My End of the Year Post!

The Christmas Season is

fast approaching.

Less than a week to go and I'm still

scampering to finish it all!

The tree is decorated,

most of the presents are wrapped,

the Christmas cards were mailed

and yet I feel so unfinished!
Let's not even mention
NO holiday baking yet!

The holiday season can zap us of

all positive energies if we allow it to.

I'm afraid I got in that rut a few days back.

The quiet time disappeared,
the list kept growing longer and

there was always 

"one more thing to do"

I am a creature of habit,
a fault of mine I know ...

I need my quiet time,

my creative time

and 

my weaving time!
Boy do I crave an afternoon nap!

I don't like the feeling of being

out of sorts.
I feel unsettled when life keeps doing life,
and I can barely keep up,
especially with a holiday
right around the corner!!!!!

I was able to complete my holiday ornament,
it is a keepsake reminder of our 
OBX Thanksgiving vacation this year.
I spun the flax,
wove the small tapestry,
I mounted it to a small piece of driftwood I found along the beach,
and finished it off with a keepsake shell,
I look forward to pulling it out every year in the future,
a sweet reminder of time with my precious family,
all under one roof!

So I am slowing myself down, 

enjoying this last week before the holiday

flies into our home!

I can't wait to share the holiday

with family,

and this year we have a new name

under the tree,

our Zoey will turn 7 months old on

Christmas Eve!

So there is another stocking on the mantle,

and more presents under the tree!

Zentangle® has been my creative choice lately,

it is portable, calming and reminds me

to slow down and breathe,

during a most busy time of year.

I am especially proud of this little

3T tile, full of Paradox tangles.

As I was finishing the very last space,

I decided to leave it blank

and entitle it

"Because Life is Unfinished"

What do you think?

I look forward to 2018

and sharing more Zentangle classes

with others.

I'm working on a day long retreat soon!

Not sure of any details yet, but it looks promising!

I am excited to warp my empty Mirrix Tapestry Loom
with a Tapestry Diary Project,
it will be a form of weaving discipline for me.
Weaving a small section of something,
each and every day in 2018!
I will be re-visiting my online weaving courses
with the amazing Rebecca Mezoff,
and deepening my weaving practice. 

So for now I am taking a break on the blog,

2018 promises to be new and refreshing

as I enter my Eighth Blog Year!

I love sharing what creative

moments are happening in my life!

Till then,

Happiest of Holidays

to you and your family!

Embrace the warmth and love of family,

reach out to long lost friends,

take care of your own self

and contemplate the true

spiritual meaning of the 

Christmas Holiday,

(hint ... it's not about the presents under the tree!)

Love to you all,

you have my heart

Donna Lee

Getting things Accomplished

Small tapestry finished from my Hokett Loom

Looking at the calendar,

marking it with dates and obligations,

I truly can't believe it is mid June already!

The calendar is filling,

My youngest son turns 34 tomorrow!

Vacation is coming soon

and travel plans are being made.

I am so excited to also be

taking my Weaving Mentor 

Rebecca Mezoff's

workshop 

in Colorado this summer!

Four days of fellowship, inspiration and weaving!

I get goose bumps just thinking about

how the trip just fell into place.

I have had a lot of creative projects

going on at the same time

and I must say ...

it sure feels good to be finishing them up!

I have finished many needlework projects 

and I love each one of them!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram,

you can find them all there!

The quietness of holding my needle

compares to nothing else!

Stitching over one thread on 32ct linen

I want my summer to be free and easy,

so I had a to do list of what I wanted to accomplish!

I was extremely busy creating a handwoven pouch

for Mirrix Looms,

it was a two month blog project

and now a giveaway for one special weaver!

You can read all the details here ...

My finished Pouch woven with hand dyed silks

I have just finished a year long commitment

as a Social Marketing representative

for Mirrix,

and I must say it was a wonderful experience.

I wrote my last blog post for them this week,

and hope my final message will be a good one!

In the midst of a busy life,

our Wynn family had an amazing surprise

of our fourth grandchild being born,

3.5 weeks early!!!!!

Her beautiful name is Zoey Brett Wynn.

She was in the NICU for a week,

allowing her lungs to get stronger,

she is home now and doing amazing!

I have to say how full and blessed 

my life is right now!

First time I got to touch our sweet one

This past week I was able to pick up the

woven Tapestry Cuffs I had finished

weaving a month ago ...

I kept staring at them unfinished

and it was as if 

they were just asking me to complete them!

I had six different cuffs on my Mirrix 

My first completed cuff

When I sit still for a moment

and think about all that I have accomplished,

it feels really good.

I am one who doesn't like things undone.

All of my projects were fun,

but I must admit I was in over my head

with

"I want to do this and thats!"

