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

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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!?

once upon a time...

I'm deep into glitter and all things magical as I prepare for a Unicorn Party for my 5 year old. When researching unicorn craft/party ideas, I found that most people used a boxed kit for this theme. Disappointing! Of course, I was spurred on to make as much as I could with what I have lying around. I know you saw that one coming from a mile away! Recycling doesn't mean that you have to give up your daughter's dreams of shiny, sparkly, and pink! I found my bottle of glitter paint from my son's 5th space party... 6 years later and it's still going strong. We're calling it "magic paint" around here, and I'm adding a layer of it to everything possible. Newspaper bunting has never looked so sparkly! The insides of cracker boxes have never appeared so magical... and what better way to spiff up a horn! So here's a little background on a couple of the many projects I'm working on:

• unicorn ears and tail: headband covered with batting scraps from leftovers bin and cream colored yarn from my stash.
• party favor bags: inside out boxes coated with glitter paint and embellished with a unicorn stamped "medal".
• unicorn horn: card stock covered in glitter paint and punched holes for an elastic band. They are the opening activity- horn decorating with jewels, etc.
• bunting: newspaper, acrylic paint, glitter paint and stamps (tutorial here).
• paper flowers: you know about those!
  

There's tons more to do, plenty to make... but can you tell I'm having fun?! I've always loved to throw parties for children, and this one's going to be a doozy! I bet you have some special party memories of your own. What's been one of your favorites? Have an enchanting weekend!

update: my little unicorn saw her new white ears after I posted this... she almost went to bed with them on!

The Poppies: Handmade Eco-Artist

Poppytalk Handmade, is a wonderful art/design blog in the middle of having their first Virtual Awards Event, The Poppies. There are several categories to vote for your favorite artists. I was happy to be nominated in the Crafter category. After all the excitement around The Homies, I felt a little reticent about requesting your participation again. I quietly put it up in my sidebar and thought... we'll just see what happens. Low and behold, I just discovered about an hour ago that I had been nominated for another separate category that I didn't even know about: The Handmade Eco Artist! How did I miss that!? If you feel so inclined, please hop over and give a vote. No signing in necessary. Thanks so much!

crows

I'm quite fortunate to be able to find inspiration right out my back door... but sometimes all I have to do is look up from this screen, and I can catch something magical. The crows have been gathering and cawing each morning this week. The above photo was taken from my studio window, above my desk. I caught this single crow in our old chestnut tree and edited the photos together. I'm finding that I can't stop looking at it. I feel connected to each dual side that this crow represents: the quiet, mulling things over bird and the wild, leaping-out-of-branches bird. A carving or stencil is definitely brewing...

how to: instant recycled paper flowers

I'd like to introduce you to my new favorite helper: Shredder! She's sharp, quick, and to the point! Literally.


I discovered this crazy Edward Scissorhand tool in one of my favorite tiny shops in San Francisco, Bell'occhio. They use it for their signature gift wrapping. I was so taken with its ability to instantly transform simple paper into something extraordinary, that I had to get a pair. I am now turning every bit of paper I get my hands on into flowers. A garden is beginning to blossom inside the walls of my winter home... as newspaper, maps, and vintage sewing patterns get snip, snip, snipped.

A belated birthday party for my December daughter is coming right up and these flowers will help set the scene. I think they'd be a wonderful addition to any Valentine's Day crafting, as well. Ahh! That's how we can use the holiday wrapping paper we couldn't toss out!

I'm sure you can come up with millions of uses for these little blooms. Where can you find these fancy shears? They're a common office supply store staple... they're just hand paper shredders. Really. Online, I found them here for a very nice price.

And here's how to make some flowers of your own...

Instant Paper Flowers

• assorted paper (lightweight and tissue work the best)
• shredder
• stapler
  

-Fold paper:

• tissue paper should be folded over a couple of times
• maps and thicker paper fold in half

-Cut along the folded side for tissue and the open side for thicker paper, but experimenting is what makes this fun, so try it a couple of different ways. Just remember to insert the paper as far back into the scissors as possible.-Roll from one end to another.


-Staple the bottom.

So seriously fun!!



Note: Never use shredding scissors on fabric! That will be the end of them.

out of the bag

I hope you've had a good weekend. I had thought I'd be back sooner, but my family had other cozy plans for me. So here I finally am with my last installment from India. Click here, for other posts on my mother and sister's recent journey. Writing this reminded me of the travel game: I put in my grandmother's trunk...!

Let 's start with the kitchen and utility items that they brought back. I have to say that nothing could have prepared me for my sister pulling out this:


It's a traditional wood cook stove. They're used everywhere and my sister, a tremendous cook and occasional caterer, managed to squeeze one into her suitcase! She also brought out a large pot that rests on top... I was so shocked to see the huge iron cookware emerging that I neglected to get a picture. I did get a shot of this little chapati pan.

My sister lives in Hawaii, where she now cooks outside with her stove regularly. She brought back a different chapati pan for me and here it sits with little Chai cups. Chai is served several times a day in India, and they missed their daily dose. Luckily they brought back the recipe and spices and whipped it up morning, noon, and night while we were all together.


Seeing galvanized buckets pop out of the next bag didn't have the same element of surprise following the stove. As a bucket lover, I really appreciated the beautiful shape of this container (they actually brought back two!).

I get my love for clothespins and clips from my mother, who brought back this assortment:And now on to the wild and wonderful:



and lastly:


A giant ball of rope made of rags. These are used to stretch across bed frames. My mother thought they were the most beautiful objects ever! Interestingly enough, she was "inspiration shopping" at Anthropologie a couple of day ago. You know, peeking at their ceaselessly ingenious displays. Low and behold, they were using these very ropes, unwound and unbound, as a divider between checkout lines! Well, we all know she has an eye for the fabulous and unique! I hope you've enjoyed this bit of armchair travel as much as I did.

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In other news: Craft Hope for Haiti had a tremendously successful weekend! As of Sunday night, they've sold over 300 items and raised more than $7000 for Doctors Without Borders. What an amazingly powerful force the crafting community is.

large burlap bucket for Haiti

I drove my sewing machine into the ground right before Christmas. I knew I needed to get it tuned up in the new year and have hesitated sewing anything at all this week. However, the whir of that needle is something that really gives me solace. After watching far too much footage of today's rescue attempts in Haiti, I couldn't sit still. Although I still think it needs some TLC before I begin some serious sewing... my sweet machine was so good to me today. The burlap and %100 organic cotton were already cut and just waiting... now it's made and ready for one of you. I'm in the process of having it listed in Craft Hope's new Etsy shop Craft Hope for Haiti, where all of the proceeds will go directly to Doctors Without Borders. I encourage you to head over there and purchase or donate something... anything. It may just ease your heart a little bit to know that you could DO something. Every effort matters. I'll try to let you know when this bucket has been listed.



Note: Sorry, I didn't get a chance to announce it before it sold... it went so fast! I'm so grateful!