Recently in Podcast Category

I haven't devoted endless time to housekeeping yet (literal or virtual), but a few weeks ago I did start experimenting with a different approach to blogging. And I've decided to combine the Creative Mom Podcast blog and this "Threaded Thoughts" blog all into one -- and update just one place. I've been updating regularly in the new space for a while now. I may not be able to work all the kinks out right away, but I'm finding this new approach fits my needs right now. I hope you'll change your feeds/readers to follow me here:

http://www.creativemompodcast.com/wp/

Thanks!

This series of photos goes along with the story in EP 166 of the Creative Mom Podcast. The one shown here scampered ahead and was posing long before I made it to the top. After his series of poses, he laid down... dead... much to the amusement of another stair-climber passing by. I didn't have the right lens with me, but this was a walk worth taking, with or without the right lens on board!

More than once this week, I've fallen asleep with my keyboard in my lap and the iPad propped in front of me. Such is the state of the show notes! I'm just weaving now... it feels like they've been done for a while, but they need to be woven a bit. I need to just go more ad-hoc.... just talk it out. (At least I think that's what I need!)

(The photo above was one of a number taken on a quick walk after having tea a few weeks ago.)

Funny how these domino-style demonstrations (this one isn't "really" a Rube Goldberg-type machine) always captivate... This one is an ad (at the very end), but it's pretty cool to watch and an amazing exercise in patience... think about how long it took to set this up and get it to work! Plus... I love the 'natural' element and feeling evoked here.

By the way... EP 163 takes place in the woods (sort of) as well. An off-the-beaten-track show, much-delayed (I had company), and with a blooper in it (oh no!) that I didn't hear until today. But, with 163 live, I move on.

Episode 152 of the Creative Mom Podcast is live... it's all over the place. "Catch-up" shows are rarely as tightly woven as they should be. The above photo was a reference photo for a piece talked about in this episode. The photo was taken... wisely... before it was accidentally toppled the next day.

Yesterday I paused and realized how grateful I was that I took time to make rice pudding Sunday with the recipe Gooma8x left at my house. I was skeptical, but it worked. And I made double. And so there is plenty for a seemingly decadent bowl of rice pudding with my toast while I work in the mornings. A simple thing. And yet it is one of the good things.

At the end of the day, it seemed all I'd sewn was a stack of flying geese. Symbolic? Maybe.

Episode 148 is live.

New art posted at Creative Therapy for #98.

The above drawing is not the one talked about in Episode 145 of the Creative Mom Podcast, but 145 is titled "In Hand." The piece above is related, for sure.

What 'nudge' works for you? What do you draw... for comfort?

from Facebook ~ Moments: Two tiny snails picked up on the way to the car and put in a lid to take to school. The lid stowed in the floor. Bird out the window in a tree. Bird out the window on porch steps. Snails in floor on a lid. Snails forgotten in excitement over bird. The relative size of a 5-year olds Croc to a baby snail? Squoosh. Mom's relative comfort level with picking up squoosh out of the floor of the car?

It was a bit gross. And they were in the floor because he is maybe the most fearless of all of us, but he has a bit of an aversion to the "slime" snails leave when they (ahem) yeah... that, in your hand. So, they were on the lid.

Fittingly, the new episode of the Creative Mom Podcast is entitled "Making Moments" (EP 129). It's live as of today.

Episode 108 of the CMP is recorded... and will be live in another day or so. End-o-summer has complicated the way I fit these things in! But, Episode 109 is already underway... I'll be hinting about it at the end of Episode 108. I got to spend time working with (and learning from) someone I very much admire from the CMP circle... and I can't wait to share with you how it went, show you photos of the first project we've collaborated on, and so on. But... that's next week. This week... it's all about "change."

But, some things... remain the same... like bird art... and bird pillows. It's never too late to discover what you love. I'm realizing that... and so... maybe change isn't all bad. There's a lot of change going on... and I'm feeling a bit like this:

But, I'm trying to stay balanced. And... I guess... finding my birds last year... was "change"... at its best. It's all about perspective!

As you heard me mention on the CMP, I sold almost all of the pillows I made this summer at an art show... but I'm back at work, and things are going up at Etsy for the fall. I'll be announcing the availability -- and showing a sample -- of custom-order photo pillows soon... very soon... thinking holiday thoughts... My mom wants one... forget my art... she wants a photo of the boys... and so... an OAmyOAmy patchwork strip pillow... is underway.

I've been quiet, but step by step, I'm finding my way.

Well, everyone... it looks like I have been quiet here... or not here... again. Spring... is upon us... already, April has moved in... so quickly...

I posted Episode 93 of the CMP yesterday. And... I've started pulling things out and working on some updates... maybe for Etsy... I'm getting ready to try a bit of a new spin on what I was doing... and that's exciting... so... I'll be showing what I'm doing soon... in the interim, more pen pouches and "nest" cards are underway. It's that initial process of doing the central patch that is the most fun... for sure... I just love that part.

A few books caught my eye recently... have any of you read any of these?

You can tell summer is coming... for some reason... it brings books like this into my realm of focus!

Well, I'm still doing what I'm doing... as you can see above. The shipping tags are continuing and really it's a good thing. It's a good bit of structure for me in some odd way... without that right now... I'd probably not be "doing it" at all. So, while sometimes I look at them and think... total "rut".... each morning I grab a blank tag... and when I finish it, I'm typically content with it and with having "done" it... I smile at whatever bird has taken shape. And I file it in the green plastic box behind the ones from the days before. So, it works.
Episode 86 is short... but it came out yesterday. A bit on "small" Moleskines in that one...

Well... I didn't announce last week that Episode 84 went live, but it did. And now, Episode 85 is live... It's February, and I'm on track. This week, I'm finally talking about the shipping tags... feeling that there's something to say about them after 31 days... and seeing in them a process of both learning and evolution. So... there's a LOT of shipping tag talk this week. (Superstitiously... I didn't want to talk about them "during" the process of the month!) But, also, in Ep 85, you'll find links to a number of artists and projects that caught my attention this week, a few tidbits from our week here at our house, and more.

And... as for the tags... I'm continuing them... which means... I've gotta cut some more!

Books reviewed and mentioned this week... as well as a few related titles (or titles in a series...):

We're headed to Tahoe for a few days. So, I'm hoping to see some birds, see some snow (like 20 feet!), and drink lots of coffee.... oh, and sketch... a lot. They can ski. I'm going to sketch. So, we'll see what happens! I'm taking along my little recorder... the quality isn't great, but I think I might do next week's show "log"-style.

Have a good week!

The above photo is one of several from a walk my mother and I took last week, briefly described in the opening notes of Episode 71 of the Creative Mom Podcast which is, of course, now live. It is a walk I am very glad we took. A special place.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween.... and much fun with their families.

I am supposed to be recording this week's show... right now. And yet, since posting my subsequent "in line" story this morning, this photo has been in my head as "the" photo to post to accompany the set of stories. And so, here it is. These dahlias caught my eye on a walk from school (the long way around) the other day, and so two very quick photos of them.

In thinking about this week's show ... and reviewing just now the essay I'm going to read... I think many of you will feel all of these posts tie in with the essay... and maybe they do.

That I noticed these flowers though... perfect.

You know what that means? That's right... ATCs are in progress around here... Of course... I always make life harder than it should be because the base prep I use is just downright unfriendly to watercolor... and yet I like the effect. So, a zillion coats of paint later... and much time spent admiring the process of evaporation... and I'll have fairly vibrant color built up on all cards in the series.

This week on the Creative Mom Podcast... thoughts on "flow"... (EP 64).