A Little Imagination and a Pile of Junk

best wishes

This past summer as we approached my son Soren's eleventh birthday, he naturally began making a Wish List of presents he hoped he might see on his special day. That's half the fun of a birthday, right, planning and dreaming and looking forward to the big day? Well one afternoon, feeling a little left out of the fun, his sister Maisey began moping around the house with nothing to do. She found me in the studio not wanting to hear every parent's nightmare--the dreaded, "I'm bored! There's nothing to do!"--all afternoon, I told her she should make her own wish list--with a twist. She should come up with 8-10 things for her list but only two of them could be material things (toys and books and such). She immediately ran back inside the house and I happily started back to work thinking that challenge should occupy her for a couple of hours. But about 15 minutes later, she returned with her list. So sweet and innocent and full of hope it made me cry and want to give her everything she asked for.

Maisey's Special Wish List (Age 9)

1. Love

2. A good friendship

3. A little more respect

4. More privileges

5. That people would never be mean

6. That I would be super smart! (Oh, how I love that little exclamation point!)

7. That things bad would never happen

8. That Mom & Dad would tell me things when I ask! (This last one's a little jab at me for not telling her what we had planned for her brother's birthday. Maisey, like her dad, is notoriously bad at keeping anything exciting a secret for more than two minutes!)

For days I just couldn't get this list off my mind. It occured to me that most of these are things we would all wish for if God asked us make our own a little wish list for life in this beautiful but broken world. Love, friendship, kindness, peace. Who could ask for much more than that?

It is my hope that you find all of these in abundance in your homes and families this holiday season and into the new year. Merry Christmas and thank you all for taking the time out of your precious days to visit my little blog!

xo, debra

it's beginning to look a lot like...

This came from a very talented friend of a friend. I'm glad not just for the laugh, but now I know exactly what to get my husband for Christmas: two in one!! (Watch 'til the end and you'll see what I mean.)

Well, I better get back to my Christmas crafting--only 12 days left! Merry Pinterest, everybody!! You can check out more of Jeremy Ashida's music here or here.

colorful christmas goodies

Looking for something a little different this year for your holiday decor? How about colorful crochet garlands and hand-painted fabric ornaments to bring a little merry & bright to your holiday decorations?

Take a peek in my Etsy shop for more pictures and details (click here). Happy decorating!

behind the scenes

I didn't intend to be away for quite so long! But after driving 2 days for a more-than-worth-it Thanksgiving with family back home in Texas, we returned to quickly became preoccupied with sick kids, custom journals and, well, life. Plus a broken camera makes blogging a bit tricky, but I still have my phone! ...Oh, wait, yeah, the lens on the camera phone is cracked now, too. Very tricky. But I have been busily working. Even dipping into my journal bit by bit, though still not as at home in its pages as usual. But I will persevere.

Because I am working on new things! Pretty things! Some you will see in my Etsy shop shortly, others just for fun. Like these fabric beads that I just had to spend an afternoon making. Just in case I needed them. Until then, they are lovely in my Andy Warhol commemorative soup can. And making me a little hungry.

Yep, busy, busy. But you will have to be content with a sneak peek for just a little longer. Until I figure out how to get some real pictures. I mean, what's a blog post without pictures?! Blog suicide that's what! Yes, very tricky, indeed.

So, bear with me a little longer, won't you? I've got lots to show you and some fun stuff planned---including a giveaway! You know, a little pre-Christmas gifty. You won't want to miss that! Not to mention sparkly things! And feathers! And beads! You can't get much better than that in my book. Especially feathers.