Do the Hustle . . .

Five, six, seven, eight . . .

Step, ball change, step, step...

Dance. Choreography. Routines.

I spent a lot of time in musical theater rehearsals and in dance classes growing up.

I spent countless hours stretching at a barre.

I learned ballet and jazz and modern and tap.

I did not have a favorite.

I learned to dance the charleston, the hustle, the boot scootin' boogie and just about every other dance trend you can imagine.

I loved it all.

While in high school, I met a friend.

He was a little overweight and not very "cute".

He was considered a little odd.

He didn't really "fit" in.

He was teased sometimes by his peers.

But he was kind and we became friends.

Really great friends.

We discovered that we shared some important common interests - music and dance.

He had an amazing music collection on albums.

Remember those? Vinyl!

I had a tape player.

I would give him blank tapes - he would record his albums for me.

And then we would go find an empty room at the school, or at our church or . . .whereever.

We would drag along a boom box (remember those?) and some of the music tapes.

And we would crank up the music and dance.

On the dance floor - 

he became a different person.

He was Fred Astaire. I was Ginger Rogers.

We would be gliding around in our jeans and athletic shoes - but I imagined that he was in a top hat and tuxedo and I was in a ball gown.

He knew every kind of dance imaginable - 

We would waltz.

We would swing.

We even (I must confess) did disco. 

He was a great leader. 

I learned how to follow his lead by the simplest of touches on my back.

We would do spins, and lifts, and dips, and all sorts of tricks. 

I trusted him. He trusted me. 

I think today of some of the throws he would do with me, and I can't believe that we were that brave.

At times, I felt suspended high in the air above him.

We developed an unspoken language.

When we were 17 we entered a talent contest. We danced.

We didn't even have a set routine - we worked better if we were spontaneous.

We danced.

We won.

Occasionally I attended social dances at my school or my church. 

At these dances, if my partner of choice was not there, I would dance with others.

Very often, when I attended these dances, I wasn't asked to dance very often. I would stand on the wall - yes, it is true - I was a bit of a wallflower.

Often the ones who did ask me to dance were not great partners.

They struggled to know what to do with their feet, where to put their hands, where to look - 

we lacked . . .communication.

I didn't enjoy it.

When the song ended, I would thank them and try to escape as quickly as possible.

And then I would wait and look for my friend - the wonderful dance partner.

 

After my children were born, I pretty much stopped dancing.

Or did I?

I feel like I have been involved in a dance of sorts for the last several months.

This dance has had all sorts of partners-

the unknown, fear, sadness.

These partners have not been very good leaders.

They are unpredictable and are poor at communicating. 

They leave me feeling lost and frustrated and very, very insecure with my abilities.

I have also danced with the partners of happiness, hope, peace and joy.

I prefer dancing with these partners.

I trust these partners - they help me to feel confident and special and in charge of my life.

They are the partners that are encouraging me to chase me dreams and to achieve a new level of life that I never thought possible.

And because these partners are all about building confidence in me - 

they are trusting ME to take the lead.

The bad dance partners are still going to come and go - just like in those social dances of my youth.

But I don't have to spend more than one song with them.

I thank them for the dance- and make my escape.

And then - I go and look for my favorite partners to finish the night out with.

DANCE

When I was five, my mom put me in the car one day and told me she had a surprise for me.

We drove for a while - really just a short distance - but to me it felt like forever.

We arrived at an old school and went inside.

I was confused and nervous.

What were we doing?

We stood in a really, really long line.

And then it happened - she signed me up for ballet lessons.

We then went and bought tights, and leotards, lots of bobby pins and the best part of all . . .

ballet slippers.

I went to dance lessons and learned to plie, and releve'.

I learned about first position and all of the other positions.

To this day - over forty years later - I tend to turn my feet out when standing.

I learned about working at the barre.

We practiced during each class to a live piano player who spent her afternoons playing classical music for us to point and kick to.

And then in the winter - the best thing of all happened -

we got dressed up in our costumes, had our hair pulled back into a tight bun, had our faces smothered in thick make-up and performed our routine on a large stage in downtown Portland.

This was the same stage that the best theatrical performances were given on, and concerts and all the best talent in our City performed on.

And I got to do my simple ballet routine on it.

The lights were so bright and hot.

The audience applauded for us.

It was magical.

And I became instantly addicted to performing.

 

I continued dancing for years to come - all the way through college.

Besides ballet -

I experimented with jazz and tap.

I played around with ball room.

If it was performed to music - I tried it.

And as I grew - I discovered my love of theatre and my favorite thing of all was to perform in musical theatre.

There, I was able to satisfy my love of acting, music and dance.

There I found my bliss.

