Rose Cottage

  As January comes to a close, we are finishing our first blog challenge for 2025. It's been fun visiting each other's blogs, giving us a kaleidoscopic view of each other's worlds. New recipes, creations projects and inspires abound!  As this challenge ends, new opportunities beckon. One SiStar blogger has even set up a Pinterest board, inviting us to post favorite articles!  Emily, Mary, Josh n me Yesterday my son and granddaughter Emily came to town and we had a quick and sweet visit! Emily turns 21 tomorrow, so i passed on her gift. We stopped by Mary's work for 'a hug' (in facilities, at our nearby Uni)  In February I'm looking forward to our next space Reset (my Atelier/ Library and closets are next on the list!) and delving back into my  ᏣᎳᎩ Studies. I'll be blogging about that journey again - stay tuned! Connected I am taking a couple of my friend Cindy's creative workshops, combining Soul Collage ™  Mixed Media, and Intentional Creativity ™!...

  Several years ago,  my   feed   over on Instagram delivered a wonderful post featuring a continuing saga of the artist's adventures ...  In her post,  Hannah  wrote about a taking much anticipated camping trip, which turned into a sodden disaster! She wrote that they hung their 'cloutie flags' upon setting up their campsite in Cornwall.  Clootie flags on my porch I guessed she meant small cloth prayer flags or banners, and  found this  article when I looked it up: The Scots word ‘clootie’ means ‘cloth’ - the term can also be found in use in the Scottish dessert, the ‘ clootie dumpling ’. (A Scotts pudding , with dried fruit - currents, raisins and the like) which is boiled in a cloth (the clootie).   Clootie flags  are scraps of cloth, hung from trees surrounding a sacred well or spring. These sources of fresh water have been considered places of healing for millennia, and the flags hold prayers for healing.  Tra...

 A fall treat in Yamhill County (named for the local indigenous tribe) is our Art Harvest Studio tour, and this year marked the 30th tour! Over 60 local Artists have opened their studios, or are displaying in a shared space for two weekends! Tour brochure I met my friend Audrey at Currents Back Door Studio (where I've led Red Thread circles and offered classes) to see the work of 3 artists. Then upstairs to the Rose of 3rd which is always a treat!  This year, folks could get a preview of work by each of the artists in the ballroom at 'The Rose' or at the Newberg Cultural Center throughout September. Three of artists display their pieces in the front room, and 3 in the ballroom of this lovely Mission style space.  Spiral necklace by Debra Franciosi I often choose a piece of jewelry or pottery- this year the copper and silver necklace called! (And goes beautifully with the earrings I got last year from another artist on the tour, Maggie Bowman) Audrey and I then walked fro...

 One of my favorite protects is to create Cosmic Smashbooks and Juju Journals!  When she was in her color of Woman teacher training, our Red Thread SiStar  Catt Geller  wanted an option suitable for low-income participants. She thought of using simple composition books - and  Cosmic Smashbooks  were born!  After my own graduation from Color of Woman Teacher training in 2015, I corresponded with Catt, and was granted permission to teach local classes for several years, before she began her certification program.  I offer a simple journal process in my Reiki 2 classes, inviting students to document their Reiki experiences. In these Good Medicine journals, we used Apothecary vessels to transform old stories into remedies .  Reiki 2 Good Medicine journals Composition books are readily available, and provide a good foundation for Journaling, using word and image. Many of us covered notebooks with brown paper - that's a great beginning. ...

  I'm looking forward to this year's February invitation to  Reset the space of your Living Altar,  which I'll co-facilitate with a friend from our  Intentional Creativity  community. This is timely, as I've been in my new house 9 month, so it will be good to revisit my use of this lovely space! It will be my second year in this role as a host. Vinny robot A decade ago, our Intentional Creativity mavon  Shiloh  issued this invitation:   " I would love for you to finish your painting if you haven’t, and then to clean your studio. Reset your altars. Make new room for the sprouts to come up through the ashes. You need space and time to see what’s coming up and what wants to be shared and prepared for...." Red Thread The Reset group description reads,  "think of this, what if your whole home was a sacred space? Throughout February, (we) will lead a month of consciously clearing spaces in your home, and you're invited!"  As we are appro...

