Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show 2012....part 1

Happy Monday!!! I got my first canning lesson today with my step-mom. We made dill pickles! So domestic of me...in between the canning process I started working on my Spring 2013 collection of fabric. Makes my brain hurt to think that far ahead right now. I have spent so much time trying to keep myself in the now it is hard to think out that far.

The pickles are done, the lids popped (I guess that is good). Teague is still sleeping. It is peaceful so I thought I would share some Quilt Show photos from this year......

The day always begins with the Sisters Firemen hanging our Employee Challenge Quilts.

Mom and I out for our morning walk.....

I love the look down Cascade St, aka Highway 20, first thing in the morning. I think it was about 7:30ish.

I LOVE this quilt!

Rob Appell....sporting his Quilt Rescue t-shirt. He volunteers every year to help with Quilt Rescue. Very Cool!!!!

Still hanging.....

Rob hard at work fixing a quilt.....and we have barley made it 2 blocks.

I will have to end here...my little monster is calling! Keep your eyes out for part 2 and part 3....

XO

Valori

Picnic in the Park....part 2....

Hello......back from vacation! Wow a fun trip but I am tired.....why does that have to happen? I am happy to have the house and studio to myself! It is quiet no one needs anything from me and I can catch up...think a little!

Now back to the Picnic in the Park......after the showing of the Employee challenge quilts we were ready for the main event! The FOLK ART CHICKS.......

Gwen Marston, Sue Spargo, and Tonye Phillips......

The little helper.....

The Chicks did great....and all of their quilts are beautiful!

I love this quilt that one of our wonderful quilters made out of past t-shirts! Too cool!

Have a great day!

XO

Valori

Picnic in the Park.....part 1....

Hello....

Today is my brother and I's birthday, Jason is 43 and I am 39.....yep same birthday! It is a great day.....on this beautiful July day I thought I would start my series of images from the Picnic in the Park, Quilt Show and Save it for Sunday events! Three awesome events.....

The Picnic in the Park is the last event of the week of Quilter's Affair classes.....it is followed by an outdoor lecture. This year our featured lecture is from the Folk Art Chicks....Gwen Marston, Sue Spargo, and Tonye Phillips......But I wil start with a few fun pics and our traditional showing of the Employee Challenge Quilts.  This year's theme was Pieceful Village or something similar to that.....

Aunt June, Mom and I.....can you tell we are all related! Except my dorky smile.....

Music from our talented kids from Sisters!

Three tired but happy teachers.....Alethea Ballard, Emily Cier and Scott Hanson.....all vergins to Quilter's Affair and Quilt Show......

Mom and Vivi.....

The diners.....

The Chicks getting ready for their lecture!

Quilt Holders for the event....Lawry and Mindi - mother and daughter, Lawry has worked for my mom since Mindi and I were 7, & Colleen Blackwood - teacher and family friend.

My hubby and Rob Appell - our surfer boy teacher and good friend!

Let the Employee Challenge begin.....this is mom's quilt - she had the grandkids draw houses and she used them for templates then the kids picked the fabrics they wanted their houses made out of....too cute! She is so clever!

Quilts from our amazingly talented staff at the Stitchin' Post!! They did such an amazing job.....

Next on Picnic in the Park.....part 2, The Folk Art CHICKS!!!!!

XO

Valori

Simply Made Summer.......

Happy Friday! As summer continues I am hoping for warmer weather for my garden....luckily we have missed the frost but there is not much new growth.....Looking forward to July when we have warmer days.....

I have been working on the instructions for the knitted edging for the Summer Nights Shawl and am happy to say they are done and ready for you......

here is the download able version Download Knittedlaceedging

This was my test version....on this I used two colors and make it longer. The pattern is for the original shorter version.

I used Shibui variegated sock yarn......as my obsessive personality continues I am now knitting the edging out of 4 ply yarn for my voile Fina skirt. To adjust the pattern so that the lace is long enough I measured the bottom edge of my skirt and added stitches in multiples of 12 to make it the appropriate length. I will share when it is done!

