Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.
Samuel Ullman

I don’t look it any more but in many ways I am the same as I was when I was a kid. I love many things I used to love when I was a little girl. My favorite color is still pink, I embrace colors, play and creativity. I think that this is what my life is about sometimes. Being that girl in a red rain coat with shiny red sneakers you see on the buss when everyone else is dressed in brownish gray. I might be that girl with pink hair you don’t want to stare at but can’t help glancing over to again and again:
– What’s up with that girl? Why does she need to show off like that? Is she mad? Is she smiling at me?

I’m am that inner child people talk about with longing…. I’m working on my spirituality, I’m stringing my own rainbow, I have starlight in my heart. I saw my friend yesterday and told her that I’m fine. I was lying; I’m great! I could cry from smiling sometimes, but that might be just too silly?

And I…

Homemade
…have wet felted these beads sitting outside in the sunshine this summer. Next week I’ll post the finished project if you want to see? It’s magic, it makes me feel like I can do magic with my fingers. Maybe I can? Maybe everyone can do magic? Have you tried?

August thrift finds
I have thrifted little wooden treasures! See? A embroidery hoop for grown up to play with and a beautiful vintage box filled with carved domino pieces!

I have been wanting some Japanese fabric like for ever, and finally I convinced mom that we should get some together. We spent some money (a lot!) from what we have earned in our shop (what she earned), and got a little bit of fabric heaven! Hehe, just because you have might act childish you don’t need to be stupid, right? ;-)

Mom’s pile is mostly blue:

For mom
She loved the cherry one and is planning a tote I believe.

My pile looks like it belongs to a little girl:
Favorite fabric
I guess the girly girl is still with me. I’m still that girl that used to have a pink bedroom boudoir at 11, that collected scrap die cut images with angels and roses (and still have them) and wanted to be a writer when she grew up (will I ever?). Many things change in our life, other might never change. I change constantly, but some things might always make me 11-years-old-giddy?

We also bought some very cute trim:

Ribbons I like
This trim and the new fabric were bought on sale at Super Buzzy in California, a very cute online shop that ships internationally!

Scan from my Moleskine might fit into this post and my mood today too:

Random ephemera
A collage in my diary from this week. Glued in daily ephemera and some images laying around as I was sitting in bed, listening to Ophera and Eckhart Tolle talking on my pink ipod! This morning I was listening to her interview with Byron Katie who I first thought sounded like a crazy woman but then… maybe not? She sure is happy, and that is worth listening and learning from if you ask me. I was fascinated with her saying that she wasn’t sad even when her mother died! I can’t explain her “work” that lead into a spiritual path and a new way of thinking, you’ve got to check it out yourself!

Giddy girl has one final thing to show today:

Made, bought, got
Link is fixed to my patchwork ball pdf tutorial, I’ve checked it and printed it myself. I think it looks neat! I bought a new to me magazine yesterday at an art exhibit that featured children’s book illustrations! It was so much fun and I couldn’t help myself playing with the movable images in the children’s corner… but schy, don’t tell anyone! They showed art by Maira Kalman for example, isn’t that cool? From New York to my little town here in Sweden. The magazine was about children’s art and is called Opsis kalopsis! Hihi. In the mail I have also received Dawn Sokol’s traveling Moleskine and a wordbook from my cool web-acquaintance Imelda Wubber (oh I adore her name!). The book is called Zweedsch-Nederlandsch Woordenboek!!! Published in 1907 and I’m gonna rip it!

Oh well, I need to sneak in some read but I promise, this is the last image for today:

Red red red
Another red one, a butterfly made of wings, sitting in the window, meditating the rain.

This morning I tried to meditate for 15 minutes. It was nice.

And this is not even half of it. I need to go make dinner now. We’re having taco night.