The Filigree Garden

Yes, I am still alive...web changes

2010-03-31T09:53:00.002-04:00

It's been quite some time since I have posted to the blog. I have been busy with other things and not feeling inclined to write. I happened to check in to write a blog post for an Etsy team when I noticed that Blogger is discontinuing FTP publishing. I should explain that I only used Blogger to create my posts; the blog actually "lived" on my web host's servers, and I used FTP to upload the posts there when I published. So, with the disappearance of FTP, I was forced to choose between accepting a Blogspot.com address, or creating a custom domain. I won't go into the technical details, but upon closer inspection, when I tried to "migrate" my blog to a custom domain, I had trouble. I couldn't access the files at my web host that I needed to alter in order to finish the process. I would have had to email my host to change the files. To make life simpler, I decided to accept a Blogspot.com address for now, and work on creating a custom domain (no Blogspot in the address) later...or maybe even change blog host entirely.

So, if you follow my blog through an RSS feed, please change the link to http://thefiligreegarden.blogspot.com Or bookmark the new address in your favorite links. I believe the old address will work for awhile, but to make sure you can still see the blog, please change the link information.

I do promise to get back to posting! I've been weaving, trying new fiber arts, creating new flower jewelry, and (finally) working on my own, stand-alone website. No wonder I have not had any time to write for the blog!

Be back soon...

This blog has moved

2010-03-26T14:48:00.001-04:00

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Regal Wings

2009-10-20T12:31:00.002-04:00

(Written in October 2006)

There is a wondrous show taking place all around us on these late fall days, though we humans are often oblivious to being surrounded by such a magnificent stage. I have caught glimpses of the performers in many places. One flits over a stoplight at a busy intersection; another visits the bold yellow sunflowers basking in the afternoon sun of my garden. Still more drift through the busy parking lots of shopping centers, or pause to rest in trees along the sides of the highway. Some have a solo role and some act en masse. Their costumes are spectacular, self-made in an arduous process requiring weeks of preparation and patience. The silky fabric of their gowns glows in rich shades of pumpkin, gold and ebony. The sculpted sleeves are lined with tiny pearl beads that glisten like moonlight on water. These are dangerous parts to play for such fragile beings, but play them they must, for they know no other life but the great earthly stage. They will be assaulted by cold temperatures, predators, cars, and countless unknown perils, yet still they are consummate actors in this cosmic show. They will finish the production or die trying.

The players in this pageant are Monarch butterflies on their fall migration. Monarchs born in the late summer will outlive their spring counterparts by up to eight months, allowing them to make the great trek from North America to a dozen isolated and rare fir forests on the mountaintops just west of Mexico City. In this unique place, they will cluster in groups numbering in the hundreds or even thousands, and they will remain inactive until it is time to gather nectar and reproduce in the spring. These delicate faeries will never again see their birthplace. The adult Monarchs will usher in the children of the next generation only to send them northward on an ancestral road that leads to an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Another flash of color appears in the corner of my eye. This gentle little soul seems to float aimlessly past my car window, but I know it has a weighty purpose to its journey. To us, it may look like butterflies flitter and dance on rambling paths that have no direction. But like most arduous, life-changing expeditions, their courses are not straight; there are many twists, turns and stops along the way. I wish I could know all of these winged thespians by name. I want to know what they see and feel as they take their place in a long line of actors in this natural drama. What is it like to undergo no less than four complete physical metamorphoses in the course of a short life, changing from egg to larva to pupa to full-fledged butterfly? How do I find my way thousands of miles to a place I have never been without a compass? Will I arrive to meet my brethren and continue the circle of life, or will I meet my end in the middle of a night with an unexpected frost, or lie broken-winged on the asphalt? Would I know and understand that I was born only to grow, transform, and die?

We humans, like all other animals and plants, also follow the butterfly way. We transform many times in our lives, both physically and emotionally. We come into this world and become part of a cycle that leads to our demise. It is strange to think that we are growing towards dying; these two processes seem opposed to one another. I wonder if the butterfly thinks about its purpose in life like we do. I wonder if the butterfly knows it is on a one-way course and feels despair. Perhaps the Monarch lives only for the journey, making the most of every stop on the path. She visits every flower to gather all the nectar she can; she flies when the temperature is right because tomorrow may bring a freeze. She accepts the seasons in life which call her to change, knowing that there is no other choice. Her only goal is to live for the purpose of living.

I watch the butterfly by my window fly off above a rooftop and out of sight. Sadness washes over me as I realize I will never see her again. She was like a flash of early morning sunshine through the trees – breathtakingly beautiful and fleeting. I wish I could know if this one would make the trip alone or would find companions on her adventure south. In my imagination, my winged friend safely arrives at her destination amidst a cloud of her relatives and friends. I thank her for visiting me and wish her well. I think she wished me the same.

© 2006 Olivia Herbert. All rights reserved.

I said I wouldn't...

2009-07-09T11:05:00.009-04:00

...but I will, post pictures of my ceramics experiments - at least of some of the better pieces. These were made in pottery class using low-fire clay.

Bottom of a slab-built bowl, hand-painted in majolica style with lead-free glazes. The white glaze could have been a little thicker. More coats next time!

The top of this same bowl was imprinted with a floral design by pressing eyelet fabric into the clay after the slab was made and shaped. (Evidently I have to use textiles in everything!) White glaze was then washed into the design and the piece was coated with a clear glaze.

First attempt at beads. These have one coat of "pottery patina" glaze. The grooves were made by pressing with wooden skewers after the beads were rolled into shape by hand. I am fond of the melon shape.

Same pottery patina glaze but the word "imagination" has been imprinted on the bead using stamps made for metals. I think the bead is too small for words, and the imprinting would better on a pendant.

The round pendant was a test to see how using buttons and jewelry components would work for making designs. This piece was just a "play-around" item, not a finished one.

Oh, by the way, this background is my new favorite for close-up photos. It's just a piece of scrapbook paper, but I like the subtle pattern in soft browns and golds.

I have only one more pottery class, so I must have all my items glazed and ready for final firing by the end of next Wednesday evening. I'll post pictures of the best pieces after that, which should include more beads and two more slab-built bowls, provided that they survive the kiln (crossing fingers!).

Modish Monthly Goal Meetup - July

2009-07-07T13:21:00.010-04:00

I knew it was coming, that July deadline for the Modish Biz Tips Monthly Goal Meetup, but I was trying to hide in a corner to avoid it. Truth is, June turned out to be very unproductive and more contemplative business-wise than I had anticipated. I have no excuses for why I went into a stall and nosedive. It just happened.

To recap: As part of this Modish community effort to stay motivated in business ventures, I agreed to publicly post a list of goals each month, then follow up with a note on how well I met those goals. I started in April with this list, posted on my blog. May seemed to be more successful as I actually crossed off things that were on my May goals list. Unfortunately, June floated away high into the atmosphere like a lost helium balloon. One minute you're flying higher and higher into the clouds. Then POP! - you're stuck in a tree somewhere along the side of the road, deflated, with nothing but a string holding you on.

Oh well...there's always next month.

What I had hoped to accomplish in June:

1. Continue to think about and just be open to inspiration for my latest shop name idea.

I did think about this and will continue to do so. There is some gelling of purpose happening, but not enough to do a reveal just yet.

2. Work on new banner for my Etsy shop. Coordinate with packing materials for a complete "branded" look.

Uh, nothing done here. Nothing to see, so move along...

3. Reflect on the nature of my business and how much time and effort I want to, realistically, put into it. Do I have the energy and motivation to market it more seriously? What is my relationship with money with respect to creative activities, and how do I need to readjust my thinking to allow my business to grow naturally? Where does my heart really dwell? Where is my business heading?

I have probably spent most of the month dwelling on these questions, so I am crossing off #3 even though I have not reached any important conclusions. Well, maybe that is not entirely true. I did come to the realization that I feel the need to make some sort of unique jewelry component from scratch. I have a few ideas to try but I feel a little willy-nilly about this at the moment, running from concept to concept without settling on anything concrete.

I also have a gnawing sense of needing to give back, to do something that benefits others in need. Perhaps start a local crafting-for-a-cause group, or find an activity that allows me to make a difference with what I create. Maybe this quest needs to be put on top of the list for next month.

~~4. Continue my quest for the perfect background against which to photograph my jewelry.~~

Ok, I guess I can cross this off for now since I did pick up some new scrapbooking paper that has photographic promise. I don't think I will ever be completely satisfied with the photos, but I am taking a breather from this for now.