This is the back side or other side of the knitted lace edging.....I think it is just as beautiful as the front. Just in case you didn't get the Summer Night Shawl pattern here you go.....

and if you want to share..... Download SummerNightsShawl-web

Another great weekend project the Sassy T-Shirt Dress for your favorite little girl. My girls love their dresses and love it when I make them something out of my fabric. I am not sure at what age this ceases to be fun but for now they love it.

For market I took a picture of the girls in the field and added butterfly kites to the sky. This was blown up to a 4' x 8' panel and became one of the walls of the booth. I just love it!

So easy to make.....all you need is a t-shirt and some voile or cotton and about an hour....

Have a great weekend!!!

XO

Valori

Simply Made Summer.......

Happy June!!! It is a beautiful day here in Sisters, the sun is out it is going to be 80 today....can't wait to get into the garden.

This is the first day of Simply Made Summer a series of postings full of projects, recipes and ideas for a great summer!

My new skirt pattern Fina is a perfect summer skirt.....I made it out of the Cocoon Linen and I am in the process of making one out of the Cocoon Voile. I think it will be so soft and yummy as it gets into the heart of summer. For the Fina photo shoot I made skirts for all of the girls and we went out to the meadow. It was a cold spring day but they were awesome.

We had fun....

And the final cover photos is.....

Now once you have a beautiful skirt your going to need to reward yourself with something yummy.... how about some Sangria!!!!  Download SummerRedSangria

Enjoy!!!! Have a great Day!!!

XO

Valori

May 10.....

Last night Olivia helped me package my treats for market.....M&M's with my "V" printed on them.....too cool! She was awesome a filling the bags and even the little ones helped!

My pic from today....and last night!

XO

Valori

May 8th......pic(s)

Mom and I headed out this morning to meet up with the ladies - very talented ladies - that participated in The Quilt For Two Rivers. This project is a collaboration of quilt artists and the forest service..... I don't have the best words to describe it so here is what is on the blog....

Quilt for Two Rivers celebrates the outdoors in a classic American art form

 By Maret Pajutee, Ecologist, Sisters Ranger District, U.S.ForestService

To date, the Tale of Two Rivers conservation campaign has generated an original microbrew, an annual cycling event, a plein air paint-a-thon and a movie screening.

Now up: a modern quilting bee.

A collaboration between the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, the National Forest Foundation and the U.S. Forest Service, Quilt for Two Rivers brings together 20 leading Pacific Northwest fiber artists who are combining talents on a single work; a 40-foot quilt with Whychus Creek running through each individual segment.

Fulfilling one aim of the Treasured Landscapes program, the project is strengthening community connections to the outdoors, specifically to two Wild & Scenic-designated Oregon rivers, Whychus and the Metolius River.

“These are not your grandma’s quilts, they are works of modern art,” notes Ann Richardson, Executive Director of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show, a co-sponsor of Quilt for Two Rivers.  “And this is a unique, inspiring way to tell the story of how salmon and steelhead are making a comeback in these important waterways.”

Jean Wells, founder of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show (the world’s largest outdoor quilting festival), named her segment of the quilt “Coming Home,” honoring restoration work that is bringing back native fish to Whychus Creek.  Her project is a family endeavor:

“My son Jason took me to the magical place on Whychus that you mostly see in the piece.  Other elements come from a hike to waterfalls in the upper reach I took with my six-year-old granddaughter, Livy, who took some of the photos I used in conceptualizing the work.  My daughter Valori is going to paint steelhead in the water section of the quilt.  My dream is to see them coming home to Whychus, and having Jason be able to go fishing there.”

The 17-panel final masterpiece will be sold either as a complete installation or as individual quilts.  A second, smaller quilt (four panels, seven feet long) along the same theme is also in development.  Half the proceeds from sales of the quilts will go to restoration projects on the two rivers, with the other half going to the quilters.  Both quilts will be unveiled June 1, with the large work exhibited at the Sisters quilt show as well as in Portland and Tacoma.

One goal has already been met: encouraging people from different walks of life to visit outstanding natural areas they may not know about in their own back yards.

Stay tuned for the upcoming “name the quilt” contest, blog posts and a short video by Liking the Quilt for Two Rivers Facebook page.