I'm learning to slow down a bit,

breathe and enjoy the day.

I have my projects finished now,

books read, blog posts written

and now I want summer to just roll in.

I have returned to my Zentangle® practice,

it had been awhile!

I can't remember the last time

I sat during a lunch hour

and practiced my meditative drawing!  

It felt really good to have my pen in hand!

Lunchtime drawing

I have learned that accomplishing creative tasks

feels good from the inside out!

I also know that working on so many 

things at once is overwhelming.

I need to pick and choose what grabs my

creative attention from now on.

Lesson learned ... step lightly,

do less and enjoy every moment!

Summer is a time that we naturally slow down.

Why is it we have to wait until the summer months

to learn this lesson?

What are your summer plans?

I would love to hear

Donna Lee

Happiest of Holidays to You!

Our holiday tree this year

My holiday season has been a busy one,

and so has yours I am sure of it!

I was determined to step into December lightly,

I told myself I would not let stress get the best of me,

I would enjoy the decorating, the wrapping, the baking,

all the beautiful holiday moments . . .

so far so good!

(I admit as the holiday draws nearer,

it is getting harder to keep that promise to myself!)

I must say I have been doing a lot of 

internet shopping and home delivery this year,

that Prime from Amazon gets me every time!

The malls are so crowded, 

traffic in Virginia Beach is crazy

and time is running out!

In between all the holiday demands,

I do find time to create a little art for myself,

it centers me, helps me keep focused.

Since my blog is all about my creative life,

I have done a few things I would love to share:

 Setting up a warp on my wonderful Mirrix Loom

 Working on a painting for someone special

 Not done yet ... still needs finishing touches!

Playing around with my own handspun yarns

Stitched this beautiful ornament for our tree

So as you can see I have had

time to create my artwork.

I truly mean it when I share that

it keeps me grounded,

keeps me happy

and I feel centered when I can

spend even a few moments

working on something.

Art is a discipline, at least it is for me.

I make the time for it,

and I never regret it!

So I leave you here in 2016

wishing you the most joyous

holiday season you can have!

May it be filled with love and celebration,

may you find time to be good to yourself as well!

I thank you for visiting here faithfully this year

and listening to what I have to say.

I look forward to the New Year,

until then I have gifted myself the rest of 2016

to stay unplugged . . .

no Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,

or Internet!

(I may post a pic of my precious grand babies during the holiday!)

Oh my goodness, whatever will I do

with all that time that just came my way!!!!!

From our Wynn Household to yours,

May it be a Merry Merry Christmas for you

unlike any other!

I leave you with a pic of our

sweet Josie Grace

(Last year we couldn't let her near the tree!)

Josie Grace

Love always,

Donna Lee

(aka an old creative soul)

Returning to my Spinning

A treasured keepsake I found in Providence, RI

Perfect prop this morning!

It has been years, literally years,

since I have picked up my spinning!

I returned to my wonderful 

spinning wheel just last week

and I am falling in love with it

all over again!

I have had a Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel

for ten years

and it is brand new!

It had become a piece of furniture

in my living room

that I dusted and polished every now and then!

Oh my ....

Say Hello to Rapunzel

I knew it was time to try and work with her again.

My granddaughter loves to play with the drive band

and spin the wheel around!

I want my wheel to be more than just a toy!

So I decided I was going to sit at the wheel one afternoon,

grab some fleece, oil the machine and

find my rhythm once more!

I sure did!

I truly had forgotten how wonderful

spinning your own yarn was.

A practice bobbin full of yarn

My whole desire to return to spinning

was to create my own unique yarns

for my Tapestry Weaving.

I have the fondest memories of

the Southeastern Spinning Guild

here in the Tidewater Area

(I'm talking about 20 years ago!)

We would rotate homes, bring our wheels,

fill the house with laughter, chatter and the sound

of wheels going round and round.

I had forgotten about that for awhile

and remembered while writing this post!

Oh the friendships that were formed back then.

Now it's all gone ... how we lose touch with others!

Life moves on and we forget!

I did learn a lot during that time,

and I do know that your spinning rhythm

doesn't disappear ... it returns with practice!!

For my birthday I purchased the amazing

Jenkins Turkish Drop Spindle.

My Tapestry teacher Rebecca Mezoff

had demonstrated and shared hers

and I wanted one.

There is quite a waiting list to get one,

but I finally got mine.

I have been playing with her and

the beautiful rainbow dyed fleece that

came along with it.
It was  60% Merino Wool and 40% Bamboo blend
from New Hue Handspuns

I am taking Rebecca's Little Looms class
right now online
and I am spinning these fibers to create
a small tapestry.
I want to see how my yarns weave up!
Can't wait, but first I need to spin up a fiber stash!