To this day - If I hear wonderful music, it is next to impossible not to move in some way.

 

But somewhere along the way -

I stopped dancing.

I had children.

The family came first.

Money was tight.

Time was short.

Patience were stretched.

I gained a few (ok maybe more than a few) pounds.

And I stopped dancing on stage . . . in public . . .even in front of my family.

The few times I danced, I confined myself to the safety of my own home when no one was around.

 

Recently - I watched a movie on dancers.

It was a documentary about young ballet dancers who are driven, and passionate and desperate to dance every minute of their lives.

I watched as they stretched and practiced.

I watched as they extended their legs.

They made it look so easy and fluid. Yet - having been a dancer, I understood the dedication and hard work involved. The ultimate athleticism.

I found myself longing for the bloodied toes and the aching muscles. Those things were almost like "badges of honor" to us dancers.

My heart and muscles almost ached for the feel of dance while I watched the movie.

And the feeling lingered for some time afterwards.

 

We all have that thing that makes us ache inside -

maybe for you it is music, or a sport, or writing or . . . .?

It was that thing that you loved to do more than anything else when you were young.

It's that thing that makes you feel restless when you ignore it.

It calls to you. It drives you.

 

Do you answer the call?

Do you still do it?

Do you still pursue that passion on a daily basis?

Why do we let these things go as we become adults?

Somewhere along the way, we become convinced that working on those passions is a sign of immaturity.

Or worse yet - it's a sign of being selfish.

 

Really? Being true to ourself and doing that which makes us the best that we can possibly be is selfish?

As I have grown and changed, I have developed new passions - my art and writing. These

 are passions equal to performing and music and dance.

Does that make me greedy to have more than one?

And if I have such strong desires for my art and writing - am I being greedy to want to pursue the old and forgotten ones?

Does that make me selfish? Or self-absorbed?

 

I am beginning to challenge that thought in my own life now.

I am wanting to reclaim those lost passions.

I want to DANCE!

 

More Upcycling

It's late Fall.

The weather is changing.

What I cook for dinner is changing with the seasons.

It's time for comfort food.

And in my world -

that means soup.

Lots of thick and hearty homemade soups.

 

Now when I make soups,

I use a lot of things like

stewed tomatoes and beans.

And because I am a lazy cook at times -

those items usually come in tin cans.

 

Depending on the soup,

once it is all assembled and simmering away

I look around and find my kitchen counter covered with tins cans.

Sometimes just one or two -

sometimes a lot more.

And although Oregon has a great curbside recycling program for all those cans -

I still feel a little guilty when I throw them out.

 

After a trip around pinterest and the web -

I found all sorts of upcycled ideas for tin cans.

TIN CANS!

Seriously - these are some awesome projects!

 

And now - I find myself wondering what other ways I can

upcycle tin cans.

I'm in trouble now . . .

I LOVE these - I mean really, really love these! Especially the contrast of the cans with the bling!

You know you've been looking for a more efficient way to store your yarn.

What a great desk organizer . . .

But this organizer is my favorite. I could so use something like this on my work table - although i would probably paint the cans rather than cover them in fabric!

Another great organizer. Love!

No need to explain - it's a great idea.

Who needs to buy an expensive cake plate? Make one out of recycled can and plates.

Finally - a way to store plastic bags, or tissues, or ???

And do these not make adorable planters? And talk about affordable. I love this idea, too.
 

So there you go -

 

Now before you throw away that next tin can -

take a minute and think about how it could be upcylced!

And if you have any other ideas - be sure to share!

Dream big with god nothing is impossible

 

When I was a young girl,

I learned a song that I sang at church.

I don't remember much of it - but I do remember a line that said,

"And with God, Nothing is impossible."

 

I believed this, I think.

But at that age -

I just took life as it came and it all seemed good.

My goals were pretty basic -

graduate from school, have a date to the prom (and there is a good story with that), get to sleep in on Saturday mornings,

 

As an adult -

the desires are a little bigger.

But as I put this theory to the test -

I'm beginning to think that there is some truth here.

 

So I am going to keep dreaming BIG.

Because I have decided that little dreams don't really suit us.

 

So what are you dreaming about doing?

What big, giant, momentous things do you think about and want and desire?

 

Let's all make a pact to keep our dreams big  -

but more importantly - Let's choose to believe that we deserve them. . .

 

Just a little thought that helps me keep going these days.

Dream while you are awake

 

We all dream. . .

Pretty much every night.

In fact, in College I did a research paper on dreams.

It was fascinating.

The cycles of sleep, the importance of sleep and more importantly -

the importance of dreams.

Did you know that we dream multiple times through the night?

And we only remember our dreams if we wake up in the middle of it?

