Seriously Good

Thank you all do dour sweet comments about my last post. It was amazing to read all of the continued support and connect with your stories too. In case you were wondering how I'm doing. I can only say I am seriously good! Many things are going well right now and my family is terrific and I just feel happy. I am so grateful for all of my many blessings and the terrific people in my life. You know who you are. I love you.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Sometimes it's (I'm) Not Enough

I've written several times about my struggle with the winter weather where I live. I imagine I would struggle with the gray winter weather anywhere. I used to blame the fact that I moved to the in-climate East Coast 8 years ago and I grew up in sunny Arizona. I don't think I can say that my warm weather upbringing is the real reason I have the mental fogginess every time the clouds roll in.

After just being glum, then glummer, then flat out sad for the past 8 years I hit the bottom of my personal barrel and had a meltdown. Tears, anger, sadness, and more tears. I was sullen. I was unhappy. I wasn't me and I knew it. 

For some reason in the midst of my blah I took these 4 pictures. I think they are so telling of the depth of my depression.

DEPRESSION.

It's an ugly word. I never really considered myself depressed. It always seemed like a word applied to other people. I've always been fine. Right?

I kept telling myself I'd be fine. I just needed a few sunny days to get myself back up. I had so many things to be happy about. Other people have bigger challenges than me. I should just be happy. But I wasn't.

Then it got worse.

I got angry. Angry at myself for not snapping out of it. Angry at my kids for asking simple questions and being so "needy". Angry enough to not feel like praying (which usually brings me so much comfort). I had resentment about that too. I was upset that my husband was so free to go to work and communicate with adults all day. I hated myself. I detested my responsibilities. I cried a lot. I slept more. I felt like my brain was between TV channels and I couldn't get a clear connection. I hated that too.

I quit creating and making. 

(It makes me sad now to think about how terrible it all was.)

I knew I needed help when I nearly screamed a woman who offered up some kind advice.

I had tried a sunlamp. I had tried exercise. I had tried singing. I had tried praying. The usual routine wasn't working. I could feel myself getting desperate to find the sunshine and happiness in my life again. I started taking walks outside with my camera in the freezing weather, trying to capture the things I loved about the winter and snow and gray.

So I called my doctor and they couldn't see me for 6 weeks. (Thank heaven I wasn't suicidal!) I called for a therapist which is terrible too... picking a random name out of a online listing??

So I waited. I tried to keep it together. I cried some more.

Then I got lucky and blessed.

I got into the doctor who offered up some medicinal help. I'd never been on an anti-depressent before. Probably because I never considered myself depressed. I got lucky there too, the first dose the first time my static brain found focus.

I found a terrific therapist who listened to me. She helped me back away from the edge and respected my decisions to become a mother and yet supported my creative efforts and my need to find myself again. She asked me the right questions and let me learn to lead out again.

Through everything I managed to find my personal sunshine again. I rekindled my desire to pray and felt the amazing comforting grace of knowing who I am and how much I am loved for exactly who I am.

Now I am excited, I am centered, and I am making things happen in my life that I have put on hold for too long. I have a tremendous support network in place.

Everyone needs a safety net.

(even if they are asleep in the back seat)

I decided to write all of this down for you.  You know, just incase you feel like your challenge is small and you can handle it... I thought I could too. I learned however that it doesn't matter how small a challenge may be, it's yours and to YOU it could be HUGE.

You are loved too.

Make Your Heart Sing

This sweet card from a friend is an excellent motto for my life as of late. I've discovered that by doing this with intention my days are so much more personally fulfilling, seriously joyful, and contain so much more happiness!

If you've been a reader of my blog for any length of time you may have gathered that being intentional in my efforts for happiness hasn't always in the forefront of my life. I'm working on a post that talks about some really difficult things in my life. Bear with me, it hurts to grow. In the meantime...

Try it and let me know how it works for you!

Posted with Blogsy

Pause

After the emotional events last week in Boston, I was more than happy to take a break this week.

Play with my children, hug my parents, kiss my husband and breathe in some wide open air.

Yet again I am grateful there is still happiness and love and joy to be found in the world.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Looking for Me?

Just incase you've been living in a cave the past few weeks, Google Reader is going away. So be sure to add Mastering the Art of Being Me to your Feedly or Bloglovin' feeds to stay in the loop.

I've been making a few things, finishing a few things, and working like mad to get my next big project underway. Stay tuned, as always. (If you know me at all you know I've always got a big project underway... it keeps be busy.

You can also follow me on Instagram @sgillmanorr where I've been spending most of my time lately. 

OR

Follow me on twitter @jmstudiosol

I'm totally loving this imadeface app! Thanks mom.

Time with boys

This week I've been trying to integrate the boys into my day more. I'm often torn in the afternoon between letting Netflix PBS episodes entertain my youngest so I can sew more and getting us out the house in the afternoon.