I completed my first skein

and am now on to the next!
I ordered more from this company
and got this luscious Periwinkle blend!

How I love this masterpiece of handcrafting!
From the hand carved spindle
to the hand blended fibers.

I have always loved art forms that call to me.

Tapestry Weaving slows me down enough to think,

Spinning teaches me patience and finding my rhythm,

Knitting fills my heart with pure joy

and

Zentangle® teaches me to enjoy the process

more than the final product

through meditation and centering.

Life is so fast paced,

especially at this time of year!

So when I have the chance to do something creative,

I want it to be fulfilling

and relaxing for my spirit.

How about you?

What art forms do you like to do,

and why do you spend time at them?

I would love to hear about it.

May your week be filled with joy,

remember to slow yourself down

whenever you can

and take in all the beauty that surrounds you!

Donna Lee

Being Creative on a Sunday!

Marbling on 300lb watercolor paper

I love Sundays!

What a beautiful day I had yesterday.

Church service then lunch with my sweet family!

Any time I can spend with my kids is special!

We went from 72 degrees on Saturday,

to the 40's today

and last night it dropped to the 30's!

So I was definitely in the mood to stay home,

get creative and nest a little bit.

First thing I did was pull out my spinning wheel.

I have been the lucky owner of a 

Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel for quite awhile.

I must say it has sat looking pretty

in my living room for years!!!!!
I would walk past it and say "hello spinning wheel"
and never take the time to play with her. (sigh)

I have been wanting to return to my spinning

for quite awhile now.

I want to create my own yarns for 

my Tapestry Weavings.

So today was the perfect day to begin.

I was shocked to see how much it was now worth $$$$$

It had definitely increased in value over the years!
I had a treasure and didn't even appreciate it.
So she got a lot of attention today
and a hand rubbing of Love and some Danish Oil!
What a joy it was to find my spinning rhythm again!

Trying to find my spinning rhythm again

I had been watching some Zentangle® artists

doing some amazing works with marbling the tiles

before drawing on them.

I was intrigued, watched a few You Tube videos

and decided to give it a try!
Here was my absolute favorite video I found.

Shave Cream with food colors

I just poured some shave cream (old fashioned kind!)

into a flat tray,

added some different food color dyes,

swirled the colors with a knife

and laid my papers face down,

I then used a flat cookie spatula to

wipe off the excess

and there was surprise underneath the foam.

What fun!

I created over 14 different tiles and a journal page yesterday!

Not bad for a playful afternoon!

I love the Zendala tiles from Zentangle®

Of course you know there is always

a Mandala nearby ... I created this one Sunday Evening,

by the fire of course!
I couldn't wait for the tile to dry ...
which was quickly by the way!
I wanted to get drawing immediately.

So Yes ...  I would say it was a very creative Sunday.

I always love trying something new,

and also returning to something old

and finding completion at the end of my day!

Always find the time to be creative

Hoping that your Thanksgiving holiday

will be one filled with Joy,

Love time with your family,

Delicious food,

and Blessing after Blessing!

Take the time to recognize 

all the good in your life,
I promise you it is there to find,
if only you will look for it.

take the time to be Thankful for it all!

Donna Lee

Art requires my best creative effort

My watercolor original "Serenity"

I've been trying to design a Tapestry for

my large loom for weeks now!

I'm eager to start weaving my first large Tapestry!

"Felicity" (my Dryad floor loom) and I

have been getting used to each other for awhile now.

So the time has come to get serious about

all I have learned with my weaving!

I began looking through magazine and catalog pictures,

(Anthropologie and Sundance are my favorites)

 my very own photos, and looked at cards I had saved.

I was searching nature, my collage work,

going through my old art journals

for ideas, designs and inspiration.

I finally re-discovered

a watercolor I had painted

many years ago!

It was totally inspired by my favorite

Watercolor Artist,

Jean Carbonetti.

I had taken a workshop on her techniques

in Newbern, North Carolina in 2008.

My heart skipped a beat

and I knew that I had found

the inspiration for my Tapestry!!!

I have always liked to journal my thoughts and ideas.

I have different journals for different things.

So I began spending some time trying to decide

what I wanted to do

and

how I could make it all work.

Could I perhaps decide on a title? 

 What design techniques would I be using? 

I wasn't even sure if I would be weaving

my tapestry straight up the warp or sideways 

for the best weaving design.

Thanks to all the tapestry weavers

in my student Facebook group,

I will take their wise advice and

actually weave the entire tapestry

sideways!

There is so much to think about within

the weaving process long before I come to my loom

and can actually start weaving my piece.

This is going to be such a learning experience for me,

I can hardly wait to get started!

 A small sketch with my notes

I began to free form sketch

a cartoon for my tapestry on a large

sheet of 25 x 36" paper.

