Positive Monday! :)

{You are my Sunshine Block Lino Print by hellogoodbyeagain}

"The sun is always shining SOMEWHERE in the world"

You know the saying, "April showers bring May flowers". 

When day after day, your life is filled with cloudy, thunderstormy days, just remember that somewhere, maybe even very far away, the sun is still shining, and its rays will once again shine upon you.

And when darkness seems to penetrate every corner of your home, turn on a light. Making our own light and hope will get us through those long, dark days! :)

Positive Monday Quote

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

        

                                                                                                                                                                   — Mary Lou Cook

                        from stton on Etsy

 When I think of all the lovely positive people on this team, I also think 'creativity' .  Mary Lou Cook has described us all as we invent, experiment, grow, take risks, break rules, make mistakes and have fun. I treasure our ability to share with one another - the joys and the sorrows of our lives and our creative journeys.

To me it is  a circle - start by playing with an idea - it is fun - play more and It is an invention, experiment a little more - maybe learning a new technique or using a new color or design thus growing in knowledge - risk doing more - break the rules that might hold you back - be willing to make a mistake in order to be free and have fun.

Wishing all positive creative fun...
XOXO, Lynne

Introducing Lynne from ClosetFull!

Well, we've had a couple changes in Team Leadership over the last month.

With a hearty "THANK YOU!" we say goodbye to Lois as our wonderful team captain, who will still, thankfully, be part of the team!

And welcome whole-heartedly Lynne from ClosetFull to the Team Leadership!

Read on to get to know Lynne a bit better.

{some of the diverse items Lynne sells in her shop}

Please introduce yourself. Who are you, and where do you live?

My name is Lynne and I live in southeastern New Hampshire. Thirty-eight miles to the east is the Atlantic Ocean, 45 miles to the south is Boston and if you go north you are higher and higher into ski country. The first slopes are walking distance from my home.


How would you describe your work / style?

My Etsy shop, ClosetFull, is mostly vintage. I have what i feel is a great treasure of items passed along to me from my Grandparents, Parents, and other family and friends. And, I love estate sales and auctions. All of my life, it has been hard for me to discard anything unless another person could use it. Re-purpose, recycle and re-use is what I have always done.

 Who, or what, inspires you?


My family has inspired me - my Mother and many family members were quilters and I learned at their feet. My Dad worked with wood - building, re-finishing and re-upholstering furniture. Nature and color are my inspiration for my own quilts and fabric pieces.




What made you decide to start selling your work?


I can remember my loved ones without having all the material things and want to share them. You could call it part of my retirement plan.


At first, selling my quilts was very basic. I needed the money. When finances eased a bit, I learned that selling my fabric pieces was a way of giving them value and it made me feel very proud that others valued them, as well.

How were you introduced to Etsy?

My daughter-in-law and her twin sister have an Etsy shop, twigsandheather, and they encouraged me to open a shop.




Do you have a website or blog address?


I do have a blog and need to learn to use it to be more productive. Or, at least use it more often!


http://lynnesclosetfull.blogspot.com/


and I am on Facebook


http://www.facebook.com/pages/ClosetFullEtsy/115764221811142




How did you learn your craft? How long have you been creating?


My vintage collecting started young when I would go with my Dad to barn sales and junk shops.

My sewing/quilting started when I was four and playing under the family quilt frame. My grandmother decided if I was in the room, I better be up beside her at the frame so all the ladies would be careful what gossip they reported. My first stitches were very large!




Is there any other craft skill you would like to learn?


I would love to learn more about working with paper. Have ideas - need to learn techniques.




Anything exciting planned that you’d like to share?


Opening a second Etsy shop. Starting small and want to use it to remember my Mom and family.


It will be all handmade by me so the listings will be slow.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PearlAndPauline

{from Lynne's new shop}
Have you had any work featured in magazines/books/galleries?

Some of my quilts have been featured in quilt and fiber art shows over the years.




Has your work won any prizes/competitions?


After one show, where I won a first prize, i was asked to do a one-woman show. Very small town but so much fun!

If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be………


Wow, that gives me pause! Not sure I would know what to do if I couldn't quilt, go to auctions and estate sales...


Write a book???????

{vintage books from Lynne's shop}



Perfect day is walking along our pond, getting ideas from the nature and breathing in the fresh air, chatting with my hubby,


spending hours in my sewing room and then going to an auction! And, if my little grand daughters call - even more perfect!




Describe your proudest moment.


My proudest moment related to my crafting was being asked to make a fiber art piece for the National Orchid Society.




What do you do to relax and what are your hobbies?


Scrapbooking and Gardening




What’s your weakness?


Chocolate

 

See more from Lynne's Etsy shop 'ClosetFull' here!

 

 

Great to have you aboard, Lynne!

 

Thanks for letting us get to know you a bit better! :)

Describe your perfect day.

Positive Monday Quote

" I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning."

                                            - J.B. Priestly

                                                                                                         
               First to Rise Photo Print by Da Vinci Watercolors

One of my VERY favourite things about spring and summer are the magical mornings. You know the ones I mean... when you pop outside with your cup of tea, and the atmosphere is one of possibility.  It feels like there is something in the air, you can't quite put your finger on it, but it just might be the most special day you have ever had.

In a way, each day is the most special that you will ever have, as there will only ever be one of them. 

Allowing ourselves a fresh start is such a gift- we can forget what happened yesterday, and begin again. And perhaps through forgiving others, and by not holding onto our own past mistakes, magic surely is just around the corner.

with love,

Naomi