We built this huge fort in their room this week and they've been sleeping in it ever since. It's larger than several I saw online when looking for forts. I'm really happy with it too, even if it does take up all of their room, it will be terrific this summer outside!

As a result of a Read More Do More week at school too, Tough Man asked if he could learn to sew! He's a quick learner and picked it up right away. He tried out a few stitches and spent the rest of the week making a pillow, complete with hand stitched closure!

I also picked up some vintage patterns to give my wardrobe a facelift. I'm really like to wear more dresses now that its warming up and I don't have toddlers which require lots of floor time.

We've gone to the children's museum several times this week too, I'm a regular at the pretend diner. Thankfully it's a low calorie joint.

Hopefully this is the last of the snow! It's been a long winter and I know I'm not the only New Englander anxious for spring to make its final arrival.

 

Posted with Blogsy

NEW! Night Owl Quilt Pattern

I'm excited to release my second quilt pattern Night Owl! It matches my plush feathered friend Oxford Owl. This little quilt is perfect for babies and is much easier to piece than it looks. It is backed with a simple grey flannel and bound with little chevrons.

The fully illustrated pattern with step-by-step instructions clearly lays out the all the pieces in a simple way and is fairly quick to piece together. The quilting can be as complex as you choose, I chose to just follow stitch in the ditch of the design created, this made the quilt pretty plush.

Don't forget you can make my little feathered friend Oxford friend to accompany the quilt too!

Meet Oxford Owl & Penelope

My first little lovey feathered friend owl is here! Meet Oxford Owl. He's a plush little mate who is simple to make is great gift. I was inspired to created him for my friend who just had baby boy #3 and has done her crib all up in grays and creams, I think Oxford will fit right in.

And meet Oxford's Pal Penelope! I just couldn't resist making a little "owlette" in pastels and brights. I have no idea which feathered friend I adore more, or which little people in my life for that matter.

Penelope and Oxford are literally cut from the same mold. The pattern for one suits both. Penelope was simply stitched out of a myriad of scraps from my bins.

The PDF pattern instructions are fully illustrated and comes with step-by-step instructions. Believe me this little owl is much easier than he looks. Even the embroidered eyes!

Oxford so debonaire in his various grays and wool details and would suit many color schemes. 

Get this cutie PDF Pattern here.

Winners!

Thanks to all of you who entered my giveaway! Congratulations to Joanna, grannyanne, Theresa, and K Silvestro!

In case you haven't noticed the odds are really great here, since I said I'd choose 3 winners and received 4 comments I couldn't very well leave one out! So tell your friends, on this blog you will actually win...  especially since currently there are not 500 other comments in the pool.

Thanks again for all of your support! I'll be sending the winners emailed patterns. If you missed it you can purchase your own Summer's End Quilt Pattern here.

On Wednesday I'll be releasing the pattern this little guy... Meet Oxford Owl and his sweet companion Penelope.

NEW! Summer's End Quilt Pattern & Giveaway

This is my first ever quilt pattern! I'm really excited about it! I'm also giving away 3 FREE patterns! 

To enter with 3 entries: 

    1.  Tweet this post #SummersEnd

    2.  Share this post on Facebook

    3.  Leave a comment below, mention you tweeted & facebook this post

I'll draw the winner on March 1.

I shot these pictures on a gorgeous day last September which is nothing like the remaining foot of ice in my front yard today. However, SPRING is coming and before you know it we will be bathed in sunshine and green grass. So now is the perfect time to get started on a gorgeous spring colored quilt!

For this quilt I used Sandy Henderson fabrics, a Kona Snow solid, Denyse Schmidt for the binding. 

Unfortunately this  image turned out a little washed out, but there are 12 various star blocks mixed with pinwheels set in the centers. Luckily the quilting really shows up.

All of the steps to the blocks are illustrated similar to the diagrams above, along with step-by-step instructions.

The back is a montage of various remnant and extra blocks I had leftover from those same fabrics.

The quilting is a simple scrolling doodle all over. The boarder quilting is a spiral flower with simple leaves and vines.

 The Summer's End pattern is fully illustrated and has detailed step-by-step instructions and is now available via my Etsy shop.

making progress

Hi! I'm still here.

I've been working like mad ever since I got home from my amazing weekend in South Carolina at the Makers Summit...

As a result, my studio is a DIsAsTeR and my desk is a MeSs and the quilting pile is still there....

BUT I'm working hard to spruce up my blog, thanks to late night HTML studying and figuring out how to code on my own...it's coming along!

I'm also still making incredible headway on my serious Ta-da list!!

We are having a Mexican fiesta tonight to celebrate the 9 years M and I have been "dating", 8.75 of those years we've been married. Hooray!

So Happy Valentine's day to you!

XOXO

Makers are Amazing!

