Strawberry season has begun! All year we wait for this moment. We have a no-spray you-pick strawberry farm up the road from us. Heaven! We freeze them, jam them, pie them, crepe them, shortcake them... and we eat them... 'til we about burst. This will go on for several more weeks: mmm! the taste of summer's arrival. If you're up to your ears in strawberries, don't forget this recipe from last year.
What's ripe in your neighborhood?
I was blessed with good fortune on many levels at SAW/Squam. One very exciting way arrived in the mail via a UPS truck last week. Each evening of the retreat had a special event. On Friday night an amazing panel shared their experiences about writing a craft book. Sparkling Christine Miller led a thought provoking discussion with Amanda Soule, Betz White, Derek &Lauren, and Sally Melville. I couldn't have asked for more, but in typical Squam fashion there was more... cupcakes and book signing followed. So fun! Mary Aarons , who had already had a wonderful impact on SAW by helping to get a donation of Singer sewing machines, made Friday night stellar. Because of Mary, there were those delicious cupcakes, MakerReady Journals as gifts for EVERYONE, and a stack of craft books via Craftside
Those flowers? The barn meadow is stopping traffic again. Just like last summer, cars are slowing... and even a handful of cameras and their owners have stopped to capture it on film. Magic really does exist... and my mother's barn seems to be a gentle reminder of this for so many of us!
prints by Lynn
My LOVE (stenciled on burlap) welcomed everyone in... and I was blessed with another wonderful group of women to spend the day with. The morning flew by making simple silhouettes on fabric.
Nina, Lynn, Kellen, and Susan with their first silhouettes.
Cheryl sketching the elusive Lady Slipper.
As a teacher, I had had an agenda of what I wanted to show and identify on our nature walk. It was such a great lesson in letting go and following what the group truly needed and desired. I was (actually) really thrilled with their incredible enthusiasm. It was another class where no one wanted to leave at the end of the day. Here are some shots of work in progress...
I love each one of these fantastic artists! If you'd like to see more photos, check out my Squam flickr set here.
I've listed a bunch of buckets in my shop today... More of the little ones will be added soon. Along with the squares design above, I also have some W.I.P. buckets and some of the custom pocket buckets. My shelves have been a bit bare for the last few weeks... I'm excited to welcome you back!
From yesterday's post you can see how much more to Squam there is than the classes, but the creative workshops are truly the core of SAW. As a fairly new teacher, I vacillated between being anxious and excited... but Elizabeth's confidence is contagious... and in the end, it was a phenomenal day! She also paired me with Peg, who assisted/attended both classes. Peg was an invaluable resource, with her extensive quilting background and sweet enthusiasm. Thank you, Peg!!
When Elizabeth selected my classroom did she realize that a clothesline is my favorite prop and teaching tool? It's my version of a whiteboard, and a line was waiting outside the front steps of the cliff side studio! The first day was spent teaching how to work with a recycled coffee sack. My bucket pattern had been fine tuned and worked smoothly. Yeah!
They each thoughtfully selected a section from their sack and created gorgeous vessels.
Here are Katheen, Donna, and Sarah with their "Squam glow"! Click on the picture to get up close to their wonderful buckets.
I'm going to do my best to share my experience of Squam, but whatever I tell you I want you to multiply by 1000. Laura and I drove up to New Hampshire with great expectations, but had no idea how much it would change both of our worlds. The setting was so pristine, no photo will do it justice.
Envision gorgeous cabins perched over a lake made of glass, trails to your "classrooms" through birch and pine forests with woodland creatures peeking out. The sounds of loons echoing across the midnight water and whispering through your dreams.
These were wonderful times for connection and an opportunity to build new friendships. After spending the last year and a half very attached to my computer for work and community, it was wonderful to meet people in real time. Although I feel grateful for this virtual revolution happening in the art and craft world, I miss looking into someone's eyes when I speak to them. I need this. We all do. The ability to communicate in the same creative and "bloggy" language, but also being face to face was delicious and satisfying. I felt like I had come home. In fact, my home/cabin at Squam was fittingly called Nirvana. Every night after the evening's event my housemates and I would gather in the the main room. Wine and chocolate would magically appear on the table. Laughter, deep discussions and truths were all shared with ease. Somehow, Elizabeth intuitively matched the twelve of us perfectly. I think she did this for each cabin! Amazing!
Some, but not all, Nirvana women at the Art Fair. photo coutesy of Laura Nelkin 
The soundtrack is by Jonatha Brooke, my new hero, who sang to us throughout the weekend and whose latest cd is the only thing I've listened to for the last 48 hours! Maybe it will give you a better sense than I can with words... click right HERE... and remember another Squam happens in September and then on to next June. I'd love this to be your story, too!
