06 Friday Nov 2026
Posted in Poetry, Daily Life, Animals, Cross-stitch, Morning ritual
Tags
Dawn, Crafts, Cross-stitch, Poetry, Daily ritual, Zebra, Morning routine
Dawn's First Light
by Joan Currie
In the early morning,
I open my eyes
and stare at the light
peeping through the shutters.
Then I shift my gaze
to the ceiling,
and see herds of zebra ghosts
resting there.
But when I blink,
they are gone!
A stronger light now
streams into my room,
its fingers, elongated
exclamation points
reach across my
bedclothes
and beckon me to rise.
The day has begun!
16 Wednesday Oct 2024
Grandad’s Quilt for You by Joan Currie
With needles keen, we stitch a quilt,
From Grandad’s shirts, worn soft with years,
The very ones you helped me choose,
Each shade of blue he held so dear.
The solid hues, the stripes, the checks,
Each fabric as familiar as he,
For birthday, Christmas, wrapped with care,
You’d place the gift upon his knee.
And oh, how he would smile so bright,
Holding aloft his cherished blue,
For all to see the color’s light,
That whispered of his love for you.
We measured then, with careful hand,
And cut the cloth in even squares,
Each stitch was placed with loving thread,
To weave together tender cares.
The backing soft, the lining pure,
Hand-quilted, tufted with delight.
This quilt now seems to you so sure,
A cloak that wraps you in the night.
You say it feels like his embrace,
His arms around you as you sleep,
And in the warmth, you find his grace,
In every seam his love runs deep.
My youngest daughter and I made the quilt shown above from my late Dad’s shirts. It was a wonderful project to do together and I am so glad that she suggested it! I know my Dad continues to be with her (and all of us) in spirit!
16 Sunday Sep 2012
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Scrumptious velvet pumpkins…
Tags
Crafts, Home decorating, Interior Design, John Greenleaf Whittier, Photography, Pumpkins, Thanksgiving, Velvet Pumpkins
© Joan Currie – Velvet pumpkins
And the prayer, which my mouth is too full to express,
Swells my heart that thy shadow may never be less,
That the days of thy lot may be lengthened below,
And the fame of thy worth like a pumpkin-vine grow,
And thy life be as sweet, and its last sunset sky
Golden-tinted and fair as thy own Pumpkin pie!
from The Pumpkin by John Greenleaf Whittier
I love to decorate for the harvest season!
* * *
Decorating Tip
Thanks to YouTube videos (check out EAB Designs), I sewed some beautiful velvet pumpkins to add to my collection of bought ones. Inspired by the new Restoration Hardware catalog, I also dyed a beige vintage tablecloth given to me by my favorite aunt (who passed away several years ago) a light grey color for a more contemporary look. I think she would approve!
15 Friday Jun 2012
Tags
© Joan Currie – Journal cover
What sort of diary should I like mine to be? Something looseknit and yet not slovenly, so elastic that it will embrace anything, solemn, slight or beautiful that comes to mind. I should like it to resemble some deep old desk, or capacious hold-all, in which one flings a mass of odds and ends without looking them through.
by Virginia Woolf
I created my journal cover (above) with a painted section of fabric from a vintage Joseph Ribhoff jacket.
Fabric Cover Construction Methods:
Creativity Prompt
Candace Jedrowicz
Country Living
18 Sunday Dec 2011
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Food, Photography, Reflections
Tags
A Holly Jolly Christmas, Art, Baking, beautiful, Christmas, Christmas baking, Crafts, Gingerbread House, Michael Bublé, Norman Vincent Peale, postaweek 2011
Have a holly, jolly Christmas,
It’s the best time of the year,
I don’t know if there’ll be snow,
But have a cup of cheer.
A Holly Jolly Christmas by Johnny Marks – sung by Michael Bublé
Voilà – this year’s gingerbread house thanks to very thick royal frosting!
Photo: James Currie
25 Thursday Aug 2011
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Globby Royal Blue Throw…
© Knitted by Joan Currie
Yarn spun in this luxurious way turns a simple knitting project into high art!
I just finished knitting this very textured wool throw and love the result! The King of Rock and Roll’s Blue Suede Shoes kept me on task.
21 Monday Mar 2011
Posted in Art, Crafts, Fashion, Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Denim…
Tags
beautiful, Beauty, Craft project, Crafts, Denim, Green crafting, Jeans, Photography, postaweek2011, Sewing
Clothes are about much more than just cloth. It’s giving the wearer something more than a garment. It’s transferring emotion. – Jessica Ogden
In the spirit of green crafting, I have taken to transforming my daughters’ old jeans into cushions, seat covers, handbags, change purses, and bowls (below).
© Joan Currie
Model – Lauren DiMarco
19 Wednesday Jan 2011
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Photography
© Joan Currie
Knitting mends the soul.
I could not resist making a throw from this beautifully dyed, thick-and-thin yarn! Draping it over a hanger, I was able to capture the soft neon-like color palette in the late afternoon sunlight.
04 Thursday Nov 2010
Posted in Crafts, Fashion, Photography, Reflections, Writing
Tags
Beading, Crafts, George Elliot, Memoir, Murano beads, Photography, Venice, Writing
© Joan Currie - Murano necklace
These gems have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of. George Elliot
I have a penchant for necklaces fashioned from handmade Venetian Murano beads. The multi-strand emerald and maroon necklace above was made with disc-shaped aventurine beads embedded with speckles of gold.
The more whimsical and delicate necklace below, given to me by my mother, was designed using several cylindrical black Wedding cake beads enhanced with glass overlays of pink roses, gold swirls, and blue dots.
Necklace with Black Wedding Cake Beads
18 Wednesday Aug 2010
Posted in Art, Crafts, Design, Fashion, Photography, Reflections
≈ Comments Off on Handmade Gifts…
Tags
Beaded necklaces, beautiful, Beauty, Ceramics, Crafts, Design, Fashion Accessory, Gifting, Jewelry, Photography
© Joan Currie - Necklace by Lauren Currie
The only gift is a portion of thyself. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Knowing that I appreciate handcrafted gifts, my daughters love to make me jewelry and ceramics for special occasions. The very first offering from my eldest was a necklace fashioned from plaster of Paris cylinders painted red, blue and yellow and strung on a red shoelace. The necklace still graces my bureau and every time I look at it, I am transported back to that tender time.
Over the years, all my daughters have created unique presents for me. The jewelry has evolved in both materials and design from simple single strand beaded bracelets and necklaces to more complex ones with silver wraps and Murano beads or pearls and organza ribbons.
The first ceramic and pottery gifts were primitive tangerine pots and sky blue vases, but they, too, became more interesting featuring multiple colors, textures and new patterns. I continue to wear and use their gifts because they are beautiful, but also to show how much I value them and honor the artistic effort that went into their creation.
I am particularly delighted when the creations serve as touchstones for my daughters’ childhood memories. We have wonderful conversations about how their interests and preferences have stayed the same or changed over the years. They are astonished when they find clues in their early art that inform who they are today.
© Joan Currie - Plate by Caren Currie
