On an Artsy note

So, even though we are in China, I’ve kept my creative juices flowing. I’ve been fooling around with making little felt cases for things that are easily scratched when jumbling around in a handbag. Here is a little camera pouch and a case for sunglasses I've just finished. I think I’m onto something, but I’m not really sure how they should close. Maybe a snap? Suggestions anyone?

I’ve found some pretty wonderful art supplies here. I found these lovely little vials of super fine

glitter for about .75 cents each ( I bought fuschia, silver, gold, blue and something in between eggplant and chocolate) and a whole mess of gorgeous calligraphy brushes. They also sell these little racks to hang your brushes from, but not all of my brushes have the little loops so I’m using it for my jewelry instead.

I'm also working on illustrating a little children's story about a little girl from Chicago who goes off to China with her family. I've got the story all written and I've got three pages illustrated so far. I'm hoping to have it all finished by the time we head back to the States in October. Maybe she can visit Africa too! What fun. I can't wait to go dig through the storage unit to find all the children's books I've collected. It will be interesting to see what the formula is.

Just as I was in the midst of all this thinking about children's books, today the Writer's Almanac included a delightful thought from E.B White, author of Charlotte's Web. I'm not in the "country", but I do feel sort of cloistered off from the world, and so it seems to fit.

"Just to live in the country is a full-time job. You don't have to do anything. The idle pursuit of making a living is pushed to one side, where it belongs, in favor of living itself, a task of such immediacy, variety, beauty, and excitement that one is powerless to resist its wild embrace."

Now, thats a way to live each day, wouldn't you agree? Happy living all!