5a. Make more jewelry and get it listed.

Embarrassingly, I did not make anything except some jewelry for a friend's birthday. I'll have to hang my head and slink off in shame on this one; good intentions but no creative umph. My main stumbling block, besides creative inertia, is needing and not finding long blocks of time to sit and play with materials and designs. I seem to need more than an hour here and there to let the creative juices percolate.

5b. I want to focus on using what materials I already have rather than buying anything new. I also want to return to one of my original goals of recycling and repurposing old pieces of jewelry, making them into new creations.

I did give this some thought, and I learned about a new technique that I might use to assemble pieces of recycled vintage glass from a large collection I have into pendants and rings. Still need to think and experiment, however.

6. Start working on my own, stand-alone website.

Nada, zip, zilch, zero. Onto July's list it goes.

So there it is, the good, the bad, and the ugly truth for June. Now on to July... Considering that July and August are going to be interrupted a lot by vacations, summer activities with family and friends, and gardening tasks, I don't have high expectations for business advancement during the next two months. Still, I'll put a few things on the agenda for July.

July Goals:

1. Continue to think about and just be open to inspiration for my latest shop name idea. See if any further inspiration occurs or consider dropping this for now.

2. Start to make jewelry items for my September craft show, stART on the Street, which is a well-attended street fair in Worcester, MA. This may be the only show I do this year, so I'll need to make a big effort to have enough stock for this event. I know the next two months will fly by, so I shouldn't waste any time waiting to make inventory.

3. Test a few of my ideas for making unique jewelry components. Find a use for the recycled, vintage glass I have.

4. Contact a local bead shop about forming a crafters-for-charity group, or look for some other way to use my crafting to make a positive impact.

5. Think about a design for my own website. I know I won't get the site created this month, but I might have some time to play around with background colors and graphics to begin the design process.

I think these are doable. We'll see how it goes. Happy creating and best wishes for a productive July to all the Modish Meetup followers!

Stuck in the mud

2009-06-30T16:36:00.003-04:00

I've always loved pottery and I have a small collection of artisan-made pieces that I have had the privilege to buy over the years. Every time our family would go on vacation, often to Maine, I would try to make at least one stop at a craft co-op store or pottery shop to browse through the hand-thrown, brightly-colored mugs, bowls and dishes created by local potters. I've also bought several gems online at Etsy from such ceramic shops as Fehu Stoneware. There is something pleasantly tactile and curiously comforting about owning and using clay-based items that were lovingly formed by an actual person and not a machine; the hands of the artist leave a unique imprint on each piece, imparting a little bit of him or her onto the clay. As I hold a handmade ceramic bowl in my hands, I can almost feel what the potter felt as the wet clay or "mud" slipped through her fingers. It's no wonder this magical process has fascinated me for years.

For some time, I have yearned to take a pottery class to feel this clay-molding process for myself. Perhaps I had fond memories of playing with Play Doh when I was a child, and I thought making pots on a wheel would be just as much fun. Perhaps I was emboldened by my recent enjoyable experiences learning weaving and spinning, and I thought, "Why not give pottery a try too? How hard can it be if I take a class?" When I saw an ad with a 20% off coupon for pottery classes given at a local studio that was only five minutes from my house, I jumped at the chance to make my pottery-making dream come true.

Toting my little plastic bucket filled with newly-purchased clay-sculpting supplies, I went to my first class filled with positive expectations. The teacher showed us the ins and outs of the studio, and gave us a demonstration of how to wedge the clay (pounding and kneading it), which softens and conditions it prior to starting a project. This was much harder than I anticipated as the clay was very dense and heavy, and much arm strength was required to make it malleable. But I managed to get a medium-sized ball of clay ready for the potter's wheel, which was the next step on my clay odyssey. Over to the wheels we went. We were told to slap our lump of clay as close to the center of the wheel as possible in order to make "centering" easier. After a few attempts and some pushing, I managed to get the clay secured and ready to go for a spin.

Next, the centering...a process, which I soon discovered, must involve some mysterious incantations or magical hand movements that still elude me after four classes. Three different wheels and five lumps of clay later, I still couldn't get the clay to behave. I tried pressing with all might, but it only made me feel like my arms were made of muscle-less rubber. Then I tried concentrating on the "zen" of pottery-making - to no avail; all I could muster was one tiny bowl after another while my happy classmates were delighting in the pottery-throwing experience, making lovely, tall pots and vases. Some were even adding handles to make mugs, or advancing to slab-built projects! On the outside I laughed at myself and my puny little bowls that looked childlike in comparison to the other pieces being made. Yet on the inside, I was heartily disappointed in myself. Why was this so hard for me? What was I doing wrong?

After the first class, and some encouraging words from friends, I vowed to go back to the wheel and try again. I would not admit defeat just yet. I studied YouTube videos on how to center and throw clay; I read about making slab bowls. I was ready for round two. I wish I could say that my second class was better than my first, but it turned out to be a rerun of the same slapstick comedy that played during class one. I had only finished trimming my little bowls and threw one more before it was time to leave. The other students were busy making large hand-built bowls imprinted with leaf and other decorative designs. Slab-building was on agenda for the third class...definitely.

Ding. Round three. A different approach. I would stay away from the wheel in this class and concentrate on textured bowls and a vase made using flat slabs of clay that were pressed down using a slab roller. This neat, hand-cranked device was like a table-top steam roller for clay. It was quite fun to use and it did what it was told to do, unlike that pesky wheel. I managed to make a small bowl with a delicate floral design inside, which I created by pressing a piece of eyelet fabric onto the clay. I also made a slab-built square-topped vase that had a border of lace imprinted on the bottom edge. Hey, this slab-building was ok! Finally something I can do with clay. I was feeling somewhat more confident, perhaps a little too much so. Inspired by the lovely, tall pitchers other students were making on the wheel, and drunk with the power of hand-building, I decided to give the wheel another try. This time I used a bigger piece of clay and all the power my arms would give me. I felt like Scotty on Star Trek with the engines rattling at full speed and about to blow. She's givin' it all she's got Captain! I was determined to make something TALL this time.

Well, if you are wondering if I made a pitcher, I did not. Did I make a tall vase? Um, no. However I did achieve a little more height in what turned out to be yet another bowl; this one sported a fluted top rather than a plain rim. It was a nice bowl, but it wasn't a vase or a pitcher or a tall success. I finished round three with the clay and wheel 3 for 3. I was feeling thoroughly defeated.

Round four came along with my last shot at making something for glazing, which we would begin to learn in the fifth class. Sadly, I learned that my best bowl had cracked during initial firing, so the bottom was sheared off. This was another hard blow. So I decided to stay "down for the count on the mat," away from the wheel, and to focus on building another slab bowl. However, I re-learned that if you come to class without a solid design idea in mind, you will spend a lot of time re-doing projects, and feeling like the clay is fighting you every step of the way. Clearly, I did not have a good design concept in mind because I spent most of my precious class time starting a platter or bowl, getting stumped as to the shape or decoration, then rolling the clay back into a ball in frustration. Finally, I resigned myself to using tree-shaped cookie cutters to add 3-dimensional interest to a bowl, which became lumpy once it was inverted onto a plaster mold for shaping. SIGH Time to go home...hooray!

The fifth class arrived with its lessons on glazing. No more clay work or wheel throwing for the remaining classes. I heaved a sigh of relief. The only clay work I did was prior to class; I took my clay home and made about a dozen round beads, which I brought back to the studio for bisque firing. Bead-making was fun and more like working with Play Doh. Rolling little balls of clay between my palms was easy and satisfying. I enjoyed making melon-shaped beads by pressing lines into the clay with wooden skewers. I even found another use for my letter stamps, normally used on metal, as I imprinted words on the beads. On to glazing them...

At first, glazing seemed like painting, which was something I had liked in the past. But, as I would soon realize, glaze was not paint. Glaze was persnickety and liked to separate. It had a habit of running and pooling in odd places. I discovered I couldn't glaze the impressed design areas with a second color the way I had planned. Pieces with indentations would have to be washed with glaze to get color in the design, then the glaze wiped off leaving the majority of the pot in its natural reddish clay color - not what I had in mind. Also, I learned, to my dismay, that dried layers of glaze were easily disturbed by subsequent wet layers, creating the possibility of a messy mixture of colors. Finally, to add to my paranoia about clay work, somehow only I seemed to be having a problem with hairs from paint brushes coming loose and finding their way into the pools of wet glaze, causing me to have to fish for the hairs with my fingers which marred the glaze I had just applied. Even the teacher looked puzzled when the brand new brush she just gave me started to shed mysteriously. The curse of the pottery studio had struck again!

