discoveries, stitching, and the month of november

I had completely forgotten about it, stirred to finding it after I had been thinking about the things that my Grandma Lorraine had taught me about handcrafts, and after digging around in the boxes of things I keep safely tucked away in my closet, I found it.

What I believe to be the only remaining braided rug made by my Grandma. I'm not sure if it was meant to be this small or if she just never finished it, but it is just perfect in my eyes.

I'm just so tickled that I tracked it down. I think it will find a place on my wall instead of beneath our feet.  Just seems appropriate that it be appreciated.  Love You, Grandma!

I'm slowly getting to the end of the butterfly design I've been working on. The model is almost complete, just one more butterfly to work through and then the beading.  Have been ubber-inspired lately, and have a lot of designs on deck. Kind of going through this more stylized less animated phase of designing again. The whimsical designs were starting to all look the same to me. I'm digging this fresher approach with just enough animation in it to make it still 'me'. 

Flutter By, Butterfly  CM Designs 2013

November. Right there. Staring me in the face and I can't help but grin, because this new-found inspiration I've been feeling has been bleeding into so many areas of my life. I'm wanting to dejunk and unclutter and free up space. I'm wanting to find joy again, or rather renew my joy, in the creative process. I want to remember -why- I am doing what I am doing.  

To that end, I am planning on starting a "Stitch Something Every Day for 365 Days" project for myself starting on November 1st. I've created a new blog to post these things. 365 Stitches. 

I will not be counting any of my CM Designs stitching in this challenge. This will be random, no rules stitching. Just me, needle and thread and some little bit of fabric wanting to be marked.

November also means the start of NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. I'm very excited about this, as I have been in previous years, but more so now because I will be writing a novel based on a story my son, Nate, made up when he was little. Great fun, and a goofy departure from some of the other things I have written in the past.

Well, that's enough for now. Time to get back to it. Until some memory or other has me skipping off to dig up a little more of the past.