From the Creative Depths

I've Got It Covered

2012-01-28T14:29:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that I'd made a cover for my e-reader. This was one of those from-scratch projects that started with two ideas: 1). I really wanted a cover to protect my new 'toy' and 2). I didn't want to spend a lot. Since I know my way around a sewing machine and have enough sewing supplies to get through several years of projects, I decided to try my hand at making a cover.

My requirements for a cover were fairly minimal: lightly padded, able to be secured shut, easy to pop the reader into and out of, and a pocket to more securely hold the reader while not in use. The question was how to incorporate these elements into something that I'd be happy using and more importantly, able to make. If you've ever created something for scratch you'll appreciate Edison's sentiment that "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration." After the spark of an idea comes the real work.

The padding part was the simplest, as I have a fair-sized supply of quilt batting. For this one, I choose a very thin cotton batting. To give the cover a little stiffness and body, I used two pieces of stiff felt, each slightly smaller than the finished dimensions of the front and back covers. A dig through my fabric stash unearthed a beautiful panel that I purchased a few years ago because it reminded me of the work of Katsushika Hokusai. The panel proved just large enough to cover the main body, make a pocket and the corner tabs to hold the reader in place when in use.

Securing the cover shut presented the biggest challenge, because I wanted to keep the cover as low profile as possible so that parts would not snag as it was taken in and out of whatever bag I happened to be carrying that day. Buttons were out of the question because they would stick out. Velcro didn't really appeal for this project either, mostly due to the sound factor. Other options were possibilities, but none really answered the problem of securing the cover open while reading. In an inspired moment, I grabbed a piece of wide elastic and inserted between the layers of fabric so that it would emerge out of the back side of the cover and could be wrapped around the front when closed or flipped over to secure the front flap while reading.

The end result can be seen in the pictures below. There are some imperfections in this prototype, including not so square sewing of corner holders (causing a bit of a buckling of the bottom edge), but overall, I'm really pleased with the result. The reader is covered with one of my favorite pieces of fabric. The only problem is that I can't take it out in public with the expectation of actually reading anything. It seems inevitable that someone will ask me about it. Hmm, maybe I need to think about a new product line....

Cover closed and secured shut.

Cover open, showing front and back of outside.

Inside the cover, showing corner pockets and print.

Inside. The panel on the left is a pocket large enough to hold the reader.

Until next time, happy reading!

Still Here!

2012-01-22T10:45:00.002-05:00

I realized today that I've been absent from this blog for a full month and thought that it was time to remedy that situation. I'm still alive and kicking, in spite of my seeming disappearance from the planet.

I've been busy with my day job, but have managed to get a few small sewing projects done, including a cover for my e-reader and some colorful luggage markers. This week I've finally taken the plunge and am trying to teach myself to knit. I'll try to get photos up over the next few weeks. The shops, of course, are still up and running on Etsy and have kept me fairly busy.

In other news, our family lost one of our beloved fur-babies at the beginning of the month. He's made a couple of prior appearances here on this blog, but I think he needs one more. RIP Silver, you'll be missed.

Wordless Wednesday - Yuletide

2011-12-21T06:05:00.000-05:00

Treasury Tuesday - Send Me An Angel...

2011-12-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

Or better yet, let me send you one! One of my little beaded angels is featured in this heavenly treasury on Etsy. Check out... you might just find that last minute Christmas gift you've been looking for.

Wordless Wednesday - December Dream House

2011-12-07T08:24:00.001-05:00

Treasury Tuseday - Thanks Beary Much?

2011-12-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

The wonderful bear quilt showing in the photo above has been featured in a treasury full of wonderful Etsy goodies. This one would make a great addition to someone's cabin. I'd love to see it leave the shop and find a happy home where it can hibernate all winter.

Wordless Wednesday - A Light Frost

2011-11-30T06:03:00.000-05:00

Another Project Finished

2011-11-29T13:07:00.001-05:00

It took a bit of time, but the lattice quilt is finally finished and has found a home on my bed. While I love the colors and the design, this quilt was a vexing one to complete. It just seemed that every line was slightly off and all the corrections in the world couldn't quiet make it all come together the way it should have. Since this one is staying in my possession, I'm not too worried about the flaws!

Treasury Tuesday - Payback

2011-11-29T11:41:00.001-05:00

This week I'm posting a treasury that I've created. This one is full of items from other Treasury Curators on Etsy. All of these folks have been kind enough to include something from Harvest Moon Designs in their collections - yes, I mean those same collections that I keep posting every week! So go out, show these terrific people some love and check out their shops. You better hurry though, because those Elvis potholders would make a great gift for someone I know!

Time to Celebrate!

2011-11-27T18:20:00.001-05:00

I'm too tired to go into detail right now, but I think the graphic below says it all. The novel isn't finished, but I have achieved the goal of 50,000 words. More later, when my hand quits cramping!

Wordless Wednesday - Just Ducky

2011-11-23T01:30:00.000-05:00

Treasury Tuesday - Red, White & Blue

2011-11-22T20:15:00.001-05:00

Some of my quilts have found their way into some patriotic and protest treasuries recently. Thanks a million to the amazing folks on Etsy for sharing their personal picks.

Wordless Wednesday - No More NaNo, Need Nap Now

2011-11-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

Treasury Tuesday - A Little Magic

2011-11-15T06:27:00.001-05:00

I've fallen terribly behind on posting treasuries, so time to play at little catch up. My wands have been making the rounds again. A thousand thanks to all the folks who take time to make these fabulous collections.

Write, Sew, Sleep... Repeat

2011-11-13T20:19:00.001-05:00

November is well under way already. For most, it's a month for turkeys and football. In some cases, these are one and the same, but I promise I won't comment on the recent fiasco at a certain university. For me, November is a time to go into creative overdrive as I try to write a novel, get ready for the holidays, and finish all those little projects that clutter my craft room.

It's day thirteen of National Novel Writing Month and I'm pleased to report that I've hit the half-way mark today, at least as far as word counts go. The novel itself, which still remains untitled, feels as if it has hardly started. Dr. Maggie Bailey seems to be developing a life of her own, in spite of my best efforts to stick to a basic plot line. There's so much more of the story to tell at this point that I may be writing well into December just to finish the first draft.

As a reward for hitting my word counts, I've been allowing myself time for quilting. Instead of putting together a new piece to post in the shop, I've decided to finally finish the bed quilt that I started for myself earlier in the year. I've just finished piecing the top and am so glad to have it nearly done. I'm absolutely in love with the colors and the overall combination reminds me of winter skies. I should have it completely finished and on the bed by Thanksgiving. Below is a quick snap of the quilt top as it is now. I'll post another picture when it's completely finished.

