On Springing Forward

I heard today that "Spring Forward" happens on Saturday.

 :flings self around and violently bangs head on desk:

I'm not sure why, but it seems that I am most inspired to write poetry in adversity like having to go to Walmart or dealing with teenagers or people who wear perfume and make me sneeze or losing things.

Today, it's springing forward.

I'll get over it.  Eventually.  Probably sometime in November.

<3 Lori

Something Special

There is something special about a handmade gift, don't you think?  I was just sitting here thinking about some of the amazing artist friends I have met in the last few years who handcraft beautiful jewelry, fine art pieces, pottery, soap and lotions, fiber arts and other amazingness in their home studios, garages, and sometimes kitchen tables or storefronts.

Around this time of year,  although the jack o' lanterns may not even be cut yet, if we're smart, our thoughts will be moving on ahead to Christmas.  If you are one of those smart people and you have people for whom you need thoughtful gifts, consider something that's not only handmade but something that is made especially for them and no one else.  It's really one of my favorite things to do. I love taking little bits and pieces of people's lives and making them into a piece of art that can only be theirs.  Today, I'm sharing some of the custom art I've made.  I can make some for you, too!

This was a gift for my niece's graduation.  It includes her favorite Bible verse and a little piece of a letter dated 1923 from a niece to her aunt and uncle.  In it she tells them how important it is that she get an education.  

This one was for my son to hang in his dorm room. Some of his favorite Bible verses are in the background.  My friend Valerie took this great photo during a game a few years ago and even lived to tell about it.

I made this for my brother's family.  I thought the photo of their kids taken by one of their friends was super cute. I printed it in black and white and then recolored it.  Then it begged for a vintage map covered canvas and the perfect Emerson quote.  

This is my sister-in-law's dog, Ralph.  The vintage sheet music included a verse that spoke of kind of love a dog brings to our lives.

The original poem came first.  Then the gift morphed to a poetic blessing box for my baby niece's first birthday.

I've shared this one before. I made it for my mom for Mother's Day several years ago.  The photos are of her with each of her three kids. There's also a photo of her as a baby with her own mom.  The flowers are pieces of my grandmother's vintage aprons.  There are other family papers in the background including a note that my grandmother wrote on the flyleaf of the Bible she sent with my grandfather to World War II.

If I can make something for you, please check my About and Contact page for all the ways you can get in touch with me.  I'd love to hear from you and make something great for you.

I hope you are having a blessed Saturday!  

<3 Lori

It's Been a Long Time

It's been a long time since I've been here.  I'm sorry.  I'm making things like a mad woman for the arts and crafts show I signed up to do in July, which seems far away on the calendar but is very close in my head.  So close it is sucking my breath from me.  When I take time to think about it, though, I feel pretty good that I now know I can create under pressure, something I was not at all sure of until now.

products piling up on the ping pong table

I've been posting some of the stuff I'm making on Etsy and on my Facebook page as a kind of bets- hedging method.  I'm sure all artists feel this way at one point or another..unsure if what they are making appeals to anyone but them (and their mom. :|)  I'm feeling some of that uncertainty as I pile up the things I'm making and when I go to Hobby Lobby for paint but come out with paint plus 10 new surfaces (albeit little ones!).  I really hope this works, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much in case it doesn't.  I'm trying to be brave.

And so we start another week and almost another month.  It's about this time of year that I get antsy for vacation.  We are not sure we are going to get one this year together since we'll have one high school graduate heading off on an as yet unknown adventure and another one entering high school.  Some friends of ours were headed off today to Myrtle Beach. I've never been there, but it's caused me to start thinking about a beach somewhere and to think rhyming beachy thoughts.

The Sea

I wish that I could 

See the sea.

And let the waves

Wash over me.

So very happy 

I would be

If only I could 

See the sea.

May the good Lord bless you until we meet again with things to do, people to love, and sights to see.


<3 Lori

Grand Theft

I went to get my hair done today, which I really needed because I have two teenagers at home.   Since it takes a few hours, and I'm antsy waiting so much, I always take a big stack of stuff to do.  I read my Somerset Studio magazines, make lists, and sketch sometimes.  I got these little journals a while back from Target. They have really durable, happy-colored covers and lines so my OCD doesn't get itchy when I try to write in them.  I love them.

I was going to write some notes in it. When I opened it, though, I realized at some point I had designated it as a poetry journal.  I found this silly poem I don't remember writing.  It's dated May 15, 2012.  It's not titled, so I'm calling it....

Grand Theft

The cat lost her mind.

The cat took my phone.

She went through my wallet,

And then she left home.

The dog asked to borrow

The keys to the car.

He said, "See ya later!

We won't go very far."

It's crazy!  I know!

My pets ran away

With my car and phone.

Oh man!  What a day!

I yell to my pets,

"Come back! You can't drive!

You also can't talk!

Can I get change for a five?!!"

But now I am petless

And carless, to boot.

They've left me alone

And taken my loot.

You cannot trust mammals.

That's what I've heard.

Now I've seen it first hand.

And I'm getting a bird.

"Date Night" available as a print in my Etsy shop today!

May the good Lord bless you today with sweet mammals in your life.

<3  Lori 

Walmart--A Poem and a Warning

I went to Walmart today after work.  I thought it was early enough that I wouldn't suffer the usual mine fields that accompany a trip to Walmart.  I was wrong.  Last time I was there, some crazy person with very bad parking skills and a very large truck parked so close to my door that I couldn't get in the driver's side.  I'm too old and too a-few-other-things to easily vault the center console in my SUV.  I was not very happy.  And for some reason, they have decided that 80 degrees is a comfortable temperature for the place.  I stand in the meat aisle as an intermission just to keep from hurting someone or bursting into flames in the last 30% of the store. 

So while I was getting the stuff the family can't live through the weekend without, I entertained myself by writing a poem.  

Dear Walmart

Oh Walmart, Walmart,

How I hate thee!!

You irritate, torment

And frustrate me.

Your people are mean.

Your parking stinks.

Customer service is bad.

That’s what everyone thinks.

Your “guests” are so snarly!

But it only seems fair,

Because nobody ever

Wants to go there.

By the time I get out,

I just want to cry.

I sit in my car, bang my head

And ask, “WHYYYYYYY!!!???”

No offense to nice hardworking

Folks you employ.

I’m sure their mean coworkers

Give them no joy.

I wish I could find

A new place to shop

That has as much stuff

In one single stop.

But I’m giving you warning

That until I do

I’ll go on despising

And rhyming ‘bout you.

Fix it! I mean it!

Straighten up your act!

Because one day we might not

Ever come back.

Somehow, at the end of the trip, I felt so much better than usual. Perhaps I'll write a poem every time I go there.

May the good Lord bless you today with great customer service, fresh produce, well-stocked pantries and peaceful shopping experiences

<3 Lori