Well, you are still invited to continue doing that, and linking your pics so we can see them.

image & photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I said that I would be giving away a one of  a kind handmade crochet hook that is an homage to Jane Austen.

And I think that it is so appropriate that Jane Austen is going to be heading to England for her new home.

Caroline shared 2 of her Faces of Joy, and so she is now the companion to my Jane Austen crochet hook.  It seems so perfect that Jane Austen is going home to England.

I hope that Caroline will take pics of Jane in England and share them with us!

Thank you Caroline!

And, since we continue to be living in extremely ”interesting’  times, I am absolutely ecstatic when I see evidence of people working together to create moments of pure delight and joy.

How wonderful that people are also using technology to share those glorious moments!

One of my dear friends finds amazing and delightful links and sends them to me (she was the one who caught the electronic sheep and Susan Boyle videos for me before they went viral).

Well, my friends, she has done it again! Turn up your sound, because you are going to love the outburst of enchanting joy and delight that recently happened in Antwerp Belgium!

Hope that joy springs up in your life today!

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Anyhow… today, I had a joyful time in my studio.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay (copyright)

One of my dear friends, artist, poet, author and creative genius, Sylvie Nicolas, came for a visit.

Sylvie and I have been friends for more than 20 years, and even though we live a thousand miles apart, will remain friends to the ends of our days….

Sylvie is on her way to take up the position of Artist in Residence at the Banff School of the Fine Arts.

We haven’t seen each other for a couple of years, so having her in my studio today was definitely a HUGE celebration!

Talk about FACES OF JOY!

We kept bursting into carols of laughter and joy and delight and giving each other huge hugs!

Of course, the cameras had to come out….

and ahem….

the crochet hook, also!

Sylvie is a magical woman, a Gypsy spirit of charisma, style and panache. She wears hats like nobody’s business!

Her pink and green shawl kept nudging me….. so, it was absolutely natural that my crochet hook should start to fly in response to the imagination and inspiration that was bubbling up in the studio!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Oh, what fun!  We just kept cracking up as one of my ‘Gnome-dome’ hats took shape on her head…. more pink! more green!

A flower here, an earflap there, a big cherry colored bead on top, there…. and gales of laughter!

And soon the hat was done…..

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

and sadly, all too soon, our visit was over….

for now….

and so is the Face of Joy Challenge…. but I hope that people will still be able to discover joy and create images of that joy.

We need all the joy that we can be, find and share!

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Play? Yes!

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

It’s essential to be willing to break through the rules and conventions we set up for ourselves

and to be willing to try new things.

We need to be able to take artistic risks and

to suspend judgement long enough to experiment with new approaches,

new techniques, new thoughts…

or to look again at the ways we have always worked and

to see if there is a hidden treasure waiting to be re-discovered, re-invented, re-created.

So, give yourself permission to play, play and play some more, then step back and see what emerges!

The other day, I was thinking about writing about permission to play as part of the

Face of Joy Challenge.

I decided that I definitely wanted to include photos of  my ‘Permission’ doll. I tried taking boring old lay-the-doll-on-a-piece-fabric and shoot, pics.  Oh, borrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring………

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Besides………. the monster wrinkles in the fabric were just ridiculous.

So……… I decided to be playful, and to give the Permission doll a new place to sit.

I figured I could ignore some rules about ‘where things go’ and then shifted some furniture around in the studio.

Voila! A new place to sit and weave with my small looms.

The cupboard on that wall of the studio had always seemed to be an impediment to using that space.

I decided…. what the heck…. the cupboard is full of Christmas stuff, and only gets opened to take the Christmas stuff out, and then a month or so later, to stuff the Christmas decorations back in.

Why not ignore it, hang a loom on the doorknobs, and enjoy the space?

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

The boss of the studio approves of her bench being in a new spot, and I think the Permission doll does, too….

And, one of the most delightful benefits of playing around with the stuff in my studio is that I have given myself a very pleasant place to sit and weave with my small looms.

Also, choosing to ignore the mostly unused (but useful) cupboard in the wall is an excellent metaphor about another issue that writing about ‘permission’ brought up.

I realized that I have been frustrated by the placement of this cupboard for the 15 years that we have lived in this house.

I had made a rule that I couldn’t block access to the cupboard, even though access is only  needed a few times a year.

By saying: That’s a rule that doesn’t work for me, I was able to re-claim a wasted space that I am simply revelling in now!

Ah…. those rules……… sometimes, we have to bump up against them before we even know they exist! It sounds so simple, and minor, but it was a big ‘aha’ moment for me……  so often, we define our lives by rules that we may have invented unconsciously, or have inherited from relatives, friends or ‘experts’.  If we don’t know the rule is there, it’s going to shape our spaces and shape our lives.