Happy Sunday all. Hope you have a creative and inspired week.

Wordless Wednesday - You Talkin' To Me?

2011-11-10T20:47:00.000-05:00

Putting the Writer's Hat Back On

2011-11-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again. Time for myself and certain other lunatics that I know to spend an entire month immersed in the writing of what we hope will be 50,000 word or longer novels. If you've read my blog in any November past, you know what I'm referring to. If not, let me make this as brief and painless as possible: Each November, the Office of Light and Letters sponsors a National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) challenge. The goal is to write a fifty-thousand word novel between November 1st and 30th. There are no prizes, no accolades, just you and a 50,000 word finish line.

This year will be my fifth attempt at NaNoWriMo. This year's novel is still untitled, in spite of being well into the story at 10,000+ words as of today. I'm taking on a new challenge this year with writing my first NaNo that's told in first-person (if you've forgotten everything you learned in your high school English class, there's a link to Wiki there). The story is the first in a mystery series that I've been contemplating for a while. The main character and narrator is one Dr. Maggie Bailey, a skeptic and atheist who finds herself reluctantly recruited into helping a local paranormal group. The first novel will follow her first few months as a newly hired history professor and chronicle her introduction the group and her first paranormal casework.

I realize that I'm making it far more dry and boring that it actually is. If I read that description, I'd probably give up on writing it! Maggie's a bit of spitfire who's surrounded with an eclectic and unique cast of characters (reminds a bit of someone I know!). I anticipate that there will more than a few jokes, a couple ghosts, and some tension just to make things interesting. If I manage to write a portion that's remotely readable and interesting, I'll publish an exert over on my writing blog (with an announcement here, of course).

Off to pen a few dozen more words before dinner. I'll try to post my progress regularly, but in case I forget, there's always the word count ticker in the sidebar. --->

Happy noveling if you're among the crazy folks who participate in this month of madness. If you aren't participating, why not (aside from a need to preserve your sanity, of course)?

Treasury Tuesday - In Pastel

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Usually I think of pastels during the spring season, but AllasArt on Etsy has other ideas. She's assembled this ethereal collection of pastels, including my Spring Garden Quilt. The color choices here are fabulous and have a dreamlike quality.

Treasury Thursday - For A Good Cause

2011-10-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was hectic and didn't leave any free time for posting treasuries. However, I didn't want the week to go by without acknowledging that this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There are lots of lovely treasuries on Etsy featuring the Awareness theme, so definitely go check it out.

ThreeReasonsArt has created just such a treasury and was kind enough to include one of the wands that I created recently. If you can, please check it out. All these wonderful artists will be making donations to cancer-fighting causes when these items are purchased. For every awareness wand that I sell, I'm making a donation of $5.00. I have a total of seven wands and if all seven sell this month, I plan to make a matching donation out of pocket in the amount of $35.00. Even if you aren't interested in the items in this treasury, please consider giving a donation to your local cancer charities.

Wordless Wednesday - Imagine

2011-10-05T19:31:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday - Fire

2011-09-28T06:44:00.000-04:00

Treasury Tuesday - Fall is Here

2011-09-27T15:03:00.000-04:00

Fall has arrived! It's my favorite time of the year and I thought I'd celebrate by sharing a fall treasury. No, nothing in here is mine nor did I assemble this collection. However, it was so lovely, I couldn't resist sharing it.

Treasury Tuesday - For A Good Cause

2011-09-20T06:51:00.000-04:00

This week's treasuries include the Breast Cancer Awareness wands I made a while back. I'd love to see all of these go to a good home!

Treasury Tuesday - Wands Everywhere!

2011-09-13T06:44:00.000-04:00

I've fallen a bit behind on posting links to Etsy Treasuries. It's been a busy period for the Fairy Godmother wands. Hopefully with Halloween just around the corner, we'll see lots more of these!

Not Y'all's Eggplant Parmesan

2011-08-21T06:50:00.003-04:00

I love fresh produce and revel at the chance to wander through the local farmer's markets in search of delicious finds. No trip was necessary last week however, as I was garden-sitting for someone on vacation. All the produce I could gather was mine for the taking. Some lovely purple beans, crisp green beans, and summer squash found their way home with me.

The real prizes, however, were a crop of green tomatoes and some lovely eggplant. Homemade eggplant parmesan and green fried tomatoes are two of my favorite dishes. Maybe it was delerium from being out in the heat, but it occurred to me as I stood in my kitchen, that the two dishes could be fused quite easily. Two hours and one messy kitchen later, I sat down to a southern fried version of eggplant paremsan and damn y'all, it was good!

If you already have a favorite eggplant parmesan recipe, you can try subsituting green tomatoes for half of the eggplant. If you don't have a favorite recipe, this is the rough guide on how to make it:

Not Y'all's Eggplant Parmesan

Two firm medium sized green tomatoes
One medium sized eggplant
Salt
Italian breadcrumbs (one-two cups)
1 egg beaten with a tablespoon of water
All-purpose flour
Grated parmesan cheese (preferably the real stuff, not the kind that comes in the green cylinder)
Olive oil
Mozerella cheese
Tomato sauce of your chosing

Slice the eggplant 1/4-inch thick. Lay out the slices on papertowels and sprinkle with a little bit of salt. Let sit for at least 15 minutes. This will pull some of the moisture from the eggplant.

When you're ready to proceed, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Slice the tomatoes1/4 inch thick. Both the tomatoes and eggplant will then be breaded and fried. To bread the veggies, dip them one at a time into the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally a mixture of breadcrumbs and paremsan cheese (I like a four to one ratio of breadcrumbs to cheese, but suit this to your taste). Fry the breaded slices in olive oil over medium heat. Drain on paper towels.

Lightly spray a glass baking dish with cooking oil. Layer the tomatoes and eggplant with chese and tomato sauce. Bake for 30 minutes and serve.

I realize that I've left off specific measurements on most of the ingredients, but this is one of those flexible dishes that can be suited to individual tastes. If you're feeling creative, you can use add seasonings to the breading, layer fresh basil among the tomato and eggplant slices, or vary the kinds of cheese used.

Completed Works: Starfire Necklace

2011-08-20T11:13:00.001-04:00

This is what happens when you have too many beads and a free afternoon. This piece began with a wire star. All of the beading was done by yours truly. There's garnet, glass, coral, and carnelian among the menagerie.

This one is available over on my Etsy shop. Hopefully, it won't be there long.

