Do, Did, Doing

My Special Word

Wow. Things are really coming along. It’s beginning to look a lot like 2019. Red and green decor, parting is such sweet sorrow.

I know, right?

It seems like I just put away bits of paper and ribbon and tags and a Santa plate with one bitten chocolate chip cookie left on it.

Step by step. One post-Christmas foot in front of the other.

And together, we resolved to tackle a Special Word for the year.

Happily, it looks like DIY and I have been a match. I’m pretty sure. That’s my considered opinion. I resolved to do (it yourself). I did. And I’m doing it still. 

For the record, I’ve DIY-ed quite a number of projects since the popsicle stick birdhouse and the hydrangea centerpiece. Let’s see… where do I begin? 

I did a Nordic-style star from crabapple branches. 

I emulated cotton bolls made out of water-color stained and wadded cotton balls and pistachio shells and got them 'growing out' of sprigs picked up from the backyard.

I made centerpieces galore out of leafy branches and berries flanked by a candle with a kokopeli-designed wrap.

Then there’s the topiary from a banana stalk that's by the wrought-iron mirror adorned with red papyrus from Kenya.

And such a grand curtained entry to the laundry room festooned with pompoms.

There’s even a feathered directional restroom sign on a wood hanger.

I really didn’t spend a lot of time planning about doing the grandiose. Accomplishing the extraordinary. Going up the mountain top.

I simply went all Monopoly. Get on with it. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $200.

And as I worked with seemingly paltry items, whether sticks or a shriveled bouquet or garden cuttings and clippings and yarn, I felt like I have achieved something special.

Because when you imagine...

And create...

That one small thing raises you up the mountain top.

And blesses you with the most grandiose feeling of having done something truly extraordinary.

BTW, I just saw the most jaw-dropping bed linen. A Moroccan wedding blanket. All white and nubby with fluffy pompoms. And highlighted by sparkly thread warping and wefting throughout.

And just like that, I knew exactly what my next DIY was going to be. A latch hooked, cross stitched Moroccan-style throw for the coffee table. It's going to be a long-term project, so the reveal won't be forthcoming soon.

But hey, time is one thing I've got. Wait for it in a blog series on Morocco sometime this fall.

P.S. What insight have you gained from your Special Word endeavor? Inquiring minds want to know.

P.P.S. In other news, I’ve come up with an idea for next month’s blog. Actually a reader suggestion. Time to get to work on that one!