Butterfly Time Soon

 In the expensive land of milk and honey on the west coast, where fires have taken a huge toll, where earthquakes are becoming a bit more common, flowers grow in my wild and peaceful garden all year long. It is quite a trade off to live here in Northern California.

I am waiting patiently for the soil to warm and fervently hoping for cactus bloom. In this peaceful garden of mine I can break off stems of many flowers and stick them in the soil and help a new plant begin again. I can move along my pathways and shake seeds from dried flowers to spread their powers around my garden. My mother taught me a love of nature, which includes feeding the turkeys, California Quail, and white crowned sparrows, doves, etc. that frequent my garden floor. I have counted 25 Goldfinches at my sock feeders filled with thistle seeds, all engulfing the three thistle socks that i fill almost every day. The Anna’s Hummingbirds stay throughout the winter, drinking the nectar I make for them. There are only three hummers here now, but in the spring and summer I can watch up to 10 at a time coming for the sweet nectar. 

Right now my crafts beckon me as I continue my 12th year on Etsy. My little origami paper shop has a few orders at a time, with so much competition from other busy shops. The pace is slow, but so am I. This is the way I like. Many purple butterfly mobiles have been handmade plus a few bouquets with origami flowers, plus. Gracelinepaperstudio on Etsy is where you’ll find a lot of examples. Always free shipping. 

My hobbies find me darting between crafts, staying updated with the authentic news of the world, keeping in touch with 13 grandchildren, feeding birds, and spending time with my hands in the dirt. Dust is a friend of mine. I let it hang around for as long as possible. There is so much more to life awaiting me.

But after all these years I have discovered that the most important equation in life is love + giving = Family. 

Give a bit of kindness to others each day, find work to keep you busy, let the sun shine on your face for awhile and dream big: and call yourself special. Stay safe everyone!

Handmade Origami Flower Adventure

 Origami flowers can enhance so many celebrations. They are unique and everlasting. They make their way into your home with their handmade appeal, as centerpiece bouquets, as decorative wreaths, and as mobiles for your children’s rooms. Have you ever considered a sheet music flower mobile in your library, or as a gift to a friend or librarian, or music teacher who loves music? As a maker onEtsy my shop has so many origami flower choices. Come pay a visit to gracelinestudio.com and find a large variety of examples where origami and paper decor can enhance your life. And by the way, even you can make origami flowers. Try a search for instructions on the internet. It’s exactly how I began my adventure with paper flowers. 

Decisions

 For me as an artist, I have difficulty choosing the direction to go in. Many of my decisions are based on paper as my medium…..origami, paper folding for decorations, paper for butterfly or bird mobiles, paper for circular orbs, paper for paper flowers. . or…as of late, my obsession with alcohol ink on ceramic tiles? My problem seems to be that I began on Etsy 11 years ago folding origami flowers for bouquets. At the time, on Etsy there was little competition in this area so I had some good success at making sales. Over time, sales slowed as Etsy became bigger, thus more competitive. So, here began my search regarding my shop, for what products would sell, placing different products up in different categories instead of concentrating on one particular category. 

My choices did not develop my shop into a money making place to hang out. This trickled past me going unnoticed because I enjoyed everything I chose to work on; butterfly mobiles, origami trees and other folding options, and now alcohol ink. It seems with my Etsy shop I continue to add different products, most of which do not sell. The Etsy way seems to go in waves….according of course with the economy waves, young peoples popular choices, and holidays. This year for me, I have begun making a few sales of my origami trees. It’s always a toss up. 

Truly I have discovered something important about Etsy, it is in it for the money as it has gone public and grown very large. I have a lot of fees that I pay to Etsy. Granted they are small, but can you imagine these same fees times thousands and thousands of shops on Etsy. But this  is business, and I have, because of my love of arts and crafts, found an acceptance of not making much income on Etsy. Lesson learned here…? NOTHING…., business related that is. The pertinent principle here, and it is not a lesson learned, the most important thing to me each day is doing art, for myself, for my family as gifts, or just because I love spending my time that way.

Handmade

 On The Edge of a Paper Obsession

Sometimes I wonder if I am growing a little obsessive in my grown up years. I will travel to Pinterest to search for a certain type of paper project and then spend 3-4 hours enjoying the challenge of creating it. Latest obsession is folding, cutting, preparing tunnel cards and small books. The ideas I get never leave this crafty brain of mine; they are just added to the countless other craft ideas I have. 