Things that make you go hmmmmm . . .

 

So what are we dreaming that we don't remember?

And why should all of the good dreams happen when we are asleep and we can't enjoy them?

 

I prefer to save the good ones -

the really wonderful inspiring, juicy dreams for when I am awake and I can remember them.

And that way  -

Maybe I can actually participate and make them come true.

Laundry Rules

A new commission piece . . .

laundry rules.

This order is for a family who regularly hosts Japanese exchange students.

This 12 x 20 custom piece will hang beautifully on the wall of a laundry room.

I smiled when asked to do this piece.

Knowing it was for a home with exchange students, I understood fully.

For several years, our family hosted over 10 year-long exchange students.

Most of our students were japanese,

but we also had students from Korea and Brazil.

I was humbled to think that the parents of these students had sent them a different country.

Many of the students we hosted were only 16.

They came to stay with us for a whole year.

And we were chosed to take care of them, teach them and love them.

And love them we did.

Our family grew and grew as we hosted students.

Each time a new student joined our family,

we had to teach these 16 year olds how to do many basic household chores.

Laurdry was one of those.

We also taught them

How to do the dishes;

How to clean a bathroom;

We worked with them as they learned to appreciate our food.

We taught them how to use our American showers.

We also learned much from them.

We learned how to be comfortable with silence.

We learned to try new foods.

We learned about different cultures and different traditions.

We learned that buddist and christian beliefs have many similarities.

And in the process, we learned that even though many things were different -

we are all still humans with emotions, and hopes and dreams.

Romlin's Chair and Bench in progress

I met Romlin and Amanda a few years back at one of our summer festivals.

Romlin and her daughter Amanda are the types of people that instantly becomes a friend.

I've done several pieces for their home in the past.

These are the most recent items I have been working on for them.

The chair . . .well that is pretty self-explanatory.

It's one of "those" chairs - the kind that I wish I could find more often.

The kind you find in a library or law office.

The kind that is heavy and solid and seems to wrap around you.

Soon - it will be wrapping around Romlin and Amanda.

The bench - that is a more unique item.

Last year I found a large bench on Craigslist that I made over for our living room.

Romlin saw it and wanted one.

She liked how my bench was long and narrow - different from most standard benches.

I have never found another bench like mine - maybe that was because it had been custom designed.

But I did find 2 long and narrow benches.

That's another story that I will save for another post when this is finished.

We decided to take the creative approach and connected them together.

I am working on this right now.

Blocks of base color have been laid in.

Tonight . . .I will start to bring it life.

More pictures to come!

I love taking cast-offs and giving them new life.

Another special order for someone who loves to share the joy a good message and lots of Color!!

I met Lisa during the holidays.

She bought a few things.

She then ordered a gift.

She then ordered something else.

Now we are decorating her new office.

Filling it with positive messages to help remind her of the importance of life, love and laughter. . .

Once again the power of words combined with color . . .

Lisa - I hope these pieces (meant to be a wall grouping) will add a splash of color to your plain walls

and will also help you keep a positive thought in your heart!

Switch Plate Covers can make your room very colorful!!

A few years ago, we repainted our living room.

All new colors.

Then I put the switchplate covers back on - and they were so. . .

beige.

They were like a neon light on the wall - and not a cool neon light.

The kind that is tacky and constantly buzzes.

Not acceptable.

So I found some wonderful plain wood switchplates and customized them in my style.

WOW! I never, ever expected the comments I received.

I couldn't have received more comments if I had painted a huge mural on my living room wall.

And I realized that almost everyone feels the same way about switchplates.

They are so, so boring.

And overlooked.

All of the switchplates above are for a client.

This is our fourth go-round.

She is replacing all of the switchplates and outlet covers throughout her entire house.

We have attacked 1-2 rooms at a time.

I think we are almost done after this set -

Seriously - you cannot go through a day without coming into contact with the switchplate covers in your house.

Shouldn't they receive the attention they deserve?

PS - Custom orders are always welcomed!

Decorate your post in your home, like Bill

Bill met us at one of our summer sales last year.

We had a great time talking with him.

He bought a piece or two.

Then I helped him out with a holiday gift for some friends of his.

Then he called with a special request for his home.

A post that divides two rooms -

you see them in houses sometimes.

They just seem to be right in the middle of things - but since they are kind of important to keeping the roof up, you have to leave them there.

Bill decided -if it has to be there, it might as well be decorated.

So with the help of Mr. Man -

I painted a 4 1/2" x 8 ft board.

Vines and flowers, with a few adds-ons representing his dogs.

Long and narrow.

A burst of color.

Now I am looking around my house for a lang and narrow space that needs a little life.

Thanks Bill!