So here I am, class six of eight coming up soon, and I find myself wishing the class was over already. I have taken a lot of classes over the years, and I enjoyed most of them. There were a few that were less than exciting, but very few that left me feeling completely perplexed and inept. I should make it clear than this is not because of the teacher and her methods. My complete lack of ceramic skill comes from something in me that had greatly puzzled me. I am certainly not adept at everything; I can't play a guitar, I don't have a great singing voice, my painting skills are only so-so, and crochet is a struggle. So why do I feel so stuck in the mud with this particular craft?

After much pondering and soul-searching, I have come to the realization that passion - or lack thereof - for a creative process is at the core of my success and failure rates. But it's not so much my passion level as the relationship between my passion and my skills, and my expectations for both that cause a cognitive dissonance. For example, I have always loved textiles and weaving. My interest level and past experience with fabric led me to have high skill expectations for weaving. When I started to learn to weave, I found I had decent skills, though I still had frustrations. The weaving path is a long one with many things to learn. It is a fact that it will take a lifetime to achieve proficiency in this craft. Had it not been for my inner passion for textiles and some moderate initial success, that fact would likely have easily stopped me in my tracks, causing me to drop classes after one session. Yet I eagerly look forward to fall classes and to eventually improving my skills. Even though I know I will have bad experiences along the way, my love of fiber will keep me moving forward.

With ceramics, my beginning interest level was high, and my skill level expectations were high as well, but I soon discovered that my passion level was fairly low for this craft. As I began to proceed through the classes, and I realized that my abilities did not match my expectations, I waited for passion to kick in and cause me to persevere to improve my skills. That never happened. In fact, without passion the opposite took place: I wanted to quit. Yet, I still liked pottery-making - or the idea of it, and I wanted to succeed, but evidently not enough that I was able to muster sufficient energy to steam up the learning curve when it was steep.

I should add, that I am not above admitting there was also a certain amount of ego deflation and embarrassment in play here too. I didn't like doing so poorly at something that seemed so easy for everyone else! My fragile mid-life ego sustained a critical blow from this experience, but only because my expectations of being able to "do it all" were unrealistically high.

So what have I learned from all this? I learned that there are several scenarios possible in any learning situation, and that some cause more internal struggle than others.

Scenario 1. There are things I like but I am not good at doing, yet I am willing to work to improve my skills because I have some passion for that particular creative process. My very early sewing experiences fall in this category, and eventually I moved up my skills to match my interest level. It was the internal passion for textiles that provided my continued motivation to learn.

Scenario 2. There are things I am good at doing but I don't like (office work and accounting come to mind!). I'll do these only if I have to do them. These require a lot of external pressure to complete.

Scenario 3. There are things that I like and I am good at doing, which require very little passion to sustain my effort. (These are hard to find!) The existence of this scenario is what can set up disappointment and overly high expectations for other scenarios. I'd put learning to use a spinning wheel in this category since spinning seemed to come fairly naturally to me. That's not to say that I can't improve my skills, for I certainly have a lot to learn about this craft.

Scenario 4. There are things I don't like and I am not good at doing; needless to say, I don't even try these things a second time, or I don't even contemplate attempting them.

Scenario 5. There are lots of things which cause a neutral response. They evoke a so-so interest level and my skills are so-so. I may come back to them later, but there's an equal chance that I won't. However, because my initial interest level was only moderate, I am not very disappointed if I don't succeed. (This is the "I can take it or leave it" response.)

Scenario 6. Then there are things I like, but I am not good at doing. I want to make the experience a success because I still have interest in the process or product, yet I don't have the passion to sustain my learning curve. This is the most frustrating scenario and what I found while trying to learn ceramics. Basically, it bugs me to continue to like a craft but not have the necessary innate skills OR internal drive to improve my skills.

The Scenario 6 experience of getting "stuck in the mud," though very frustrating, does the most to shake us up and honestly realign our goals with our inner motivation levels. It brings us back to center and forces us to re-examine our expectations for what we can and cannot do based on where we most want to spend our precious energies. It is definitely a wake-up call to tell us that we cannot do it all, and we cannot be good at it all. To expect to be able to do it all with equal skill and effort is to put undue pressure on ourselves. We all have our passions and best skills, our Scenarios 1 and 3, and it's ok that not all of what we like or attempt falls into these categories. For me, the spinning wheel is fine, but the pottery wheel is not, and that's normal and not a failure.

So I am returning the mud to the hands of those of you who love and are inspired by it. I can't wait to see what you do with the clay. I'll be waiting with money in my handwoven, hand-sewn purse to buy the fruits of your passions. I think I will be weaving my life in another direction for now.

Clean-up crew

2009-06-25T01:00:00.002-04:00

My rosemary plant from two years ago died and dried out but I just got around to tossing it in the compost pile. After two years of growing in the house, the roots of the plant had firmly adhered to the inside of its pot. Not feeling like scrubbing it out at that moment, I set the pot on the back steps hoping the rain would do some of the cleaning for me. While sitting at the computer one day, back door open, I heard a strange ceramic clinking sound coming from outside. I was surprised to see this chipmunk earnestly chewing away all the rosemary roots from inside the container. Nature's clean-up crew had arrived! Who knew this cute, efficient, (and sometimes destructive!), little furry creature loved rosemary so much?

Thanks for the help, now please stop eating my strawberries!!

Wordless (sunless) Wednesday

2009-06-24T13:31:00.004-04:00

fading memories of the sunshine

Gilding the Radish

2009-06-23T12:27:00.003-04:00

The radish. Some would say it has a taste only a mother could love...or in my case, a grandmother. I remember my Nana loved a good radish, plain and unadulterated. Though I tried to enjoy this colorful little vegetable numerous times, the peppery taste always stopped me from eating more than one or two at a time, and usually in a salad with lots of dressing for disguise. Yet radishes are worthy of a second - or third, look because their roots and leaves are packed with nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and trace minerals.

Since radishes have been included in recent CSA farm shares, and I just pulled the last of them from my garden, I was determined to find a way to enjoy this often overlooked veggie. While browsing through some online recipes, I came across one for glazed radishes. This sounded like an intriguing way to camouflage the radish's peppery bite. Then my thoughts naturally turned from glaze to maple glaze, which then flowed to maple pecan glaze. Hence, the recipe Glazed Maple Pecan Radishes was born...but would it meet my dreamy expectations?

I am happy to report that I was very pleased with the resulting taste. Even my vegetable-skeptical family ate this concoction and enjoyed it. By cooking the radishes while reducing the glaze - actually an accidental effect of adding too much water, their peppery harshness was tamed to a pleasant, light accent. The cooked radishes had the texture of less-crunchy water chestnuts, which contrasted nicely with the crispness of the toasted pecans. All-in-all, this pairing made a delicious topping for the steamed salmon we had, though I can imagine it would also be great over grilled chicken breasts. I reduced it a little more than I would have liked, so there wasn't very much liquid glaze to coat the fish. Next time I will stop the cooking process before most of the water has dissipated to leave more glaze for the meat.

The recipe:

Glazed Maple Pecan Radishes

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
2 cups chopped or sliced radishes (mine were peeled and sliced)
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarsely chop ½ cup pecans or use 1/2 cup pre-chopped pecans. Lay pieces in a baking pan in a single layer and toast in a 400 degree oven for about 4 minutes or until pecans start to brown. Set aside.

Peel and slice or coarsely chop radishes to make 2 cups. (I peeled mine because they were large and the skin was a little tough.)

In a saucepan or medium-sized frying pan, melt the butter on medium heat. Add the radishes, maple syrup, water, vinegar, sugar, and salt and stir to coat. Cook on medium until the liquid starts to bubble, stirring periodically. Continue to gently boil until the liquid has reduced in volume by about two-thirds and the radishes are starting to get translucent. The glaze will be thickening. You can cook until there is as much or as little liquid left as you prefer. Reduce heat to low, add the pecans, and stir to coat. Cook for an additional minute or two. Remove from heat and serve over your main dish of choice, or eat as a side dish.

A sweet glaze remains after reducing the water

Served over steamed salmon and with oven-roasted broccoli

To roast broccoli:

preheat oven to 400 degrees

clean and trim broccoli into small florets

coat bottom of small baking dish with olive oil

place broccoli in a shallow baking dish and
drizzle with olive oil

sprinkle with salt, pepper and onion powder

toss broccoli to coat with oil and spices

roast in oven for about 15 minutes
or until broccoli is lightly browned

Enjoy!