I was lucky enough to be a part of this awesome project.....I wanted to make one of the panels myself but it just wasn't douable so I got to be a part of moms....I painted the steelhead.

Today we took a picture of all of the quilts and some of the artists.... I had Ann take a quick pick for me for my pic of the day....well there are four.

This is how the quilt will hang ..... If you put the two together you would see the river flow....isn't that cool!!!

We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful area.

XO

Val

A photo a day in May.....

I am a big fan of Instagram and while I was looking through it this weekend I saw a friend of mine - HappyZombie - was doing A photo a day in May..... I figured I can do that. Especially since I take at least one photo a day... SO here is my start....

May 1, 2012

Ross and I were celebrating sending off the crate for market...... and look we found a wine called Novella. Which happens to be the name of my fall collection of fabric. Yummy!

May 2, 2012

My new belt buckles.....yeah!

May 3, 2012

New purse that I knitted and am putting handles on....

May 4, 2012

A pretty tree beginning to bloom....on my way to surgery.

May 5, 2012

Knitting while on pain killers....not too bad.

May 6, 2012

After Teagues escape from his nap yesterday we modified the crib to a big boy bed. He fell out this morning but should get the hang of it soon.

Today the photo has not been taken..... will come later.

XO

Valori

Saying Goodbye....

My parents recently sold the house I grew up in....

They moved into their new house about 3 years ago and I had not been back to the old house since.

I grew up in this house. We moved in when I was 6. I came home A LOT during college and after I moved into the little studio apartment above the garage while I saved money to build the house we live in now. Ross proposed to me in that little apartment and a little late we were married in the yard. I watched my girls play in the creek and have family dinners on the deck. So many memories and so many stories....

Before the keys were handed over I went back to the house. I couldn't go in - it was completely empty and it would of been creepy. So I said good-bye by exploring the property and some of my favorite places....

An address that will be embedding in my brain forever!

My mom and I planted this Crab-apple tree when we moved in. It was so tiny and now big and beautiful, right outside my childhood bedroom window. I still have dreams about that room. I only tried to sneak out once from those windows and got caught. Teenagers are so stupid!

Apple trees don't grow that great around here but my mom didn't care she planted this tree when my brother returned from Desert Storm. I wonder if it will ever have apples.....

I spent A LOT of time outside as a kid and we had 8 acres to play on. These rocks were close enough to the house but just far enough away, I used to have forts in the rocks finding pieces of plywood to put over the top. There were enough groupings that is was like a little village.

This was my tree fort.....the Juniper has gotten so big all that is left is the few rungs of wood. The only problem with this fort was all the pitch. But I remember fond times up there.....

Then there was my brother and the neighbor boy's tree house. I was NEVER allowed up there. They had a bit more complexity to their fort, I had a piece of wood rested between branches. I was tempted to go up there but not sure after all of these years how stable it is....

When my real dad was around we had horses....I loved my horse Dixie. The neighborhood girls and I would take our horses out bareback and race in the meadow after we got home from school.

I can still smell the hay and see my horse when I am in the barn.

The back side of the house by the yard.....I spent a lot of time photographing the flowers in my mom's yard when I was in college. I was the artist that did the pretty work not the social or political work....got a lot of grief on that. I loved discovering what was blooming when I took my time to just be in the yard...I always found things mom didn't see.

This rose bush was from my Great Grandma's yard.....it is like a weed with these beautiful little yellow roses..... Some of it came home with me and I hope will take root and grow in my garden. Ross thought I was crazy when I came home with garden trellises that were left behind and part of a rose bush. Mom was happy that I thought about it....she has put that house out of her mind.

She did SO much in that garden and it was becoming way too much work. After three years it is really run down with grass it almost doesn't look the same....it definately doesn't have mom's touch!

Her greenhouse.....

Ross and got married in the gazebo....the there was a beautiful slate walkway that is now overgrown with grass.....we planted wildflowers all along the edges and placed the chairs in the flowers for our guests....it was so beautiful....

Well enough of memory lane.....reality I have a meeting at 2:00pm....

Have a great day!

XO

Valori

January 20, 2012....

