3/26/2011

Don't drink the tea...

Posted on 3/26/2011 by Sweetpea

...when you can stuff your tea mug full of fabric scraps and end up with some *antique* color instead. These bits & pieces sat for three days in a strong dilution of Rooibos tea which I used as a natural plant dye. Mind you, I wasn't very tempted to drink it anyway - something about the smell really puts me off. Although I'm aware of its medicinal qualities (very high in antioxidants) and I generally love any plant material that comes from South Africa, this is not the beverage for me. But for dyeing? It serves a whole new purpose...

All these scraps were WHITE (or had a white background)...natural fabrics only, no synthetics. I was pleasantly surprised by how differently they absorbed color. Let me put them into groups so you can get a better feel for the differences:

100% cotton

Rayon/silk blends (top & middle), linen (bottom)

Silks

The cottons took the least color but they do have a pleasing old-world feel, much nicer than their previous stark white selves. The silks took on the most color, by far, and are my hands-down favorites. Look at that bottom one, now an absolutely gorgeous bronze! I don't know silk varieties very well but I believe that's an organza...

Rooibos literally means "red bush" so I was hoping for some of those elusive pinks that many of us have been striving for of late. After the dyeing is over, one is left with these...

Is it just me or do you find those stains on the teabags interesting too? Seems I am not alone - look what I found out amongst the cyberpixies...

abstract tea bag collage, by Armen Rotch

Tea Bag Quilt, by Charlene Hughes

by Valeria Burgoa

Should any of us be in need of more caffeine for the day, imagine this...entire walls constructed of used tea bags. Bottoms up!

Poetic Justice, by Tania Bruguera

2003 installation at the Istanbul Biennial

For all they do

Posted on 3/06/2011 by Sweetpea

Our hands...they create the extraordinary...

...define a lifetime of vision...

...lead us to places we hadn't thought to go...

...speak softly, with the smallest of gestures...

...work & toil & offer a lifetime of servitude...

...lead us in prayer...

...ask questions...

...tend to the small rituals that define our daily traditions...

...help us build home...

...reach out, sometimes attaining unexpected results...

...offer warmth...

...bring the world in for a closer view...

...participate in all our explorations, however far we wish to go.

Hands...the keepers of our desires...

...and the pedestals for encouraging even the smallest of miracles.

PHOTO CREDITS - top to bottom: mendhi hands here; Georgia O'Keefe's hands here; hand between doors here; pink tulle here; dandelion fingers here; prayer beads here; questioning hands here; teacup here; hands holding nest here; reaching out here; electrographic here; girl with glass here; rock in hand here; blue hands here; black-and-white marblers here.

Wonders never cease...

Posted on 2/23/2011 by Sweetpea

It began with waking up to this ~ four inches of the wet, sticky stuff and still falling.

This is the view from the mudroom door looking towards my veg growing area...

kinda pretty out there...as far as snow goes.

This is the first snowfall we've had since Thanksgiving day.

Certainly the first snow since bringing this one home...

Meet Quinn...

Hi, I'm 18 months old and I can't stay still...

Hello sweet girl, bet you want me to throw the ball, don't you?

I haven't mentioned her until now because in all honesty, it's been touch & go around here

and I haven't been entirely convinced we were going to be able to keep her. Little issue with dawg

Numero Uno who got it in her head she was not going to be usurped by this youngster

in HER territory.

Who me???? I wouldn't hurt a fly...

The face of an angel, my Isla, but she is one cranky b*&%$ when it comes to owning me.

There...I admitted it...I am owned by this dawg.

Quinn is one of those gems that comes from a rescue organization and you can't figure out

how in the world her previous owners could bear to give her up.

For those who don't know this about me,

I am passionate about adopting animals from rescue groups.

No offense intended towards those who choose to buy their pets from breeders, etc.

but my gosh folks,

the number of homeless dogs & cats is already staggeringly high...

don't they deserve first consideration?

Stop me. I could go on about this for hours.

Oh please do, I'm listening...I'm wet but I'm listening, really...

I found Quinn through the Pacific Northwest Border Collie Rescue, the same group that harbored my beloved cranky one after she was saved from running in traffic and later, with no one to claim her.

I can't say enough wonderful things about these dedicated folks!

Rehoming these wonderful dawgs is their life...and I mean LIFE.

I love you guys. You ROCK!

Quinn is a border collie mix of some kind, probably mixed with Belgian shepherd.

Then again, Isla was listed as a border collie mix and turns out she has no border collie in her...

zippo.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology and a little test called 'Dog Breed DNA Analysis'

it was discovered that she is 3/4ths rough-coat collie (you know, Lassie type)

and 1/4th Australian shepherd. Not that it matters one little bit.

But back to unceasing wonders...

*****

It's no secret in canine circles that bringing a second female dog into a household can spell disaster.
I was banking my hopes on the fact that Quinn was still a "puppy" in many ways
and Isla had shown a lot of tolerance for puppy behavior in the past.

Do you want to know how many times I've thought I was dead wrong?

But then...{{{{{{drumroll}}}}}}... today happened...SNOW happened
and everything changed for the better.
[insert the Hallelujah Chorus]
What transpires when two dawgs who are giddy about snow end up having their first snow day together?

Let me show you.

It began with Quinn displaying "play bows" to Isla (invitations to play)...

...which Isla accepted and turned into a massive round of the zoomies

...back and forth and back and forth...

...and when they got so tired they had to take a time out, they did THIS...together...two feet apart

...and do you know what THIS is people? THIS is a bloody miracle!
This is the powerful force of nature working her magic with natural instincts
in a way we humans could not accomplish with all the worry & fretting in the world.

Amen.

One last shameless plug: if you are considering bringing home a new pet,
won't you please consider adopting from a shelter or rescue group first.
Have some hesitations? Let's talk. I'm as close as email.
Like me, you just might find that although you saved a life,
they actually have saved yours...