Confessions

2009-06-19T12:42:00.006-04:00

I am here to admit that I am a foodaholic. Yes, I confess to thinking about food way more than I should during the day, especially now that summer is here (almost), and the fruits and vegetables are coming in at local farms and in our garden. On Thursday we had our second CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) pickup from Rabbit's Dance Farm in Cumberland, RI. I am splitting a summer share with a friend; a whole share would be too much for me to eat because we have a large home garden. Even though we grow a lot of different fruits and vegetables at home, I still like to receive part of a CSA share to compensate for crop failures we might experience, and also to support local, organic agriculture. The weather is so variable from year to year that we can't depend on all our own plants producing an edible yield. It is nice to have back up.

Excited about cooking with my CSA produce, I recently joined the "Cooking Away My CSA" Challenge started by Heather on her Flour Girl blog. Beginning June 22, we are to blog about our culinary creations based on CSA fruits and vegetables as a way to inspire each other to break out of our eating ruts. For any of you localvore CSA-lovers who would like to commune with other like-minded folks, she created a group at Google so we can exchange recipes and photos. If you have ever wondered, "What the heck do I make with kohlrabi?" this group may be for you.

I'm starting a little before the challenge begins because I so enjoyed my breakfast that I wanted to share it with all of you - ok, not literally, because I ate it, so there is none left! Here's what we received in our CSA share this week:

beets
kale
mixed baby lettuce
garlic scapes
peas
thyme
and the infamous kohlrabi

How they will be used:

beets - steamed and sliced
kale - blanched and possibly added to soup
mixed baby lettuce - salad
garlic scapes - chopped and sauteed with shredded kohlrabi and Parmesan cheese (see below)
peas - eaten raw and slightly boiled
thyme - given to share partner
kohlrabi - shredded and sauteed with chopped garlic scapes and Parmesan cheese (see below)

The peas were you-pick, in the rain, but still fun none-the-less. I re-discovered that there is nothing like the crisp sweetness of a freshly picked pea right out of the field. We ate a few raw and blanched the rest, which were so much better cooked than their canned or frozen cousins.

This morning, for breakfast, I made a one-egg omelet which included the kohlrabi and some garlic scapes. Fresh and mouth-watering strawberries from nearby Cook's Valley Farm added a touch of sweetness to my meal.

How it was prepared (a quick, unofficial recipe):

wash and remove stems & leaves from one small kohlrabi
(save leaves for another meal)
peel kohlrabi and shred
rinse and chop garlic scapes (I used four)

sautee kohlrabi using approximately a tablespoon of olive oil and
a teaspoon of butter until it is softened and starting to brown

add chopped scapes and a drizzle of oil
cook for a couple of minutes

in a small bowl, fork-blend one egg, salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of water
add to scapes and kohlrabi, still in the pan on the stove
stir to mix

sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese - about 1/4 cup on top of the egg/veggie mix
let cook until the egg starts to set
carefully loosen sides of omelet and slip a spatula under it
flip over and brown the other side

remove from pan and eat before anyone else comes into the kitchen!

As I post this, I realize that I do a lot of vegetable and egg scrambles with my CSA items because they are quick to make and a great way to use up odds and ends. You can add any vegetables, meats, or cheeses that you have leftover too. But I need to break out of this one-lane road and try something more exciting. I am looking forward to the Challenge posts for further inspiration!

Modish Monthly Goal Meetup - June

2009-06-08T11:01:00.006-04:00

Wow, it's June already! Even though my incentive to work on my "business" waxes and wanes lately, I am continuing my participation in the Modish Biz Tips Monthly Goal Meetup. As part of this community effort to stay motivated in business ventures, I agreed to publicly post a list of goals each month, then follow up with a note on how well I met those goals. I started in April with this list, posted on my blog. Let's see how I did meeting my May goals.

My May agenda:

~~1. Complete consignment order which is due to ship at the end of May. (Plain and simple!)~~

Done! This required me to stay up late quite a few nights, but I was able to ship off about two dozen pieces of jewelry. I hope they receive a positive response at the show.

~~2. Decide which non-consignment projects, now on my work~~ ~~table, that I want to complete. Put away materials not in use and clear the decks so I can feel mentally and physically uncluttered.~~

In order to work on the consignment items, I had to clear the decks and get organized. I needed to put away materials that were not currently being used, yet I didn't want to lose the designs I had started to formulate. My solution: use a plastic bead box with compartments to sort and separate pending designs. In each compartment I keep the beads and components for designs that are in the idea stage, taking out each set of materials as I am able to work on a project. I keep this box on a corner of my work table so it's still in view and in the back of my mind, but the pieces are contained and not in the way. So far, so good. Let's see if I can keep these future jewelry items from flowing over onto my work table surface again.

~~3. Blog once a week at least, more if possible.~~

Well, I sort of did this...except for the last two weeks of May when I worked furiously on the consignment order.

4. Last month I had a flash of inspiration in the form of another shop/brand name idea. Trouble is, I have no idea what the brand should represent or what the shop should have in it. I just really liked the name and by chance, the domain, Etsy shop name, and blog ID were all available. So I snapped it up in all those places in a "go-with-the-flow" moment. Thus, goal number four is to think about (or maybe to be open to ideas for) this new name and what it will come to be. (And no, I am not telling the name online just yet!)

No news on this one. The idea is still floating in my subconscious and is yet to take shape. I will be carrying this forward for a few months, I am sure.

~~5. Review materials for packaging jewelry to make them more memorable and attractive.~~

In the process of assembling the consignment order, I made a little progress on this goal, though I still want to work on fine-tuning the look of the packaging. I decided that I still liked the earring hang tag I made but that it needed a little something extra. So I used a pair of decorative scissors to create a scalloped edge on the bottom of the card. I also turned the single layer card into a double, fold-over type that could stand independently for easier display at a show. Having an extra, empty space on the back side of the fold-over part allowed for the addition of longer item descriptions on the clear plastic labels that I add for pricing and stock keeping. I finally redesigned my hang tag for bracelets and necklaces too. However, I really wanted to change my print color on both of these pieces from black to a nice, dark brown, but my printer would not cooperate. I will need to work on fixing this issue.

I did have fun wrapping a special bridal order and this inspired me to be more creative with my ribbons and box look. (See pictures of the updated earring card and the bridal wrap at the end of this post.)

6. Consider remaking banner on Etsy shop page. (I think it needs a fresh look.) Coordinate with packing materials for a complete "branded" look.

I did not work on the banner...at all...but I did think about the branding idea when I was working on the hang cards. I am still pondering what my coordinated look should be. This is a work in progress and you'll see this again in my June goals list.

7. This last goal is more of an ongoing thread for pondering, and I expect it will be on my list for many months. Reflect on the nature of my business in light of my recently renewed, long-standing obsession with textiles. (Did I mention I am a lifelong fabric-aholic? I sewed well before I started making jewelry.) Can fabric and beads peacefully co-exist? Do I have the energy and interest to do both? Where does my heart really dwell? Where is my business heading?

Ah, deep questions like these require a lot of reflection, so I expect I will have this goal on my list for quite some time. Get accustomed to seeing it for months to come!

So...here we are at the brink of summer, usually the slowest season for most crafting businesses. What happens to my goals for June, July and August? I think summer lends itself best to sitting outside (preferably by a lake in Maine, but that's another goal on another, more personal list), basking in nature's full-bloom glow, and contemplating one's place in the universe. It's not the best time for getting marketing and business goals accomplished, but I will try to set a few anyway.

Goals for June:

Carrying over some goals from May...

1. Continue to think about and just be open to inspiration for my latest shop name idea.

2. Work on new banner for my Etsy shop. Coordinate with packing materials for a complete "branded" look.

3. Reflect on the nature of my business and how much time and effort I want to, realistically, put into it. Do I have the energy and motivation to market it more seriously? What is my relationship with money with respect to creative activities, and how do I need to readjust my thinking to allow my business to grow naturally? Where does my heart really dwell? Where is my business heading?

And some new ones for June...

4. Continue my quest for the perfect background against which to photograph my jewelry. I have been thwarted in this so far. Nothing seems quite right. I also want to improve the look of my photographs so they are not so glaring and more vintage-soft. My camera takes a decent picture...in good lighting, but it is not so proficient at low-light situations, including the filtered natural light that is used in so many Etsy front page shots. I need to continue to experiment until I find something that gives me the feel that I seek.