I find that when I go through change I retreat, into myself, into my studio, but that is when my best growth comes out of me. I can honestly say I have changed so much over my 38 years. Or maybe change is not all that has gone on, I have discovered so much about myself, who I am and who I want to be. Not always an easy road for me.

Recently I have been wanting to get my tattoo for Teague. And the only person I want to do it is a old college friend, Cheyenne Sawyer. He gave me my arm band in college…. I love that piece no matter how simple it is. I think about who I was in college….I was….uummm, in my 20’s and still trying to find myself. I was a bit of a basket case at times and I really went through a ton of growth in college. But I am so different now than then.  Really only recently can I say I have  truly found myself….REALLY….38 and finally feeling secure in who I am, loving who I am. Finding my balance and feeling grounded. And with this new found confidence my creativity has soared.

I have been in a “retreat” mode for several months…..thinking…….but still trying to get work done. As I come out of my cave I realize how much I have neglected my blog and my photography, my art, painting etc….just been off. Time to rectify that….

Step One - start blogging again rather than just thinking about blogging and then not making the time for it just do it!

Step Two - Find your love of Photography and Painting again.

To accomplish both of these Ross and I have gone away for the weekend....we find ourselves in Portland. We are sitting 7 stories up at the Vintage Plaza on the corner of Washington and Broadway. Working….Yes, working. I have a fabric deadline and worked this morning on them but this afternoon feel the need to blog. Show some of the cool city shots I have taken with the new addition to my family….the PEN.

My new camera.....LOVE!! It is compact but packs a punch - the Oympus Pen E-P3.

Our drive over Mount Hood. We traveled over this pass because there was a landslide on Hwy 20 - Santiam Pass.  Nice to have a change of scenery.

Yep - THE STAG.....we were so tempted to stop!

Of course there are some Hipstamatic images included...just can't help myself!!!

Foggy, rainy, beautiful Portland! I really do love this city!

Mother's Cafe is one our favorite places to eat. We decided we would sit in the bar because we don't get to do that much...I didn't have to ask for a booster seat and I got to enjoy my meal with out scolding a child. We are on vacation!!! WOO HOO!

My beautiful, wonderful sister-in-law, Stephanie got us a suite at the Vintage Plaza downtown. WOW! Love!

Our View.....

I love the grey light of the city in the winter...sounds funny but the color is amazing and the rain can be great to shoot in. I don't miss living in the rain but LOVE to visit.

I find the city to be a new source of inspiration one that I haven't explored in a long time.

See Ross worked! I swear he is not on Facebook!

This is what I worked on......

Then we had afternoon cocktails.....

So I will leave you heading up the spiral staircase to get dressed for dinner in the city.....

with thoughts of water named FRED......and....

little metal moose on the wall......

Sweet Dreams!

XOXO
Valori

New sewing patterns.....

My sweet baby girl Vivi has been home sick for three days.....poor thing has a nasty cold. So, not much work for me this week. Luckily my husband is so awesome and helped me a lot. We have an great balance with work and family when someone is sick or gone. I never thought I would have such a wonderful family and life. Sounds strange to say that because I didn't ever think I should have a bad one just didn't know it could be like this. That I would be this happy. I am thankful!

Ok.....I am done being sappy. Photos of new patterns...YEAH!

This is one of the new Sewing Cards....$3.00 retail and you can make a skirt for anyone. If you can cut rectangles and sew them together you can make this skirt....So fun! My girls like Twirly skirts but me personally don't look that good in twirly skirts so I made one with less fabric but uses the same pattern. They were made in the Karavan Jersey Knit but I think corduroy, voile and cotton would make great skirts too.

The Josie bag.....a small version of a messenger bag with a long strap to throw over your head while your riding your bike to work. I don't personally ride the 6 hilly miles to the Stitchin' Post but my friends who live in town or close to town do. This bag was made before I got the Karavan fabric, I silk screened the Elephant on some of my Jenaveve Linen and then embroidered the fabric. I just love it....this will be MY bag!!

I have been working with a friend Nick Coman - he is a clothing designer - on a collection of clothing patterns....we should have the first two patterns out by the end of the year. The Girlfriend Series...