(This will be the actual size of my weaving)

The next step was to loosely paint

the colors that I wanted in my weaving!

I would primarily be using roses, oranges,

greens and some white/beige for the birch trees.

Working on my Cartoon

Close up of my cartoon sketch

The next step for me was 

deciding on my color choices for the weft.

This took me awhile,

I just began picking skeins of colors.

I left them on the loom and

observed how they blended with each other.

I kept coming into my studio for a fresh peek

 to see how the colors were interacting,

then finally made my choices.

I can't wait to blend the yarn colors

and weave them into my design.

 Weaving those green leaves will be my favorite!

I can already visualize the hatching process.

I will primarily be using Harrisville Highland yarn,

and setting my tapestry at 8 epi (ends per inch)

with a beautiful linen warp.

Visualizing!

Once the cartoon was sketched and watercolored,

my cartoon was sewn to the woven header on the loom.

Now that my yarn colors and fibers were decided

I wanted to try a color wrap.

 I had learned this process in my Tapestry Class

with Joan Griffin

My color wrap on foam core board

It has all slowly and carefully come together!

I love the design process

and it does require my best effort.

What Art process doesn't?

I want to do my best,

create my best work

and that requires thought and planning.

Tapestry weaving has taught me

patience for sure,

it isn't a quick art at all.

Perhaps that is why I love it so much!

It is so worth the effort that is put into it,

including all the weaving samplers

I created to get to this point!

Practicing on my Mirrix Loom!

I have been working on my online course

with the amazing and talented

Tapestry Weaver,

Rebecca Mezoff

she has taught me so much!

I love online learning and going at my own pace.

There are some amazing Tapestry Artists

in the world today;

each adding their own creative style

to a very old art form.

Each is willing to share their talents and knowledge

with others through the online community;

for that I am truly grateful.

So yes, my Art, whatever it is

requires my best creative efforts.

Reaching a little further,

going the extra mile,

not taking any shortcuts,

and being proud of the end result.

This Tapestry hasn't got a name yet,

I am sure it will come to me with all 

the hours we will be spending together.

I promise to keep you posted!

The Watercolor Original was entitled "Serenity"

perhaps that name will carry through to my Tapestry.

 Whatever comes your way this week,

give it your best, you won't be disappointed.

Take the time to explore something new,

and don't be afraid to try,

it's how we grow!

With all the time that went into planning my Tapestry,

I wonder just how long it will take to weave it??????

Donna Lee

Photo taken May 2015 ... I've come a long way!

Still Renewing in 2016

A beautiful bowl full of Kale

I have been working sincerely with my word for the year,

"Renewal"

consciously walking with my word each day.

It seems to fit perfectly for where I am in my life right now!

My collaged word for the year ... a gentle reminder!

Health and Diet of course are part of my Renewal,

and I want to feel better, look better and take better care of myself.

Today I attended a 

"Salad in a Jar" workshop,

at my friend Pam Spell's home.

She is a Juice Plus consultant,

and I am beginning a 30 day challenge today
so having fresh salads prepared for the week
was perfect timing for my journey.

We were asked to bring 4 Quart Ball jars,

a salad green  of our choice

and one salad item to share with others.

Pam spoke of health and renewal,

how important it is to eat fresh foods,

and to have beautiful color on our plates
and to care for our bodies as we age.

So many choices

The table was filled with such beauty,

and we went round and round

creating our own salad designs,

what fun!
I tried to make each salad creation a little different.
There was so much to choose from:
Fresh Quinoa, chick peas, cranberries, chia seeds,
rasberries, oranges, pumpkin seeds,
cabbage, tomatoes, peas, corn, carrots,
different olives, broccoli and more!!!
OH MY!

Salad ingredients everywhere!

The colors popped!

I created five wonderful salad jars,
there was laughter, fun, creativity and so much more.
I was able to connect with friends I hadn't seen in a long time,
of course we had to grab a photo!

Carol, Pam and me ... high school connections

What a fun and amazing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Thank you Pam for your generosity, sweet spirit and for planning this event.
I know I will continue to create salad jars in the future!

My first salad creation

I guess Creativity isn't always about having
a paint brush in my hand!
Creating beautiful works of art with food is fun too!
Even better . . . it is taking care of my body and health!

They were starting to add up ... each one was different!

We were all pleased with our creations,
we went home with more than we brought for sure!
Tonight grilled chicken with one of my creations,
if you get the chance to attend one of these workshops,
I strongly urge you to join in the fun!
You will not be disappointed!

Showing off our creations

New Year, New Beginnings,
Renewal
that word just keeps popping up in my life!
Take care of yourself,
make healthy choices,
eat fresh and colorful,
drink lots of water
and get as much sleep as you can!
I certainly am off to a great start

Donna Lee