I think I want to be an artist. There. I said it.

bio

why is it so hard to write a bio? i guess i should ask: why is it so hard for ME to write a bio? i'm clearly not self-important enough. although i am self-involved enough to have a BLOG. what is the world coming to?

i need to get some organizing done in the old sewing room/office. i think that is the first step toward clearing the clutter--both literally and figuratively. maybe then i will have clarity about who i am.

another stolen mission

MODERN SEWING CIRCLE: Our mission is to create a crafty community that encourages creation and inspiration, by using what you've already got and making what you need in a space you can count on. It is a place where a beginner can feel comfortable working on easy sewing projects and more advanced seamsters can take advantage of industrial sewing equipment. Our concepts include both making new clothing from start to finish and giving new life to old clothing through refashioning and restyling.

or try this:
a woman-owned business providing an inspirational, supportive environment for people to express their individuality by creating their own clothing and clothing accessories. Tools, supplies, resources, and advice are provided in a professional yet comfortable workspace that encourages the free exchange of ideas between all skill levels.

finally

i saw my first and only hummingbird of the summer last weekend while camping. it was hovering over the payette river. do hummingbirds eat bugs? i thought they only ate nectar...if that was a hummingbird moth i am going to vomit. they are so gross and scary:

mission

this is stolen from the website http://www.reformschoolrules.com/; from their 'about us' section. i found it to be extremely apt--in line with what my future mission statement might sound like.



"We definitely wanted to talk about how sustainable design is a huge focus for us, and that green living is important to us, not only in business but in our personal lives as well. We wanted to be eco-friendly without being too in-your-face about it. The last thing we wanted was to be another shop selling all things hemp & bamboo ( not that we don't love hemp & bamboo).


We really wanted to point out how much we love and respect all of the artists and crafters whose handmade wares fill us with inspiration. One of the greatest things about having a shop is being able to support these talented folks and all of their creativity."



just getting more focus...more direction...more inspiration.

keeping on

it's funny how quickly a dream loses steam. it doesn't help that i have been husbandless for the past month--not leaving much time for blogging and daydreaming and planning; what with all the parenting and working and sleeping i've been doing.

i got my new machine:it's a dreamy piece of machinery and cost more than my first car, but soooo worth it. it will sew effortlessly through 14 layers of fabric, has a walking foot, and will stitch a row of little alligators if you so desire. the other night i made a vinyl bag, and while i did break one needle, it was a small price to pay for a totally sturdy, well made vinyl bag with a vintage tablecloth lining. meesh and i tried to work 'tutorial' style, but i got way to anxious to finish. we used one of lotta jansdotter's patterns, and it turned out super cute. not a beginner project, however. especially not on vinyl.

cite jardin

i'm going around and around about where my business should be...should i be a trailblazer and set up shop in beautiful garden city? if anyone ever reads this, i have a joke for you:

garden city : boise

vatican : rome

are you picturing it? garden city, a beautiful ancient walled city with priceless works of art frescoed on its ceilings. um, not so much. it's one big giant trailer park, but it's changing. and it IS a city within a city, which i find amusing to say the least.

i feel like i have missed so many opportunities to be a part of something BIG--so many cases of being in the right place at the wrong time...leaving just before the renaissance. olympia, williamsburg, nampa...or maybe i was in the right place at the right time, just not doing the right thing. hello!? i think i may have just unlocked a very huge piece of my lifelong problem--i have NEVER been tapped into my possibilities, and so always in retrospect, i see what could have been. it's not that places change and create opportunities for me. i change and create opportunities for me. so now: i am in the right place, at the right time. this is my mantra for today. welcome to my self-help-sewing blog. so much fun for you, dear imaginary reader.

dreaming in cocca

i just stumbled on the website for cocca, and i'm totally floored, envious, inspired and sad that i will probably never get to go there. i don't even know what city it's in because the site is in japanese. but these photos speak my language. my shop will undoubtedly be smaller and a bit more cluttered with this and that, but a girl can dream...can't she?

every day a new hummingbird

this is just getting weird. one of my favorite artist/crafters (boygirlparty) just released this--today or yesterday:

animal medicine

hummingbird person

how am i so lucky as to have a dear friend who is a life coach who calls me at just the right moment for me to step out of my office into the warmish drizzle on this strange june day and ask me just the right questions to help me feel so much better about everything? HOW am i so lucky?

this week, i will:

set up a time to sew at my mom's house for 3 hours
work on design stuff (tonight)
plan out how to put shelves in my closets w/ bri

and get this: i am a hummingbird person. i have been noticing hummingbird imagery EVERYWHERE lately (including on my shirt that i'm wearing at this very moment) and wondered what the significance was...and then michele said it today, and then read about it from one of her woo woo animal symbolism books and it is true. i am a hummingbird person. i have yet to see a real live one this year, so if and when i do...watch out. the symbolism is this: hummingbirds drink the sweet nectar of the earth, and make it their work to spread it around. they also have an ability to adapt to any situation, to make the best of what they have. to stop in mid flight, fly up down backwards forwards. i always thought they were cool, but kinda silly looking, like you would see one on some grandma's doormat or something. but clearly i need to get over that. hummmmm.

dreamy

i woke up this morning from the most satisfying sleep i've had in a long time. i had the feeling that i had just been dreaming the best dreams, but couldn't for the life of me recall what exactly it was about. but the overall sense was this: i was flitting about--being a bit of a bricoleur--and it kept occurring to me to LET THINGS UNFOLD. in a literal and figurative sense--and what kept happening (this is the murky part) is that flowers (like lotus flowers) made out of paper (newspaper?) kept blooming. like i would walk by a mess on a table, instinctively try to clean it up, then i would consciously think 'let it unfold' and the mess would bloom into a newsprint flower. hmmm.

funny because i work at a newspaper...and i think the connection is this: i need to use this job and this time in my life to serve my higher purpose--instead of always thinking about it in this way that it is *preventing* me from doing what i really should be doing. it can get me there.

last night i made a vain attempt at sewing something that has been flitting around in my head for a long time. i think the idea was a little ill-conceived, and it is official that my sewing machine SUCKS. really bad. so, universe of the internets, i'm putting this out there: i need a new sewing machine. specifically a Singer UX 20 143. not that i'm picky or anything.

no time like the present

welcome to the bricolage blog...

bricolage is a french word (bree - co - loj) meaning 'do it yourself'. it comes from the root verb bricoler, which means 'to fiddle or tinker'. isn't it a great word? it's my favorite--because it's fun to say, and it's ultra meaningful to me, as a self proclaimed do-it-yourselfer. but my diy is not in a home improvement, diy network kind of way. in fact, it's pretty narrow in scope...my bricolage is about fiber arts, fabric & sewing.

and so bricolage is going to be the name of my future business. it will be combination of four things: a fabric store (selling designer and vintage fabrics), sewing lounge (a place for all crafters to come and hang out, work on projects or take a class), personal studio for me (where i will sew my heart out and become really really good at what i love doing) and handmade boutique (featuring items made locally and regionally). This is not my original idea...sewing lounges are popping up all over the country/world, and i feel that it would bring a much needed sense of community to this fair city--as well as provide resources for all interested persons to find their own inner bricoleur.

this is something that i have been thinking about for a long time now, and today i figured that even if it's a year away, i should begin documenting, and putting my intention out into the universe. is the internet the same thing as the universe? hence the title of this post: no time like the present. i just found myself sitting at work, watching the clock, waiting for 5:30. my goal is to NEVER EVER do that again. starting now.