A Whimsical Bohemian

Lighting The House One Lamp Shade at a Time

Well I am so frustrated...........I did an entire blog post and the internet went out long enough to wipe it all out!

So I will try to begin again.............and just give the readers digest version.

I recently finished another lamp shade for a floor lamp I've had for a long time that I wanted to put by the secretary in the living room. It had a drum shade on it at one time but the plastic interior cracked in several places though the outside was fairly ok. I had put it out in the patio with the idea we'd smash it and recycle it. BUT the other day I had a thought.......maybe I could keep it and do some C P R on it. (Creative Passion Revival - I just made that up but now I'm going to keep using that phrase - haha!)

So I set about doing just that and was successful in getting it all tight as a drum again, no cracks......get it, drum? drum shade?  Anyway...........

I covered it (sorry but I am going to keep that technique to myself for now) and painted a design all over it but when it was done I wasn't happy. BohoHandyman couldn't believe I'd cover over it after all the hours I put in to it but I explained "I need to be completely happy with the end result".

So I started again.....just the design part..........

Using 2 pages from an art journal I had scanned I set about going another route.

I digitally played around with the first one and just played around with the bird in the second one. Printed it all out in multiples, got out the paint for the background upper and lower and top rim and voila.......... (I also painted the floor lamp itself which was formerly off white)

I took the above pic outside

I love working with the drum style shade and now have plans to do some in various sizes to sell in my Shoppe - that shape can work on most lamps..........I am hoping by end of summer to have a few to start with to see how they do.

The beauty of doing these is that they are one-of-a-kind.......you won't go in someone's home and ever see the exact same thing and they really do bring a POP to a room.

Art and design...............ah the bliss of it all!

I hope you are all had a most wonderful weekend!

ART ON!

 

I'll Leave the Light on For You

So I am not done with lamp shades.........I thought I was but......well.......I just can't help myself.  I keep thinking of new ways, new materials to experiment with. I don't know what it is but it's become something I spend so many hours on that my hands literally hurt. I still have things I can perfect and experiment with but I'm running out of shades.........for now. (wink wink)

I wake up and come right in here to my studio and start in........is it obsession? Is it addiction? Is it uh, strange forces at work? Is it cosmically ordained? (ok that last one is a bit dramatic)

All of those things could be true........but actually it's simply the love of creating A R T in all its forms!

So without further adieu here are 2 of my latest endeavors........

This lamp is now on the kitchen counter.......(the walls still need things hung so it looks a bit bare in that corner). Anyway the base was previously in the living room until I replaced it with the birdcage lamp AND it was shabby chic white. It needed C O L O R......... The shade was one I found on clearance at Target that looked like the ones below (only it was white with the turquoise flocked design)

I ended up covering the design with gesso then covered it with a canvas fabric and then covering that with clear gesso before starting to paint it.

For the base I just set out painting until I liked it. You can see I tend to use the same colors in most of my art - love them.

With the light on.............

 
I wasn't altogether happy with the way I redid the shade for my studio desk lamp (above), I mean it was fine but it was made all wrong and I KNEW I wanted to do something VERY different!

I stripped all the fabric off back the "skeleton" - This time I sewed all the panels together before attaching them to the shade using canvas fabric......add fabric hardener, gesso, paint, markers, colored pencils and so on and lots of hours and voila. I just sort of went along without anything specific in mind design-wise (except a face) until I felt it was done. I'm telling you........now I want to do more "art" shades and refine them. I didn't do any trim on the top or bottom, I like the rawness of the edges.

Below is with the light on:

 
This is the back side (faces the wall)

I didn't do anything to the lamp base............for now!

With each new shade I will be able to perfect them so you can be sure there will be more and maybe someday for sale.

Are you sick of lamp shades yet?

I have a new art project I will be starting as soon as the main component arrives in the mail....I hoped it would be today. It will be my spin on something inspired by another artist...I will explain more when I am done.

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Before I leave I have to say my heart goes out to all those victims and families from the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon. No words can adequately convey the ire it creates to my very core that there are so many humans capable of this kind of act. It is unimaginable that people set out to destroy lives.

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Light One Up

I bet by this post title you thought it was going to be about something else......shows where your head is at! Ha ha!

Actually I'm here to share yet another lamp shade project because you just can't have too many lamps. Well maybe that's just me. I like various lighting around my house and it's fun to have some I have done myself.

