Joy in Service: Day 8 Your Time is a Gift

I'm busy. It can be overwhelming. I hear people talk about television shows I've never heard of and wonder what it would be like to have time to sit and do nothing but watch an hour of TV. I'm tired too.

Signature: half time by Lyric Montgomery Kinard

I was at a rehearsal last night and it was getting later and later and they were playing through some numbers that didn't have horn parts but we had to wait around because the very last number had horns. Did I mention that I was tired? I found myself thinking tired and grumpy and irritated thoughts.

Then I thought - my time is my gift.

And I sat and enjoyed the music for a few minutes.

I was grateful for its beauty and so many people who were working so hard to produce it.

It was a shift in attitude that made all the difference.

It takes time to truly listen to a child or a client. It takes time to go out of your way and deliver a package or a meal. It takes time to create something beautiful for someone. The time you are taking to make the world a better place reminds me that my time, the most precious thing I own right now, is a gift.

Please tell me what you did today to make the world a better place.

You inspire me to be a better person.

Book Review (and a giveaway): Personal Geographies

I introduced you to Jill K. Berry here - she's an amazing mixed media artist and I am greatly attracted to her work. Lettering, maps, beautiful colors, collage? I love it. I wonder if those things tie into my college days as an architecture student?

I'm rambling. To the point. Jill has the most amazing book out titled

Personal Geographies: Explorations in Mixed-Media Mapmaking

It's part project/technique, part inspiration, and ALL eye-candy and 

I get to give away a copy to one of you who

comment on this post!

You have until Dec 10th to tell me about your favorite map and what it means to you.

Campomigliaio Head Map by Giavanni Cera

My favorites? All of them.

There is something that intrigues me about maps of every kind. I can stare at them for hours. I have large laminated world and US maps on my wall that I'll drag the kids up to any time a "where" question comes up. I save every single National Geographic map insert and would paper my walls with them if I could get away with it. (Wait a minute - why wouldn't I? Hmmmmm - dangerous thoughts arising here!) 

Heart Map by Jill Berry

I love maps even more when they are of imagined worlds. I a huge fantasy and ski-fi literature freak and the maps of those worlds are some of my favorites. 

Maps as ART? Oh be still my beating heart. I've had a series of "map" quilts in my head for ages, waiting and waiting for me to get around to working on them. This book might just push them right to the front of the line.

Flipping Trip by Jill Berry

This book is full of those wonderful interior and imaginary maps, beautiful galleries of work from many different artists in different media.

I think perhaps one of the reasons I'm so drawn to mixed media work is that the techniques are very applicable to textiles. I can do almost anything on fabric these days that artists can do with paper or collage or paint. I can print stuff on fabric (isn't that the coolest thing!?!?) or even collage paper to it. (QA magazine has a number of articles that detail how to make "paper cloth.")

While I don't pick up project books intending to follow along a copy someone else's projects - these ideas are all so inspirational that they are sparking all kinds of images in my minds eye. This fold-up map box could just as easily be made with cloth on a stabilizer like craft fuse or timtex.

Cartographic Reliquary by Jill Berry

If you want even more yummy map type stuff - check out the blog that Jill started to further inspire you with more mapmaking beauty and wonderfulness.

  http://personal-geographies.com/

There you will find links to book reviews, podcasts, other cool map links.

Carved copper hand map by Jill Berry

Don't forget to leave a comment for your chance to win!

Each of these blogs still has a giveaway of Jill's book open. Visit each and leave a comment for more chances to win your own copy of Personal Geographies. All the winners will be drawn on December 10th.

fine print: the publisher is only willing to ship to domestic US addresses. :-(

Friday, Nov 25 Aimee Myers Dolich http://artsyville.blogspot.com/

Mon Nov 28 Carla Sonheim http://carlasonheim.wordpress.com/

Tues Nov 29 Diana Trout http://www.dianatrout.typepad.com/

Weds Nov 30 Gloria Hansen http://www.gloriahansen.com/weblog/

Thurs Dec 1 Gwen Diehn http://real-life-journals.blogspot.com/

Friday Dec 2 Jane LaFazio http://www.JaneVille.blogspot.com 

Mon Dec 5 Judy Wise http://www.judywise.blogspot.com/

Tues Dec 6 Lisa Engelbrecht http://lisaletters.blogspot.com/

Weds Dec 7 Lyric Kinard http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com/

Thurs Dec 8 Orly Avineri http://oneartistjournal.wordpress.com 

Friday Dec 9 Tracie Lyn Huskamp http://thereddoor-studio.blogspot.com/

Jill Berry's map of her wedding day

And if I hadn't already bought my copy the minute it came out, I'd certainly buy it now.

