Thursday, December 31, 2009

dear 2010,

I'm quite certain that I've never ever been more excited for New Year's.  I don't have any plans for tonight (I'll go to bed early because I work in the morning.  But I'll be delighted to welcome the new year when I get up at 3am.) but I've never been more thrilled to say goodbye to one year and begin another.  2009 was hard.  Really hard.  Good too, and full of blessing.  But I'm really looking forward to a fresh start.  There's so much hope with a new year.  It's almost like spring time, with new life and new excitement.  I'm almost giddy over here with anticipation.  I watched the movie Facing the Giants again today and was moved to tears several times.  There really is nothing that's impossible with God.  I'll praise Him on the days that are hard and I'll praise Him on the days that are great.  He truly is good all the time.

(these two photos found at weheartit.com)


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

goodbye Christmas, hello New Year

This morning we took down our tree and packed away the nativity sets and other decorations.  Ahh, Christmas time.  Such a warm and cozy time, even with the chill in the air, there's just a warmth about Christmas that can't be matched.  We returned home yesterday after spending a little time with Joe's side of the family in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz mountains.  Our hosts, Joe's sister and her husband, are some of the most generous and hospitable people I've ever encountered.  I love them so so much and am so happy we're family.  It was a quick visit, but we had a lot of fun.  With the rest of the family visiting from Colorado, in total we were one grandma, three sisters-in-law, three brothers-in-law, ten cousins, three dogs, one cat and 5 or 6 chickens.  There was a lot of loving and a lot of laughing (plus some healthy doses of playing and eating too).


Last week we got together with my side of the family.  At Thanksgiving, the kids all drew names for their secret santa gifts.  The rules:  $10 limit or a handmade gift.  There is so much talent in this family.  I love to see the gifts the kids create, and it's so meaningful because they're focusing all of their efforts on one cousin (we always make sure that no one gets their own name or a sibling's).  My sister, who is a clown by trade, started a tradition several years ago that I hope will last for a long, long time.  In fact, maybe this will just last forever.  Maybe by the time the littlest cousins are getting too old for it, the oldest cousins will start having babies.. and she'll continue the tradition for them.  Weird to think about any of our kids having babies.  But the oldest is 16, and the youngest is not yet two... so it really is possible that Auntie Claus will keep visiting us for years and years.  Each year, Michelle disappears for a while because she has a headache or something to do in another room or.... I really don't know why she disappears.  But inevitably while she's gone, Auntie Claus comes to visit.  She carries a sack and always has something for each of the kids, but really what brings the most joy is simply her presence.  She really is hysterical.  We never know what outift she'll come out wearing, or just what accent she will have picked up on her most recent travels.  She always makes us laugh until we're doubled over, and we always look forward to her visits.  Seriously so much fun.  You can view more of our Christmas photos from this year here if you like.

Tomorrow is the last day of 2009.  Woohoo!  I'm so looking forward to a new year!  More soon!


Sunday, December 20, 2009

shop update

I've updated my shop with some super soft baby blankets. I actually made these for a holiday faire I participated in back in November. I would have uploaded them earlier to my shop but I was hoping for a photo shoot with a newborn for the listings. I decided instead of waiting for that opportunity, I'd get the goods online. These are the softest, coziest blankets around. Perfect for newborns and growing toddlers. I'm not sure why I've taken to naming my items... I guess it's just easier than describing each one by color/pattern/etc. I just go with the first name that pops into my head.

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"delilah"


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"paige"


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"reggie"


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"true love"


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"lucas"


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This is our little guy with his blanket. He is quite attached to it. When he's sleepy, all he needs is a pacifier and his blanket. A few weeks ago he was by the back (sliding glass) door, crying. I went over to him and saw that his blanket had been left outside, just outside the door. I got it for him and went to the kitchen. Not two minutes later I turned around and he was sound asleep on the carpet, snuggled up with his beloved blanket. He often brings it to me throughout the day and says, "here you go." Then he either waits for me to throw it over my shoulder and scoop him up so he can rest his head on it, or he turns around and waits for me to wrap it around him, as pictured here. Such a little pumpkin, that boy. Look at those eyes. They melt me.

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Sunday, December 13, 2009

jenuine ruby

For some time I've been wanting a name for my hand crafted items. I've made lists, searched google, referenced the dictionary + thesaurus, and racked my brain for months. I have finally landed on a name.
Here's where the name comes from. In making my lists, I wrote down words that mean something to me. Who I am, what I want my items and shop to represent, what I stand for. I had so many words and names that I liked, but had to narrow it down, and when I came to jenuine ruby, it just seemed right.

genuine |ˈjenyoōin|
adjective
truly what something is said to be; authentic : each book is bound in genuine leather.
• (of a person, emotion, or action) sincere : she had no doubts as to whether Tom was genuine | a genuine attempt to delegate authority.
1 a genuine Picasso authentic, real, actual, original, bona fide, true, veritable; attested, undisputed; informal the real McCoy, honest-to-goodness, honest-to-God, the real thing, kosher. antonym bogus.
2 a genuine person sincere, honest, truthful, straightforward, direct, frank, candid, open; artless, natural, unaffected; informal straight, upfront, on the level, on the up and up. antonym insincere.

Genuine. Honest. True. Pure. These are all things that I aspire to be, and that I want to carry over into my creations and my business. Of course if you google search “genuine ruby”, you’ll be directed to numerous jewelry sites. Since my name is Jenny, that was an easy fix. I just changed the spelling.

ruby |ˈroōbē|
noun ( pl. -bies)
a precious stone consisting of corundum in color varieties varying from deep crimson or purple to pale rose.
• an intense purplish-red color.
• Printing an old type size equal to 51/2 points (smaller than nonpareil and larger than pearl).

When reading about the physical attributes of rubies, I came across this: “All natural rubies have imperfections in them….” I LOVE that. It sort of validates my handmade items and their imperfections. Everything I make is handcrafted with love, but if you look closely, you’ll see that they certainly have their flaws (and if you look closely at me, you’ll see that I certainly do too!). I think that’s what I love about handmade things. When you see the imperfections, you remember that they were made by a real human with their time, passion and talent.

My great grandmother’s name was Ruby Hart. She died when I was young, but I remember sitting on her lap eating grapefruit for breakfast, and I remember her sewing. I think that my love for sewing and creating things started with a seed she planted in me. I so love the name Ruby. If our last child had been a girl, the name would have been Ruby Grace. But we’re not planning on having more children, so I thought it would be fitting to use Ruby as part of my handmade items name. Also, my favorite color is dark red (aka ruby red), so that just fits perfectly.
(Ruby Irene Hart)
(great-grandma Ruby and me. 1973)

The heart following “Ruby” has a two-fold meaning. First, my great grandmother’s last name, Hart. And secondly, it’s a symbol to represent the love that goes into the things that I make.

So there you have it. The new name and the background on its meaning. I’m still working out how to incorporate it. I need to make or order some labels to sew into my handmade items, but I did create a label for something I made yesterday. I kind of like it and may keep doing them this way until I figure out a lasting solution.

(I'm REALLY loving corduroy right now.
More photos of this latest creation coming soon.)

Also, I haven’t decided yet whether or not to move my handmade items to a separate etsy shop, separate from my artwork, or if I should keep it all in one place. What are your thoughts?

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

amazing

enjoy!

(I'm wishing this was in our neighborhood. I'd love to stand across the street and take it all in. Such talent and creativity. Truly magical.)

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