Last week, I took a quick detour to the library. I have been looking for some fresh business advice and wanted to round up a stack of new research materials. And then, because it’s summer and sometimes you just need to indulge in something a little lighter, I snuck down a few rows and checked out an old favorite, Feng Shui in the Garden.
I don’t even know how many times I have checked out this book from the library. I read it shortly after I moved into my first apartment — before I had a garden of any sort or even a balcony for plants. I’m not a huge believer in feng shui — at least not in terms of cultivating luck. However, so many of the principles are common sense and feel good when applied.
Things like:
Having your back facing the window or door creates an unsettled feeling.
Placing a mirror next to your desk doubles your workload. (When you think about it visually — it really does!)
Clutter stops up energy.
Feng Shui in the Garden has a brief intro on feng shui and then dives in to a bunch of different gardens you could create – gardens for children, for seniors, for lovers, etc. I really love how thoughtful the author is about who will use the garden and how to tailor that space for the people who will spend time there. She also suggests spending time in each place in your home (or garden) each day– checking on things, doing little bits of tidying up and maintenance. Do you do this? I find it very soothing.
To me, this book is a very nice companion to my garden daydreaming. This time I picked it up along with a more general gardening how-to book. We do have a small balcony right now. Maybe it’s time to give this a try…
Do you have any other gardening books you would recommend? Any gardening tips — especially for container gardening?
Hi there and happy Friday, everyone! Thanks for all of the great suggestions on recipe sites from the last post. I am looking forward to going through them this weekend for a few new gems. Before I sign off, I could use one extra favor. (I know – I’m getting a little greedy this week.)
I am working on some new content for the blog, and I would love your input on this one question:do you use a sewing machine?
There are quite a few of you who I know the answer on this already. (Jane and Emily? Yes. My Dad? Not so much.) However, there are plenty of people who stop by and I haven’t met yet – so hopefully this will be an easy, anonymous way for you to let me know. As always, I treasure your input!
This is my first time using a survey so fingers crossed this actually works. If for some reason you have trouble entering your answer, feel free to leave a comment instead. And if there is something you’d like to see more of here, I’d love to hear that, too.
Hello there. I hope you all had a lovely Fathers’ Day weekend. Ours was busy, but a lot of fun.
We are prepping for our vacation, and I have to admit: my brain is worthless right now! I cannot muster up the will power to think about anything more complicated than which set of flip-flops to pack. I think I am going to indulge myself and sign off here a bit early.
Hope you have a great week. I’ll be back here on Monday.
Ahhh… that is so much better! I let out a big sigh of relief late last night when we finally hit the “live” button on the new blog. I feel a little bit like someone who has been walking around in the wrong size shoes and has just finally found a pair that actually fits. I still have some polishing up to do, but for now, I think this is far enough along to share. If you’re reading the blog in a blog reader, maybe you can indulge me and pop over here to see the new look live. Hopefully this will make for a better, more cheerful reading experience!
I have to give huge credit to my WordPress hero, my husband. (Thank you!) He was very patient with me when I kept giving him the wrong size artwork.
Also, if you have not had a chance to sign up for the newsletter, the sign-up process should be a lot easier now. Just add your e-mail address in the box up top and click submit. I’ll be sure to give you all of the insider fabric and secret project news (along with some goodies)!
Thank you so much for visiting me, and just generally being patient and cheering me on. We can now say that we’ve known each other since the “dark ages.” And, of course, if you find something that isn’t working, please drop me a note!
[Update! 10am - Well, that was fast. Both bundles of fabric have been claimed, so the give away is now closed. Thanks everyone! We'll do this again soon.]
Today, I want to share a small give away with you. To celebrate my fabric reorganization, I am giving away two small bundles of fabric. All you have to do is leave a comment and I will mail these stacks off to the first 2 people to claim a prize. (International entries are ok, but hopefully you can help me figure out a cost effective way to mail these to you!) Let me know which bundle you are interested in when you comment.
Green/Yellows -(see up top) These are left over pieces of a mid-weight cotton that I used to make this bag along with some Denise Schmidt Flea Market Fancy. (already claimed!)
Blues/Reds - (below) This bundle includes a generous cut of Echino, some old school Amy Butler, Flea Market Fancy in pink, and a red/white floral. (already claimed!)
Thank you so much for all of the kind words about the fabric organization. Hopefully, you will all keep me honest so it stays that way!
I'm Kelly Lee-Creel, a fabric and craft designer in Los Angeles. You can learn more about my little corner of the web right here. I love hearing from you, so feel free to send me a note.