We had an old floor lamp with an old crumbling shade stored in garagapalooza. We needed a lamp at the other end of the sofa and that one came to mind because it doesn't take up a lot of space, it's not super high and the shade isn't large. So I stripped the shade completely and created the pattern pieces.

So I gathered everything together

Fabric A - top portion

Fabric B - bottom portion

Gimp trim on the rim and on the seams

crochet trim on the bottom portion

Tassel Trim for bottom of shade

Fringe for bottom of shade

After wrapping the shades "skeleton" and sewing the fabric and gimp trim on I then got out the fabric paint. Before I added the tassel fringe trim I paint dyed some of the tassels and beads, I painted the top of that trim after I added it to the shade. The only thing I didn't paint or dye was the boullion taupe trim.  I will tell you again........paint transforms ANYTHING!

The result is this:

It has a pull chain and gives off just enough light to read by or if it's the only lamp on it makes a nice accent especially how the light makes the top portion glow. Of course now I wish I had used the bird batik fabric on the bottom as well so it would all glow.....but hey, it's fine, I wasn't about to rip everything off that part and start over.

There is something quite Zen about hand sewing and painting on and creating with fabric, I have so many ideas that are whirling about right now. When BohoHandyman left for work this morning he asked "so what's next on your creative agenda?" 

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It has been so windy here - the other night I thought of this:

 

 

Have a great day and be creative!!

Birds of a Feather Provide a Cagey Setting for a Lamp

You have to know if you read my blog with any regularity that I am constantly doing something - if it's not art it's home improvement or decorating or revamping or repainting or repurposing. It really has become somewhat of an addiction. Franky I am doing this morning til night these days. And just when my eyes and hands are telling me it's time to stop now.....and I get all cozy in my bed........it happens! I get an idea..........for something else......and now I lay there knowing I HAVE to get some sleep but instead start figuring out what I will need to do to accomplish the new idea.

Are you like that? Tell me you are so I am not the only one. I have been known at 1:00 in the morning to suddenly move a table from one room to another or start mixing paint colors. I may not have done a new painting of late or even a drawing for that matter, but that, too, is coming. My "art" has taken the form of other things that are still creative right now and I have immersed myself in it. Seriously when I wake up in the morning my hands are stiff.........

So having said all that here is the latest. I share these things here on my blog not for want of accolades but simply to share and possibly give you some inspiration to try things yourself.

It all began with finding some fabric on line that just knocked me out. BIRDS of course and I just knew I wanted to recover a lamp shade with it for our living room. Then came looking on Ebay and finding a lamp shade (brand new) in a unique shape that I could take apart. Both orders came within a couple days of one another.

Here is the lamp shade "before" from the Ebay listing - I couldn't wait to get everything off the shade down to it's "skeleton".

Fabric (linen/rayon) -

I LOVVVVEEEE this fabric!!

After removing everything from the shade I began wrapping the frames "skeleton" with hem tape to have something to sew to. Then using the pieces I carefully removed to use as my patterns I traced  them on to the bird fabric as well as the fabric I backed it with.  As I was sewing it all together it hit me late Friday night......As nice as it would be on the current lamp it would be more fitting to have a birdcage lamp.

Then in one of those nighttime ideas I mentioned before....I thought of the birdcage (below) I had hanging in my studio. A gift I had received a couple years ago.

So yesterday (Saturday morning) I approached BohoHandyman about turning it in to a lamp. He was all for it and set to work finding everything we needed from a lamp we don't use and then only having to buy a new switch with a chain pull. He cut and drilled and even notched out the bottom for the cord. The total lamp base itself costs all of $7.00. (We did find though he needs to make a small base underneath to steady it more...he's doing that today)

(old photo from a while back)

You know I couldn't leave the color as is so of course I painted it.

The wood parts were painted with the CeCe Caldwell paint and the wire bits with chestnut brown Martha Stewart paint.

After I finally finished the shade and put it on the base I KNEW it needed a trim at the bottom. I had recently purchased this trim from Ebay (9 yds at an incredible price).

So I pinned it around the shade and cut. It was never going to work in the off white so I got out some paint:

I poured the turquoise in to a plastic container and spritzed some of the color wash in the "lettuce" color wash and added water. I stirred it and tested it. Then I took the piece I had cut for the shade and dropped it in. I stirred it about and then wrapped it in paper towel squeezing and squeezing. I used my heat gun to dry it and then ironed it to dry it further. I didn't want to rinse it as I liked the color as it was. Right now it's pinned around the bottom but I will be sewing it on today. So if you notice pins that's why.

