Goodbye, October… Hello, November. (Where has the year gone?!)

I’m savoring these crisp and clear autumn days while they last—the climax of nature’s most colorful pageant. My favorite season indeed.

But it’s a melancholy season too. A time of reflection:

Every autumn, I find my thoughts curling inward, like the fading edges of fallen leaves, as another year descends to a close.

I can’t help but think about unfinished plans for the year, all that I foolishly hoped I’d accomplish and all that I haven’t yet done… Expectations can be tricky things, part good part bad, and we seem to spend most of our lives navigating that fine line between chasing expectations (what we want, what we think should happen) and embracing what IS.

When we tally up our highs and lows for the year, it’s easier to remember our disappointments and losses, isn’t it? (Even for happy occasions, we can remember what didn’t go according to plan.) Perhaps we’re focusing on the wrong things. What if our expectations, our perfect plans, prevent us from seeing joy and beauty in the ordinary and the unexpected?

“A writer for The Washington Post conducted an experiment to test people’s perception. He asked a famous violinist to perform incognito at a train station in the nation’s capital one January morning. Thousands of people walked by as he played, but only a few stopped to listen. After 45 minutes, just $32 had been dropped into the virtuoso’s open violin case. Two days earlier, this man—Joshua Bell—had used the same $3.5 million Stradivarius for a sold-out concert where people paid $100 a seat to hear him perform.

The idea of a person not being recognized for his greatness isn’t new. It happened to Jesus. ‘He was in the world,’ John said, ‘. . . and the world did not know Him’ (John 1:10). Why did people who had been expecting the Messiah give Jesus such a cold reception? One reason is that they were surprised. Just as people today don’t expect famous musicians to play in railway stations, the people in Jesus’ day didn’t expect Messiah to be born in a stable. They also expected Him to be a political king—not the head of a spiritual kingdom.” — C.P. Hia (Our Daily Bread, 10/31/11)

How often do we miss the work that God is doing in our lives because it doesn’t “look” the way we expect it to?

What if, instead of regretting losses and disappointments, I give thanks for where I am right now and celebrate the small gifts of grace I’m given each day?

After all: “It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” — Brother David Steindl-Rast

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Is there a time of year that makes you more reflective? What expectations are you wrestling with this fall? How do you practice gratitude? I’d love to hear what you think.

{ Image credit: Bert Kaufmann via CC by 2.0 license }

Today, I made something cute that I thought might be worth sharing with you…

Do you want to see it?

Really?

Alrighty then!

As you know, I’m all about easy & inexpensive DIY decor this fall. I also LOVE to collect quotations. So when I came across this divine autumn-related quote recently, I knew I needed to create something special with it.

Here’s what I came up with:

Yes, yes, yes! A perfect quote to display in honor of my favorite season!

[ Download a full-size version here ]

I also need to give credit to D. Sharon Pruitt of Pink Sherbet Photography. In creating this design, I used her original photograph (available here on Flickr and free to use/adapt under a creative commons license.)

Ready to see it in action? OK then!

I printed a 4×6 inch copy on white cardstock and trimmed the cardstock to 5×7 size (thus the white border.) I love how it pops in this simple black frame.

Here it is living happily on my fall piano mantel, aka “pantel.” (And yes, that’s the highly acclaimed book pumpkin on the left!)

I’m laughing that the pantel has been rearranged multiple times since I first shared a picture here. Do you tweak and play around with your decorations too? Yeah, there’s no such thing as “finished” in my house! Everything’s a work in progress around here, myself included

So there you have it! A lovely, seasonal quote, ready to print and display — from me to you!

[ Download a full-size version here ]

Consider this free printable my thanks to you for all the kind, sweet comments on my book pumpkin tutorial — I’m SO appreciative! (And a very special thanks to Beth at Home Stories A2Z and Aaron at The Thrify Abode for featuring my book pumpkin in their fabulous round-ups last week! Thank you, ladies!)

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Linking up here:

• Under the Table & Dreaming
• Home Stories A2Z
• The Girl Creative
• Serenity Now
• The Creative Paige
• Making the World Cuter
• The DIY Showoff

]]> http://stumblingtongues.com/2011/10/15/delicious-autumn-quote-free-printable/feed/ 4 http://stumblingtongues.com/2011/10/12/a-beautiful-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-beautiful-world http://stumblingtongues.com/2011/10/12/a-beautiful-world/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 03:33:12 +0000 Erin http://stumblingtongues.com/?p=7837 Today, I’m giving thanks for small things.