5a. Make more jewelry and get it listed. This is worth repeating, in bold: Make more jewelry and get it listed. There are all those projects in compartments waiting patiently for their turn in the assembly area. I need to work through them and add more items to my online shops. I've heard it said that you need at least 100 items in an Etsy shop before you start to get noticed. Hmmm...well I have a paltry 14 items as of today, with only four more to list tonight. I guess I'd better get moving on inventory creation! Plus, anything I make during the summer will only serve to build inventory for my big craft show in September.

5b. As part two of the inventory story, I want to focus on using what materials I already have rather than buying anything new. Of course, there will always be components that get used and need to be replaced, but I am trying to resist the temptation of spending money on parts that are not necessary to have right now. I also want to return to one of my original goals of recycling and repurposing old pieces of jewelry, making them into new creations. I feel I have gotten seduced by shiny new things into buying more new elements than I really wanted to incorporate into my jewelry. Yes, I need to have some pieces that can be reproduced from reorderable supplies for a specific vendor, but I have much more room in my Etsy and 1000 Markets shops for one-of-a-kind items.

6. Start working on my own, stand-alone website. I've been thinking about it for some time now and, since I already have plenty of web hosting space, and I do websites for clients, it seems almost embarrassing to have my own domain looking so empty and bleak.

I think I had better stop at 6 goals considering that I won't get a lot done with the garden coming into full blossom and vacation-mind setting in. Good luck on your June goals to all my fellow Modish Meetup participants!

New, self-supporting earring card with scalloped edges

New hang tag for bracelets and earrings

Packaging of bridal custom order

Some days...

2009-06-03T13:39:00.009-04:00

...it's all about the visuals. I can understand the attraction of the "Word less Wednesday" feature that has become so popular around the internet. By the middle of the week you get tired and you decide to let pictures do the talking. While not an official Wordless Wednesday post (being a wordy person I can't go without saying something about each photo), this is a close approximation.

Please enjoy a quick peek at what's happening in the garden today.

I never realized how delicate and lovely a chive flower was until I accidentally broke one off and brought it inside to beautify my windowsill.

The sage bed that started as a few seed-grown plants two years ago has exploded into a hedge of flowers and a paradise for bees of all kinds.

A friend gave me a sad little cutting of comfrey a couple of summers past. Her husband was going to kill it because it wandered into the lawn, but she rescued it and gave it to me. I wondered if the poor thing would survive. Guess it did because now it's four feet tall!

Comfrey flowers in variegated shades of purple create a haven for bees. Besides being an amazing herb for healing skin wounds and mending broken bones, comfrey also has beneficial qualities as a garden fertilizer when used either as a green manure (mulch), or stewed into a liquid amendment. For more about how to use comfrey to nourish your garden, see this article.

I looked out my kitchen window to see this female wild turkey perched on top of our garden arbor. Below, at the bird feeders, was the male who made the daily visit with her. After a few minutes, he wandered off towards the edge of the woods and gobbled persistently for her to follow. The female seemed to be ignoring him as she remained on the arbor, surveying the landscape. Eventually the male gave up and returned to the feeder to wait for her, at which time the female hopped down and enjoyed her afternoon meal.

Who are you calling a TURKEY?

Remember those little seedlings I showed you on April 23? They are all grown up and getting used to being outside prior to transplanting this weekend. Wish them luck.

Little drops of water pooled in the leaves of a lupine plant become exquisite jewels. I was taken aback at how much it looked like crystal beads had been attached to the plant as if by the hand of a magical garden sprite.

Have a gem of a Thursday!

I was followed

2009-05-14T16:41:00.006-04:00

Admittedly, I welcomed these strangers into my car. I even paid money to take them home. And now they are settled into my family room, staring at me, waiting for some action. But don't worry, because these permanent guests are used to hanging around, and they won't cause any trouble - just yet. After all, they had been sitting in some other home or workshop until I swept them away in a frenzy yesterday during the Weaver's Guild of Boston member's silent auction held during their annual end-of-year meeting.

It's a good thing I arrived late so I only had time to skim the room and bid on the items I had in mind before I came. Maybe it was newbie enthusiasm (it was my first Guild auction) that drove me to bid a little too freely. The checkout staff was certainly happy to see my total bill! However, I got a couple of good deals and I contributed to a worthy cause by supporting the important and noble craft of weaving through the Guild.

I didn't expect to win almost everything I bid on, but I did acquire several items that I needed. Having only one shuttle made multi-color weaving more of a chore, so I bought another Leclerc closed-bottom boat shuttle. For another $2 I also picked up two more Leclerc stick shuttles for my rigid heddle loom; one of the shuttles is a nice long 15".

One of the items I knew to look for at the sale was a Schacht inkle loom which I had seen demonstrated in my weaving class. My teacher had mentioned that it would be going into the auction and I intended to bid on it. I was lucky enough (stood next to the loom at the auction's end to get the final bid!) to win it. An inkle loom is a simple yet effective tool for making belts, handbag handles, guitar and camera straps, and many other types of decorative bands. Items woven on an inkle loom are warp-faced; that is, 99% of what you see is the warp (vertical yarns) as opposed to the weft (horizontal yarns). The warp is the strongest part of the weaving, so warp-dominance in this case creates a very strong woven object, which is desirable in belts and straps. To go along with this loom I grabbed a copy of Weaving Bands by Liv Trotzig and Astrid Axelsson from the book table. My hope is to use the inkle to make straps to match bags handmade from either my own handwoven textiles or from commercially-made fabrics that I have stashed away.

The Schacht has adjustable tensioning, which is a nice feature. This loom came warped and ready for a belt, courtesy of my teacher.

I also won some cotton yarn in assorted weights and colors, including these earthy berry and warm brown tones, and three cones of natural.

On the right is a 1 pound plus cone of Silk City's organic cotton in a lovely pale green color. (The color is actually a little more yellow in person.) When I saw that it was organic cotton I made a bid for it (and won!). I got it for a great price too. It's a fine yarn at 7000 yards per pound. Not sure what it will become. On the left is a cone of natural cotton, maker unknown.

Besides the inkle loom, I made one other large purchase, but this one was an impulse buy. For a mere $76 I couldn't pass up this eight-shaft, 16" wide, table loom, maker unknown, and needing some upkeep. Why do I need another loom? Every weaver can understand the unspoken answer, though friends and relatives may cock their heads and wonder if I have lost my mind. Other crafters will understand that each tool has a range of functions that is different from those of its cousins, and one tool just can't do it all. The inkle creates bands and straps; the rigid heddle can only do plain weaves but it folds and is portable; the floor loom has four harnesses, can make complex patterns, but is not portable; and the table loom is small and somewhat portable, has eight harnesses for a greater level of pattern complexity, and is the right size for samples.

Looks good for the price, eh? Mostly, except this loom has a few "quirks" that will require some pondering to fix. For one, upon closer inspection, my husband and I have come to the conclusion that this loom was probably homemade. The harness levers are simple sticks of wood hinged in the middle, which is not a good design because these levers are too narrow and set too closely together to be comfortable for the user. In addition, when the shafts are changed, the levers shoot forcefully up and down in a guillotine fashion which is dangerous to the fingers! The shafts make terrible clunking sounds when they hit bottom; this is easily rectified with some foam tape "bumpers" on the harness rests. The channels in which the shafts run are unevenly cut, although the harnesses seem to raise and lower just fine. Finally, the brake gears are made of wood and look handmade. There's no external crank to turn the beams that wind on the warp and cloth. We think this can be fixed and a crank added. Of course, there is some rust on the harness frames, which is not unexpected, but the twisted wire heddles look in good shape overall. The 12-dent reed needs a little cleaning too but it is not as bad as the reeds that came with my floor loom.

Lots of steel wool, waxed paper and elbow grease required!

I suppose you're thinking that this is sounding like a lemon of a loom, but overall it is sturdy and in decent shape. All the parts are there for a working eight-harness loom. My husband (an engineering type) thinks that we might try a couple of changes to make the shaft levers less hand-chopping and more ergonomic. We have some thoughts about taking off the top castle (the flat piece of wood on top) and replacing it with a new one onto which front pull levers might be mounted, like in this Schacht loom, or this Leclerc model. This would be ideal if we can determine how to achieve this. For the price, we think it is worth trying to turn this somewhat ugly duckling into a weaving swan. We'll let you know how our experiments turn out!

Is it a scarf or...

2009-05-12T12:53:00.005-04:00

...a table runner? Well, you decide. It was intended as a scarf, but as I look at pictures of it, my latest project could almost be a table runner in southwestern style. It is vaguely reminiscent of a serape to me, or am I just odd. (Don't answer that!)