Treasury Tuesday - Woodland Wonderland

2011-08-16T05:51:00.000-04:00

I'm still trying to get rid of a stock of excess dried herbs over at the shop. One of the vendors on Etsy was kind enough to include one of them in this fabulous treasury:

A Reclaiming

2011-08-09T20:04:00.002-04:00

A few moons ago, I posted among several new creations, a pendulum that I'd made for the LunaSeas shop. While I loved the combination, I felt more than a little reluctant to part with the piece, as I have some sentimental attachment to the seaglass in it. Fortunately for me, the pendulum remained unsold. Unfortunately, it also remained unused as I rarely bother with using pendulums.

Rather than have it sit unloved in a box, I decided to rework the piece into a necklace. The terminal ends of the pendant became dangling pendants. The pattern of the chain was expanding into a necklace length piece. The final result actually gets more than a little wear and use.

Treasure Tuesday - Wands

2011-08-09T05:46:00.003-04:00

My wands have found their way into a couple more treasuries. Go... check out these fabulous items and the stunning shops that contain them!

When Life Hands You a Lemon, Make Pink Lemonade

2011-08-01T13:18:00.006-04:00

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade... isn't that how the saying goes?

Recently someone contacted me about making some breast cancer awareness themed wands. In a rare moment of soft-heartedness, I agreed to do the work without charging the customer upfront (something I never do!). I even agreed to do the order as a rush, since the wands were needed by the end of the month.
One very hectic weekend's worth of work yield six lovely wands all with a breast cancer awareness theme...

After all the time and work, the customer failed to follow through with the purchase. Normally, I'm pretty annoyed when a sale falls through. This time, however, I'm turning someone else's failure to the advantage of as many people as possible. I'll be putting the wands up for sale in my online shop and for every wand sold, I'll make a $5.00 donation to either the American Cancer Society or the Susan G. Komen foundation. Would anyone like to help me turn a lemon of a sale into some fabulous pink lemonade?

Wordless Wednesday - Belated 4th Fireworks

2011-07-06T06:34:00.002-04:00

Treasury Tuesday - Camping Out

2011-07-05T12:51:00.001-04:00

No new treasury features for my creations this week. Here's one I've made instead. I'm feeling nostalgic for my family's summer camping trips.

Sunday Share - Going to Camp

2011-07-03T10:16:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not packing up the tent and heading out into the woods for the weekend. As appealing as that sounds, I'm referring here to the latest project from the Office of Light and Letters, the people behind National Novel Writing Month and Script Frenzy. This year, they're rolling out CampNaNoWriMo with challenges in both July and August. Just like NaNoWriMo, the goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in a month's time.

CampNaNo has its own website, but if you're a NaNo or ScriptFrenzy user, you can use those log-ins at the Camp site as well. A word of warning, however, the site lacks most of the bells and whistles of the other sites (no forums or writing buddies, for instance). It does, however, allow you to track your progress.

I'm not committing to the idea of a summer novel-writing session just yet. However, as always, that's subject to change suddenly and without warning. For those feeling up to the challenge, best of luck in your CampNaNo adventures. Don't forget to save some s'mores for the rest of us!

Trash to Treasure

2011-07-02T17:43:00.001-04:00

I've been playing at photo-editing again. A distant shot of an abandoned farmhouse has now gained new life as an avatar for a forum that I frequent.

Here's the original picture. The farmhouse is between the two trees, a bit hard to see here:

So I did some cropping , turned the original image to black and white, and added some twilight effects and lettering. This is the final result:

I wanted something that had a haunting and mystical feel to it, so I'm pretty happy with this one!

Wordless Wednesday - A Call to Arms

2011-06-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

Treasury Tuesday - Americana

2011-06-28T06:32:00.001-04:00

DebiDesigns on Etsy has been busy making some very patriotic treasuries and has been kind enough to include one of my quilts in two of them.

Sunday Share - Brief but Interesting!

2011-06-26T21:31:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit short on time tonight, so just a quick Sunday Share this week.

If you like art that's dark, alternative, or just plain interesting, go check out Deviant Art. There are so many fabulous artists out there that I couldn't pick just one. Beware, however, that browsing this site can eat up large chunks of time. :)

Wordless Wednesday - At Ease

2011-06-22T19:51:00.000-04:00

Treasury Tuesday

2011-06-21T19:45:00.000-04:00

Is it really that time already? With Flag Day just last weekend and Independence Day coming up soon, one of my little patriotic throw quilts seems to be quite popular right now.

My dried lemongrass also made it into a treasury as well!

Wordless Wednesday - Homestead

2011-06-15T06:00:00.005-04:00

Treasury Tuesday - Flag Day!

2011-06-14T06:00:00.002-04:00

Only one treasury to share this week, but it's an appropriate one for the day. That's one of my throw quilts pictured in the second row, second from the left. Happy Flag Day all!

Sunday Share - Recreating the Past

2011-06-12T17:04:00.000-04:00

I had the rather unique experience of attending a Civil War re-enactment over the weekend. The participants weren't there to recreate a famous battle, but rather to show what life was like early in the war as troops began to muster. I'm always amazed by the people who participate in these events. Their passion and creativity for bringing history to life is just incredible.

I had a wonderful opportunity to talk to one of the ladies from the historic site where the encampment was held and she talked a bit about the amount of work that goes into making the costumes - every stitch hand sewn, ever detail made to be as authentic as possible. These folks are an amazing and talented group who by virtue of how they spend their weekends and days off are some of the more creative folks running around. I just wanted to give a warm thank you to everyone there!

P.S. I'll be posting more photos from the event in the coming weeks. I want spend some time with the photo editor first.

Wordless Wednesday - Guardian of the Catnip

2011-06-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Treasury Tuesday

2011-06-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

It's that time again... to share a few fabulous Etsy treasuries. The curators of these colorful collections were kind enough to include one of my creations. As usual, the wands seem to be popular!

Wordless Wednesday - Scultped Wildlife

2011-05-25T05:30:00.000-04:00

Treasury Tuesday

2011-05-24T06:00:00.003-04:00

Once again, it's Tuesday and time to give a nod to the folks who were kind enough to include one of my creations in their Etsy treasuries. First things first, one of my supply pieces, a Wild Iris stamp, has been featured in a spring themed treasury.

Two recent treasuries have featured the same dark star wand. Apparently, folks like this one... now, if it will just sell!