Here is the base after I painted it.

Here is the shade after I covered it with the newly "dyed" trim pinned on.

And here they are together in the finished lamp. What do you think?

We are both so happy with the end result so I figure it paid off to be kept awake with the idea that night.

Can you tell I have a "thing" for birds (we both like them actually).

I also bought the above 2 fabrics that will become throw pillows for the sofa. So divine!

So it's time to flap my wings and fly out of here and get busy sewing that trim on the shade. I hope you enjoy my sharing and details of the various projects I do.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.....go out and make it a great week!

P.S. Next up............ the wire dress form redo!

A This and That Kind of Thing {and a couple studio changes}

April........it is April.....

Sadly we have no garden and no flowers - YET - but we do have weeds. Don't ask. And among those weeds sprout wee purple flowers and they are sweet to look at. They are here and there and they are a reminder that you can find beauty anywhere if you look hard enough. You know?

And then there is the rust.........pieces placed on a table outside on purpose....to be rained on and hit with the sun. Changing their patina from ordinary to extraordinary - at least to me.

I have a large birdcage on a stand that was white when I bought it but it won't rust as it is....I need to start the process to remove some of the white paint so it can get a nice age/patina on it and then bring it back in to my studio. It looks a little flat all white, it needs some character.

And speaking of character.........I am about to start a project that involves this:

I will be taking photos as I go and eventually share the process and the "after". This one does not involve rust. You'll see!

I made a few changes in the studio -

Lamp and desk BEFORE:

Lamp and desk AFTER

I have some trim for the lamp coming from Ebay this week.

 I switched out the chair for the settee

Before:

 

After:

I angled my work table a bit and it fits great!

Lastly I changed the curtain behind work table to another laces and bits one I had already made.

It's hard to get a good photo even with the blinds closed. I did it all by hand so things may look a bit wonky but that's ok with me.

I am really getting in to changing out lamp shades....another form of art for me. I have some fabric coming this week to redo a shade I bought for the living room and to recover shades for two old floor lamps we have. It's been so long since I sewed I am loving it. In fact on my list of projects I'll be doing one that involves creating a piece of art AND sewing. Hmmmm!

BUT with all these projects I am not getting outside like I should and NEED to. So I am going to get out and about.......get some good old Vitamin D!!!

See you soon!!! Remember, paint.... a bit of fabric......new hardware....small changes can make a big difference!!

P.S. The paint I used for the desk was CeCe Caldwell. It is a combo of Mesa Sunset, Traverse City Cherry and Santa Fe Turquoise with a clear wax finish!!

Happy Easter!!

Silly little Bunny Girl comes out once a year dressed in her Easter frock ready for an Easter egg hunt and lots of chocolate. Living in the talls grasses she hops away after Easter to sing and dance in Spring jamborees.  She and I wish you a lovely Easter!!

 

A Whimsical Bohemian Studio

FINALLY!! After many, many changes over the years I have finally arrived at a space I can't wait to be in each day!  Have a look around, it's been a real labor of love for certain.

 During the transformation of this space many various artful projects were done - it wasn't just a matter of organizing......yes it has to be functional to be able to create.....but it also had to be a space that reflected something very personal. You know what I mean? For me it's all about color and mixing fabrics and various elements and not taking it all too seriously. AND 90% of what I used I already had in our shed, garage, closet and fabric stash.

So here we go..... (click pics to enlarge) Be prepared for lots of images and lots of details of what I used and how I did things etc. wall by wall.  I know the tendancy is to merely scroll through the images but just in case you may want to know how or what I used the info is there.

Oh and P.S. BohoHandyman was AMAZING in doing so many projects for me and with me!! How I love that man!  I design or think of something and he makes it happen! Lucky me!!

Welcome to my newly revamped STUDIO.............

This is actually a screen door..........it had screen (naturally) and where the red is it used to be lattice. It was installed so the door could open in to the hall. It started off life painted black. During this redo I removed the screen and BohoHandyman covered the lattice on both sides with a flat piece of wood. He also made added a piece of wood at the top following the arch that was there. I then set to painting it.

close up of the bottom sections

Upon entering you see this view.....

The work table was made by BohoHandyman......and then I painted it. It is 5' long and 29" wide and is the height of a standard table (and solid as a rock). I will get in to more details as we go.

To the left of the door is the closet wall.........

