The Colour Collaborative: November: Faded

I'm joining in with The Colour Collaborative for the first time and feeling quite honored to do so. This month's theme was Faded or Decayed. At first I chose Decayed right off the bat. I had intentions of writing about phases and stages, death and re-birth, renewal and all such heady stuff. However, due to an unfortunate misunderstanding with my photo card, you have been spared shots of crumbling stumps, rotting apples and my compost bin.  

As I wondered what on earth I would do instead, I thought about the theme of Faded, then looked out the window and saw my old blue jeans on the line drying in the crisp November sunlight. Faded indeed!

And from this vantage point, staring out at my old pants, the line "feelin' 'bout as faded as my jeans" from the song Me and Bobby McGee came to mind. Then I hummed more songs to myself, like Faded Love.

It got me to thinking. Faded feels familiar; like music and songs that you have known forever. It makes me think of something well worn and comforting, in a way. Like my old blue jeans.

It takes a mighty long time to develop this sort of symbiotic relationship with a pair of jeans, one that makes them your favorite, makes them soft as cotton flannel, makes them fit as no other jeans have fit, makes them as cherished as jeans could ever be. This particular pair is giving up the ghost, yet I can't bear to toss them out. Surely with a bit more mending, a couple of extra patches, they might last another 6 months!

So for me, along with the blue tint that seems to permeate the light as evening comes on in late November as the day fades, blue is the color of my faded old jeans. Soft, familiar, and loved.

Don't forget to visit the other Colour Collaborative blogs for more of this month's posts, including three from November's guest bloggers, just click on the links below ...

Sandra at Cherry Heart

Annie at Knitsofacto

Nina at Tabiboo

Gillian at Tales from a Happy House

Lori at Lori Times Five

Madelief at Madelief

What is The Colour Collaborative? All creative bloggers make stuff, gather stuff, shape stuff, and share stuff. Mostly they work on their own, but what happens when a group of them work together? Is a creative collaboration greater than the sum of its parts? We think so and we hope you will too. We'll each be offering our own monthly take on a colour related theme, and hoping that in combination our ideas will encourage us, and perhaps you, to think about colour in new ways.

The People that you meet

When you're walking down the street...

Or popping into your local fabric shop.

This morning I had a bit of a panic. I had that feeling like all was going wonky - and not in that charming sort of way that makes you smile a crooked smile. No, it was going wonky in the wrong way, and if I continued on my current path it was likely to spin out of control completely, leaving me spent and frankly, a little bitter. It was quite clear that I needed to step away from the computer and get the heck out of the house!

And so I did,  I just threw on my lucky scarf and off I went.  I headed to my favorite local fabric shop to look for supplies and some inspiration. My timing couldn't have been better, I found both! While there, I ended up having a chance meeting with the fabulous Miss Demeanor, A.K.A. Shawn Gascoyne-Bowman, the author of these amazing craft books:

Criminal Crafts - Outlaw projects for scoundrels, cheats, and armchair detectives

Beer Crafts - Making the most of your cans, bottle caps, and labels

I love these! I don't want to give away too much, but here's a couple of cool crafts from the books.

Seriously, if I had the body of a lithe 18 year old, and not the body of a middle aged crafter, I would so make this pull tab dress!

So, I've just been able to tick off a few Christmas presents for some smooth criminals and craft beer crafters I know! Both of her books are available HERE if you need to find just the perfect thing for somebody on your list this year.  I also recommend the accompanying blogs.

Criminal Crafts

Beer Crafts

Just so you know, the author herself, is fab! We had a lovely chat  and she shared some really helpful information with me, and in general made me so glad that I decided to change direction and get out of the house.  It really was just the thing I needed. I think sometimes, especially in this kooky modern world, it is easy to isolate, we forget how valuable human connection is - to talk face to face with our peers, our neighbors, and our community is good for us.

So I guess the moral of this story is: When things go wonky and wrong, step away from the computer, take a a breath, and get out there! Also, there is always room for a voodoo doll pincushion and beer can bunting!

November In the Garden

"Walked for half an hour in the garden.  A fine rain was falling, and the landscape was that of autumn.  The sky was hung with various shades of gray, and mists hovered about the distant mountains - a melancholy nature.  The leaves were falling on all sides like the last illusions of youth under the tears of irremediable grief.  A brood of chattering birds were chasing each other through the shrubberies, and playing games among the branches, like a knot of hiding schoolboys.  Every landscape is, as it were, a state of the soul, and whoever penetrates into both is astonished to find how much likeness there is in each detail."-   Henri Frederic Amiel

The wind has come up, the days are colder and winter is clearly well on it's way. We have had our first fire in the fireplace and the rhythm and scents of baking have begun in earnest. This morning I took a good long look around the garden. There is a riot of color on the ground and amazing textures to be found once the leaves have dropped and revealed what is underneath the canopies. A quiet has settled in the neighborhood while people tuck themselves away inside in cozy warmth. It is a good time to shore up for winter, to take stock and plan for the coming year.  Are you cozy, are you planning for the next season?