Wordless Wednesday - From the Garden

2011-05-11T20:16:00.005-04:00

Treasury Tuesday - Herbs

2011-05-10T20:35:00.001-04:00

Would you believe... Still catching up on old treasuries? This week's theme is herbs and all these great folks have included my herbs in their collections. Thanks all!

Wordless Wednesday - A Sky Maxfield Parrish Would Envy

2011-05-04T18:04:00.002-04:00

Treasury Tuesday - Wands

2011-05-03T20:30:00.001-04:00

Still catching up on Treasury postings after two months away. These fabulous Etsians have all included one of my wands in their treasury. How cool is that?

Wordless Wednesday - Facing the Storm

2011-04-27T20:17:00.001-04:00

Treasury Tuesday - Quilts!

2011-04-26T06:21:00.002-04:00

I ams so far behind in posting Treasuries that it may take awhile for me to get caught up. I won't break anyone's brain by posting more than three at a time, however! Check out these great collections that include one of my quilts.

Wandered Off

2011-04-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure how two months went by so quickly, but I seem to have wandered off and forgotten to post. I'd love to say that I was called away to the tropics for eight weeks of snorkeling and sun worshipping. One can dream!

I have not been completely idle in my absence, however. I finally created something with some beautiful but unusually shaped tiger's eye beads that I bought several years ago at a gem show. As you can see from the picture to the left, the beads are of two sorts- center drilled lentils and concave cylinders. For small beads, they have a lot of beautiful golden tones. I paired them with some small silver beads that are a a staple in my collection.

What motivated me to finally do something with these lovely beads was finding a leaf shaped Ganesha pendant at a local craft store. I paired this silver piece with a stamped brass disc that was recycled from an old (and rather large!) earring. The final result is below. I'm more than pleased with it and glad to have it as a personal piece.

Playing Catch Up

2011-02-27T09:59:00.000-05:00

I've actually been forgetting to post here, so my apologies to anyone paying attention. I'm going to try to get caught up on treasuries today and hopefully get back into a normal routine over the next couple of weeks!

My fairy godmother wands seem to be popular for treasuries. Apparently everyone is making wishes. :)

Treasury Thursday (!?)

2011-02-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Treasury day has moved to Thursday this week simply because I forgot to post this on Tuesday. :) It appears that the dried wormwood herb that I have posted in my shop has made it into another absinthe collection.

Wordless Wednesday - Dreaming of Spring

2011-02-16T09:16:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday - Light in the Darkness

2011-02-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

Treasury Tuesday

2011-02-08T10:41:00.003-05:00

I'm handing over Tuesday posts to share Treasuries from Etsy and Artfire.

TheBeadGirl on Etsy was kind enough to include one of my wands in her Cinderella Treasury. I absolutely love the pumpkin soap and the blue pumpkin prints included here!

Sunday Share - Google Art Project

2011-02-06T10:37:00.001-05:00

This is getting a lot of buzz on the net, but it's such a fantastic project that I had to mention it here.

Google is working in collaboration with some very well known art museums to provide online exploration of the museums and their collections. It's a great chance to examine artworks that you might not be able to visit in person.

You can find it here: Google Art Project

Treasury Tuesday

2011-02-01T06:30:00.002-05:00

Time for another round of Etsy treasuries again! These folks have been kind enough to include one of my products in their collections. I'm in the process of selling of an excess supply of dried herbs and two of them have made it into new treasuries. I would never have thought of dried herbs as treasury-worthy, but you just never know. Enjoy!

Current Projects

2011-01-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Looking back across my posts during the last couple of months, I realize that I haven't said much about my own creative projects. The more mundane aspects of life have kept me busier than I like, so there hasn't been a lot in the way of new projects this winter. Most of my 'free' time has been occupied with bringing Harvest Moon Designs back up to speed- photo-editing, networking, marketing, and all those other joys associated with trying to sell something. It's necessary but not exactly creative work.

One of my goals for 2011 is to refocus on my writing, which is first, last, and always my most beloved creative activity. If you follow this blog regularly, you may recall that I mentioned setting up a website to share my writing. I really didn't like the site and have made the decision to scrap having an independent website for the time being. Instead, I'm migrating most of the site content to WordPress.

I did get to have a few moments of creative photography and photo-editing in the process of moving the site. WordPress has some fabulous themes and the one I chose allows a header image at the top of the page. I went in search of a creative commons image that would meet three requirements: to contain writing related imagery, to be croppable to the required header size, and to fit the description of the adjective "darkling". I didn't have a lot of luck find something that fit my vision of what I wanted.

In the end, I grabbed my camera, a pen, and the notebook which I'd written the first draft of Odinsdatter. Ten pictures and an hour of photo-editing later, I had the following, a writing-related photo that sets the tone I was trying to acheive:

If you're interested in the written word (or just a glimpse into the odd place that is my imagination), you can find me under my pen name Sera Ravenelle at Darkling Sera. I'll be posting my NaNoWriMo novels there, along with other random scratchings and a blog focused solely on writing.

In other news, I'm hoping to find some time in the near future to make some new jewelry pieces, including revamping a pendulum into a necklace for myself. I'll post more about that piece after it's complete, along with photos of any other designs that might come into being.

That's all for now!

Sunday Share - Reading Material

2011-01-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

Today's share is a bit different. Instead of featuring someone's pet project or a fabulous collection of hand-crafted items, I'm going to share a random selection of my all-time favorite books from some really amazing writers. The widget is courtesy of goodreads.com, a wonderful reader's website where you can keep track of your reading lists, share reviews, and discuss books. Go, read, enjoy!

Random Favorites

Aisling's favorite books »

Happy reading!

Treasured!

2011-01-18T13:52:00.000-05:00

I'm afraid that I've been a bit delinquent about posting treasuries from folks that have been kind enough to include my work in. So I'm going to play a bit of catch up here and simply post a whole lot of them at once. Enjoy browsing, and if you get a chance, visit the shops of both the kind people who have put these together and those of the wonderful vendors listed.

Sunday Share - A Winter Artfire Collection

2011-01-16T13:43:00.000-05:00

I'm getting ready to open a shop over on Artfire for Harvest Moon Designs and thought I'd celebrate by making a collection of some winter pieces from that site. Enjoy!

Winter Wonderlands

Curated By: HarvestMoonDe...

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Photography

Wordless Wednesday - Winter Reimagined

2011-01-12T06:00:00.004-05:00

NaNo-riffic!

2011-01-09T08:01:00.001-05:00

You all know that I do NaNo every year and that I spend way too much time on Etsy. Guess what? I'm not the only one! This fabulous treasury is made of items from my teammates on the Etsy NaNoWriMo street team- they write, they craft, they find gorgous vintage items. Buy from them, support a starving novelist!

