GreenCraft winter 2010

The second issue of GreenCraft has hit the newsstands, and I ran out to pick up a copy. It's so exciting to have found a publication that speaks to me on every single page. I know I'd love it even if I didn't have an article printed in it... but I do! I really thought that I would be calm and dignified, happy but you know... composed when I opened it up. Nope. I squealed. Midday in a full Barnes and Noble parking lot. By myself (which was a treat in its own right). You might not know that side of me. I sometimes squeal out loud when I'm excited. Got it from my mom. Totally embarrassed me my whole life, and now I feel for my sweet children.

I digress, GreenCrafts latest issue is brimming with more wonderful and inventive projects using recycled and repurposed materials.


Barb Sasaki's work was featured along side mine to create one wallop of spread on my favorite material entitled: Burlap: Rough, Reused & Refined. When I was asked to write an article about why burlap inspired me, you can imagine how much fun I had... what a treat to not have to struggle for words! I also included instructions for making simple gift bags and can cozies. "Stenciling a series of letters to create a word transforms the cans into something thought provoking, not only decorative."


What perfect containers for growing something special. You might remember these from last year.Next time you're at the bookstore go pick up a copy and take a peek, there is so much to see and make on every page of this issue. Have a great start to your week!

sponsor spotlight: lil fish studios

Please welcome Lisa of Lil Fish Studios as one of our most recent sponsors! I've long been a fan of Lisa's work and am truly honored to introduce you to her beautiful felt art... oh but maybe you already know and love her too!

Lisa's famous for her beautiful felted acorns, but really she can do anything. She's just as comfortable with her band saw as she is with her wool roving! Put a camera in her hands, and she'll create a still life that will take your breath away. Yes, she's impressive! Her work is deeply inspired by nature and she's always incorporating it into her creations, which use recycled and natural materials. I really loved reading her interview as an Etsy featured seller, and I think you will too. If you're enamored with Lisa's work, make sure you follow her blog to be alerted to shop updates. Nothing stays on the shelf for long. Her most recent foray into felted terrariums is nothing short of brilliant!
Thanks Lisa! So glad you're here!
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sponsor spotlight: Silk Oak

I'm so pleased to introduce you to one of our new sponsors, Silk Oak! If you've ever been to Ithaca, New York you've probably come across Silk Oak, a woman-owned, family run silk screen business that's been an institution around here since the '70's. How exciting to have the opportunity to promote a local designer, Jan Rhodes Norman, and her wonderful wares. It seems that everyone in my town has a well loved Silk Oak in their closet... including my family and friends!

"We hand silkscreen our original designs on a variety of media, primarily organic cotton clothing, with a focus on made in the U.S., sweatshop free. We love color, cool design and the hands on feel of our traditional, low tech process. For each color in a design, a separate screen is used, registered by eye and printed by hand, so that each garment is slightly different from all the others. We use water soluble, environmentally friendly dyes that form a permanent bond with the fabric. Our process is safe for us and safe for the consumer, resulting in a garment with a soft feel, vibrant color and easy washability."- Silk Oak

Silk Oak is always adding new designs and recently started making organic lunch bags and aprons featuring their popular veggies and more. Whether you're looking for a cozy hoody or a baby onesie, there's something for everyone... from baby to grown-up and all sizes in between. My children have always enjoyed the variety of animal prints, and I love the owls and ravens.

Jan believes in " growing a business that nurtures our families and strengthens our community, while working every day to show respect and concern for the earth." Thanks Jan, so happy you're here! In addition to their on-line shop, they've now expanded to Etsy and are available to every one. Please go give them a visit to see their entire selection- it's vast and wonderful!

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miniature heart garland

I was so impressed with how excited you were about my "tiny love" project for my children. We all love little things so much! Well, I have enlisted the help of Grandma Bunny as I squirrel away diminutive gifts and decorations for this year's Valentine's Day. Don't you think she's the perfect partner? Why, you're not familiar with my daughter's dear rabbit? Please read her history right here.

