I don't believe Martha embraces imperfection.

On Sunday while I was doing laundry I thought it would be fun to put out a little survey on poppies' Facebook page. I was curious to see how I measured up on this:  

Do you fold your fitted sheets in the style of 'A', or 'B'?

I have to tell you I was shocked at the responses (and I loved Kimi’s solution “I usually just wash them and put them back on the bed to avoid 'B'"). What really sent me all Fruit Loops was that anyone, much less half of you, could really start with a fitted sheet and end up with ‘A’ above. Oh dear. If any of you visit my little cottage, please do not look behind the doors of the vintage beach locker up in the bedroom!

I'm just in awe of you ‘A’ ladies, but for any of you ‘B’ gals who might like to channel your inner Martha (wink, wink, Cynthia), I found this. I think I’m just going to continue to hide my ball of sheets and remember that here at poppies we “embrace imperfection”.  ;-)

Earlier today I put together Tuesday’s Treasury on Etsy entitled “fresh laundry". As I gathered the pretty listings I was brought back to the times as a little girl my mom would hang our sheets and pj’s on the clothesline and the fresh Midwest breezes would leave them with the sweetest scent.

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I think I’m going to have to figure out a way to put a clothesline up in my little yard. I have a big tree to attach one end to, but if I use the most logical place to attach the other end, pj’s and pillowcases will slap anyone in the face who is sitting at the bistro table on the deck. I foresee a challenge.

Do you have a clothesline?

Don't Worry, Be Happy

A friend shared an article entitled 15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy on Facebook today. I assumed it was going to start by suggesting that you step away from the cell phone, social media, etc., and I rolled my eyes and almost passed on the notion of clicking and reading further. But I noticed that two of his friends thanked him for the link and shared it with others, so I was intrigued.


It's good simple advice, and I too want to share some of it. You can read the article in its entirety here. I've paired some of the points that resonate with me with photos from my Pinterest board Beauty in Nature.

Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, coworkers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better that will make you feel.

Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that. “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls” Joseph Campbell

Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck, lying to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time are not even real.

xo

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours. That stay with you all the year long."

"The longest road out is the shortest road home."

"You'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind."

"An Irishman is never drunk as long as he can hold onto one blade of grass to keep from falling off the earth."

"May you be half an hour in Heaven before the Devil knows you're dead."

Top o' the day to ya!

I've got Spring Fever, and I've got it bad.

1.  Me, enjoying The Inn at Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, CA

2.  Handsome surfer about to surf 40 ft waves, Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, CA

3.  Seabird, Cayucos Beach, CA

4.  Sunset from Pacific Avenue, Cayucos, CA

5.  Searching for sea glass, Cayucos, CA

6.  Mustard in bloom, Russian River Valley, CA

7.  Winetasting, Dry Creek Valley, CA

8.  New mascot at Artefact Design & Salvage, Sonoma, CA

9.  Best brick oven pizza I've ever had at Diavola, Geyserville, CA

10.  Great coffee and breakfast, Geyserville Mud, Geyserville, CA

11.  Treasure for sale at Artefact Design & Salvage, Sonoma, CA

12.  Great stuff at Vintage Home Collective, Geyserville, CA

Cat Got My Tongue?

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For the longest time now I've wanted to write, but something's up. I've got nothin. Nada. Zero. Zilch.


Today I submitted a Craigslist ad in 'Lost and Found' to see if anyone has found my voice.  So far I've had no replies.

I've retraced my steps and the only clue I've found is this:

It appears to be a screenshot taken on or about January 1, 2012.  Perhaps the pressure of eloquently writing some grand prose about the new year, new beginnings and all of that was too great and the voice went silent - maybe the voice just wasn't feeling it? Or, what if the voice had so much to say about the new year that it tried to get it all out at once and locked up? 

I have no doubt the voice will return soon. When it does, I think I'll give it all the space it needs. If it wants to whisper, I'll let it whisper.  And if it wants to roar, that'll be good, too.

Warmest Holiday Wishes from poppies

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Happy

Thanksgiving

Yes, I know that the fowl above is not a turkey.  Of course it is a chicken. I happen to be related to that chicken and her name is Pumpkin, which makes her appearance here on my Thanksgiving greeting very apropos. Now the little girl holding my grandchicken is very special indeed.  That is Bailey, one of the loves of my life, and she has taken over my heart along with the others at the tippy-top of my Thankful List. 

I wish you a Thanksgiving filled with love and laughter with family and friends.  I only hope that I can control myself with the stuffing, or this girl is going to have to find herself some stretch pants.    xoxo

made by heart.

Isn’t that just one of the nicest taglines you’ve ever heard?  I’d like to say I came up with it myself, but I didn’t.  I read it somewhere over the past week and have been trying to steal it  remember where ever since.  By definition, “by heart” means “by committing to memory” – as in “I can still recite by heart the first two stanzas of Paul Revere’s Ride that I learned in sixth grade” (I can). When I heard “made by heart” I thought it was such a sweet and honest depiction of a hand-crafter’s work.

