Spring, New Fabric for Mom and Make And Decorate Podcast

Spring has been nice and long here in western Mass. The grass is just starting to grow - it isn't long enough to put the sheep on it yet but it will be within a couple weeks. We will need to get the temporary fences set up which is a job. The Farmer isn't very steady on his legs yet -- that will take having the second hip replaced. We are hoping we can find some help with that project -- someone who doesn't mind the ticks that are ravenous this time of year. Yuk. 

I have been working on a project for Mom. She wants to recover her porch furniture and wanted to use one of my fabric designs. Because I can, I designed 4 new colorways for her of my Bird and Flower Pattern - all the while thinking about Mom's lovely screened in porch and the many hours we have spent there together as a family. I designed 4 colorways - light green, brown, leaf green and gold - and then resized the pattern 4 times so that she can pick the colorway and scale she needs for her particular cushions on her couch. 

I have sent the fabric off and I look forward to hearing her choice. I like them all and I think she will be happy with one of them. Once she decides, I will re-do the computer files and order the fabric for her at Spoonflower. I will also put the pattern up for sale in my Spoonflower shop. 

As you can see, Henry had to get into the photo action as cats are bound to do. We have a litter of kittens due soon and we are hoping that Henry is the dad to some of them. He has such a great personality and is a beautiful boy so fingers crossed he did his job. Unlike some male cats I have had, he hasn't been marking territory. I will get him neutered but want to see the type of babies he fathers. He came from an island in Maine so it is good to have some new blood. Like with our sheep, the male is half the progeny. 

Lastly, I want to let you all know that I am on a podcast hosted by Stephanie Socha called Make and Decorate. I taped the interview several weeks ago and it is now available to listen to. Stephanie started her podcast not that long ago and she is such a fun chat. She is a very enthusiastic conversationalist with lots of different interests that we had in common. Stephanie has been an interior decorator for several years, quilts, crochets, sews and hails from the midwest. We talked about all kinds of fun things including quilting, color, fabric, pattern and more. Have a listen here. 

I listen to podcasts a lot while I work on my ceramics and sew. I use the app on my phone or ipad called Stitcher although there are many options for listening including on a browser. There is so much to learn out there. Click here to listen to my interview on Make and Decorate. 

Have a great week everyone!

Book Review - The Maverick Soul

It's been a long time since I have written about any books I have discovered and fallen in love with. There are not a lot of books that come out these days that really speak to me. But this one -- The Maverick Soul -- by Miv Watts with photos by Hugh Stewart - is one I can't stop looking at. Published in Australia by Hardie Grant Books (a publisher that really does gorgeous books), is one I have turned to again and again. I have had it for a while now (it was published in 2017) and thought I would share it with you all.

The Maverick Soul - Inside the Lives and Homes of Eccentric Eclectic and Free-spirited Bohemians is a look into the homes of artists, designers, and generally very interesting people. Miv Watts - the author - is a stylist and decorator who has also been involved in the film business. She lives between Australia and the south of France. She is also the mom of actress Naomi Watts. As you can imagine with a career as such, Miv would know interesting folks who might live in interesting homes and locales. This book is a look into 25 homes of these people. I didn't know who any of them were - except for Marianne Faithfull and Raffaella Barker (author). 

The photos were taken by Hugh Stewart and they are lush, full of texture and layers. Nothing looks very styled or perfect - more as if the photos were taken by a friend when just walking in the door. There are lots of beautiful still lives of corners of homes. 

Each person's home is a chapter and there is a page and half of words about each featured home owner and how they came to live in their home. Miv is an engaging writer and as I turned the pages to discover a new house or person, my world was opened up to new places and thoughts. From the Introduction, she writes "In the course of a life, if one is lucky, one meets a few people who leave a mark, touch the heart, turn a switch, leave a print on the soul. Such mentors can have an impact on one's future and they can be the inevitable catalysts of change."  There are many more moving thoughts and passages as each person and home is revealed. 

Here are some photos of pages from the book with links to some of the featured homeowners - there are 25 homes and people featured so this is a smattering. (I've given you quite a rabbit hole to fall down with those links!) 

If you are a home junkie or like to read about interesting people and places, check out The Maverick Soul. 

Simon Finch - Antiquarian Book Dealer and his home Voewood

Griffin Dune - Writer, Producer, Director, Actor - this is one of two Americans featured

Bruce Goold - Artist, Textile Designer and Aussie Icon

Victoria Alexander - Decorator, Photographer

Patrick Deedes-Vincke and Isabelle Townsend (daughter of Peter Townsend)

Nancy Howard - Artist, Philanthropist

Desmond MacCarthy - Farmer, Restauranteur at Wiveton Hall

Rebecca Purcell - Stylish, Philosopher and former Display Director at ABC Carpet in NYC

Melissa North - Interior Designer

Miv Watts' own home in the south of France

The back cover of The Maverick Soul 

Long Time Away.....

.... from this little old blog. This winter has been long and I am so ready for it to be over. We are still having a few lambs being born sporadically. This one was born the other day - The Farmer went a little wild with the orange marking paint. 

The 5 bottle lambs have been weaned now and are eating only solid food. Here they are on their last day of being fenced in. Now they are running free. 

All the older ewes have lambed and now it is the yearlings who are lambing. They are always a little problematic because some don't know what to do with their lambs - but some take to it naturally. 

Here is a particularly beautiful lamb who was born early in the season. 

The older lambs are growing and are very athletic. I posted a video of lamb races the other day on Instagram - you can see it here. 

There are some really beautiful lambs - many who are Texel crosses. This is the first year we have had a lot of Texel lambs and it is interesting to see the different features the lambs have. 

We have had quite a few black lambs this year. Not sure why but one of the rams must have had a recessive black gene. Some have these speckly faces. 

The snow is finally gone except for deep in the woods. The sap has been running here for at least 3 weeks and the little sugar houses throughout the hills have been boiling up the sweet stuff. It looks like sugaring season is almost over for this year. 

The landscape is still brown but the grass is starting to green up a bit. I am really looking forward to spring - even more than usual. It has been a long winter. I have been sick with colds, coughs and flu twice this winter - and so has my family. Considering I haven't been ill in 3 years, I guess it was my turn. 

My hens finally started laying again and we are starting to be awash in piles of eggs. Lots of egg dishes are going to be on the menu along with popovers which are my favorite at this time of year. I use this popover recipe from Julia Child. In re-reading this post from 2014, I realize that I was a really enthusiastic blogger back in 2014. I seem to have lost that mojo - as it seems many early bloggers have. But I haven't given up. I think that Instagram has replaced blogging for many - it is so easy to do and that seems to be where the action is. I post there almost every day. It is a nice community. Here is my page if you want to give me a follow. 

This past month I have been watching a lot of YouTube and Skillshare videos and trying to up my knowledge on Adobe Illustrator. I have worked in Illustrator since the very early days of Adobe Illustrator. I think my first program was called Illustrator 88. I have never felt really accomplished in it. I have found the videos by Helen Bradley to be very helpful. You can find her on YouTube and also on Skillshare. She teaches all kinds of programs - Lightroom, Photoshop, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Helen's own website is here. She calls herself "Project Woman" and she is a serious talent. 

There are so many on-line classes out there now and it is hard to stop watching them once you start. I am really enjoying Skillshare because the classes are taught by normal people and mostly filmed in their own homes. Some are better than others. They are having a special - 2 months for 99 cents. You might want to check it out here.  And no - this is not an affiliate link - just sharing with you all. 

That's it for today - I hope I will be back soon with more.