 This past weekend, my daughter's family and I joined other members of our congregation at Camp Arrah Wanna, for a lovely retreat! Our youth love spending time at this rural camp near Wy'East (Mt Hood), and it's a great to have camps for all ages as well.  My daughter Mary helped plan activities, so invited me to lead two creative workshops. In the first, Heart's Ease, we identified several things which weigh on our hearts, and found images for antidotes. We used color and shape for the 'weights', then cut images from magazines and calendars to collage on card stock! Heart's Ease participants The shares and check in at the end are always so touching! And it's always fulfilling to hear that our time together was conforting and helpful. Sarah's Heart's Ease altar Sunshine began folding cranes, and she and Sarah took a major walk, and continued working of their 3-D pieces after lunch! Zander (12) enjoying a walk It is special to share camp time with...

  The threads of Healing and creativity run strong in our family line; massage, midwifery, growing and using herbs, color, crafts, music...  My mama Lois and I traded back and foot rubs through my childhood; my dad Byrle and I sang in the church choir. I took piano lessons from an excellent teacher, Marion Coe, accompanied our girls choir, and in college I was an education major, with a music minor.   I always identified as an artist, and as a healer, becoming a massage therapist in the early 80s.  I took up the harp a decade later, and in 2015, I enrolled in the 9 month Color of Woman coursework, and certified as an Intentional Creativity teacher and coach, painting and keeping an art journal, and began offering creative circles monthly, and several longer painting classes throughout the year. In 2020, a sister teacher and I began offering the circles via zoom, and have built a sweet international group.  Art Cart One of the things I love about our Intent...

 The monthly gathering of our singles group was a harvest potluck Saturday evening, and our hostess Lynn asked me to bring GF Cornbread, to pair with the bean Chili she made. I used my GF sourdough starter, and increased it the night before, adding sufficient flour and water for 1 1/3 Cup of batter, reserving 1/3 Cup in the morning for the next batch.  Gluten free starter   To the remaining starter, add an egg (or flax egg - 1 Tbsp flax in 2 Tbsp water),  and 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil.  1 Cup sourdough Egg or Flax egg 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted 1/2 C corn flour/ cornmeal 1/4 C coconut flour 1-2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder Mix dry ingredients into wet, adding a bit more liquid or cornmeal as needed, to get a stiff dough.  Let rise 20 minutes or so, shape into balls to fit your muffin cups (3/4 full) Let rise again 10 minutes or so.  I preheat my Air fryer 340° for a few minutes, then set cups on the rack (4-5) and bake (in batches) 18-20...

 One of the fall treats in Yamhill County (which is named for the local indigenous tribe) is our Art Harvest Studio tour, when a number of local Artists open their studios to guests for two weekends! Some of Charles' unique vessels This weekend, I visited several on Saturday,  and Sunday, my friend Audrey and I visited: • Britt Block (pastels) • Charles Gluskoter (pottery - I now have two of his bowls plus a baking dish! )  • Leo Sherrin (mixed media, masks - wow!!!)  • Reetsie Fuller (etched gourds)  Matson pottery (80s) It is so delightful to see the spaces in which inspiration comes, and where art is created - sometimes, the whole home is a work of art! For a couple of the older artists, this is the last year they participate.  Charles Gluskoter - living/ dining room I"ve dreamed of being on the tour, especially after my Color of Woman teacher  training (Intentional Creativity) certification in 2015. Before Lockdown, my art was in a couple of galle...

 I'm looking forward to the February invitation to Resetting the space of your Living Altar,  which several friends from our Intentional Creativity community host. I'm also a bit nervous, as I've been invited on board to help facilitate the group this year! Red Thread A decade ago, our IC teacher  Shiloh  issued this invitation:   " I would love for you to finish your painting if you haven’t, and then to clean your studio. Reset your altars. Make new room for the sprouts to come up through the ashes. You need space and time to see what’s coming up and what wants to be shared and prepared for...." Whatever your space and projects, giving time and attention to a reset often inspires us, and gives access to new ideas and insights.  The Resetting group description reads,  "think of this, what if your whole home was a sacred space? Throughout February, (we) will lead a month of consciously clearing spaces in your home, and you're invited!"  While...