For the last two days I’ve been working on lavender sachets for my Etsy shop.  They’re lovely, the lavender scent is amazing and they’re a nice hostess gift for under $10.  That’s well and good, but do you know why they’re made by heart?

The fabric is from Bella Notte, a US company where artisans craft and custom dye each fabric order using environmentally sustainable practices. When I found these embroidered linen remnants I almost passed out from excitement.  This is my favorite fabric.
 
Each little rectangle of grain sack material was chosen to best complement the color of the sachet, and there was care in placement so the lovely embroidery could best be seen.
 
The thread used for the contrast stitching came on a beautiful old wooden spool.  It was one of hundreds of spools I found in a big box at an estate sale. This dear woman left behind every color in the rainbow and I so wish I could have met her to thank her for this treasure.
 
The vintage button came out of a cigar box full of buttons my sweet friend Terrie gave me the first week I opened poppies.  They are from her late grandmother.

I hope I'm not coming across like I'm tooting my own horn - this is what all hand-crafters do.  And this is how your neighborhood shop owner thinks as well. Soon we will succumb to the whirlwind that is the Holiday season. Wouldn't it do us all good to think locally, consider the source of our gifts, and keep things more simple?

Wonder Where the Term "Nose to the Grindstone" Comes From.

Have you noticed I've been uncharacteristically quiet?

All of our staff members were talking about it today while busily sewing vintage grain sack pillows, herbal therapy wraps and eye pillows.

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hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

That just tickles my funny bone. poppies is just me, and I've been sewing so much, I look like this:

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Yes, those would be spools of seam binding hanging from my ears - very handy while I'm hand dying the gift ribbon! Crazy busy lady, indeed. Somehow I signed myself up for two Holiday craft fairs on the same day. Thanks to a few good friends, I'm covered, but I'm working like mad to build up inventory.  

Yesterday was eye pillow and herbal therapy wrap day

Today I completed five new vintage grain sack pillow covers, but no photos yet. I'll be listing them on the website in the next few days.  

Time to call it a night.  Enjoy the full moon.  ;-)

Boo.

Happy Halloween!

I wanted to thank everyone who played along with our Thirty Days of Pet Costumes on our Facebook page.  Some of your comments were hysterical!  I think it's safe to say that the two favorites were:

Joe the Plumber

and...

Cha cha cha Chia Dog!

Tonight I can't wait to hand out candy at my daughter's house while she and her Ninja and Princess go trick-or-treating.  I think it goes something like "One for you, one for you, and one for me."  I'll be in big trouble if there are any M&M's in sight!

My big question for the evening - will the Grandchickens dress up??

 

Have fun, and be safe!

And what is the link between pet costumes and cottage style living, you ask?

In case you've missed poppies' Facebook page, I've been running a series entitled Thirty Days of Pet Costumes to take us through to Halloween.  I think the silliness started here, about a year ago

and more recently this one struck my funny bone.

While I posted this morning, it dawned on me that some might question why a woman with a cottage style accessories shop would choose this path.  In fact, I said to myself, "Am I off target from my social media plan, displaying a dog in scuba gear instead of the latest grain sack pillow cover?"  Well, after I stopped "laughing my a** off, rolling on the floor", I realized that this is an example of poppies' definition of the cottage style experience - it's simple, relaxed and comfortable, but also unconventional, a little quirky and usually one-of-a-kind. Steadfast rules don't work here. Some days you'll see something wonderful that I've just finished sewing, but it's more likely you'll see a pig in a leotard.  (Actually, there is a pig in a leotard, here).

Today when I came across this photo of two penguins walking down the beach wearing little sweaters, I couldn't be more excited.  They met the criteria:  animals. in costume. adorbs. But then I continued to read the article and learned that these little guys were survivors of the 2011 New Zealand Oil Spill. When they were oil soaked, their sweaters prevented them from preening (and poisoning) themselves, and kept them warm before and after they were cleaned by cleanup workers.

There is a need for more sweaters and a worldwide call to knitters by Skeinz, a New Zealand yarn shop, to make them.  I can't wait to start.  If you knit, or know someone who does who would like to help out, the pattern and delivery instructions are here.

I believe the one in the orange sweater is giving a "high five".  xoxo

Mantra for Today

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Have fun this weekend!

iHonor Steve

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Yesterday we lost a great visionary, and the internet has seen a huge outpouring of sadness and sympathy over the death of Steve Jobs. The heart and soul of Apple, yes, but to me Steve epitomized the idea that one person can make a profound difference. Following is my small tribute to this bigger-than-life man who has inspired me to take more risks, dares me to follow my curiosities and by his example has stirred in me the need to find my intuition and learn to trust it. Quotes from Steve Jobs, photos from my Pinterest board Black, White and Sepia.  

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"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something."  

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"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” 

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“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” 

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"You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” 

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“I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.” 

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"That's been one of my mantras -- focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

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“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”

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"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

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"You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers."

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"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true."

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"On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself."

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"It’s more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy.”

R.I.P. Steve