The beautiful colors of autumn had finally fully arrived, the air was crisp and cold as our family gathered together on a sunny November Day to share and pass out gifts for four of our Autumnal birthdays!
Those visiting outside on our back deck (as a cold or flu contact precaution for our youngest and oldest among us) stayed warm sitting in lawn chairs around a borrowed fire pit on our back deck.
We'd made a big Instapot of homemade chili with beans using the last of our garden's bounty of tomatoes of all sizes and chili peppers in all colors. It was festive, tasty, and we had a great day catching up on the October abd November birthdays and the opening of gifts.
I have been sewing, sewing, sewing - as well as quilting. I was able to finish my entire list of projects for October with only 5 items yet to finish before Christmas.
Above some of my previously gifted creations for our precious and newest little grandbaby. His arrival widened the circles of our hearts, our family, and our abilities to find time in so many ways and places than ever before -and often at an moments notice!
Between sewing my previous wizard capes then making Halloween costumes, a baby quilt, flannel blankets, and other projects like burp pads and wipes, my design floor, cutting table and both my serger and sewing machines have really been humming!
Trick-or-treating whether at the kids' schools or in known neighbor-hoods means outside often in the dark. In Oregon it's often the beginning of our rainy and cold season, especially from 5 p.m. on when the spooky fun starts and the veil between this one and all others is thin.
For me, it's the perfect time to be warm and dry and cozy in my creative loft space where I design and sew! The grands picked out what they wanted created. Their mama told me to use what you/we have and keep it simple. Ha! Nothings simple at almost 73.
My brain thinks my eyesight has gotten worse while my eyes are fervently convinced that its my brain that's not seeing whatever it is I've currently misplaced!
So, ransacking my fabric bins, piles and baskets and hoping my old costuming brain from 20+ years ago can make as quickly as we did in our volunteer costume department for CET - Salem's "Childrens Educational Theatre' - a once very large children's summer theatre program.
I was a costume leader for all of the years of my youngest daughter Brittany's years as a student, (shown above in the role of Peter Pan at age 12 in Salem's Childrebs Educational Theatre founded by the incomparable Phyllis Quanbeck. And yes, this was a big - even lavish production as they all were back in the day-- as Britt sang, danced and flew above the stage! Because she continued to act, dance and sing through high school, college, and community theatre in both Salem's Pentacle Theatre and Eugene's Hult Center.
Active participation in any and all outside of your comfort level activities widens your abilities, your confidence and your ability to cope during times where everyone is swirling around together in the same pressure cooker of life.
Back in the era when I first worked with all of the other CET sewing volunteers, it was a big time issue for working parents to participate in our costuming department. The head costumer (Leslie Zeigen "Z") who designed themes, bought fabric and organized us into teams made any of us with 'more' sewing experience one of the costuming team leaders. Oh my, that was me!
Having sewn clothing since I was 12 (simple things like skirts to start) I had sewn most of my own clothes by the time I graduated from Juneau-Douglas High School and headed off for college 'down south' in 'the states'. I was definitely experienced but I still wasn't prepared for this!
It was crazy fun trying to show parents how to make their child's costumes when they may have had a sewing machine but hadn't sewn since home economics in their high schools!
Taught me to widen my own circle of creativity, acceptance of other and find in even the non-stop pacing of making say 6 kimonos in one day without a pattern for 6 different sized kids!
I loved all those hundred to two hundred kids each new year for all of those years! I loved how volunteers even without necessary for the task at hand skills can open their minds and hearts to a learning new skill! And no, it's never easy but boy do you learn by doing and even redoing!
Widening the circles of my own life, my own heart, and bringing in new energies creates a richer more explorative and creative life. We take our curiosity of just what we're capable of farther and deeper and widen that circle wider and wider.
We all face challenges with our time, our ever changing gifts and abilities as we age and our families grow and changes - not to mention all of the acceptances and adjustments we have to make just to balance more events and responsibilities! Its rarely easy and often quite hard. But in the challenges we also find growth and expansion.
The trick is to bring in your "brave self" and try new things, new hobbies, new emotionally growing experiences by accepting new opportunities, tasks and opportunities.
Look deeply into your heart, your energy field of creativity and possibilities, your enormous innate spirit and even your truest deepest soul's purpose and realize just how much you're capable of if you are open and excited and caring and yes, loving and accepting of others.
But really and truly while I've always known it was my soul's journey to be of service in the world and a difference in the lives of those this blog reaches, it's my hearts journey to be here for those I love, and always my family first.
Meanwhile the fun purple constellation wizard robes (styled in your typical Harry Potter like fashion where a "robe" is called a "cape" but really isn't) are in full use a.m. and p.m. spring into summer, dancing on couches and beds and running up and down our lane of a driveway. Magical fun! And then the touch of magic the previously made magic wands!
Now, where did I put those magic wands??
These were made with what I already had. Thin bamboo stalks spray painted silver and the medallion focus "star" is a glittery Christmas snowflake ornament. Made of wire it had a "stem" I inserted into the hollow bamboo center. A little hot melt glue to secure it and the addition of some pearlescent curling ribbon.
Simple, not too challenging time-wise! But still fun and magical for young children of anyone who keeps the magic of being young at heart going and glowing!
As we create, so we too manifest inside and out and all around in our mutually shared biosphere!
Creates With Heart and Hands sharing an imaginative, magical, and healing journey from Alaska to Oregon and back again.
Creating, designing, sewing, quilting, and wildcrafting, from my heart and with my hands.
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