In my last post I wrote about the construction of this, let's call it a scarf, which was woven on my Ashford rigid heddle Knitter's Loom. The warp is a deep blue 5/2 perle cotton, a free yarn from the Weaver's Guild stash, and the weft is a white and blue synthetic chenille of unknown fiber content, which was received through Freecycle. After receiving feedback that I should add some stripes, I decided to go ahead and insert six rows of a multicolored, nylon ribbon yarn every seven inches. This resulted in six widely-spaced, narrow bands of rainbow-like color punctuating the denim blue which formed the bulk of the piece.

The finished length is 53" (without fringe) and it is 8 1/2" wide; the twisted fringe is 3" long. If I had actually planned this project, I would have made it longer and more narrow, but such is life at the loom.

Hand-twisted fringe. It took me a little time to get the hang of making warp ends into fringe and it was time-consuming, especially since the warp was a fine 5/2 cotton yarn. The process was made easier by taping the scarf to a gridded sewing table cutting board for consistent measurement of fringe ends, and by using a beader's knotting tweezers to get the knot at just the right location each time.

I am somewhat disappointed with the drape of this piece. You would think the blue chenille weft would have made it soft and flowing, but that was not so. I think the cotton warp made it a little stiff. But did I mention that the warp yarn was FREE? Yes, sometimes projects are determined by the materials at hand and we just need to accept the results without judgment. Yet another life lesson learned through crafting!

So what's next in my fiber adventures? Well, I still need to weave those twill dish towels that are idling on my floor loom, and I have a bag of that pink and yellow wool-mohair roving to be spun. After that, perhaps I might try weaving a scarf on the Ashford using my latest handspun yarn if it is strong enough for the warp. If I ply it, I think it will do. And tomorrow is our local weaving guild's annual meeting with a potluck lunch, a fashion show, and - oh, oh - a silent auction with all kinds of fiber-related tools and yarn goodies. I know I shouldn't, but I'll bring my checkbook anyway. One never knows when a bargain might appear and call my name. I suppose I could put my hands over my ears so I wouldn't hear the siren call of crafting supplies, but then how would I hold my potluck lunch plates? ;-)

A little of this and that

2009-05-08T20:35:00.006-04:00

Where does the week go? Is universal time becoming faster these days? I think it is. At the beginning of the week I noticed that my blog had just celebrated its one year "blog-aversary." There was no fanfare, there were no party hats, and sadly, there was no cake. Sigh. There was only a casual nod to the passing of internet time and some reflection on the way blogs capture little segments of our lives and cast them into the larger sea of thoughts and commentary that form this web community. By making my life - or at least a little bit of it, publicly viewable, I have stepped into the current and become part of the online din that whizzes past our eyes and ears every day. I can only hope I have contributed to the stream in a some small, positive way.

Now on to the rest of the week. With the monthly meeting of our local spinning and knitting group, I returned to my patient, and sometimes lonely, K romski Sonata spinning wheel to tackle a new wool and mohair roving dyed a delicious melange of pink and yellow. After much groaning and struggle, I had finally dispatched the sticky and persnickety blue wool that looked so pretty but spun with such difficulty. Oh it was not all the beauty it pretended to be! The fibers were long but stuck together with some sort of super bond that tested my patience. However, after heavily drafting it, I did spin it down to the end. The result was one bobbin of embarrassingly overspun and kinked yarn that I wound into a center-pull ball for plying.

Let me tell you that plying an overspun yarn this way - taking yarn from the inside and outside of a center-pull ball at the same time, was an exercise in frustration for me. Only later, after having stopped plying and removing the offending yarn from the wheel forever, did I learn (at my spinning group), that there is a trick to plying this way which involves some clever manipulation of the ball and the yarns within the non-plying hand. ( Actually, the description sounded like a third hand might be needed!) As I was itching to spin something new, I followed my weaving teacher's advice and unwound the remaining single yarn in the ball and wrapped it on my warping board, after which I gently hung the hank on a peg with a small weight to release some of the overspun twist. At some point, I will use this as a weft yarn on my Ashford Knitter's Loom, combining it with some 5/2 perle cotton in blue that I have hanging around, to make a scarf.

In contrast, this latest roving is a dream to spin and the color is a yummy fuchsia-lemon blend that is a nice change from the blues and browns I have been spinning. It's almost a pencil roving and it needs very little pre-drafting before spinning. (Hooray!) I purchased this 50-50 wool and mohair blend from Friend's Folly Farm of Monmouth, ME, while I was at a fiber fair weekend months ago. The mohair lends a fuzzier effect to the finished yarn, so it will be interesting to see how this looks once plied and washed. I am already envisioning it woven into something soft and comforting to wear. I just need to find a coordinating warp yarn, probably in yellow.

It's coming along nicely, don't you think?

So why not use this yummy yarn for knitting, you ask? Well, it is a possibility of course. But there's that weaving business that seems to have taken over my brain and woven itself into the fiber of my thoughts. (Sorry for the puns!) I am starting to dream in warp and weft rather than knit and purl. The advantage of weaving is the ability to make cloth a lot faster than I can by knitting. Plus my hands don't go numb when weaving like they do while knitting. Of course, the loom set-up time is considerable, and my back curses me after leaning over the loom for hours while putting on and threading the yarns. But like people say of childbirth, you forget all that once you are throwing the shuttle and watching your fledgling fabric grow by the minute. The magic of actually weaving overshadows the preparation time.

Now that my weaving class has come to and end for summer vacation, I am working on two weaving projects at home. First, I have twill cotton dishcloths in pale blue and white on my Leclerc floor loom. I would have made more progress on these by now if not for the mistakes I made while sleying the reed: in two places I put four rather than two yarns per dent. I had already woven 32 rows before I decided that this error was going to be noticeable (at least to me), and that I needed to correct these areas. It really didn't take long to fix (just like the weaving teacher predicted), but I feared the effort and thus, put it off too long. Procrastination, you are my middle name.

Second, I have a scarf on my Ashford rigid heddle Knitter's Loom that was working up fairly quickly until I had to take a break to take care of some jewelry business and also to plant some vegetable seeds in the garden while the timing of the moon was right. (I am attempting to follow the Gardening by the Moon method posted on the Farmer's Almanac site.) The scarf has a warp of deep blue 5/2 perle cotton, a free yarn from the Weaver's Guild stash, and a weft of a white and blue synthetic chenille of unknown fiber content, which was received through Freecycle. I am tempted to throw in a narrow stripe here and there of a multi-colored ribbon yarn, just for a bit of color, but I have not made that executive decision just yet. I can see how scarves to weavers can become like socks to knitters; they are both addictive little projects which can be completed relatively quickly and with small amounts of materials.

7" done so far
Add a stripe or not, what is your vote?

Then there are the lovely polymer flowers from ZudaGay waiting on my crafting table to be made into necklaces and bracelets. But here I am writing a blog post rather than working on jewelry and it is already 10 pm. Will someone please slow down the universe so I can catch up??

Moody Tuesday Musings

2009-05-05T00:01:00.003-04:00

I took a little walk around the front yard yesterday with my camera to see what was popping up in the garden beds nearest the house. Watching nature always reminds me that life is filled with change and that things are often not as I expect (or want) them to be. I may plant that flower over there to the right, under the holly bush, but it comes up next year on the left, by the front steps. That herb that I planted two years ago that looked quite dead the second year, suddenly appears, full of life, in the third season. Yet, something that was robust last year at this time hasn't even poked a single leaf out of the ground this spring. Unwanted weeds will grow much better than any cultivated plant. Does this mean if I choose to grow weeds that they won't flourish? (Hmm, perhaps a good theory to test!)

Change is nature's way of keeping me on my toes. Nature is a source of infinite fascination because I never know what I might see at any time, day or night. Just when I think I know what birds I'll see in a certain area, some unusual avian delight flutters in - just for a moment. Better keep my eyes, ears, and heart open or I might miss that once-in-a-lifetime message from the Universe that conveys the meaning-of-it-all.

Ok, perhaps I am exaggerating just a little! Or maybe not. That is the point. You never know what unique insight might be standing there, three feet from your back door unless you venture outside on occasion, outside the ordinary, outside the routine. Look to your left instead of to your usual right when you glance out the window. Take a walk on the wild side today and get outside yourself. That is, stroll through nature's ever-changing scene and see if anything is blooming in a place you wouldn't expect it to be. Let me know if you happen to find the answer to the "meaning-of-it all" question while you are out there because I can't watch everywhere all at once. We need each other to get a 360 degree view.

