“The Universe Does this Thing…

…where it aligns you with people, things and situations that match the energy you put out. The more you improve yourself and raise your vibration, the more you will see things that are beneficial to your well being.”

No one seems to know who actually said the above, most magically thoughtful, words (please speak up if you do!) – but they speak absolute volumes to me every time I read them!

For those that have followed me for a minute or two, you may remember a post I shared last fall following my visit to Quilt Market in Houston (it would really help if you scooted over to that post to scroll down to the applicables near the end so you can follow where I’m headed here). The long and short of it is that it was a recap post about market; all the things I’d seen, fabrics I’d order for our shop, and most importantly – the people that crossed my path, or rather aligned with my path so that it – my path – well, evolved in a way it may not have.

Are you amply befuddled in a ‘what the heck is she talking about?’ sort of way? Good. That means I’ve got your attention!

Jess dancing book
(dancing for no reason at all, except – WAIT. Is that a BOOK Jess is holding while dancing? YES! Let’s just dance for the sake of silly dancing – who’s with me?)

Dancing with books aside, I have learned that my best path – be it as a mom, a wife, a crafter/quilter/maker of bunnies/shop owner, or just simply a girl in this great big world – is one where there is some sense of meaning and goodness surrounding the things I do every day.

In other words, I don’t like just doing what I need to do to raise kids, be a wife or earn an income; I like for there to be some subtext to the story – that matters and gives meaning to this life. I seem to need meaning. So when I met Carrie Bloomston last fall at Market and spent time in her magical little Dreamer Collection booth,

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Dreamer by Carrie Bloomston for Windham Fabrics – New in the Woods…but WAIT! There’s MORE!

…it wasn’t just the kind-hearted girl nor the bright GORGEOUSNESS of the fabric that has affected my path. It was the bees too. See them there in her paintings and fabric in the photo? See the little tear-drop-shaped bamboo thingy there on the table? That’s a Mason Bee house – and if you took a sec to skim my recap post, you’ll know a little more about what I’ve learned over the months since Fall Quilt Market:  Bee populations worldwide are declining at alarming rates due to pesticide use, parasites, and climate change. They need our help!

Our Mason Bee House
This is our new bee house and our (non-stinging, peaceful) Mason Bee cocoons from Cedar Moon, LLC will be arriving any day now! You can learn more about Mason Bee care at a great youtube channel I’ve discovered by the Our Native Bees people (their bee house recommendations may veer you toward a better choice than mine too – I’d make a different choice if I had it to do over – but hey, we learn as we go, right?). Of course you don’t need a bee house to support bee populations. You can plant easy to grow bee friendly plants to attract bees to your yard or garden.

Oh – and this! I also want to share my latest finished quilt project.

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Carrie’s Dreamer collection with Sam Hunter’s Fourteen On Point fat quarter friendly pattern. Of note: I started it on a Friday and finished (quilting, binding and All) by Sunday. Clever, clever, CLEVER pattern!
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Leave it to Sophie to jump on board to find meaning it her every day world too.

Lastly, Dreamer is now available in Serendipity Woods Shop and in honor of bees and the aforementioned need to matter in this big world we call our home, we’re proud to announce that we’ll be contributing 10% of the profits from ALL Dreamer fabrics in our shop to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Say it with me, dear Woodsians: Save the Bees! Sophie and I promise to keep you posted with how our bee care progresses 🙂

Cheers,

Pam

5 thoughts on ““The Universe Does this Thing…

  1. love your bee nest! May I ask where you found it and how one goes about purchasing mason bee cocoons? Would love to hear more!

    1. Yes! I have ordered cocoons from Cedar Moon, LLC – http://cedarmoon.us and should receive them hopefully today or tomorrow. As for the bee house, if I had it to do over, I’d probably make a different choice; it’s not super sturdy and the tubes could use to be smaller and more uniform to keep the bees from having to work too hard to pack so much mud in them to make them the right size (we learn as we go, right?). Try the ones at Our Native Bees here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0dkN7s3pTc . They explain some really important details about why their houses make good sense.You might also feel confident enough to build your own after viewing it! Good luck and on behalf of bees everywhere – Thank You! I hope you’ll keep me posted!

  2. I love that you are concerned for the bees….me too. It is a problem and I learned so much from your post. The quilt is beautiful and you are speedy!!

    1. I’m so glad to know you learned some from my post, Kelly. Meaning and mattering, I say! As for the quilt – SUPER easy and fun, these ‘Fourteen’ patterns by Sam. I’m looking forward to trying her Turning Fourteen pattern next. I need fun and definitely quick! Cheers to you, kind friend!

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