more fun to drag on the ground in puddles rather than try to wrap it around their little necks.

Using some acrylic black yarn with vibrant all cotton red yarn, I created this simple cowl neck scarf using single crochet stitches and a larger crochet hook.  The scarf took less than an hour, and Dimitri was happily parading around the house wearing it over his pajamas. His excited smile & repeated "thank you Mama" comments through out the rest of the day has been a reminder to me of the simple joys and comforts we all need and deserve to enjoy the winter time. Now, when Dimitri goes to play outside, he's happy to be warmer, I'm happy to see him unhindered in his outdoor adventures and also grateful that it's one less thing poor Dominic has to wash. ;)

Cold Nose but Cozy Toes!

The weather is cold, crisp & clear here in the Northwest and I have been in need of replacing my worn out slippers. As I warmed up with my favorite morning brew, Velvet Oolong, a Taiwanese milk oolong we sell at our shop, I thought about the lovely shade of soft grass green suede with lavender leather bow ties. They were a Christmas present that treated my feet well for almost 3 years, but the time had come to branch out into trying to make my own.

Using Michael's Loops & Threads Charisma 100% acrylic yarn in Electric Blue and Lion Brand Homespun acrylic blend yarn in Lagoon, I decided to crochet myself some slippers. They have three ankle straps with wood burned Iris flowers and a reinforced double yarn sole layer.  I didn't follow a pattern, but choose instead to let my imagination guide my stitches. Using mostly single crochet stitches with a variation of longer stitches for the toe sunburst designs, I came up with a style that was both unique and yet simple enough to finish in an afternoon.

My creative & inspired 3 year old son, Dimitri, took these photographs for me.

These slippers definitely suit every need I have for warmth, comfort & breathe-ability while having some rich colored Angelbaby flare to them. Now my little boys each want some new slippers... looks like a few new inspiring projects just got added into the mix!

I Know You Are, But What Am I?

Who am I?

I am Angela.

A loving, cheerful, goofy, strong & creative woman.

The other half of my soulmate, Dominic.

A guiding & playful mother to two joyful little boys (who are also pretty goofy).

A hardworking & dedicated tea business owner with my love, Dominic.

A mad scientist crafter, taking old things and giving it new life as something useful & beautiful.

An inspired poet and writer.

A singer, songwriter & musician in an awesome band that performs weekly in our living room.

A small bit of the light we all are.

To share a little of who I am, I challenged myself to a week long self portrait challenge. Learning to draw more fluidly on my laptop trackpad, I used the ipod application, SketchBook Mobile by Autodesk. The user friendly interface made it easy to select the correct tools and colors for a quick sketch session. This drawing challenge was a great way for me to daydream a little about who I am inside and what I want to be in life. I’m a superhero, an angel, a goddess and even a Ninja Turtle. It’s moments like these that can break up the mundane or stressful times, giving us a chance to go inward and reinvent who we are and what we have to offer to others. Just because we grow up, doesn’t mean we can’t still see ourselves through the eyes of our inner child. And what fun that can be!

 

So, who are you?

Well, only you know truly who you are, but I’m grateful to be on this planet with you. Regardless of statistics or odds, you are here right now, sharing the same airspace with 7 billion others, and you can be whatever you want to be. Life can be whatever you want it to be. And I hope you’ll share your journey with me.