I just got back from Indie Craft Parade's first ever Makers Summit. Not only was the venue at Zen and decorations so simple and lovely, but the room was teaming with incredible makers from all over. 

The keynote speakers; Stephen Fraser founder of Spoonflower, Grace Kang creator of Pink Olive, Barb Blair of Knack Studios and Kimm Alfonso from Etsy all had terrific ideas, tips, and insider perspective to the world of the handmade business. It was interesting to hear the back story about each and how their companies came to fruition.

I came home with well over a dozen pages of detailed notes covering everything from marketing, retail shops, online sales, and legal advice. Practically everything I heard was superbly helpful. The terrific sponsors also helped to provide the attendees with all kinds of cool goodies and clever treats. Did I mention the food at this event really was amazing? 

I also choose to attend the Best Craft Party Ever that evening and it was simply stunning! Dinner was amazing! The crafts were fun and challenged some people who don't normally make things from paper, moss or leather. I also got to try my hand at letterpress from the cool couple behind Ink Meets Paper and create my own silk screen tee-shirt from Dapper Ink

I opted to make the paper wreath since I knew I'd be flying home and wanted something packable. So I didn't quite finish mine, the fluffing of the butterfly wings and the glittering of the tips. I'll save this for later this week. I loved the packaging, that there was plenty of papers to choose from, great scissors, glue, and a whole stack of super duper glue dots.

Although most of the attendees were locals from around the Greenville, SC area many were from farther reaching spots, I was definitely the farthest from home! I feel that it was more than well worth my trouble to be part of the Makers Summit, I gained such insight and clarity for my own business venture and made some great connections will real makers in real life.

Here are links to all of the cool maker folks I met:

Juxtaposition accessories for the home by Brooke Jones
Laura K. Aiken mosaic + art
Chicken Wisdom by Eli Connaughton
Brown Sugar Toast by Christa Threlfall
A Darling Day photography by Jessica Barley
Grit Goods Jewelry by Margaret Goodson
Seed & Sky handcrafted art jewelry by Kelcy Loomer
Plumfield Shop lovely handmade fabric goods
Pink Dogwoods vintage treasures re-imagined by Nan Faulkner
Willow Florals distintive flowers and styling  by Julie Dodds
Ink Meets Paper by Allison and Daniel Nadeau
Peacock by Bayne Dangerfield
Jolie Kolaj by Christa Sorauf
A Piece of Work by Allyson McPhaul

and many more!

I'm walking away renewed and inspired!

PS a BIG thank you to my friends Mrs B. & Mrs. S (for helping with the kids) and M for being the coolest husband ever! 

Maker's Summit

I'm headed off to The Maker's Summit in Greenville, SC today!

There is going to be a whole slew of creative business owners on hand and I'm excited to meet up with them. I'll let you know how it all turns out next week!

Aprons

I made an apron 8 years ago while I waited around the house tending to my new husband with a face the size of a volley ball from his wisdom teeth removal. Genius, really. A true test of a marriage to have a surgery weeks after getting married. I've had this apron all this time and realized this week that it's beginning to shred through from all the washings. Not to mention the greasy, handprint strewn, front with a permanent kid slime line.

So I made a new one out of fabrics I had in the studio. Fabrics I've had for a while and never really loved. But who throws away perfectly good fabric?? Well now that its all stitched up I really do love it. It's so pretty... I'm almost afraid to cook in it. I chose the materials simply because they offered up enough yardage to do the job. Hence why each side is so different. I also realized this iteration needed pockets since I cart my phone around.

 

Once upon a time aprons were really practical. I think they still are but no one wears them like they used to, all day if you were at home. I'm considering taking it up, since I've ruined my fair share of cheap t-shirts.

So while I was at it I used up some more fabric yardage I've had about the studio and made a studio only apron. Hopefully this simple two pocket placket will keep me from loosing my phone, seam ripper, and measuring tape under fabric and loose papers. Along with the nasty habit I have of reshuffling pens and pencils around and around the house so they are never where I need them most. I'm considering posting a pattern for that one.

I {heart} mail

I designed these little mail bags years ago, perhaps my first pattern. This is the first year my boys have been interested in Valentine's Day so I've been making a few things to decorate with. Mostly I think they are in it for the candy...since all holidays are accompanied by chocolate at our house. 

I made the felt heart bunting in less than 30 minutes. I had the white rick rack floating about and for some reason a huge pile of red felt? Anyway I love felt because there is no need to finish the edges! 

I made these little felt envelopes to hide the sweets in this year and the kids are having a great time playing mail delivery men. 

While I was stitching the buttons on my Tough Man said we needed a game to play on Valentines day. He was very specific as he rattled off the rules to this adventure, evening bringing me a paper and pencil to write it down so we don't forget. It was so sweet and it sounds really fun! So after school on Feb. 14th we will go to work making a string maze around the house. I love this boy and his big ideas!