Tangled Stitch

Sometimes we end up in places and we have no godly explanation how we ended up there.  That is sort of where I am at the moment.  I am exactly where I need to be at this moment and I have no Godly explanation of how I ended up here.  A week ago I was still getting over the shell shock of being sent out into the cold hard world before I deemed I was ready.  I personally thought I needed at least a couple more days of rest and relaxation in the behavioral unit before attempting to live again in the real world again. Hence the powers that be and my insurance company decided not quite.  So I started the week of hotel, which was ultra cool having a jacuzzi and a really cool bathtub to soak in.  And somehow in desperation and a realization that I couldn't live at home(I think I can visit and probably be a friend to the experience but I can't live in my old home) I answered a listing on Craig'slist and ended up overlooking some water, eating ganache on my bi...

If the world is a reflection of who you are then I am one wonderful person.   I had a craft show this weekend and sold a pillow.   But you know what money can’t buy you love and I had such a lovely weekend when it came to human interaction and inspiration I think I had a great weekend. The business part wasn’t so bad, it means I have to think up some new ideas and change my focus a tad bit.   The christening outfit which I was just inspired to make got the most attention so I’m going to add that back into my bag of tricks.   And the small framed pieces also got a lot of attention so onward and forward and better luck next time. This piece is called Just Hand.   I met the lovely young woman who purchased it at The Katbird Shop and it was just a pleasure to meet her and talk to her.   She loved the piece and I have to admit it was one of my favorites to make.   It was made just for the love of embroidery and it is wonderful that someone saw...

This piece is called the Light With In and it is available at the Katbird Shop, located at 425 Liberty Street in Schenectady, NY. Cheryl(who I wrote about yesterday), my friend Emily, and Kathy the owner of the Katbird Shop(who is also a friend extraordinaire) are the reasons I am still an artist today.  They believed in me when I didn't really believe in myself.  Kathy gave me a place to put whatever work I wanted out there in the world, out in the world.  Kathy has the most beautiful collection of work I have ever seen assembled in one place.  Kathy is an artist herself and she has such an eye for beauty and art and her store reflects that gift.  She also has an eye towards the past and has rooms set up for antique treasures too. Some of my favorite things at the Katbird shop are the beautiful glasswork by my friend Cheryl, the bright and shiny jewelry(I'm not really a jewelry person but if I was), handmade soaps, and bird pottery.  There are gi...

Today I was working up at Valley Artisans Market and I decided to go a little early and visit the New Skete monastery. What a beautiful, peaceful place it is. First there is a small pond where you can sit and look clear down to the bottom of the water. There was a family of frogs there to entertain while I sat there. I then went to the larger of the two temples. It is a beautiful square room and there are saints painted on all of the walls of the bigger temple and it is awe inspiring to see them painted in all their glory. While I was there I reflected a bit on the saints and tried to find peace and guidance from them. It is really a magical place where the cares and worries of the world seem far off and distant. There is a smaller temple a little bit further along the path and that is probably the most spiritual place I have ever been. As you walk in the door the altar lights up and it feels magical and very spiritual. It feels like the light shines only for you and then af...

A while ago I wrote a  post about being on the long and winding road.  Todays post is  related  to that post.  Every body has a unique soul living in it. My human body loves my family, my friends, and my dog.  I have made so many connections through Facebook with all my human body family and friends  I am bound and determined to keep up with them. My soul loves embroidery, music, books, laughter, culture and a kinship with the many artists I have met along the way.   Both pieces of the puzzle fit to make DebraAnn Salat a much more light and beautiful person.  The kind of person she wants to be . Stitchers take pieces from here and there and find a way to make them work together.  I am going to stitch together a life filled with love, embroidery, art, music,laughter and light.  I am going to  share my journey will all my blog readers and I remind you that life is very short, take joy in the people you a...

Sometimes in life an opportunity comes along that makes you look at what you want or what you need that requires a risk or maybe a leap of faith. As I'm sure anybody who has read my blog since the beginning knows that I had a couple of setbacks in my artistic life. I shared those setbacks until I stopped sharing them and then thankfully a few really great buds got me to thinking about what my hand embroidery means in a different way. Emily who got me to realize that it's really about my love of the stitch not so much what happens after the stitchery. It's not about the price tag it's about the stitch. She knows me so well, I guess we're kind of sisters of Panerahood where we meet every Tuesday morning. Doing something because you love it not because you can make money at it really makes all the difference. The saying about doing what you love and the money will come is really kind of true. Kathy who got me to look at everything I do, right down to the littles...

Well, it seemed like the Circle hand was the perfect way to end this year. It is hand embroidered on watercolored muslin. This hand was a tortuous project as it was my craft fair piece from earlier in the year. I brought it from craft show to craft show so that my craft show anxiety wasn't visible to the public. After the craft shows it sat unfinished for months and then it sat unframed for months and then I figured out a way to change it's karma and I gave it to my friend Cheryl as a combination birthday and holiday gift. Cheryl was my partner in crime during most of my craft show angst, she was and is a wonderful artistic spirit that I am very, very, lucky to have in my life. Cheryl is a very successful artist and was exactly the right person to go through my endless angst with. She never lost faith in me nor this piece. There was never a phone call or an outing when she didn't ask about this piece. She kept prodding me to finish it and finally she succeeded. It...

Tonight I have been blogging. I went to visit quite a few friends and I still have many more to see, but perhaps tomorrow. I love to blog. I like it almost as much as I love my needles and the work they do. We are so lucky that we've found the blog. It creates a community and somehow, someway I always seem to find something of an inspiration or someone else dealing with a trial I happen to be going through. It's a miracle. When I started blogging I truly did it as a business idea. Sorry but that's the truth but what I've found is so much more. I've been inspired to laugh, inspired to cry and inspired to read so many of the blogs that make my day. I never fail to find at least one written by some lovely person that seems to make my day, and usually much more then one. Such talented artists there are out in the world waiting to be discovered. Such wonderful souls to meet. It also makes me realize how truly connected all of us are to the world outside our ho...

First off thank you to all my blogger friends for leaving comments and tomorrow when I am sober I will respond to them all and come and visit your lovely blogs(I have to say I am completely in awe of people who I feel like I have gotten to know by dropping in on their lives. It's crazy how blogging works isn't it?) Tonight is a kinda tipsy end to a delightful day. I had breakfast with Emily and she gave me the most beautiful, wonderfully appropriate gift which she made which encompasses our friendship. Tonight I had a ladie's night. Margaritas, great food, great friends and wonderfully baked goods which my family and I will enjoy thoroughly. I am not a baker, I'm a crafty artist. Last week I baked a box of brownies, it needed oil and water but it was basically a box. But cookies that take different ingredients and time, up there with gardening(I look at the flowers and they die). I have a wonderful life here. Good friends, great bakers and creators. I'm a v...