During the Blog hop, there is a also a great deal here from the publisher.
Get FREE Shipping and 35% off retail price for PERSONAL GEOGRAPHIES! 

Visit ShopMixedMedia.com and use promo code SMM106 to claim your savings.

[Fine Print: Offer expires 12/09/11 at 11:59 pm EST. Offer applies to standing shipping in the US only. Please note that additional discounts and shipping offers are not available on products that ship directly from the manufacturer: see product pages for details. Thank you for shopping at ShopMixedMedia.com!]

Joy in Service: Day 6 Thank a Worker

The invisible ones.

The guys who pick up your garbage. The custodian who cleans up the school. The bus driver. The kid who gathers the grocery carts. Your mail carrier.

What ideas do you have for ways to thank them. I'm thinking of standing out when our garbage truck driver comes through and handing him a gift. They drive by in the big robot trucks so the driver doesn't usually get out of the truck... I'd have to get his attention some how. We love the robot truck. We run to the window to watch the arms reach out and grab the bin and lift it up so high to dump it into the truck! I think I might still run to the window to watch even without kids.

Boro Project by Lyric Kinard

I've been mentioning this to so people as I'm out in different places and it's so much fun to see them think of little ideas they can do to make someone feel better. I did stop and say thank you to the secretary at my kidlet's school, and told her how great she looked. I didn't leave myself enough time to give a gift. I did some quick shopping later and instead of just picking up teacher gifts, I picked up extras for the bus driver, the secretary, and the custodians. They need the lift as much as the teachers do.

But I feel bad for one thing. I was rotten grouchy after some worse than usual "homework fights" with the kids last night and after they went to bed I went to the grocery store. I smiled and asked one girl who was stocking shelves how she was and she said "tired." I smiled and said "tired too." I wish, wish, wish, I had a little gift... a flower, anything, to give her. Or maybe I should have just knelt down next to her and given her a very quick hug and told her thank you for what she does. Now I know what to do next time.



And here is the progress on my Boro project. One more gore in the skirt, a zipper and a hems and then some of the real fun begins. I think I might raid my stash of hand dyed lace. I like the idea of embroidering stories into the cloth as Melly does.

Upcycling!

Please tell me what you did to make the world a better place today!

It's not bragging - it's giving me ideas for what I can do.

It's inspiring others to look outward.

There is nothing that makes one feel better than helping someone else.

And I'm having so much fun sending little thank-you gifts from my studio. Mostly some lovely Quilting Arts magazines that I need to clear out, but a few other things here and there.

Joy in Service - Day 5 upcycle something

Yesterday you did so many lovely things. Knitted prayer shawls and caps for soldiers, gave compliments, coffee cozies and desert choices to both strangers and loved ones. I offered a ride to a friend and fed a couple of hungry young missionaries who were far from home. I sat next to someone looking alone. 

Gene Black is making and collecting lap quilts for a youth center. Do you have one you can ship off?

Today I'm officially joining Melanie Testa in her Rockstar Boro project.

Look here to learn more about this beautiful japanese upcycling art form.

I've had this stack of old linen shirts - cut up and laying over the back of my studio chair for months. I'll start there and work out a skirt. I know it's not exactly following the Boro esthetic of appliquéing onto existing garments.... but I'll get there.

First this had to come off Brunhilda, my duct-tpe-double. I've enjoyed remembering my fabulous sisters every time I glanced over to it's colorful corner. (really, you've got to go check us out...you'll smile!)

This is the progress so far in the first quick hour.

After I get back from lunch and center time at kidlet5's school I'll sew a few more bits together. I think I'll take something (who knows what) as a little surprise giftie for the front office secretary.

Tell me what you did today!