It’s been a perfectly cool and stormy day. Our first taste of brisk autumn weather.

After the rain passed tonight, I took Buddy for a walk.

We dodged puddles and stray leaves, and I noticed the eerie beauty of a rain-washed landscape.

The city streets were momentarily still, the silence broken only by a steady stream of water from the downspouts and storm drains.

The roses out front took a beating from the storm, season-spent petals scattered across the sidewalk.

The pansies drooped gracefully, like heads bowed in prayer, and I noticed the tiny, crystalline beads of rain dotting the surface of each flower.

I’m filled with awe when I remember that God didn’t HAVE to make the world beautiful. Lilacs don’t have to smell as sweet as they do. Sunlight doesn’t have to stream down from the clouds in shafts of heavenly light. Tree branches don’t have to weave delicate, lace patterns against the sky.

But God CHOSE to create these beautiful things, to display His goodness, because He loves us and wants us to savor the beauty of His creation.

How can we take all of this beauty for granted?

I’m trying to teach myself to be mindful, to pay more attention, to notice more in the world around me — and above all, to give thanks for these small moments of beauty when I see them.

It’s easy to miss what’s beautiful and good in the world when we forget to pay attention, isn’t it?

So. . . how do you try to stay mindful in the rush of everyday life? Is there a place where you love to go to find inspiration or enjoy nature? What have you seen recently that’s inspired you?

P.S. As part of my Be Creative Every Day challenge, I’m also trying to embrace my not-so-fancy camera and improve my photography skills. It’s a big learning curve, but I kinda love how these flower pictures turned out. (Not too shabby for me & my old Canon Power Shot!) What do you think of them? Any tips or photography websites you can recommend?

{ A sneak peek at the Riker library, Oct 2011 }

Once upon a time, I thought I’d never meet a book that didn’t deserve a home on my bookshelves. But if living in a 787-square-foot loft has taught me anything, it’s that I wish I had more storage space life is too short to waste library space on books you’ll never read again.

“Living small” has its obvious challenges. We’re constantly downsizing and decluttering, which means there’s a near-constant pile of “stuff” sitting here, waiting to be sold or donated. Sound familiar?

{ My giveaway pile is NOT this big or this well-organized!  Photo credit: Rachel H via CC by 2.0 license }

What’s a girl to do when she’s short on supplies or money and in need of a little fall craft fix?

Re-purpose something from the giveaway pile, of course!

So I have two words for you…

Book Pumpkin!

Hello cuteness!

This book pumpkin on my fall mantel has been a big hit with everyone who’s seen it in person. I can’t tell you how many “oohs” and “ahhs” it’s gotten already — Don’t you love when that happens?!

The best part? This is SO easy and inexpensive to make! (I’m talking zero dollars, if you already have an old book lying around.)

There are other tutorials out there already, but I thought I’d do one just fun. After a little tweaking and playing around with different methods, this is what I came up with and seemed to work best. . .

Supplies:

• old paperback book (mass-market paperbacks are ideal for this project) Bonus points if it’s one of your husband’s geeky sci-fi/fantasy books!
• Sharpie marker & scrap paper (for drawing your pumpkin shape)
• pen or pencil
• craft knife
• scissors (for clean-up trimming, if needed)
• cutting mat
• paper clips (or glue or double-sided tape)
• piece of hardwood mulch (for stem)

How To:

Tear the front and back cover off your book. The paper covering on the spine should tear off easily with either the front or back cover. Be sure to keep the binding in tact, as this will allow your pages to stay together and “accordion” open nicely.

Draw a half-pumpkin shape on scrap paper & cut out. This will be your template.

Trace the half-pumpkin shape onto your book. (I turned my book upside-down, so when the pumpkin stands open on display, the words aren’t easily readable.)

Now it’s time to start cutting. I found it easiest to work in small sections. Lift up a small section of pages and place your cutting mat inside.

Using your craft knife, slowly cut along the inside of your line, making sure your cuts go all the way through to the cutting mat. (Without working in sections like this or using a cutting mat, I was left with a frustrating tangle of partially-cut pages underneath. Working in sections helped to keep things clean and consistent — and because I wasn’t wrestling with so many half-cut pages, it went a lot quicker too!)

Remove your scraps as you go. Tear the scraps in the middle for easy removal and peel each side off the binding.

Use your previously cut section(s) as a guide for tracing the pumpkin shape on your next section. If you feel like you’re straying too far from the original pumpkin shape, just use your original template to trace the shape instead.

Continue working in sections, cutting and tracing your way through the book. Your cuts won’t be uniform every time, and that’s OK. (There’s not many perfectly symmetrical pumpkins in real life either!)