Wordless Wednesday - Winter

2011-01-05T06:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday Share - Project: Aesop's Fables

2011-01-02T13:47:00.000-05:00

I love being able to promote friend's projects and this week I get to introduce an interesting one from my friend Tony called Project: Aesop's Fables. Tony has armed himself with an iPad that he is using to reimagine these tales in the form of images and storyboards. He takes an unique perspective on these tales and gives it his reworking via digital art. Just a couple of the illustrations are shown below, click on the picture to link that individual post.

I think this project is going to be an interesting one and I'm looking forward to seeing more of these as the project progresses. So go, check it out, give a little love to one the most creative people I have the pleasure of knowing!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T13:54:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday - Ghost River

2010-12-29T18:58:00.000-05:00

Sunday Share - Resolutions

2010-12-26T12:05:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to share this treasury of inspired New Year's Resolutions from some great Etsy artists and crafters. Enjoy!

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-25T15:42:00.000-05:00

Just a quick snapshot of the trees in my neighborhood this morning. It started snowing just after sunrise this morning and hasn't let up. We've had at least another inch or two of snow since this shot was taken and could get another few inches by morning.

Hoping that your all warm, safe, and where you want to be today. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and a wonderful winter Saturday to all!

Made My Day

2010-12-23T18:54:00.001-05:00

I've recently listed one of my very favorite jewelry creations on Etsy - wire and gemstone piece that I've titled Starstruck. To my delight, it's been featured in a new treasury. The curator is AllThatIAm who produces fabulous wire and stone jewelry, the likes of which I can only dream of creating.

Without further ado, here's that fabulous treasury!

Wordless Wednesday - Tis The Season

2010-12-22T16:23:00.000-05:00

Sunday Sharing - Willow Weep for Me

2010-12-19T16:11:00.000-05:00

I was playing on the Etsy treasury again and created this collection. There is just something so very evocative and fable-like about these images. If you click on any of the images below, it will take you to the Etsy listing for the item. Last minute holiday shopping anyone?

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Play

2010-12-15T07:11:00.002-05:00

Playing at Craft Cult

2010-12-13T17:17:00.001-05:00

So I've been out playing on a site called CraftCult and found that they have this awesome treasury widget. If I manage to get into any more Etsy treasuries, you'll be seeing more of these!

That's one of my creations in the top left corner, a simple lap quilt with a very patriotic theme.

Shop News

2010-12-09T20:51:00.000-05:00

If you follow me anywhere else, you've probably heard by now that the decision has been made to shut down the LunaSeas online shops. It's been a good run, but over the last year or so, the shop has become more of a burden than a benefit. So, from now until the winter solstice, I'll be busy packaging final orders, sorting through the inventory, and slowly shutting things down. My goal is to finish all of the behind the scenes work by New Year's. End of era, but I'm not entirely sad to see it go.

The shop is dead, long live the shop!

While LunaSeas is being fitted for a coffin, I'm happy to say that I'm going to be able to invest much more time and energy into my other shop, Harvest Moon Designs. Unfortunately, it's been sadly neglected over the last year or so. The shop is being revamped with a new look and I've bought a fabulous set of shop graphics from an Etsy vendor that sets just the tone I'm looking for (that's the avatar on the left). I'm looking forward to getting back to my roots with mainstream crafts.

That's all for now... and enough to keep me busy through the end of the year!

Wordless Wednesday - A Tree in Winter

2010-12-08T20:01:00.002-05:00

A Word About Wordless Wednesdays

2010-12-01T19:35:00.001-05:00

As I'd mentioned previously, I've decided to discontinue my nature photo blog over on Wordpress and reintegrate those posts over here. So, Wednesdays will become wordless here in the Creative Depths and each week will feature a different image of some sort. So without further ado (and without another word)...

NaNo Wrap Up

2010-11-27T13:58:00.001-05:00

As November draws to a close, I am happy to report that this year's NaNoWriMo is ending soon. I usually like to do a little dance of joy at this point, because hey, what do you know, I just wrote a novel of at least 50,000 words. In less than a month. I copied over my text into the validator at the web site and got the good news that for the fourth year running, I've 'won' this insane writing frenzy called NaNo.

While I was busy lacing on my dancing shoes, I realized that I'd wiped out the only typed copy I have of this year's NaNo. 52,635 words bled from my brain and fingertips onto the computer were gone because of a saving error and my own stupidity (back-up your work, dumbass!). Aghhhh!

All is not lost however since I am a die hard ink on paper kind of writer. I don't think I've ever written a first draft of anything on electronic media. Sure, I've filled composition books, leather bound journals, cocktail napkins and the backs of paper placemats with preliminary drafts of everything from haiku to thesis papers. This means that I have one very precious but rather ugly composition book that contains the original 30,000+ word first draft of this year's NaNo.

What have I lost then? My will to live. Not really, the only loss, aside from lots of time at the keyboard, is my will to work any further on this particular story for the foreseeable future. Loki, Thor and the rest of Asgard will have to wait a bit for a revised version of this particular tale. As for me, I'm going to pour a glass of Sangria, watch a favorite holiday movie (the TV version of Prachett's Hogfather if you must know), and in a few days when my brain stops boiling, start thinking about what I'm going to write for next year's NaNo.

Thanks

2010-11-25T21:08:00.000-05:00

It's Thanksgiving day in the States and I just wanted to take a second for a little show of gratitude. Thank you, dear reader, for stopping by to browse through my ramblings. Thank you to all the fabulous friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers who have meandered into my life. You are the inspiration for so much of what I do - whether funny or dramatic, light-hearted or grave, inspiring or irreverent. Thank you all!

Foggy Day

2010-11-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

Some of you may recall that back in January, I announced that I was separating out my nature-related photos and would be publishing them on wordpress under my Blessed Nature blog. While I love the format of that blog, I am not in love with number of spam comments that I've had to delete from the account. Of my two wordpress blogs, the photography blog seems to attract more spammers than actual viewers. So, I'm considering migrating the photos back to this blog and phasing out Blessed Nature by the end of the year. I like the way the wordpress blog showcases the photos, but I'm willing to give up a little bit of pretty in order to not have to delete so many spam comments.

If anyone has any thoughts or opinions on the subject, give me a shout. Otherwise, expect to see more photos here and less on wordpress in the near future.