**************************************************************

Where did this lovely Lily of the Valley underneath my window come from? I don't remember planting it. I think they were growing wild under a tree next to the house. What magical little creative transplanted it during the night?

These gorgeous, black-purple Johnny Jump-ups jumped up about five feet away from where they were planted last year. One plant decided it liked the shelter of the stone stairs, while the other preferred life in the open, springing up on two sides of a garden fence and in between the walkway and the garden bed. How reflective of the differing personalities of living things; even plants have preferences.

Chocolate mint moves forward with its plot to take over the world...or at least my front garden. Before you get too excited by the word "chocolate," this herb only has a hint of that beloved flavor and is mostly still mint. I also have pineapple, orange, and apple mints, plus spearmint, and peppermint in the back garden. All of them must have been in communication with the chocolate variety in the front yard as they are refusing to stay within the bounds of their allotted territory.

Ever notice that each yard seems to favor one color or another of violet? Some friends of ours only have a white variety, while our previous house only had a medium-dark purple type. This year our yard is inundated by this delicate and delightful pinkish-purple violet. I don't remember there being such a profusion of them in past seasons. I am not sure where they come from, but they are certainly always a cheerful presence in my yard.

This chive plant has had the benefit of a full southern exposure and is already making blooms, whereas its cousin in the north-facing back yard is just now receiving sunlight, so it is still in the small, green stages.

Modish Monthly Goal Meetup - May

2009-05-04T14:18:00.010-04:00

Last month I decided to participate in Modish Biz Tips Monthly Goal Meetup. As part of this community effort to stay motivated in business ventures, I agreed to publicly post a list of goals each month, then follow up with a note on how well I met those goals. I started in April with this list, posted on my blog. It's now May and time to review how I did.

My April agenda:

1. Review all remaining items in The Filigree Garden's Etsy shop and decide which ones no longer fit in with my current creative vision (however murky that is at the moment). Renew those items that still feel like they belong, move some items to 1000 Markets, and mark some for either storage or to be taken apart and redesigned.

Yay! I actually did this early in the month. I was forced to make quick decisions because all of my Etsy items were expiring mid-April.

2. Decide what to do with my Rescued Beauty Etsy shop, which is temporarily on hiatus.

Well, the shop is still on hiatus. I decided it was not worth my time to sell supplies or destash at this time. I might revive it later, who knows? For now, it remains closed.

3. Complete consignment order which is due mid-April (eek!). This involves choosing which items to offer, making a few new designs, and packing it all up for May 1 delivery.

I received a reprieve on this one since the consignment event was moved to June. So this goal will resurface in May. I did narrow down which pieces I want to send and I decided on a couple of new pieces to make.

~~4. Complete the jewelry that is in process on my work table.~~

Um, well, I did complete the few pieces I started to make, but while I was playing with beads, new designs appeared and are now half-made on the table. So I am striking this one for April in honor of the work I did complete.

~~5. Design two coordinating pieces of jewelry for wholesale customer.~~

Since this wholesale arrangement seemed to slow down considerably, I decided to wait until asked to provide new designs. I haven't heard anything more, so on to more pressing things.

~~6. Photograph and list new items that have been completed. Try to improve lighting in light box for a slightly softer, more romantic look.~~

I decided to try taking photographs with natural light and on wood to give a more soft and inviting look. Here's an example of a necklace presented in this format. The reaction on Twitter and amongst friends was mixed. Some liked the wood and some thought the grain distracted the eye from the jewelry design. What do you think? I think I might go back to the light box since natural light is so unreliable, and I am going to retry using fabric and other back drops that would be soft yet not too visually overpowering. Stay tuned...

So here we are, May 4, and it's time to think about goals for this month. I admit that I have been thoroughly distracted from jewelry-making by weaving and gardening, as you can see from my last blog post. In fact, I find myself thinking about yarn and textiles much more than about beads and wire. So, one of the items on my May agenda must reflect this change in mindset and what it means for my business path.

Goals for May:

1. Complete consignment order which is due to ship at the end of May. (Plain and simple!)

2. Decide which non-consignment projects, now on my work table, that I want to complete. Put away materials not in use and clear the decks so I can feel mentally and physically uncluttered.

3. Blog once a week at least, more if possible.

4. Last month I had a flash of inspiration in the form of another shop/brand name idea. Trouble is, I have no idea what the brand should represent or what the shop should have in it. I just really liked the name and by chance, the domain, Etsy shop name, and blog ID were all available. So I snapped it up in all those places in a "go-with-the-flow" moment. Thus, goal number four is to think about (or maybe to be open to ideas for) this new name and what it will come to be. (And no, I am not telling the name online just yet!)

5. Review materials for packaging jewelry to make them more memorable and attractive.

6. Consider remaking banner on Etsy shop page. (I think it needs a fresh look.) Coordinate with packing materials for a complete "branded" look.

7. This last goal is more of an ongoing thread for pondering, and I expect it will be on my list for many months. Reflect on the nature of my business in light of my recently renewed, long-standing obsession with textiles. (Did I mention I am a lifelong fabric-aholic? I sewed well before I started making jewelry.) Can fabric and beads peacefully co-exist? Do I have the energy and interest to do both? Where does my heart really dwell? Where is my business heading?

These last questions may be too metaphysical for business goals, but they certainly affect the amount of effort I put into my business activities. I've always struggled with staying enthusiastic about something once it becomes a profit-making enterprise. Somehow an activity loses its luster once money comes into the picture. This mindset becomes even more prominent when a craft is involved because, for me, art and creativity live on a different plane than jobs and work. I always prefer just making things to satisfy an inner need to do so over focusing on selling them. Plus, let's face it, I am a bit shy (and somewhat lazy) when it comes to marketing and promotion. The idea of spending a lot of time on social networking and hawking my wares makes me want to run and hide! So...maybe number 8 should read, make peace with the difference between crafts for money and crafts for fun, or learn to blend the lines that mark this difference in my mind.

Good luck to all my fellow Meetup followers! I hope May is kind to your goals and that you get a lot accomplished this month.

Sprouting

2009-04-23T19:36:00.017-04:00

It's about time I got back to blogging, and a lot of other things that have been in deep hibernation these past few months. Lots of seedlings have been sprouting here, and I'm not just talking about young plants. Ideas have also been growing in the back of my mind. Some idea-seeds have fallen on fertile soil and are taking root, while others never broke out of their protective shells to find nourishment and grow. Alas, such is the precarious life of a seed. Here's a quick look at what is sprouting at the moment.

"Hello, I hope to be a grown-up tomato plant some day."

At this time of year, the subtle caresses of spring sunshine and the melodious songs of mating-hopeful birds awaken the gardener in many of us. I finally stopped hitting the snooze button on this seasonal alarm clock and started some vegetable and flower seeds in flats indoors under fluorescent lights. In an effort to pare down my starts to manageable levels this year, I limited my indoor veggie plantings to tomato, pepper, broccoli, basil and celery seeds. The rest of the seeds will be going into outdoor beds very shortly (weather permitting). In previous years I started too many seeds indoors and then struggled to pot them up into larger containers and keep them under the lights until it was time to transplant into the garden. Inevitably I had to give away lots of plants...not a bad thing, but I felt the need to be less overwhelmed this year.

My husband has been able to arrange my indoor plant lighting so that it is powered (mostly) by energy collected from two small solar panels stationed in the yard, next to the greenhouse.

On the crafting front, I have been weaving! It's only taken me about...um, 16 years, to really pursue my interest in creating textiles via a loom. I may be slow, but I get to almost everything eventually! Thanks to a wonderful "weaving buddy" and teacher from the Weaver's Guild of Boston, my Leclerc Nilus floor loom is now "dressed" (yarns put on and threaded) and ready for action. Looking back at my previous post on the loom's arrival, I realized that it had been almost a year since the loom came into my life. I was feeling a little guilty every time I passed it, sitting alone and untouched, in the corner of the bedroom. But in March of this year, a switch in my inner workings finally flipped on and I found myself calling the Guild for help in learning to weave. A teacher came to my home and spent six hours showing me how to plan a project, measure out the yarns, get them onto the loom, thread the heddles which are attached to the harnesses, "sley" or thread the reed which also is used to beat the weave in place, and finally, to tie the yarns onto the loom where weaving takes place. Oh yes, and then there is the weaving process itself to learn. Making textiles is a complicated process!