When you’re finished cutting through the entire book, use scissors to clean up any stray cuts or jagged edges (if needed).

Go through the book and bend the spine open every few pages, so your pumpkin has a nice, full shape. And then attach the front and back pages together. For easy dis-assembly after the season’s over, I used a couple discreetly-placed paper clips. Otherwise, you could use glue or double-sided tape to adhere the front and back pages together permanently.

Insert stem. For my pumpkin, I simply picked a piece of hardwood mulch from the garden (yay for free!) If you want to get even more crafty, you could try fashioning a stem out of wire, like this one by Miss Teresa @ Sagebrush Ridge (who inspired me to try this project in the first place!)

* * * * *

That’s it! Easy-peasy and FREE! (And it looks pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself.)

So. . . what do you think? Are you ready to grab a book and start crafting? (Sorry, librarians!) Have you made a book pumpkin or other book craft recently? How did it turn out? Do you think Mr. Dewey (of Decimal fame) would approve of us cutting up old books? I’m guessing not

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Thanks for stopping by!

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If you’re looking for more inspiration & fall craft ideas, check out:

• Centsational Girl | Fall Craft Party
• 320 Sycamore | Under $10 Under 1 Hour
• Home Stories A to Z | Tutorials & Tips
• The DIY Show Off | Fall Festival

]]> http://stumblingtongues.com/2011/10/05/hello-book-pumpkin-tutorial/feed/ 29 http://stumblingtongues.com/2011/09/27/falling-in-love/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=falling-in-love http://stumblingtongues.com/2011/09/27/falling-in-love/#comments Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:29:13 +0000 Erin http://stumblingtongues.com/?p=7212 I love Autumn, and I love decorating, so you’d think I’d be a huge fan of seasonal decor. But the truth is that, aside from Christmas, I rarely have the time or money (or storage space!) to invest in seasonal decorations.

Until now.  *dramatic music*  Dun-dun-dun . . .

This year, prompted in part by my “Be Creative Every Day” challenge, I decided it was high time to embrace my inner craft nerd and bring some fall cheer to the Riker home.

Some lucky people have fireplace mantels. Others—sans fireplace like me—make do with faux mantels like a wall shelf or ledge or, more accurately in my case, a “pantel” (piano mantel!)

{ Yes, I’m a nerd like that. }

I decided to whip up a few decorations to add some fall flair to our beloved piano-mantel. My main criteria for this mantelscape was “reduce-reuse-recycle.” In other words, everything had to be free-free-free (already on hand) OR cheap-cheap-cheap (easy, inexpensive DIY).

Here are the highlights:

1. Yarn wreath

Cost for materials: $18 — for 14-inch straw wreath form, two skeins of coordinating yarn, and a selection of faux floral stems.

This DIY wreath is the only fall decor I spent money on really! It was easy-peasy, but a little time-consuming (though simple enough to work on while watching TV). Determine your pattern, wrap (and wrap and wrap and wrap!) the wreath in yarn, and trim/hot glue your florals. I followed this tutorial/design by Emily at Decor Chick. If I had to do it over again (and I have plenty of yarn left over to try), I might have gone with an 18-inch wreath instead of 14-inch to better fill the space, but neither Hobby Lobby or Joanne’s had that size in stock when I went shopping. C’est la vie!

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2. Book page pumpkin

Cost: free!

The book I used was a cast-off rescued from our donation pile, and the stem is a piece of hardwood mulch from the garden. If you’re trying this, I’d recommend using a mass-market paperback, which has the right compact size and thick pages to stand up nice and full. I used an x-acto knife to cut through my pages. It was tough to keep the cuts consistent all the way through and required some clean-up trimming with scissors, but in the end, I decided that added to the “rustic” factor. (Remember: there’s no such thing as perfect.) I still haven’t glued the front and back pages together; right now, they’re just pinned together with strategically-placed paper clips, and I might keep it that way for easy dis-assembly and storage after the season’s over.

UPDATE: Here is my step-by-step tutorial for making a book pumpkin. Try it! I promise it's easy, simple, and oh-so cute!

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3. Soup can pillar candle

Cost: less than 50 cents — for ribbon.