Half a Novel, Half a Brain Left

2010-11-13T13:15:00.000-05:00

Yes, yes, I know the grammar of the blog title is atrocious, but as suggested, my brain is a bit fried after completing the first half of this year's NaNo novel. That is to say, I've written the first 25,000 words of roughly drafted hand-written story that will probably wrap up with the addition of another 5000 or so words. The entire thing will then get typed up, scenes expanded, descriptions added, and hopefully, by the end of November, I'll have a typed and completed novel of at least fifty thousand words. I'll be even happier if those words make sense, are in some sort of logical order, and manage to convey the story that I want to tell.

With any luck, I'll be done by Thanksgiving!

Music To Write By

2010-11-06T13:15:00.002-04:00

Those of you who visit this blog with any regularity will realize that I've changed my playlist. For those of you who actually take time to actually check out the playlist, I imagine that you may have been muttering "What the..." as you looked at my choices this time. To tell the truth, so I am.

Never fear, my eclectic tastes haven't taken a turn down a blind alley and run smack into the brick wall of bad taste. At least I hope they haven't. When November rolls around and my brain becomes a novel-writing factory, a playlist comes to mind of songs that speak to either the story or the plot line. Sometimes, the choices come together beautifully as a collection. Other times they do battle with each other and my musical sensibilities are the first causalities.

It's fitting that this time the music for my NaNo playlist should be full of conflicting styles and influences. After all, this year's NaNo will tell the story of the Norse end of the times, Ragnarok, a legendary final battle between, well, everyone in which the gods are destroyed. Since I can't leave well enough alone and simply tell the myth in my voice, I've thrown some strange twists into the plot- the main one is that the story takes place on a Caribbean island in the middle of a blizzard and the intervention of a forgotten but very annoyed island volcano god throws a wrench into the works. Indeed, this is not your ancestor's Ragnarok. (And may my viking forebearers forgive me!)

For the record, I do realize that having any song by Brittany Spears on one of my play lists might be the catalyst to start an actual apocalypse, but I really wanted a version of "We Will Rock You" sung in a female voice(s). Understand, that in my head, this is the voice of a regiment of Valkyries about to take down the All Father of the Norse Pantheon, Odin. Yes, it's that kind of novel- all fighting, blasphemy, and irreverence. It's also the end of the world, and I feel fine! :)

In other some what related news, the story that resulted from my first attempt at NaNo, At Scythe Point, is posted and available for viewing at Darkling Seraph, a website of works by my alter ego/pen name, Sera Ravenelle. I'm hoping to get some of my other NaNo novels posted there as well. You will see mature content warnings on the site, please know that they are there for a reason. As a general rule, I don't censor my work for content that might be too risque or controversial for the more sensitive or conservative among you. Life doesn't always have a PG rating and neither do I. However, unlike Life, I will try to give you fair warning if there's mature content in something I've posted. That said, please come on over and check out the site. Read a story, sip a latte, prop your feet up. It won't cost you anything but time.

Dangling Delights

2010-10-23T16:33:00.000-04:00

I'm busy counting days until NaNoWriMo begins... 8 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes as a matter of fact. This means I've been busy trying to get my proverbial affairs in order before the madness and chaos that is novel writing take over. It's an affliction, I know, but here I am at 8 days, 7 hours and ugh, 41 minutes until NaNo begins and I still haven't made a final decision about which novel I'm going to write. No pressure, right?

So instead of writing about something I've created, I'm going to post pictures of someone else's fabulous creations. These lovely earrings were created by my LunaSeas partner for the shop. She's made three pairs so far, but I think the tourmalated quartz are my favorites so far. Theses may not make it as far as the shop. :)

Eep, only 8 days, 7 hours, and 27 minutes left!

Of Cakes and Diapers

2010-10-18T19:10:00.003-04:00

Diaper cakes are a relatively simple, but fun gift for a new baby. Since I've promised several people that I'd show them how to construct one, here's the directions, followed by illustrations of a cake that I recently made for a niece who's expecting.

The basic supplies that are required are: a base to support the cake, one or two packages of diapers, an internal support such as a large bottle of baby lotion, rubber bands, tape, and decorative embellishments. How many diapers you use will depend on the size cake you decide to make. Choosing a theme (such as rubber ducks) or a color scheme will help bring the look of the final cake together.

The basic instructions are as follows:

1. Roll all of the diapers into little round cylinders and secure each one with rubber bands or ribbon.

2. Affix your internal support (e.g., a bottle of baby lotion) to your cake base.
3. Create each tier by encircling your internal support with the rolled diapers standing on end. Tie off each ring of diapers to hold them securely. Keep adding rings of diapers to the outside until the first tier reaches the desired size. Build each consecutive tier on the previous one using the same method.
4. Decorate the cake using ribbons, toys, or whatever you like.

Ok, I admit that's the really quick and basic version of the process. Here's what the process of constructing a diaper cake looks like in reality.

For my niece's cake, I wanted to do a rubber duck theme, as I'd found a hat and 'onesies' with ducks. I used a 10-inch cardboard cake base (available at most craft stores) and one package of newborn disposable diapers. The items pictured to the right also all went into the cake - two bottles of baby products, two fleece blankets, 8 baby washcloths, a hat, two'onesies', a little cloth hat, 4 pairs of socks, two 'binkies' (pacifiers) and three rubber ducks. The colors I picked were primarily blue and yellow, with a good dose of green and splashes of other shades.

Step 1 - Preparing the Diapers

This is probably the most time consuming part of the cake construct, but the simplest. The diapers get rolled from bottom to top and secured with rubber bands. I've used ribbon in the past, but have found that rubber bands are easier and more effective for this. Forty-eight diapers later, I had enough to get started on the actual construction. If I wasn't including baby blankets and other cloth items in the cake, I would have needed to roll up more than one package of diapers.

Step 2 - Creating the First Tier

I've taken a bottle of baby lotion and taped it to a cardboard cake base using a bit of clear packing tape folded over on itself and placed between the bottle and the cardboard.

The lotion bottle was then surrounded with a ring of diaper stood on their ends. The first ring was tied off with ribbon and a second ring of diapers was added to the first tier. This layer was then wrapped in a fleece baby blanket that had been folded up to just fit the height and circumference of the cake. The blanket was secured with diaper pins on the back side of the cake. Ribbon was wrapped around the blanket and a pacifier tied to the front side of the layer (as seen in the photos below).

Step 3 - Creating the Second Tier

Because my internal support (i.e., the lotion bottle) wasn't tall enough to reach into the third layer of the cake, I taped a smaller bottle of baby powder to the top of it, as shown in the picture to the left. This gave the internal support just enough height to support all of the tiers without sticking out of the top of the cake. Once this was done, I began encircling the support with diapers just as I did for the first tier.