The antique cabinet was my fabulous deal from Craigslist. It began looking like this in the ad...

I cleaned it up, did a quick swipe of some stain to brighten it AND the piece you see on top now was actually something we had from another piece that one night I had the bright idea it may fit. And it did....BohoHandyman attached it and I swiped it with a bit of the same stain, now it looks as though it's always been there doesn't it? It's an awesome cabinet and over time will be my "treasure cabinet".

I painted that one wall with a few colors that I swirled and washed on and sprayed water to to make it look almost like a watercolor. The rest of the walls are painted blue (a color I mixed and then had matched) and the trim is green (BM Avon Green).

This is the closet........this was my jumping off point. The corner pieces were once white and used elsewhere in my house but I removed them and added them to the closet (myself) and painted them. The I painted the stripes and the corner edge pieces on detail that was already on those pieces and decoupaged the roses. I made the curtains from a batik fabric I ordered before I ever started this project and then added that strip of vintage fabric to the top with bead trim and some fringe at the bottom. You may notice one side looks more white than the other......that's because I had used coffee to "Age" it but decided to go back to the white so I painted the background white again but still have to do the other one. (I also enhanced some of the prints colors with paint as well). The arch at the top I had BohoHandyman cut for me and I painted it, added a round edge at the top using a covered electrical cord. The two scrolls on either side were made from one sconce I had that BohoHandyman cut in half for me (and of course I painted them). It looked like this before:

The sides were made from old legs we had that I added wood finials to top and bottom....I put those up myself. I painted it and added bead trim detail.

The center circle above the closet was made from a piece we had (actually we have several pieces we had bought at an estate sale a while back)

BohoHandyman cut a wood circle that I could insert in the center that I covered in a burn out velvet fabric I had, the beads below were some I had bought in LA about 10 years ago or so. I wish I had bought more because I just love it.  As you can see it is supposed to resemble a theatre stage.

The collage above the cabinet I did on a piece of 18"x30" homasote board using various images that I love or that inspire me.

The Maxfield Parrish framed print to the left of the cabinet was given to me back in the late 90's just as it is. I have loved Maxfield Parrish since I was in high school. The bird cage below I bought at my favorite (now closed) consignment store, I want to change the color and age it a bit eventually.

So there is the break down of that wall.

Now on to the corner........

The chair is a red leather chair I had that the cats scratched.....it is covered with a quilt a bought at Pier 1 some time ago that fit the room perfectly. Someone day I hope to find a vintage, rolled arm chair for that corner but until then this works. The ottoman in front of the chair we created from a crate I had in the kitchen. BohoHandyman cut a piece of wood for the top and I had him add wood pieces under it to keep it steady but also so I could take the top off to store whatever. I then used a piece of foam we cut down and covered the top with some fabric from my stash and the trim I actually combed out to make it look more vintage.

On the wall above the chair is a shelf.........I designed it - the top BohoHandyman cut for me, below that is a standard wood shelf bracket we had and it's attached . I wanted it specifically for the lamp.....the glass base is old and given to me by my best friend and the shade was one I had that was made YEARS ago when one of my brothers and his then wife made and sold victorian lamp shades. The back of the shelf pieces are notched out (including the table leg we used) to accomodate the lamps cord. I plan to change the mirror when I find just the right antique one.

Now to the next wall.....the large window wall.

The window curtain panels was a single panel I had from Urban Outfitters I forgot I had, I cut it in 2 so the window was flanked on either side. Of course it has birds on it! (The blinds are not my fave but they keep the beating sun out in summer and I can raise them all the way up so you don't even see them).

Above the window I asked BohoHandyman to create a shelf where the front dropped down a bit out of some old pallete wood we had. He did a great job and made them for both windows and over the bookcase. It's empty now because I am haven't decided what will go up there yet.

The center wood circle was another of those pieces we had, I lightly painted it and hung it up there. There is a hole in the center so I sewed some silk dupioni fabric in the colors I like to resemble a sort of flower and then stuck it in the center with 2-sided tape.

The triangular lace hanging in the window is an old tablecloth I cut in half and used for both windows.

The lamp is one I had and painted over the dull, darker metal and added some old chandelier crystals to (I painted them with glass paint). The shade was one I also had that was previously used in the living room and was beige, I took out the lining and recovered the entire thing by hand with this batik I had.