I had an “ah-ha” moment while taking out the recycling one day, when I realized that 18.6 oz soup cans (Campbell’s Select Harvest, among others I’m sure) happen to be the perfect size to fit a 3-inch pillar candle. Turn the can upside down, add a band of decorative paper (I used a leftover scrap from our wedding save-the-dates) and any other embellishments you choose (burlap ribbon for mine). This is so simple and cheap, I’m almost embarrassed to share it with you, but I promise, it looks fab and no one will ever guess it’s a recycled soup can under there unless you tell them! Bonus points: This craft is infinitely adaptable to any season, depending on your choice of paper and embellishments.

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4. Ribbon-tied book pages

Cost: free!

Another book rescued from our donation pile. I started tearing pages out for another craft project but then came across this epigraph at the front of the book: “One lives but once in the world.” – Goethe.  Such a beautiful quote! So I stopped tearing up the book and put the pages on display instead, tied with a scrap of blue ribbon. It’s simple and sweet, and people always stop to read the quote as they walk by.

__________

5. Antique teapot

Cost: free!

I collect teapots, and this one belonged to my grandmother. It’s the perfect fall-colored topper for a small stack of books. (These same books are nearly always on my piano in one arrangement or another.) This one gets its own close-up for sentimental value alone

* * * * *

So there you have it—my first attempt at public crafting! Yikes! Thanks for stopping by!

Disclaimer: I won’t pretend these DIY projects are the most original or beautiful or perfect, but I made them and I love them just the same, warts and all. (I suppose I’ll feel the same way about my future kid(s) someday too…) Props to Miss Teresa @ Sagebrush Ridge and Emily @ Decorchick for the original tutorials. Also, in case you have a head injury and weren’t sure, I don’t claim to be a professional photographer either!

Now it’s your turn! Are you a fan of seasonal decor? Have you tried your hand at any fall crafting? Am I the only one who thinks that some people go a little lot overboard when it comes to seasonal decorating? Is there such a thing as too many pumpkins? (Please say yes.) What’s your favorite budget-friendly seasonal decor trick?

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If you’re looking for more mantel ideas, check out the Fall mantle link party at The Lettered Cottage today.

{ via }

Here’s what I’ve come to realize recently:

1. I’m tired of gathering ideas and inspiration. (Yes, Pinterest, that means you!)
2. I’m tired of seeing fun projects and thinking to myself, “I should do that. . . if only I had the time/money/skills/etc.”
3. I’m tired of letting my creative talents sit on a dusty, “someday” shelf.
4. I’m tired of feeling dull and unproductive.

And so. . .  it’s time for a change—a challenge, if you will.

One of my goals for the next year is to “be creative every day.”

That means creating something—anything—every. single. day. Whether it’s writing a letter or a poem (or a blog post!), cooking or baking, making music with Tyler, drawing, crafting, scrapbooking, taking photographs, or tackling a DIY project… whatever! Anything goes. (Yes, even rearranging the living room counts, because I LOVE to move furniture!)

I’m using this little-but-not-so-little “creative every day” challenge as a way to kick my creativity into overdrive and encourage myself to spend less time thinking/planning/wishing/dreaming and more time doing.

{ Great, now I sound like a Home Depot commercial. *sigh* }

{ via Pinterest }

Some people might call this an impractical (and un-achievable) challenge, and they’re right, in part. But the goal here is not perfection. The goal is practice. I firmly believe that creativity, just like every other talent and habit, improves with practice. Creativity begets creativity. If I want to be a more creative person, then I have to spend more time being creative.

If you’re feeling stuck in a creative rut too, then maybe you’ll consider trying out this challenge for yourself. Go ahead. I dare you. A little more creativity every day can’t hurt anyone, right? (Unless we’re talking about glue guns and staple guns. Danger, Will Robinson!)

The bottom line: Life is short. Do more of what you love.

{ Source: Ali Edwards }

Tell me. Are you one of those crafty DIY people or do you feel creatively-challenged? What’s your favorite creative outlet? Where do you go to find inspiration?

P.S. I won’t bore you, dear readers, by showing you every little thing I make. That would be silly. But you might see me posting a little more often, to keep myself accountable and to share some of the best (and worst?) projects I try out.

{ Grandma & Erin ~ Christmas 1981 }

My grandmother passed away a year ago on September 24.  In June, my grandfather passed away as well, and I shared the reading I prepared for his funeral, telling the story of their love and their “reunion day.” (Read that here.) Since I never got around to posting the letter I read at my grandmother’s funeral last year, I thought it would be fitting to share it today in honor of her:

{ I love you, Grandma! }

September is World Alzheimer’s Month, and today, I’m wearing purple in honor of Alzheimer’s Action Day. I’ve lost two of my grandparents to this devastating disease.