Playful exploration is a good way to shine a light on all kinds of corners in our lives…..

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I designed the Permission doll as a reminder that we need to give ourselves permission to be and do

who and what we are, what we love, and to approach life with joy, panache and zest.

So, go ahead and play, and give yourself permission to move things around, and to try out new things, and to ignore some of the things that might have felt like blockages.

AND…. please remember to enter the Face of Joy Challenge…..

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photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

That is, until a spring snow storm blew in and dumped feet of snow on us.

It was a wild and woolie night… I kept getting up to watch the snow  building up.

The snow storm began as thick thick fog that gave up on itself and flopped down as wet mush.

That picked up it’s spirits and so , then it really got into the swing of things.

It  started dumping hefty globs of snow and sculpting trees and wires and fences and windchimes and and and

our little corner of the world turned very white, yet again….

The geese, who had just battled it out with their travelling companions over who was taking possession of the pond, walked around, baffled and bemused.

At one point, the geese swam towards each other and left a heart shape in the pond: You can see it under  them….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I was worried about the big old crabapple tree outside the studio window, so I went out on the deck and pushed at the tree with a broom. The snow sounded like a very small avalanche in training wheels as it whuh-huhhed and crashed off the tree.

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

All in all, it was a very intense day… we lost power and the phone has been dodgie. It even did odd things to our water system.

While the power was off, I re-arranged some furniture in the studio and took pictures for what I thought was going to be today’s blog entry. When the power came back on, I started working on this post.

I noticed that there were some spams that needed to be turfed, so I went through and declined all the offers to make me larger, smaller, stronger and richer. BUT, there was one email that should NOT have gone into spam.

It was a lovely note from Carol, about the Face of Joy challenge.

Carol wrote a  WONDERFUL blog post about the importance of playtime, and designed and made a delightful Face of Joy.

Do click on the link above, and go see her Face of Joy, and read her entry!

I was so inspired that I set aside the posting I was working on, and went right outside and started sculpting a little Snow Face of Joy!

It’s been years since I’ve made a snow man, so it was great fun to carve a snowie little playful face.

And, of course, to stay on topic, I had to include yarn, so I gave the happy snowface a coronet of tatted flowers that I had almost thrown out, but not quite….

photo by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I’d love to see YOUR   F A C E  O F   J O Y  – however and whatever playful way you find to make it…… even if it is snow and melts away…. the joy remains…….

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Susan’s Joy Piece:

Susan's joy piece copyright

Susan wrote:

Hey Noreen,

Here is my first entry! I had a great time making this. First time all around! I chose a butterfly because they are signs of renewal and Spring is all about renewal of trees, flowers, everything! So I call this Renewal of the heart.

I made the square out of Bamboo Yarn on my Hazel Rose weaving loom 4 inch, followed by my colorful butterfly which I spool knit and the antennas are chenille stem with lil black beads. So as not to attract away from my butterfly I used yarn to free hand a flower LOL! I am very proud of my lil french knot in the middle of flower! Took me a while to figure that out. Thank God for the internet!

Not sure of what I am gonna do with this frame it without glass or magnet for fridge? Any ideas much appreciated!

Please let me know if you are able to view it and it will need to be resized I am not good at any of this blogging or posting pics.

Thank you so much for this challenge! Now on to my next creation!

Thank you
Susan

Caroline’s  Healing Mini quilt:

Caroline's healing Goddess mini quilt

Caroline wrote:

I thought you might like to see this small quilt embroidery that I stitched in 2007after my return home after a cancer operation ( see the scar! ) I hung it near my bed where I could see it when I woke in the morning….. the phoenix like image ties in to my sun sign, Scorpio. It was a way of expessing a lot of emotion without using words.

Sorry didn’t mean to sound so serious but I was SOOO glad to be home…..PURE JOY!!

Bye for Now

Caroline

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It’s a F A C E of Joy challenge, right?

teddy designed, made and photographed by Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Soooooooooooo…..

that means that the face doesn’t have to belong to human being.

AND……

I did say that for this challenge,

WIRE counts as yarn, right?

So……..

my entry for ‘The Face of Joy’ challenge for today

is

A teddy bear that I crocheted from 28 gauge coppper wire.

He has a big heart and a happy disposition.

He’s got wooden beads inside his head and his tummy to keep him

from squishing flat when he’s off on an adventure, inside my pocket or a bag.

He’s about 3 1/2 inches tall (9 cm).

And, when I look at him, I have to smile…..

and isn’t that what the face of joy is all about?

I invite you to play with wire today and see what joy you invent.

Remember to hold the wire very lightly, and don’t try to put much tension on it

or it’ll play havoc with your tendons, and that’s no joy…..

have fun!  Play time!

Please remember to send me pictures of  YOUR face of joy projects, so you can win the Jane Austen crochet hook.

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