For the outer ring of diapers on the second tier, I wrapped colorful baby washcloths around every other diaper to give a bit of color and contrast to the relatively simple decorations on the first tier. The diapers I used had pre-printed designs, so it appears at first glance that the entire second tier has been 'decorated'. This layer was then wrapped in a ribbon, secured at the back of the cake.

Step 4 - Creating the Third Tier

After creating the second tier, I only had three diapers left, which were not enough to encircle the top of the cake. Instead of picking up another package of diapers, I wrapped the support in a cloth hat and the onesies and then surrounded the entire thing with the other fleece blanket I'd bought. Diaper shortage was solved and the clothing was incorporated into the cake structure.

Step 5 - Finishing the Cake

I'd already embellished the cake as it was built, but I did add a few finishing touches to the final cake. The cake was topped with a large rubber duck and the second tier with two smaller ducks. Little pairs of sock in were then pinned to the outside of the cake. The finished cake is shown above complete with ducks and socks.

And that's 'all' there is to making a diaper cake. The basic construction is simple, but there's plenty of opportunities for creativity in the process.

Seasons Change

2010-10-17T19:09:00.000-04:00

A quick snapshot taken on a mountain highway. The leaves are definitely showing some color at higher elevations.

Autumn Throw

2010-10-03T16:44:00.001-04:00

Well, the crocheted autumn throw for the craft room is finished, but I'm not so sure that I like it. Meh, perhaps I'll like the next project better.

Coming Soon to a Tree Near You

2010-09-26T20:48:00.000-04:00

In my neck of the woods, the leaves are just starting to show the first signs that autumn has arrived. There's a distinctive dry rustle on the increase when the breeze blows and the air smells just a little bit different. The harvest moon coincided with the seasonal change this year and the moon rises over the mountains were just breathtaking. With any luck, there will be lots of fall foliage photos to share over the coming weeks.

The Cookie's Demise

2010-09-12T16:47:00.003-04:00

The unique and cloying smell of burnt chocolate chip cookies wafts through my home like some malicious spirit, hellbent on revenge against its murderer. It creeps up the stairs, drifting into dark corners, just waiting to suddenly surprise me with its malodorous presence. Like the beating heart under the floorboards of Poe's story, my crime comes back to haunt me.

It all began innocently enough. Knowing several folks who are on restricted diets, I decided to try my hand at making gluten-free cookies today. Even though I'm not a big fan of baking mixes, I went with one for this first foray into gluten-free baking. The dough mixed up nicely and spoonfuls of it were quickly panned and put in the oven to bake.

Since I had a few minutes, I wandered out to my living room, sat down with a notebook, and began working a design for a new bed quilt. As my mind wandered down the pattern and color possibilities, I completely forgot about the cookies.

The faintest whiff of cooking sugar drifted past my nose. I registered it with a passing thought that the oven timer hadn't gone off yet and kept working on the quilt design. The plan is beautiful, a a star-shaped kaleidoscope of autumn colors based on an angled log cabin pattern. My thoughts were focused, not on the baked goods in my oven, but on the rich tapestry of autumn hues of an imagined quilt.

A few minutes later the smell of burning sugar did not lightly tiptoe past, but rather smacked me in the nose with a gauntlet, challenging me to even try to ignore it. A quick jog to the kitchen revealed cookies that were perfectly browned on top and coal black on the bottom, their short lives destroyed by a quilt. The cookies were quickly given an impromptu funeral in the rubbish bin, while the quilt design remains at large, armed and dangerously beautiful. Me, I'm pleading quilty on all counts.

One Project Down, Several To Go

2010-09-06T12:33:00.000-04:00

The skirt I started ages ago is finally finished and is now residing in my closet rather than my box of sewing. My camera batteries have opted to die this afternoon - may they rest in peace- so I don't have any photos to share yet. My humble opinion is that it turned out very nicely.

I'm in the process of working on sun-catchers. I said "Make 200 butterflies" on my last post, but if the truth be told, it will probably be 200 sun-catchers including butterflies, hummingbirds, sunflowers, etc. I'm also kicking around the idea of trying to make fairy sun-catchers as well. The first board is laid and there are approximately sixty currently in progress.

I've decided, perhaps unwisely, to add a couple of more projects to the list of things to get done by year's end. I want to try my hand at making incense cones, which promises to be a messy business. I also want to crochet a throw for the new futon that's residing in my craft room. It looks naked, aside from the occasional presence of a sleeping cat. I already have the yarn and a plan to work on it during those times when I'm sitting in front of the TV.

With any luck, I'll be able to post lots of progress with next week's post!

In the Works

2010-08-30T13:38:00.002-04:00

After an entire season of one crisis following quickly on the heels of the next, I'm hoping to use the remaining weeks of summer to regroup, recenter, and reorganize. Looking around my creative space (aka the "Craft Room"), I'm faced with a number of upcoming projects and impending deadlines that are making me a little twitchy.

So, I'm putting my creative ducks in a row at the moment in anticipation of a hectic but highly creative few months. Here's the list of creative accomplishments that I'm hoping to achieve by the year's end....

Finish the skirt I started two years ago. -This thing has been sitting in my "sewing box" for way too long. At this point, it only needs the hem turned and a hook and eye sewn on. I think I can, I think I can...
Make at least 200 butterflies. - I make and sell whimsical little butterfly sun catchers. I need to build up my supply if I'm going to do the couple of craft shows that I'm hoping to participate in this year.
Finish the current batch of 'magic wands'. - This is another item that I create to sell. I have a couple dozen wand handles already ribbon wrapped and ready to be topped. That means I need to sew and stuff the stars for the tops, assemble them, and add the finishing touches.
Make a diaper cake for my great-nephew. - Oh my, am I old enough to be having great-nephews? It would appear that I am. I have everything I need for the project, except the time to get it finished. I'm hoping to do this one sometime in October.
Finish the aprons that are in my sewing box. - At least one needs to be done by the beginning of October so that it can be given as a gift.
Create a gift basket. - This one is going to a friend, but I haven't even yet thought about what to put into it. Must work on that one!
Participate regularly in creative challenges. - Between social groups and business networking teams, there's always some sort of creative challenge happening. I'd like to do at least one of these each month.
Participate in NaNoWriMo - The ever-looming November writing challenge of creating a 50K word novel in 30 days. I plan to participate, as mentioned in previous blog entries.
Work on an on-going, long-term cross stitch project. - A while back I order the pattern for this project from Heaven and Earth Designs. I love the designs at this site, but they aren't for the faint of heart. I anticipate this particular project taking several months to complete. It's a massive and detailed piece and even working on a very fine count linen in tiny stitches, it's going to be a large design when it's completed.