Alzheimer’s is a growing epidemic worldwide. The fight is on to raise awareness and continue funding vital research to improve our methods for diagnosis and prevention and to find a cure.

Will you join me in spreading the word?

Take a moment to share these facts (here’s a great video to use!) with your friends and family, on your blog, on Facebook or Twitter, etc. The fight to end Alzheimer’s starts with each of us doing our part to help raise awareness. To learn more about Alzheimer’s and other ways you can get involved, go here.

If you don’t already know someone affected by Alzheimer’s, you likely will in the future:

“Our 79-million-strong baby boom generation [is] turning 65 at the rate of one every eight seconds. That means more than 10,000 people per day, or more than four million per year…facing an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. Although the symptoms of this disease and other forms of dementia seldom appear before middle age, the likelihood of their appearance doubles every five years after age 65. Among people over 85 (the fastest-growing segment of the American population), dementia afflicts one in two…

Medical science has the capacity to relegate Alzheimer’s to the list of former diseases like typhoid, polio and many childhood cancers. But unless we get to work now, any breakthrough will come too late to benefit the baby boomers. Whether the aging of America turns out to be a triumph or a tragedy will depend on our ability to fight this horrific disease and beat it before it beats us.” (source)

* * * * *

What about you? Have you or your friends or family been affected by Alzheimer’s or another life-altering disease? Do you have a cause that’s near and dear to your heart? What have you done to help spread the word or raise money? Have you ever gotten up on your virtual soapbox to advocate for something that’s completely unrelated to your blog? Do you think I’m a crazy soapbox lady now? Well, even so, thanks for listening! Soapbox out.

{ A little inspiration for your creative journey }

Ira Glass on how to turn talent into achievement*:

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me — is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste… But there’s a gap.

For the first couple years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good… It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not quite good. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. Your taste is good enough that you can tell what you’re making is a disappointment to you…

A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit.

The thing I would say to you with all my heart is that everybody I know who does interesting, creative work went through a phase of years where they could tell what they were making wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be. They knew it fell short… It didn’t have this *special thing* that we want it to have.

Everybody goes through that… If you’re just starting off and you’re entering into that phase, you gotta know it’s totally normal.

And the most important thing you can do is [to] do a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week or every month you know you’re going to finish one [project]. Whatever it’s going to be — you create the deadline… It’s only by going through a volume of work that you will catch up and close that gap, and the work you’re making will be as good as your ambitions.

And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met… It’s gonna take a while. It’s normal to take a while. You just have to fight your way through.”

*roughly transcribed from its original source (video here)

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What inspires you to keep going when you feel stuck?

How do you hold yourself accountable?

{ Photo credit: Jason Pratt }

My heart is heavy today.

I often feel like I can’t understand my jumbled thoughts until I write them out. These words, however small and clumsy and insufficient, give me comfort and (at least a bit of) clarity.

I’m tired of keeping my thoughts to myself, of hiding in the shadows. So I come to the keyboard in prayerful, hopeful uncertainty… Please help me understand, Lord.

Why do people hurt each other so much? Why aren’t we kinder and more thoughtful to our fellow travelers?

We’ve all suffered pain and heartbreak, and so you’d think we’d all wish to do better, to avoid causing hurt to another. And yet we silly mortals persist in our thoughtless ways, doing the same dances, making the same mistakes. Oh, we “flare and dive and flounder” indeed.

A couple things happened this weekend that made me very sad, and though I can’t go into detail, as they’re not my secrets to share, I feel overwhelmed by the sadness of seeing people I love hurt and feeling hurt along with them.

Intentional or not, all thoughtless words hurt. And sometimes I think the most hurtful words of all might be those thrown offhand, in jest, when the offender is so ignorantly, blissfully unaware of causing offense. It’s belittling to realize that your feelings are so terribly below their radar—or worse, the butt of a joke—and yet, is it really their fault if they didn’t intend to offend? At times like those I feel ashamed for even feeling hurt in the first place, for being too tender-hearted. (Highly-sensitive, they call it.)

What’s the point of all this pain and worry? Why do You allow us to feel these things, and more to the point right now, what am I to do with it all? All this anxiousness boiling over in my heart? I want to write. I want to cry out. I want to sing. And yet, these words, these tiny, insignificant words, feel so worthless and unimportant. What do You want me to do?

I know we’re all put on this earth for a purpose. I know I don’t feel these things for no reason. So tell me, God, what purpose have you designed me for? What good work am I meant to do in Your world?

I’m waiting… I’m listening… Please show me.

* * *

What are you waiting to hear from God?

{ Original photo credit: Pete Birkinshaw }