I know you'd like to string some mini hearts, too... a medium sized child would be a perfect helper. It's quite simple. I cut out pink and red hearts from a catalog (just the right paper weight) and put a single stitch through each one with red thread... well actually, Grandma B. helped me whip it up. Her sweet flannel paws wield a needle better than you'd ever imagine!


You might be curious about what she's got tucked in her wee bucket... first the tiny package, now the bucket! I'd be curious, too. I'll see if maybe we can show you the contents of each next time.

I'll also share the lovely woman who inspired this miniature collection. Some of you have already guessed. Her initials are T.T. More soon!

winter green

February is a challenging month for most folks in these parts... cold, gray, and yes, a bit dreary. Memories of running barefoot in the grass are almost impossible to conjure up. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to prepare for the oncoming gloom by planting another round of paper whites. I placed them next to my little terrarium (that's still going strong one year later). Growing something green in the middle of winter keeps me smiling and bridges the months until I can get my fingernails dirty in my yard. I was recently inspired by a friend's kitchen table "garden".

So, yesterday I picked up some potted organic herbs and created an edible centerpiece. The smell alone re-wired my February brain. Mint, basil, and cilantro are the fragrances of summer time in my plot out back. I was transported. And how fun is it to pick your garnish and put it directly on your plate? My kids will tell you "it's awesome!" I placed the pots in a rusted out mail tray (that I love so much) and surrounded them with our lake stones to complete that summer memory feeling.


Oh and guess what bloomed this week? So now sweet scents follow me from room to room. Live aromatherapy.


Extra Bits:

• If you can't find potted herbs, make a bouquet of basil, dill, mint etc. (from the produce section) and put them in a vase.
• Other greens to grow: sprouts and grass!
• The gorgeous prints above the flowers are from lovelydesign.
• I haven't forgotten about tiny love and little parcels... not for a moment!

How are you faring this winter? Any tricks up your sleeve? Smile if you happen to be a friend enjoying summer on the other side of the planet!

February...

Hello February! I love turning the calendar page. How wonderful when a new month starts on a Monday... feels so fresh and promising, doesn't it?

Little bits to share:

• Today is the first day of registration for Squam Art Workshops. I'm really hoping to meet some of you!

• I'd love to welcome back my returning sponsors, and say hello to my new ones: lil fish studios and Silk Oak! All of these lovely shops offer amazing handcrafted and/or eco conscious goods, so please give them a visit.

• And lastly, I'm updating my shop this afternoon... aiming for around 2pm. Chasing the winter light for today's photo shoots has left me with frost bitten fingers and a bruised shin, but it also pushed me out into the crisp and peaceful morning. Here are some favorites to fill up the shop shelves, before I dive into new designs. Be sure to check over there after lunch (EST), I may even have a couple more buckets to add to the woodpile bucket brigade.

Edited at 2:30: Shop update is now live!

tiny love

I'm courting all things miniature these days. Inspired by my daughter's (and my own!) love for tiny... I'm downsizing some little surprises for Valentine's Day. I'll be sharing more about these next week. Hope your weekend is filled with love...

Nik Nak Nan!

My, that was some good barn love yesterday!! Thanks for sharing your links, thoughts and memories.

My news?! I'm so happy and terribly excited to announce that my mother (Nan) has just opened an Etsy shop, Nik Nak Nan. How wonderful for the many who have fallen in love with her barn and amazing sense of style. She will be dipping into her very own personal collection of vintage artifacts and objects for display to share some favorites with you! Currently she's unveiling items from her California "inventory" and come summer, she'll share special selections from her well loved barn. My mother has always been attracted to the beauty of imperfection...wear and tear, dings, patina, rust, artful repairs... how old objects can inspire the imagination. This fascination and her keen eye are represented well in her new shop. There is beauty and dignity in ordinary objects, such as this hand crafted dustpan from the '40's. Oddly enough, Remodelista featured dustpans as decor... just today!