This is an awesome skirt made with six panels.....for my personal use I made the skirt pattern longer to make out of this sweater knit fabric I have. I think it will be fun for winter.....

The Sondy is a very versatile top that can be made into a tunic, t-shirt or dress and the back is a cowl neck, so cute.

Well, those are the new patterns....I have some free quilt patterns but I have to finish photographing them and I will post....luckily I'm saved by the fact that the fabric isn't in shops yet. The Karavan Jersey Knit wont be available until the end of the year but the flannel and cotton should be coming soon!

Have a great day!!

XO

Valori

After Market.....

I am so guilty....not sending any pre-view of Karavan booth and new patterns before market.....

I have no excuse....

Jules was shipped in a large box to the hotel in Houston...I carried her over from the hotel to the convention center. Funny got a lot comments, "did you know you have an elephant on your back?" Really?! .....I think mom got a picture. I'll have to check. Needless to say Jules stole the show. The bell of the ball.... and we got the Second Place award for the booth. I was thrilled! It was the first time that  I have done a booth at the fall market in Houston. But I think it was worth it since I was introducing a new substrate....the yummy Jersey Knit. Karavan Jersey Knit was a huge success...at least to me. We will see...It just seemed like everyone was mentioning that they have been looking to introduce some jersey to their shops. Good Timing.....

And now for the few photos I have...I was a bit distracted in setting up and doing the schoolhouses and lecture that I didn't even take out my other camera...these are all my iphone photos - with my FAVORITE app ever Hipstamatic....

Sondy and I on Sunday, wearing the Isabelle Skirt and the Sondy Top - which I made into a dress.

Jules after she received her new earring.....

Jules got her picture taken more than me....but this time they wanted us both.

Can't believe that is all the photos I took....I do have some new patterns that I will post tomorrow....new quits and clothes.

Good Night my friends....

XXOO

Valori

Quilt Show 2011....part 1....

Ok, the beginning of Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. We always begin with the firemen hanging the quilts on the side of the building..... this has become such a spectacle that I even think the firemen get a kick out of it. I swear there were at least 8 of them supervising the event.....

I have also included some of my Hipstamatic iPhone photos...love that App!

Love this shot...I have to admit that the idea for the image came from one of our local photographers, Gary Miller, who did a shot similar to this last year. I loved it.....perfect way to show us!

Hipstamatic....

some new quilters.....

Early morning....the day begins!

Love this with the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show t-shirt quilt hanging below...

My brother and nephew helped hang the Gee's Bend Quilts.

nothing like a pig drinking a Black Butte Porter....

 

 

Cindy Young our excellent, featured Machine Quilter....and an employee at the Stitchin' Post.

 

 


That is all I can do today....I have a fabric deadline and I have to get back to it! Next...the Teacher Tent!

Have a great day!!

XXOO

Valori

Friday Night....before Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show....

I am gradually getting all of my photos from last weekend edited....I find that Quilt Show doesn't end on Saturday for me...we have Save it for Sunday. Wait till you see those photos, amazing display of mom's quilts hung in the pines of Five Pine Lodge. And then it is catch up for the week...But I am getting ahead of myself.....

Friday night was amazing...Jennifer Keltner, editor, of American Patchwork and Quilting gave the lecture and a sneak peak of quilts that are coming in the next year.....Now enough chatter....time for photos.

 

My kiddos.....and the wonderful Grandma Jo.

My brother and nephew...Braden! Nice to have them here for the weekend!

And now the Employee Chalange....

We had a great selection of quilts from our employees...

Now some quilts from Jennifer....

On a side note I was in the front so there are not a lot of full quilt images...but these are good too!

 

 

The evening ended with the lovley women from Gee's Bend singing....

I will get some more images edited.....till tomorrow! Have a great Summer Day!

XO
Valori

Market two....the details....

As promised some of the details of the booth....

We did coloring therapy in the booth....a great way to relax. This is my friend Kaye Prince!!! Isn't she cute....

My girl, Carolyn and I just before take down!! A long weekend but very good!

XXOO

Valori

Quilt Market photos....finally!