Joy in Service - Day 4 Let's Make it BIG!

Sandy Snowden linked my blog to hers and asked her readers to come along on this ride and it gave me an idea. Lets all do it...  kind of a Pay It Forward thing.

Random acts of beauty, kindness, and service.

(It's certainly not an original idea, and certainly not mine - but it helps to be reminded.)

Ask your blog readers, your twitter followers, and even your facebook friends to do it too.

One kindness, one act of service a day.

It can be as small as a smile and a wave.

It can be as big as making a quilt for a charity.

Take this button and pass it on. Then come back here and tell me what you did.

Yesterday you did wonderful things like letting a friend cry on your shoulder, sending a note, walking through someone creative discovery, praying.
Yesterday I did something as small as gave my son a back rub when my first inclination was to give him a tongue lashing.

How did you make the world a better place?
(and didn't it make you feel great!?)

Joy in Service - Day 3 Thank a Teacher

Giving flowers to random people at the grocery store, volunteering at an English as a Second Language center, giving away plants, leaving your favorite magazines at the library or doctor's office. Making an auction quilt, donating toys, packing up a a friend's kitchen for a move.
So many ways to make the world a better place.

Here is an idea for today - say thank you to a teacher.

My parents were both public school teachers and so are some of my best friends.

Dad in his LavaLava

Mom, teaching in Samoa

Since my parents retired they've just kept on teaching. Locally in their rural community, in the prisons, in eastern Germany, and at a boarding school in Western Samoa.

My love of teaching probably comes from them but I've got to admit that I'm very spoiled. 

I honestly believe they have the hardest job in America.

But I don't have do deal with students who don't want to be there. I don't have parents telling me I'm doing my job wrong. I don't have politicians telling me how to do every second of every day of my job. I don't spend every evening grading papers and planning lessons and doing page after page after page of added forms of paperwork because every spare moment in during school is taken up by meetings. 

Look up that one teacher from way back when and send them a thank you note. In writing. Through the mail.

Instead of simply sending in a candy bar to your child's teacher - send them a note telling them exactly why you appreciate what they do.

You should also nominate your favorite quilt teacher for this. Then send them a note too.

Teacher of the Year Nomination Form

Do You Know A Great Teacher?

Help us find our 2012 Professional Quilt Teacher of the Year

For the 26th year, The Professional Quilter will honor an outstanding quilt teacher with its Teacher of the Year award. The winner will be chosen by her or his peers on the basis of written answers to a questionnaire. The winner will be judged on the following criteria:

• Commitment to development of fine workmanship and personal expression of students;
• Involvement in and contributions to the field of quiltmaking; and
• Professionalism, including personal code of ethics and serving as a role model.

I apologize - I don't usually talk politics here. But one thing that frustrates me to no end are people and politicians who disrespect public school teachers. I want to say to them, "Stand in their shoes for a month. You wouldn't last a week! And you certainly wouldn't ever consider doing the job for what they get paid." Teachers don't do it for the money or because they "can't perform in the real world!" They do it because they have want to make the world a better place.

So tell me what else you did today to make the world a better place.

(my first little random pile of thank you goodies will go out Monday to some of you.)

Joy in Service - Day 2

These are some of the things you did yesterday to make the world a better place.

Greeting the elderly with a smile and a hug, upgrading a buildings energy efficiency, donating clothing, shoes, and warm winter coats.

macrame snowflakes made by my mother,  Lynn Montgomery

Leaving $5 with the cashier at Starbucks as a surprise gift for a stranger in line, donating to a food bank, making quilts for a charity, dinner for a friend, using your skills and talents to help a school choir hem dresses, sending a surprise gift. Reaching out to difficult family members.

You are amazing people

"Some people choose not to donate their services because they believe that it somehow devalues them by 'giving them away.' In truth, there is nothing that demonstrates the value of your skills more than putting them to good use for a cause you believe in." ~Scott Allen

Yesterday I remembered to greet him at the door with a big smile and a hug and an "I love you" instead of launching straight into the "get out your homework and stop fighting me" speech. Then I managed to keep my patience with this recalcitrant child who is brilliant but hates homework.

Tell me what you are going to do today.

I think reading these comments is going to be the highlight of every day this month.