Thursday, June 10, 2010

Reinvention

Squam day 3 reinvention
My final class at Squam was called Reinvention. I took such pleasure in collecting/gathering scraps and castaways throughout the last few months.  I  was super intrigued to see who would choose to spend the morning making something from nothing.  At dawn ( I was too excited to sleep), I set out a smorgasbord of old maps, dozens of security envelopes, cardboard tubes, fabric scraps, coffee sacks, buttons, newspapers.... and on and on. A thunderstorm raged outside, so I lit a blazing fire in the stone hearth. I figured on the last morning of our retreat, with the rain and all, we'd get a late start. Oh no! My enthusiastic students arrived early and beaming! This was to be a class filled with passionate recyclers, green crafters, and creative makers! When I realized that I was in a room with 15 other women who celebrated repurposing as much as I do, I just about wept. Really.We all had different stories, but that common thread was woven throughout our time together.
squam day 3:Reinvention
Squam day 3 reinvention 1
More than half had brought their stash for sharing and working with. There was a nice balance of open-ended exploration with materials and guided instruction for those that wanted to make specific maya*made items. Collaging, sewing, stamping, painting...
squam day 3:Reinvention

squam day 3:Reinvention
squam day 3:Reinvention
The morning flew by far too quickly, and then I was packing it all up. Amazingly, my flower bouquets lasted beautifully thanks to your great tips. Daily water changes were the key.
squam day 3:lasted the whole week! 
Thanks for joining me in the retelling of wonderful week and a huge hug to all the lovely individuals that chose my classes and taught me so much. Please check out my Squam set on flickr for lots more photos.

p.s. DosFishes has a little review of ReInvention right here. Thank you bunches, Corrine... it was a pleasure to spend the morning with you! Pin It

9 comments:

  1. It was a pleasure to be in a room full of women who made beautiful things from what is normally thrown away and all the projects were so fantastic and gave us all further ideas on where we can re-invent in the future. Thanks for sharing your stash and mostly for sharing yourself.
    xox Corrine

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  2. Wow! Sounds like an amazing experience, Wish I could have been there! I'm having fun upcycling recently. Come visit my new creations.

    http://chocoeyes.blogspot.com/2010/06/introducing-pouch-pals.html

    Becca

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  3. maya! it was so wonderful meeting you!! i had such fun + did not realize that you + i share a similar life philosophy of re/upcycling, leaving a tiny footprint, ...

    you were so inspiring, i just freezer-paper-printed a pattern on a purse i recently made.

    hugs!

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  4. Loved it loved it loved it! Had a blast and wished it could have been an all day or all weekend class! Thank you Maya for your daily doses of inspiration!

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  5. More than a little bit green with envy here, Maya!!! What a wonderful teaching/learning environment.

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  6. My heart nearly swelled out of my mouth reading this post. I would so loved to have been a part of this experience. I love the way you work.

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  7. Sounds so amazing! Fire lit, rain pouring, creativity soaring! Love it and your enthusiasm!!

    Have a beautiful weekend Maya!

    xoxo,
    Bonnie

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