Ohi Vey.....I have been playing catch up since I have been home from market....catch up with the family. I missed them so much. Catch up with the shop and the studio and, and, and, and!!! Never ending I guess. Market was excellent! We had so much fun putting Wrenly's Place together and showing her to everyone that attended. Thanks to all my friends that came by the booth!!

So here you go....

The party in the booth before we packed it all up...I don't think the garage was every that fun!

Loved having my friends haning out in the booth chatting and relaxing.

and now for set up.....

Here is the booth....

Tomorrow there will be some details....

Have a great day!

XO

Valori

The sanity beach trip....

Ross and I recently spent a long - well needed - weekend at the beach...just us! It was lovely....sleep in, stay up late (at least 10) do what we want to do. We did chat about the kids a lot. Seems like that is our M.O. get a chance to be alone together and talk about the babes! Great to be away but miss them all the same.

The trip started out with a long drive over the freshly packed snow on the pass.....as passenger I got to do some drive-by shooting.

It was beautiful! So amazing to see the transformation of the forest from color to almost black and white.

We spent the afternoon in Portland, a nice lunch a little shopping....great day.

We love to stay at Manzanitia when we head to the Oregon coast...it is a small little town with a Awesome beach and it is very quiet. Always nice!

It actually snowed that first night....not anything that stuck on the beach but in the foothills there was a bit of accumulation. Our walk on the beach was a little frosty...but beautiful.

We took a hike on Saturday at Oswald West....my mom describes the hike to the beach perfectly "magical"....through the old growth forest with the trees covered with moss, so lush and spiritual.

It was a perfect 10 day....not a cloud in the sky, not that warm but still nice for February!

Some of our friends from Sisters happened to be at the coast the same weekend so we met in Pacific City for dinner at a great pub, The Pelican. We arrived as the sun was setting.....wow beautiful! This is the first photo I took after running from the car to the beach so not to miss it.

It was truly a one of a kind sunset!

Well, I'm back to cleaning and working...a little organizing here a little creating there. A good day in the studio. I finally got part of my space clean and re-organized that I actually feel like I can work. When it is too messy or chaotic I just can't work I end up pacing around until I'm totally frustrated and leave. But after yesterday's cleaning I am ready to go.

Have a great day!

XO

Valori

Snow...

While the rest of the country has been buried in snow we have been pretty dry. Then we awoke to this.... No school for Liv so she us going to work with me. Days like this make me want to just do something fun like silk screening! Too bad I have to work. Maybe I can take the afternoon off!
Have a great day!!!!
XO
Valori

The photos were taken on my iPhone with the Toy Camera app. It is really cool.

The rest of the best of 2010.....

Where did I leave off on my adventures of the past year.....OH yes, accomplishments....my mom had a huge accomplishment this year - I was a very proud daughter seeing my mom be inducted into the Quilter's Hall of Fame. Tears filled my eyes as she spoke of her lifetime of quilting, realizing that I have been apart of it for so many years.

she just glowed that night, it was great to see her so happy.

I have learned that I have to be happy with me and quit trying to please everyone else or I will never full fill my dreams or destiny that it is time to lead my life to the fullest.

Talk about an AHA moment! To quote Oprah...

The year had some normality's....Quilt Show to be exact....it came and went perfectly....

The kids enjoyed it to the fullest...

We had birthday milestones.....

we planted our garden and watched it grow....I loved the excitement from the kids to go out and see what had grown over night.....every evening we would spend hours outside in the garden - eating most of our produce raw and playing in the flowers and sand.....I enjoyed every second and found such peace in the laughter and silliness of my family.

I got more ink this summer for my Violette Grace...

and realized that I have to really control myself  not to pick!!! very bad habit....

We played in the ocean and sand.....the energy and excitement of the kids oozed over to us adults and we all got a little wet.

Sunbathing and cuddling became a norm in our house....

especially as we brought new family members home....

to my amazement it isn't too hard to have three cats, three kids and a puppy.....instead of being totally overwhelmed I am learning to embrace the chaos and laugh at it all......HUGE for me!