As an example I just finished my first Panel Book. I made it to look like a carousel with my own photographs and favorite quotes appearing on each panel, of which there are six. Oh my, I love this panel book. But what’s next? This is my first try and it needs a more stable assembly person. I get so excited along the path of construction that I lose the PERFECT measuring desire that is necessary. Soon to come is another Panel Book. This time it will be…..

…..
more like a “book”, not a carousel.

Triskelion …Because I Love Working With Paper

Something striking, is what I thought when I first saw these beautiful Triskelion Spheres. I have begun making these with beaded decor, using my original photographs and cutouts. So far my favorites are the Starry Night Triskelion and the magenta and green flower Triskelion.

 

Dear and Glorious Physician

 Saint Luke, living in the Roman times, a healer, a man of God, but seemingly out to prove that God's wonders are God's punishment. I am half way through this novel, filled with the destruction of an empire ruled by a man who makes all the rules, but tries to save his empire.

It is difficult for me to understand how humanity seems to constantly repeat its mistakes: wars, killing, destruction of its land and resources, and how corruption takes a foothold on society. And then we begin again…..maybe the destruction of our beautiful planet will eventually lead to the beginning of a new society far, far away? 

Time will tell, but my hopes for a moral, giving, righteous existence here on earth are primarily for the lives of my grandchildren. 

Thank You for the Bluebirds

 Woke up a bit grumpy. Was trying to kick it goodbye. What happened next?

1. Cup of coffee

2. Outside to greet the day.

3. First sip….a bluebird greeted me. Then another, and another….until 5 had shown up to say good morning. Now, this may not seem remarkable to others, but this showing up of the Western Bluebirds actually made me cry. Mother Nature cleans my soul….and this beautiful event was just the blessing I needed. 

4. Quail, goldfinches, scrub jay, and bluebirds, and an eye to eye peek from the Annas Humingbird were all blessings that scrubbed away my cranky start.

This I write in my gratitude journal on the 3rd day of October, 2021. Karen Grace

Plus I finally got one new order on my Etsy shop. Gracelinestudio.com

When Life Throws You Lemons…Make Lemonade

A new blog on a beautiful day, talking about the LEMONS of life, those sour, icky problems that creep in. Today I list the negatives first, then the beautiful positives that are part of my crafty days.

1. COVID, past present and future. It has come into my life and altered it. I am a senior with an Etsy shop that I have been trying to establish for ten plus years. Covid did not help me earn orders in my shop. COVID begged me to stay at home, so I obeyed. Now after a year I find it very comforting at home and I am trying to adapt to the real world again. COVID, you got me personally, I survived, I got my two vaccines also, on account that I was thinking about others besides just ME. I am a believer in personal choices, and I just reread the Constitution that our country was founded on. I am also a morally, pretty righteous person, so in most cases I try and do what's right for others. Booster shot comes next along with my flu shot. Please, please, please Big Government, stay away from me. 

2. MY ETSY SHOP, not a success, or a failure. My complaint, I cannot rely on Etsy, my shop for income. I will get a bunch of orders, then for 3 weeks, nothing. It is so on again, off again that I cannot actually see the future in it. This LEMON has gotten too big for its britches. Just my personal opinion. I cannot compete with ALL the others doing virtually the same things as I am doing. What is my niche? Have not figured that one out.

3. BEING OVER 70, yes, a big one for sure. Aches and pains, tired more often, a bit less enthusiasm, sitting too much, hard time sleeping, etc. All these small things sneak up on you very gradually. There IS a lot more help out there than there used to be for everyone turning that retirement corner. Stay busy, have hobbies, stay in touch with those you love, get your hips replaced, (thank you many times over for this), eat fruits and veggies more, do not worry so much if you don’t sleep well, your body clock will help you out, and the big one, keep moving.

ENOUGH LEMONS, here are my positives, that generally win my battles:

1. I love crafts, paper making, thinking up new ideas, being an artist, origami, paper flower bouquets, reading my craft books, trying new projects….did I already say that.

2. I love my hobbies: crocheting, oil painting, gardening, bird watching, photography, Mother Nature. My little stories on all these subjects go back to when I was a little girl. I hope to share them in this blog, because they absolutely thrill me.

3. I will end on this marvelous positive….this one means more to me than life itself…I love, adore, relish, and stay in touch with my 13 grandchildren. This has been a looong adventure, for 27 years now. The excitement is renewed with the advancement of social media. Fun to keep in touch on Insta! Snap!, WhatsAp!, messaging, and more. And I relish telling MY stories of being young, many of which shock them, but so subtly bring out their stories, which makes me love them all the more.

There is much more to my story,, not only as a crafting grama, but as an individual. I hope to share it here, in my little gratitude journal of life.