So please give Nik Nak Nan a big welcome and a little visit. Yay, Mom!

winter barns

I've always had a weakness for barns. It must be my intense nostalgia and love for all things vintage. Barns are rooted in a time almost forgotten... a place in history that was far simpler than our fast-paced century. When we relocated from our urban life, farmland was what called out to us. We wanted the romance of rolling fields, cows lowing, and a big red barn. Our 1850's farmhouse is surrounded by some of the last standing small farms of our time. Some have remained in the hands of families who settled here after the Civil War. As I drive by their barns, whether they're patched and tidy


or crumbling to the ground...

I can't help but dream about the times they were built in. Was it a traditional barn raising? Did it go up in a day? What food did they celebrate with? What stories are hidden in those rafters filled with swallow nests. When farm life slows for the winter, the barns stands sentry over the snow covered fields, waiting for the day when the earth awakens. Welcome to my neighborhood. These are my landmarks as I drive home from town. I think of each of them as friends...





And I'm sure you recognize this last one, my mother's barn home! Stop back tomorrow with some news from the barn... it's very exciting!

Where's the burlap?

I've been getting numerous requests about burlap and buckets... "will you ever make them again?" seems to be the most frequently asked question. The answer is YES! There are already several in the construction phase. And I'm finally creating another pattern... or two. I needed a little breather, desperately. I'm simply not cut out for mass production on a regular basis. (Well, unless they're unicorn ears!) I need room for new ideas to emerge. You do too, I'm sure. Stepping back and finding inspiration from new sources always recharges me. Working with other repurposed materials (such as newspaper and cracker boxes) also helps me to return to burlap with new appreciation and passion. I'm planning a shop update on February 1st!

One more thing...
Being nominated for Handmade Eco-Artist, over at The Poppies Award Ceremony, really touched me... deeply. I felt awkward and shy about saying that before. I tend to be a little bit wary of titles, mainly out of concern for their limitations. However, hearing that I was in the running as a Handmade Eco-Artist made my heart sing. Truly! I often have a difficult time telling people what I do. That little box for your occupation on forms always disturbs me. I have not always had the confidence in my art that I do today. So much of it has grown right here on my blog... with you. So regardless of who ends up winning the category (especially since I love and admire many who I'm competing with), I feel like I've already gained such a sweet gift. Handmade Eco Artist... I love that, and I may just write that down on the next form I sign. So if you did vote, you should know that it was appreciated more than you might have realized. I send you a heartfelt thank you! The link for more info is up in my sidebar.

Valentine's Day Round-Up

There has been a lot of talk about Valentine's Day around here. I might have a new trick or two up my sleeve, but mostly I'll be recycling ideas from last year's good stuff. Here's a quick peek back in time.
Above:
Large photo: materials for inspiration
Left: newspaper bunting
Center: flower bouquets and heart buttons
Right: delicate newspaper garland

Left: woven hearts
Center: growing love (planting paper whites or grass in recycled cans)
Right: lavender heart on a string

Edible hearts...
Left: Valentine pretzels
Right: ice cream heart cake

Fresh idea coming as soon as we finish our next cereal box! (We're not big cereal eaters, so this is taking longer than I thought.)

And here are some of my new faves from around the web:
paper pulp hearts
The Long Thread's recycled Valentines
burlap heart wreath
printable goody bags

the party!

Thank you for your tremendous response to my party preparations on Friday. Your words carried me through as I sewed up all eight sets of ears, horns, tails and reconstructed cracker "bags"... The effort was worth it.

Everyone (including me) had a wonderful time. Five year olds are powerful people! Their ability to express themselves through dramatic play is always fascinating. With such simple props they transformed into magical creatures... a stampede of unicorns dancing through my house is something I'll never forget.

Who wouldn't enjoy being greeted by these lovelies waiting for the next unicorn to come in!?