The table the lamp is on was my Grandmothers......it's been stored and was really dark. It was the perfect size so of course I revamped it. It has great details on the front and claw and ball feet. I started to do an actual painting on top but didn't like it, then I painted a couple layers of paint but didn't like that......so a bit of sanding with the palm sander leaving the layers around the edges and I set to decoupaging images instead. I am very happy with the results.

Now to the work table..........

This table is 5' long and 29" wide. I asked for it and BohoHandyman made it from redwood we had. It is sturdy as a rock and is standard table height. I painted it and distressed it a bit. It's absolutely perfect and has already been used quite a bit.

To the right of the big window wall is a sign I designed and BohoHandyman cut out for me. Right now the wall below it is blank awaiting some art I've had or ordered I want to frame as well as future work of my own.

The wall behind it looks gray.........it is not.....the sign is 32".

 

Now we turn to the third wall..........

This wall has the other antique cabinet I already had that houses a lot of my paint and supplies. To the right is the other window with the same type shelf out of the palette wood as the big window. I made the curtains from fabric I had but it wasn't long enough to reach the floor (oh well).  The work table in front of it is counter height and also built by BohoHandyman. It has a shelf that will house various tools. I just realized I forgot to paint the lower half of the legs....ah well. 

We mounted an outlet strip on the left and I also had him add a shelf so I could put the lamp on it without it having to sit on the table top. (also the phone). I have already stood at this table and worked on some projects, I love it!

Above is the shelf over the window with another of the wood pieces

This one I used some rosette trim I had, some beads I had a piece of the burn out velvet to cover it because this piece had no carving on it.

To the fourth and final wall..............(are you burnt out yet?)

The bookcase on the left is 5' long and used to be white. BohoHandyman used some of the old palette wood around the top. I took out a shelf on the left to accomodate my TV which has a built in DVD player for movies. I decided I wanted to hide all the supplies contained inside but in a way that I would have easy access. We hung 2 rods, one high and one low. I have a huge bag of old lace doilies and table cloths and all sorts of things I've collected for YEARS and YEARS. I got the bag out and with needle and thread began creating curtains I would hang from rings. The desk the computer is on isn't ideal but it works for now, another find from my fave consignment shop last year. The lamp on the desk is next to get a makeover.

This is a closeup of the upper curtain. I used brooches, a hanky, some cut up pieces of other things I had and lots of lace. The white piece on the lower left beneath the piece of velvet was an apron from when I was a little girl.

This is a closeup of the lower curtain. I mixture of all sorts of things. To the left of the larger velvet piece is another apron from childhood.....I added the hanky pocket and the lace trim at the bottom.

At the end of the bookcase by the desk I decoupaged some of my art characters....

 Hung some of my paintings on that wall as well.....

On the ceiling.........my chandelier

I covered the shades with fabric, the green strips I dyed with fabric paint. The fringe was taupe that I dyed by painting with fabric paint I mixed (after I attached it to the shades) and the fuschia tassels were also taupe that I cut from another trim and dyed with fabric paint. All was sewn by hand.

I also covered the wall switch and outlet covers with an image I printed

And now we arrive at the corner

And we leave through the door that you saw from the outside in the beginning....

After taking the screen out I asked BohoHandyman to add a wood dowel across the opening, I then hand sewed more lace pieces together for a curtain and used a piece I had for the top. The beads hanging are vintage glass that I think came from an old shade that fell apart. I painted the bird on the wood BohoHandyman attached to cover the lattice. The top arch says A Whimsical Bohemian.

And that's just what my studio is......a whimsical bohemian space that took a long time and lots of labor and sore back, neck and fingers.........but it was all worth it!!

I truly hope you enjoyed your tour and for joining me in this very, very, very long post.

 

 

P.S. I truly hope everyone is having an amazing Spring week..........AND if you have a studio space please link me to it!! I love seeing where we all create!

XOXOXO

 

Seriously? Am I still at it?? Oh yes indeed! {sneak peek}

Don't go screaming "NO, she's still talking about that damn studio of hers!!"   I can't help it, it's taking a while and taking ALL my time each day. I am being very detail oriented about the space, down to the light switch..... so each thing takes time.  I have been creating art but it's on things in the room or for the room - be it painting or sewing - so it's definitely been an artful project on the whole. I want to finish all the details before I start taking photos to share so if my blog posts are sporadic for a while that is why.

