Kathleen Botsford

Schools Out for Summer

The end of Victoria's freshman year in college

came upon us in the blink of an eye.

Even the kids were melancholy.

Glad to be done with studying and finals

but sad to see the year end.

 

Sometimes I need to be quiet.

To go inside,

to empty my head and become clear.

I get a little out of sorts when

the schedules get too full. 

As this summer starts to heat up

both literally and figuratively with

almost every weekend filled until August,

I found time this past week

to do the small  things

that get lost in the hustle and bustle

of everyday life.

I took the time to actually smell the flowers

as I cut them and scattered them thru

the house.

I sat on the deck in the morning with a cup of cappuccino

instead of jumping on the treadmill

or running off to the gym.

I struggled with my conscious,

feeling guilty and lazy

but I moved through it and enjoyed

each and every precious morning,

softly and quietly

beginning my day.

I played in my studio

doing a little of this

and a little bit of that

with no purpose or end in sight.

I took the time to plan some summer outfits

 so I am not in a panic at the last minute

finding things that fit.

And I made some new jewelry pieces

to accessorize said outfits without

the usual frenzied chaos that

accompanies getting dressed for an event

or packing for a weekend away.

The boys were on a business trip to LA

so it was just Victoria and me,

making our own schedule

and honoring our hearts desires;

eating salads every night for dinner.

And of course Rockne.

We let him bark almost as much as he wanted to!

 

 

 

Maybe or Maybe Not

My boys are in LA on business all week.

That means a week of no laundry or dinners

and no interruptions

or the phone

ringing off the hook.

(They work at home)

I promised myself I would clean and organize my

mess of an office/studio.

But every time I start...

some new little artistic tidbit

peeks its head out

wanting to be played with.

I have been making my photos from Italy

into postcards.

It is so much fun embellishing

and collaging

and writing

and sending

to family and friends.

I promise I will

MAYBE

have my office cleaned by Saturday.

If you'd like a postcard,

hand written

and decorated,

leave your address!

Favorite Things

When the kids were small we started a tradition of hand crafting

our gifts for family and friends.

Of course that has changed over the years as the kids grew up and

started driving and shopping on their own.

One of my very favorite things has always remained

the hand making of gifts.

Even as time for art and crafting becomes ever more difficult to find,

I am always on the look-out for ways to continue our tradition.

Jewelry is my constant passion as well as turning my

collages into note cards to be tied up with antique ribbons

and unique packaging.

My newest project is sharing some of my favorite

images of our trip to Italy in the form of

embellished postcards. 

But don't tell anyone.....

it's a surprise!

Sparkling Crystals and Bubble Baths

We have had a couple of busy weeks here.  Spring break and wisdom teeth removals.  Birthdays and St. Patrick day celebrations.  Trips back and forth to South Bend and finalizing new condo plans.  But one of my favorite things was putting this chandelier together with my husband.   

It took us most of one Sunday afternoon but it was well worth it.  Rusted iron and polished crystals to play off of rough-cut stone and polished granite with antiqued gold leafed mirrors.

It's exactly as I pictured it in my mind's eye.

My freshly (almost) re-done bathroom is my absolute favorite room in the house.

Now all I need is the time to take a long, hot bubble bath!

No Judgements Allowed

The fun thing about art journaling

is that there is no pressure at all

to do something

"right" or "good".

The journal is for your eyes only.

Whatever happens to make it onto

your page is exactly what is appropriate

for that day.

Everything is worthwhile

when expressing ourselves creatively.

Everything.

The trick is to enjoy the process

for the sake of the process alone.

No judgements allowed.

 

Time for Play

One of the things that brings me deep satisfaction is spending time in my studio.  Playing with jewelry designs, gluing bits of papers and getting my fingers full of paint are some of the most blissful ways I can spend my time.  It is therapy, meditation and prayer all wrapped into one glorious package just waiting for me to take the time to receive it's myriad of gifts.  

All human beings have an inate urge to create.  Most of us loose our connection to our creativity in our early school years when we were told we were not artistic enough or we didn't draw or paint like the teacher.   As our inner expressions of joy were becoming less spontaneous, we started comparing our forms of creativity with our friends and school mates, judging our own attempts as inferior.  Unless we knew deep in our hearts we  were artists or we were fortunate enough to have supportive teachers and parents, we slowly began closing the door, little by little, on our own personal Wonderland.

I have a tendency to put off the things that are really good for me unless I have the exact amount of time I "think" I need to accomplish my objective.  Like an hour for the treadmill or an afternoon free to putter around with art supplies.  I am trying to retrain myself to use the time available for these activities instead of holding out for perfect circumstances.  A half hour on the treadmill or spent with glue and paint in my journal are much more beneficial than no time at all.  I'm off to play a little before my schedule kicks into high gear!

 

 

 

Documenting Italy

I was browsing through some of our photos from our last trip to Italy.  I am going to have to get the hang of taking these self portraits like the kids do.  They are so good at it.  If I am not mindful, I will return with lots of photos of historical and artistic grandeur but not a trace of our own personal journey.  We may have to enlist the help of complete strangers.  Now that's a novel idea!

 

That is Enough

A cold and windy January day.  I've spent the morning with a cup of tea catching up with some of my favorite blog writers and artists.  I am struck by how easy it is to get pulled off balance sometimes.  How others lives, writing, art, can seem so much more vibrant and worthwhile than my own.

I lunched yesterday with a friend of 40 years.  A grade school and high school companion.  We shared stories of our families, our lives.  We laughed and even shed a tear or two.  We are ordinary women, wives and mothers.  Sisters and daughters.  Doing our best to live our lives with love and compassion and integrity.  Each with our unique versions of creativity.  And that is enough.  There is no need for comparison. 

We are all on our own soul journey.  Each one is as different as a midwestern snowflake in the dead of winter.  Each one just as important and vibrant and worthwhile as the next.  Each one an intimate and necessary thread in the tapestry of the lives we have been blessed to travel with. 

And that is enough.

 

Choices, Always Choices

Ok.  It's Saturday and I have lots of laundry to do to get Victoria ready to go back to school tomorrow morning.  In between loads I could

                    a.  Make some jewelry

                    b.  leisurely browse through my new books

OR.......

                     c.  Continue cleaning the library.

Guess which one wins todays attention?

Christmas Chaos

Things are in full Christmas swing around here.  Sometimes I get a little frazzled as I loose focus and jump from one decorating scheme to another new idea for hand crafted gifts.  Then before you know it I am in a tizzy of my own creation with no one to blame but myself.  Last Sunday I decided to make some jeweled book marks with with my vast collection of beads and ribbons.  8 hours later my studio was a huge disaster and I had only 4 finished gifts to gaze upon.  The article that whetted my appetite in the first place claimed the project took all of ten minutes a piece.  Well, not mine! 

The photo above is one of my attempts at a Christmas place setting.  So many glittering, sparkling embelllishments to choose from.  What's an elf to do?