There were so many firsts this year......

the first guitar lesson...

the first soccer game.....I am officially a soccer mom, and a dance mom, and a Tae Kwon do mom and, and, and, and.....

The first day of school....for my baby.....

This winter I had an awesome opportunity to do something special for my girlfriends....two women that I have know since we were kids but it is only now that we have become such great friends. We were having a Christmas dinner at my house when Sondy pulled me aside and told me that she pulled Trea's name for their family secret santa and she really wanted one of my little bird paintings....How could I ever say no, I was honored! Well, funny thing is towards the end of the evening Trea pulls me aside and tells me how she got Sondy's name for secret santa and wanted one of my birdy paintings....I was so excited to get to do the paintings for them....and oh so wished I could be a fly on the wall when they opened gifts.

Luckily I had Julie (another girlfriend of ours) at the studio when I was painting and she mentioned it to Sondy's husband so he got a photo for me....kind of like being a fly on the wall.....

Sondy's bird....so perfect for her...

Trea's bird.....she loves green...

And the girls....

I loved being able to something that was so special to them, it filled me with joy and satisfaction.

So my friends this is it.....part of my year in photos......there are times I wish I could express more in words and find more time to share where I am and what I'm doing with you. For me this year has been filled with tremendous growth....I am proud of myself and who I am and who I am becoming as I believe that life is ever changing and so am I....thank you for all of your kind words over the past year and I hope to hear from you more.

find your beauty this year and push yourself in some way or another......

to a great 2011!!!
my love and gratitude!

XOXO

Valori

Happy New Year.....a little late.....

Welcome to 2011! It is starting out as crazy as last year. Is that something that just happens as we get older and have more responsibilities? I also consider technology a culprit in the crazyness, it seems I am always able to be in touch except on about 8 minutes of my drive to and from our house, no cell service. I remember when......we didn't drive with phones, home phones were connected to the wall, our computer was connected to the desk (no lap tops). I was wondering when the comment "I remember when" was going to come out of my mouth. Alas, technology has a huge roll in my life and I will have to learn to find a balance.

I recently was reading AnnaMaria Horner's blog post about 2010, she remembered her year in bits and pieces of good, bad, sad, happy all of those emotions. It made me reflect on my own year. What happened in 2010 that I remember...what made me cry, laugh, reflect, sing, dance..... I am not as eliquent with words as others but I do take some good photos and they can help me convey my feelings. Here you go my memories of 2010......(in no particular order just how I feel)

To start with something beautiful, my family....whom I love so much and have taught me so many things this year...

Patience, friendship, love, the art of dancing and singing just because you can.....and being silly

I watched my kids become less like babies and more like people - funny how that happens...

They became friends...beyond just being Sisters....

They painted with me...and now it is a constant request on the weekends - "can we paint?"

I watched my dad beam as Vivi learned to bake bread with him...it was so rewarding to give something to him in my children that he missed out on in me. Reminding me that forgiveness is so important in life and that if you don't learn to forgive you may miss out on something beautiful.

From the darkness of Winter we came into the beauty of spring....loving the time spent cuddling by the fire in the winter but anxious to be outside and plant and play...

even in my dark times I always had a part of me that knew it was all going to be alright....

Things broke in my life but even when broken they were beautiful in their own way and I learned something from each experience....

I found my love of photography again....not sure if I lost it or it was just quietly waiting for me to come back to it....

I was inspired to look at photos a little different....bubbles for instance...

Baby and bubbles...

 

and then there were the clouds....my fascination with clouds, I still love them and have recently bought myself a new "point n' shoot" that will take RAW images and is totally awesome - to put in my purse and have with me at all times. The iphone is great but does not do my vision much justice. My new canon will.

(along with clouds is my love of wine) I found times this year that just sitting and being was the most wonderful, rejuvination experience. Learning to quiet my mind and stop the chatter.....

Anyway.....

Inspiration....oh where, oh where does it come from....

A trip to a zoo brings inspriation...

a bar in an airport.....

yarn....and of course my children and family....the most inspiring part of my life.

So many accomplishments, falls, highs and lows for the year....there will be more tomorrow.

XOXO

Valori