In the meantime I thought I'd share a piece of collage art I did to hang on one wall....it's done on a piece of homasote board 18"x30" and I used images that are very me, speak to me and definitely all the colors I am using in the studio in one way or another. I took it looking it up from my computer chair so that's why the odd angle.

 

and I will tease you with one more image - this is the door looking from inside the studio. I went through my giant bag of lace doilies, runners, tablecloths I've collected for YEARS and hand sewed pieces together. You will see more of that when I reveal the whole studio.  (this was a screen door we put in last year so it opened in to the hall instead of the room....I had painted it black. I since removed the screen and as you see redid it......there is no screen or any kind of glass in the upper part. Where I painted the bird there is lattice under it that BohoHandyman covered with some wood on both sides to make it a flat surface. The other side of the door (hall side) is painted as well but I will show that later.

So you see why it's taking me so long to finish - it wasn't just a matter of organizing my supplies and painting walls........ I love it SO much I cannot wait to be in the space each morning.

I hope you all have a most amazing start to your week!!! I hope to see you soon with all the photos!

Kind of Like Building a Nest.....

I found a small poem I had written about 6+ years ago among my computer documents so I decided to do some digital art to go with it and do a quick blog post. (especially since it's like I am building a nest in terms of the studio redecoration) and now there are just a few details to finish up before I reveal it. I have been working on it from sun up to sun down for a few weeks now (to say I am tired and a little stiff and sore would be an understatement)........there has been painting, lots of hand sewing, nailing and what not.  I am very excited by the results.  In the meantime rather than leave the same blog post up for days and days.............

Alight upon the architects dream

Listen below for the song of streams

Gaze at the dapple of light on leaves

Look to the sky for glistening wings

 

Twigs and flotsam entwine like thread

To weave and sew a feathered bed

It creates a place to rest your head

Leaving behind the words unsaid

This is the glory of nature’s best

A place to birth or a simple rest

A cozy place on a branches crest

Nestled in ones cozy nest

written by: ©Lisa Swifka

 

Seen you very soon!! Hope you're having a great start to your week.

You've Got A Friend

I am ordering the book above...........

Amazon says: This electric book is testimony to the emotional significance of the intense bonds between women, whether shattered, shaky, or unbreakable.

I like that line...........emotional significance of the intense bonds between women, whether shattered, shaky, or unbreakable. Because I know we've all experienced those bonds with one or more of our female friends.  The shattered ones can leave us reeling or relieved. The shaky ones give us pause and the unbreakable ones.........well those are like another limb....another heart beat......the yin to our yang. It's complex and vital to our existance to have friendships that stand not only the test of time but the test of life in general. 

Think about the friendships you have had come and go in your life for various reasons.....and the friendships that remain steadfast. Or the rekindled ones that have joyfully come back in to your life. Including the strong connections you may have made through blogging. Hug them, tell them how much they matter to you and above all else nurture your friendships because without the right amount of tending and "watering" they cannot continue to grow. Do it without judgement or competition or based on outward anything........friendships come from the HEART and care not what you're wearing, what size you are, how your house looks, the sum in your bank account or the material possessions you have.

I will leave you with this..........

Kahlil Gibran from The Prophet: (just so you know I did change his "he" to "she" and "him" to "her" etc)

Your friend is your needs answered.
She is your field which you sow with love
and reap with thanksgiving.
And she is your board and your fireside.
For you come to her with your hunger, and you seek her for peace.


When your friend speaks her mind you fear not the "nay" in your own mind, nor do you
withhold the "ay."
And when she is silent your heart ceases not to listen to
her heart;
For without words, in friendship, all thoughts, all desires, all
expectations are born and shared, with joy that is unacclaimed.
When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in her may be
clearer in her absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the
plain.
And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the
spirit.
For love that seeks aught but the disclosure of its own mystery is
not love but a net cast forth: and only the unprofitable is
caught.


And let your best be for your friend.
If she must know the
ebb of your tide, let her know its flood also.
For what is your friend that
you should seek her with hours to kill?
Seek her always with hours to live.
For it is hers to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is
refreshed.

This I say to all of you...........

Friends put the melody to life's lyrics

In love and friendship,♥ ♥ ♥

Lisa

XOXOXO

This is the perfect song for this post.............

P.S. Here's a little tid bit......... I used to be an Interpreter for the Deaf years ago and signed this song as part of a performance...I only wish I'd been signing to James live.

P.S.S. Oh am I having fun with the studio.....it is like one giant art project (figuratively) and sincerely can't wait to show you all.