Perfectly Imperfect
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| Holly watching the birds |
Thank you all for you comments and suggestions on my Stormy cardigan. Being a perfectionist isn't that great when your expectations aren't met. I loved how each of you had a trick I didn't think of to ease in that odd dye lot. The sweater is tucked away for the fall and I'm predicting that the color change doesn't bother me. I really appreciated all of you who would embrace the nuance.
When I'm babysitting and doing sidewalk chalk (love!) I tell the preschooler after every artwork created what a great job she did. She is so proud of herself when she draws a smiley face, a fish or whatever is on her mind. I'm smart in that I ask 'what are you drawing?' because sometimes I just can't tell what it is. However, the process is the fun part and the learning. I learn so much from her as she learns and navigates the big world.
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| pay attention to me |
I want to embrace imperfections to an extent just so I can be free from expectations. Being perfectly imperfect is a life long goal.
Onto the happenings around here, the blanket is nearly done after languishing in my knitting bag. It's on the smaller side and will be perfect as a throw on a sofa. This one is for my son and I'll be thrilled when I cast off and set it aside.
Spring is full blown around here. The flowering trees are nearly done and now early June flowers are starting. We are doing some major landscaping changes. Our front yard has many yew and arborvitae bushes that are being EATEN by the deer every winter. Grr.
We are going to out smart those deer with different bushes and plants, wish us luck! We bought: butterfly bushes, heather, sage, lavender, dianthus, and I can't remember the rest. I'll take a photo when he's done.
Holly and Frodo have been quite noisy, wait a minute, Frodo has been quite noisy barking at Holly. However, Holly is instigating some of the times. Does she like the barking? Who knows. She still hisses at him before she scurries away.
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| another version on 100% watercolor paper |
The above picture is my dad's potting shed (it's a big one!). I simplified the photo because I knew I couldn't paint every single item. I'll be recreating this again on 100% cotton paper hopefully tomorrow.
I think lap blankets are awesome. We are just in bloom here now for the first time since last year. The pretty dogwood against the shed is gorgeous. The wild apples trees are in blossom. My lilacs are about to bloom. My clematis are full of buds! Our pines have some issues that the landscape folk say are due to our very cold winter. Hope they are right. I fed them all today anyhow. He said, food won't hurt
ReplyDeleteI love your Dad's potting shed - the real thing and your watercolor rendition of it! What a joy for him to have such a big space to pot and putter around, and an interesting subject for you to paint. I seem to enjoy things so much more if I can free myself from expectations, but I rarely manage that. Like you said, it's a life long goal!
ReplyDeleteAll the best with embracing 'practically imperfect' it's exhausting expecting perfection. I remember a conversation with my son about some task I wanted doing... he was a little miffed and said - yes I will do it but just not to your exacting standards. He was going through a challenging stage but he did have a point. This is not to preach at you but I'm reminding myself that sometimes good enough can be ok, if we just chill and be content. One other observation my husband makes is, a blind person would be pleased to see it. He does say strange things but he just wanted me to chill.
ReplyDeleteCats do enjoy winding up 'their' dog, I suppose they want a reaction. Our previous cat & dog certainly did. The cat sat on the chair arm, everytime the dog ran past, he swiped him. The dog kept racing past though! Cathy x
Embracing practically imperfect is hard, but it does make life easier. At least that's what I think, since I'm not very good at it, especially when it comes to crafts. Which is weird, because that's the part of my life that should be fun, not something to stress about. Hmn.
ReplyDeleteLove your water color paintings!
I smiled about the chalk drawing...whenever I'm not sure about a child's drawing, I say "oooh, tell me about your drawing"...works every time ;)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the landscaping, and I love that you're doing watercolor. I've always wanted to keep a watercolor sketchbook...maybe someday. For now, I'll enjoy yours :)
Karen what a joy that you shared your watercolour paintings with us. You certainly have an eye and a skill for painting.
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful (most of the time) that I have the "it's good enough" gene rather than a perfectionist gene. It does make life easier, although it makes me a horrible quilter. :) Your watercolors are fantastic! I love your sister's shed. I want one for myself.
ReplyDeleteI love your water colors - so pretty. And that blanket will be so nice. I have promised to knit one for our son. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteSuch pretty watercolors. I am in awe of those who can draw and paint. I wish you good knitting as you finish the blanket. No matter the size, blankets are a commitment. Enjoy the weekend and best of luck on the landscaping project.
ReplyDeleteIt is not easy to embrace imperfection. For years it felt to me like I did not "try hard enough" or "care enough" to make it that way. And, then I saw some wisdom from the Amish regarding quilt making stating simply that our striving for perfection is folly. I have spent many a project with those words as I struggled for perfection - and found great comfort knowing that my imperfections in my life and in my making are the parts that are best loved.
ReplyDeleteI wish you a wonderful weekend. (and your artwork is truly amazing!)
The blanket looks like it will be so cozy. That is a good expression to live by "perfectly imperfect". It is too hard to be perfect at everything and juggling all the to dos of our lives so we can try to be perfectly imperfect. That moment with the girl you are babysitting sounds sweet. Love your paintings! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend
ReplyDeleteoooh, that blanket looks so cozy ... just in time for warmer weather ;-) Looking forward to your deer report. The wrought iron fence seems to work best for us!
ReplyDeleteI love your drawings! Where my brother lives they have issues with deer sometimes, depending upon what part. I've heard of ppl sprinkling pepper onto flowers. If we ever get a dog some day, I will ask you how to introduce it to the then, would-be cats. My neighbor brought over her dog who barely looked at each kitten but each one, presented individually, trembled and my teenager's actually was full on wide-eyed and opened that little mouth and hissed. She's so funny and scrappy. The dog didn't even bark.
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