Words are still swimming in my head from this life-changing week in the woods. I'll be back with more as soon as I catch my breath and my feet touch the ground.
They won't make it until Friday, but wasn't it a dreamy idea? My sweet assistant and I picked bouquets anyway... there is nothing I love more than picking pitchers of flowers.
Well, maybe taking pictures of flowers. Sorry, that one had to be said! When we got home we couldn't resist our lupines... and the scabiosa... and the dame's rocket!
That's one heavy pitcher, but she's a strong girl! Oh, how I'm going to miss her and the rest of my loving family. This is the longest I've ever been away... oops! Can't go there, I'm trying to be brave.
Just a few more peeks at my mother's extensive collection of vintage toys in the barn studio. She grew up in a nursery school and became a nursery school teacher, herself. Not a big surprise that she finds so much inspiration in children's playthings of yesterday.
Being a seasoned traveler, toys from other countries also fascinate my mother.
As you can imagine, my four year old is in absolute heaven in the studio. Every art supply at her disposal and intriguing toys every where she turns... each with a story to tell. The vintage dolls are her favorite.
This baby is always seated at the top of the steps to greet her. I love knowing that she is being introduced to dolls from a more innocent time... when little girls were not expected to grow up so fast.
One of the finest articles about the barn went live today on the Storque (Etsy). My mother and I are so honored to be in the SPOTLIGHT. The author, Christine really seems to get what this space is all about. If you've ever looked at one of my barn posts and longed for something in one of the photos... Christine has come up with an amazing line-up of Etsy finds to get that barn look. Please head over there, it's so much fun! Thank you so much, Christine!
It's such a full time of year... parades, festivals, school activities, recitals! After the long winter, we go a bit wild with outdoor celebrations around here. I wasn't even sure when I'd get back to you all, but it's high time for another visit to my mother's barn. The meadow season has begun, and this week we were surprised by an explosion of daisies! And those glorious poppies are on their way too... take a look.
For more information about this wild flower meadow and how you can create a "no mow" yard please check here.
Now it is divided by the stairwell, which is enclosed in galvanized metal. On one side is the bedroom, with that lovely big white bed, and the sewing corner.
On the other side is the workspace where I hold my classes and my mother has all of her supplies stored and inspiration displayed.
Above the table and bank of windows, a new shelf holds some of her collections: vintage toys, cigar boxes, and globes.
There's more... but that will come in another post. It's time to run back outside. Hope you're having a fantastic weekend!
Your comments this week have meant so much to me. The creative blogging community is so powerful, and the web of support and friendship that has been woven into my daily life continues to take my breath away. This is definitely the case with my sweet friend Karen, of Bee-lieve. We "met" via blog give-aways (both hers and mine), and I instantly knew there was a soul connection. We've had our share of sweet e-mails, but we've also gone one step further and exchanged gift packages in the mail. Karen, so generously picked my girl to be the recipient of her daughter's most beautiful out-growns. Karen's daughter is a year and a half older than mine. It's like having a clothing fairy! We are so lucky to have a couple of clothing fairies in our life. You may have one, too. That special mama with that shares the absolute favorites with your children. This magic of sharing/gifting transcends the clothing to something more... a connection to a big friend. A tangible link to another family. These are my daughters favorite kinds of clothes. This experience is teaching her how to become a clothing fairy, herself. Whenever her very favorite dresses get a bit too tight, she instantly declares them "ready for T.", her two year old buddy. When we befriended a mother to a one year old, my daughter decided to add her to her giving list. I'm sending a big thank you to everyone out there that teaches children about the act of giving through their own generosity.
Thirteen years ago today, my husband and I made a promise to one another. I never doubted for a moment that we would be able to keep it. I know exactly how lucky I am to have a loving marriage. It takes growth, thought, and most of all work. Love comes easily and naturally, those other three are the trickier ones! Last year on this day, I shared my wedding dress. I made it from hemp back in the day when it was quite hard to find. I also made the groom's outfit. Simple white pants and that hemp shirt fluttering in the breeze. Yes, it was not a typical wedding. Funny how much we've changed and grown over the years... and how much we are still just the same. I made his shirt without a pattern... just a lot of measuring and noodling around on my machine.
It's wild to look at all of those little embroidered leaves, and think that I would make it just about the same today, too. Just like I would choose him over any one in the world today, as well. Creating our own traditions in an untraditional way... that would still be us. Just add in a couple of wrinkles and a few gray hairs... and our love story continues.