That's the official list, but I'm sure that I'll find at least a few more projects to work on this year.

Forward Thinking Part II - NaNo 2010

2010-08-21T16:53:00.002-04:00

If your memory is better than mine, you might recall that I wrote an earlier post about this year's upcoming National Writing Month (this is where I admit that I couldn't remember if I had indeed posted anything about it and had to double check). Some mention was made about the chaos that would ensue when the child of a god found him/herself sucked back into divine drama.... as well as some mumblings about the Norse pantheon, Loki, Valkyries, and Ragnarök among other things.

Mundane life has eaten away a substantial chunk of my time in the weeks since that post, but NaNo, while still out of sight, is most assuredly not out of mind. The original story idea still stands, with a decidedly Norse pantheon and theme. In the protagonist's role will be an ex-Valkyrie who abandoned Asgard when the divine drama became more than she was willing to endure. Odin takes on an antagonistic role when he tries to pull her back into the affairs of Asgard. With the rapidly approaching Ragnarök, that Norse trickster, Loki, is certain to be in the middle of things, stirring the pot and cackling away.

There are still so many details to be ironed out, but NaNo is still two months away. That's plenty of time to hash out the plot of a novel and complete all the pre-writing preparation, right?

Recognition of One's Work is....

2010-08-01T13:18:00.001-04:00

...weird.

Yes, I do realize that I should be saying something to the effect of "Recognition of one's work is an outstanding personal achievement" or "It is a sign that one's vision inspires another person" or "It is an indication that your work speaks to others." Sure, there's all that, but it's still weird.

I'm not talking about the kind of recognition given by one's family that garners a drawing a place of honor on the refrigerator door, nor the type that comes from one's customers when we peddle our creations to the public. Although these kinds of praise do often make my day, I have in mind those experiences when you find your work publicly being recommended or when your creation is chosen as best over the competition.

For me, it's a really weird feeling when someone takes note of something I've created. While I strive to have my work recognized, simultaneously thrilling and terrifying feelings fill me on those occasions. Rationally I know that judgement has already been passed by someone else, but I find myself looking for flaws in my work, all the reasons why it is not fit for public consumption. Lines from Anne Bradstreet's 'An Author to Her Book' often bounce through my head at these moments. I can't imagine how I'd react to large scale recognition when small nods of appreciation send butterflies fluttering through both brain and stomach. I can only hope that I might be so cursed to find out someday.

2010-07-24T15:41:00.000-04:00

Time is rather short this week, so I give you a summertime sunset over my 'back yard'- just one of the many reasons why I like living where I do.

Oh Baby...

2010-07-17T13:25:00.002-04:00

Baby blanket, that is.

My niece is expecting her first child in November, the first baby of the next generation of the family. I've finished the first of what will probably be many handmade gifts- a crocheted baby blanket.

I'm an idle-hands kind of crocheter who hooks stitches only while sitting in front of television or when stuck as a passenger while travelling. This particular project happened as I watched Eureka and reruns of Poirot. I liked it well enough that I'm considering a larger version in autumn colors as a project for this coming winter.

For those who crochet, the pattern I used is here: Lace Border Blanket. The pattern is not difficult, but I wouldn't recommend it as a beginner's project. Rows of v-stitches form the body of the blanket, which is then finished with a border of chain and double stitches to create a lace-like effect. I used Caron's Simply Soft "Woodland Heather" yarn, which is a wonderful pale green, but any soft yarn would work well for this one.

Until next time,

Grave Humor

2010-07-06T13:35:00.001-04:00

Forward Thinking - NaNoWriMo 2010

2010-06-30T14:49:00.001-04:00

Ah, yes, summer has just rolled into town with its bright blue skies, ice cream, fireworks, and apple pie. Even as I tend to my garden and make plans to go to the lake this weekend, my thoughts drift to November, chilly temperatures, and most of all, National Novel Writing Month.

I've promised myself that I will not write this year's novel off the cuff as has happened before. No, no, this time the plan is to go in with a well developed plot, a completed and detailed outline, and a plan for hitting 50,000 words with as little pain as possible. Wow, does that sound really good... so organized, so utterly 'with it', so ready to pounce on the project like a tiger armed with opposable thumbs, a pen, and an imagination.

And yes, friends, I have already moved from formulating plans to the actual creative process. This year's NaNo is going to center around the mischief that ensues when the child of a god gets sucked into divine drama, in spite of determined attempts to live as a normal human. I'm fairly certain that the pantheon will be Norse and that Loki, as is his way, will be involved somewhere in the melee. Who knows? I may throw in a few Valkyries, Yggdrasil, nine worlds, and an impending Ragnarök just to add some thrill to it.

I plan to use my free time this summer to work on the outline and character sketches. Late September and October will be dedicated to a more detailed outline, so that come November, it's a matter of fleshing out the story into full-blown prose. In the meantime, I'm off to brush up on some 'light' reading of the Eddas and Norse mythology for a little background research.

More to come as the story develops...

A Toast to Summer

2010-06-21T13:26:00.004-04:00

The summer solstice has finally arrived, lagging a few weeks behind the blazing heat this year. The good news is that the abundant sunshine and warmth have the garden in full bloom ahead of schedule. The small storage space where my water heater lives is doing double duty as an herb drying cabinet and is already full of fragrant bundles of chamomile, mint, rosemary, thyme, and sage.

To celebrate the official arrival of summer, I've brewed up a pitcher of fresh herbal iced tea. There's something wonderfully magical about being able to walk through your own garden and pick fresh ingredients to suit your own tastes. Since I can't share a glass with you, I can at least share my recipe. Have a blessed Solstice and wonderful summer!

Solstice Celebration Tea

1/4 cup fresh chamomile flowers
1 small sprig peppermint
3 leaves lemon balm
1 stevia leaf
water

Bring two cups of water to a boil. Rinse other ingredients in cold running water and place in a large mug or bowl. Cover with boiling water and let steep at least ten minutes. Strain the tea and dilute with additional cold water until desired taste is obtained. This tea will be light with lots of floral notes punctuated by the cool mint and a hint of citrus flavor.

A note on sweetness: You can add additional stevia leaves if you prefer a sweeter tea or use a stevia based sweetener. If you prefer cane sugar, you can add to taste while the tea is still hot (or use a simple syrup to sweeten). Honey can also be used.