While I began to work at home on my own floor loom, I decided I needed to repeat the "dressing" process again so that it would be clearer in my mind, which was reeling from the input of too many details in too short a time. So I jumped into a weaving class at the Guild which was taught by the same wonderful mentor that had come to my home. Taking the class really helped to imprint the weaving process a little further onto my brain cells. I also encountered a problem or two which served to teach me even more about what not to do; our mistakes often teach us much more than our successes do. At the end of three weeks, all that leaning over a borrowed Louet table loom and determined concentration resulted in my being the proud owner of my first handmade textile: a yellow, green and white, plaid, cotton dish cloth/table runner. (It started out as a dishcloth but I can't bear to use my first woven child to wipe up anything messy! So it has graduated to a table decoration.)

Both warp and weft are 5/2 perle cotton

I was fairly pleased with this first completed weaving project. Of course, the selvages are a little uneven, but I was told that it might take years of practice to get these right, and even then, they might not be perfect. One can always stitch the sides rather than leave them exposed; sewn hems cover a multitude of errors!

The pattern is a plaid, but I learned that there is much more to a pleasing plaid than meets the eye. Apparently there is a certain mathematical set of proportions required to create a balanced plaid or stripe pattern. My teacher explained that Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano, better known as Fibonacci, and his sequence of Fibonacci Numbers provided us with a simple way to plot out stripes and plaids in a way that mimicked balanced patterns found in nature, thus making them pleasing to view. I admit, my eyes grew wide and a feeling of panic washed over me as she jotted down lots of numbers and looked at me for some glimmer of understanding. In the end, I got the general gist of the concept but I will rely on others to fully explain how these number patterns are calculated and used. A couple of useful sites about this topic are:
http://leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com/2007/05/my-fascination-with-fibonacci.html
http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/articles/fibonacci_seq.shtml

My current project, still in process, is to make fabric yardage for a handbag or two (my current plan, always subject to change) using my new rigid heddle Ashford knitter's loom, a lucky, discounted find that I had purchased on eBay earlier this year. There are so many types of looms and I would love to try them all at some point. The rigid heddle loom is different than the floor and table looms that I have been using in that it does not have multiple harnesses that move the heddles up and down to create a complex pattern. The rigid heddle has one reed which keeps the yarns separate, acts as a beater, and is moved up and down to create an opening called a "shed" through which a shuttle is passed, drawing the weft yarns to cross the warp yarns, thus creating a plain over-under weave. On a harnessed loom, the harnesses are moved up and down to create the shed while the reed is used more as a beater. (For more about weaving and looms, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loom, http://mktag.org/projects/cassandraChoosingLoom/content.html, and http://www.fibrecrafts.com/resource/fact_file/looms/ty pes_loom.asp)

Four feet made so far. Only five more to go!

The Ashford Knitter's Loom has several great features such as portability, a wide range of reeds including one with large eyes that accepts handspun or bulky yarns, and the ability to fold down into its custom carry bag. It was easy to take to class, where I put on yarn, then closed it with yarns in place to take home for further weaving. My loom came with a matching floor stand which is useful for holding the loom when no table is available against which to lean the loom while working.

What I am weaving:
Plain weave
Warp is an older cone of Maysville 8/4 cotton carpet warp in natural.
Weft is Schachenmayr Nomotta Safari; 35% cotton, 20% viscose, 15% flax, 15% acrylic, 15% polyester - a blue-gray and natural toned boucle made in Italy and received from a generous Freecycler (thank you!)

My Ashford is a 20" wide loom but my actual weaving width measures about 18".

This combination of yarns is making an interesting texture. I wonder how it will look and feel when washed?

At the last weaving class, my teacher showed me how to use an inkle loom and she put the notion in my head that, if I had one, I could make matching straps for bags made from my handmade fabric. Hmmm...dangerously interesting idea! When the Guild holds its silent auction next month I might be lucky enough to get a bargain inkle.

Lest you think I have abandoned jewelry-making, I am still slowly making a few new pieces here and there, trying to catch up on the backlog of designs I started and have strewn about my work table. I am hoping to achieve some sort of balance between jewelry creation, weaving and gardening in the coming months. I find it incredibly easy to come up with project ideas for all these pursuits but very difficult to follow through on those ideas in any organized way. If anyone has found a solution to this problem I would love to hear it!

Hearts and Flowers Necklace

Tiger Lily Bracelet

Modish Monthly Goal Meetup

2009-04-06T00:59:00.004-04:00

I have really been enjoying the posts by Jena at Modish Biz Tips. Her thoughtful insights on creativity and business have been very much on target for me lately, and she has really made me reflect on my goals for my business ventures. Now she is challenging her readers to state goals for April, posted for all to see, to keep each of them accountable for following through on their to-do lists. On the first Friday of each month, participants in this "Monthly Goal Meetup" will check in and see how they did meeting their goals. I am hoping group motivation and support will help get me moving on business tasks that have been lurking on the back burner.

Gulp, I'm feeling a little nervous since it is already the second week of April and this week is going to be very busy with non-business activities. Here's hoping the universe will look kindly upon my public declaration of goals!

My short agenda for April:

1. Review all remaining items in The Filigree Garden's Etsy shop and decide which ones no longer fit in with my current creative vision (however murky that is at the moment). Renew those items that still feel like they belong, move some items to 1000 Markets, and mark some for either storage or to be taken apart and redesigned.

2. Decide what to do with my Rescued Beauty Etsy shop, which is temporarily on hiatus.

3. Complete consignment order which is due mid-April (eek!). This involves choosing which items to offer, making a few new designs, and packing it all up for May 1 delivery.

4. Complete the jewelry that is in process on my work table.

5. Design two coordinating pieces of jewelry for wholesale customer.

6. Photograph and list new items that have been completed. Try to improve lighting in light box for a slightly softer, more romantic look.

A Tale of Two Yarns

2009-02-12T14:04:00.008-05:00

I've been spinning again. If you read my last installment about my "adventures in fiber" you would have seen the dark brown, wool yarn that I was making on my Kromski Sonata spinning wheel. I am happy to report that I finished yet another full bobbin of yarn, this time created from a lighter brown shade of wool roving. It would have been handy to have had a larger bobbin since I still have some of the light brown fiber left and I could have continued spinning it had I a larger receptacle. (More about my ponderings on bobbins some other time.)

Since I had two full bobbins of yarn, I decided to go forward with my original plan to ply (twist) together the two shades of brown to make a two-tone yarn. It so happened that I was lucky enough to complete the second bobbin during a gathering of a local spin-and-knit group, and our hostess, being an excellent spinner herself, was open to teaching me how to ply. (Thank you Emily!) I had only plied once before in 2007 when I made my first yarn in the first spinning class I attended. My memory being short these days, I needed a detailed refresher. Plying requires some sort of Lazy Kate, which is composed of an arrangement of rods or spokes that hold several full bobbins while the spinner feeds and twists together the yarn from these bobbins into the wheel's orifice (an opening that leads to the working, empty bobbin). The Kromski Sonata has an integral or attached Lazy Kate made of two removable metal rods fitted into a wooden swing arm that sits to the right of the treadles. The downside of this construction is that you can only ply two yarns at once. However, I am a beginner, so I have enough to handle by plying just two!

During the spinning of a single strand of yarn, the natural turning action of the flyer (the U-shaped part on top that holds the bobbin) creates the twist that holds together the fibers you are feeding into the wheel, thus making the actual yarn. The wheel is turned in one direction for this process; for plying the reverse is required in order to make a "balanced" two-ply - sort of like cancelling out the first twist of the single yarn by twisting in the opposite direction. There are much better explanations online if you search for "plying a balanced yarn." It is really quite a science!

Being an abject beginner, my main goal at this point was just getting the two yarns to come together in some sort of yarn-like fashion. Since I spun singles in the common clock-wise direction, I treadled counterclockwise to ply, which I found to be a little difficult at first as it seemed antagonistic to my usual spinning motion. The most helpful Emily showed me how to adjust my Scotch tension appropriately for plying - a rather constant battle of too much draw in and not enough. She also demonstrated how to hold the two yarns together with one hand at the point where they twisted together, while using the other hand to keep the two strands separated enough so as not to twist prematurely. I could have used a few more pairs of hands at that moment! The most important and tricky part of this process is getting the plied yarns to be "balanced", or to have the twists counteract each other in a way so that the plied yarn hangs without any kinking back on itself. There is an excellent article here on plying with photos that show this balancing act. It seems quality of life is always about achieving a good sense of balance! I am sure it will take many years of practice to get to point where my plied yarns will be well-balanced, and even then there will be some diversion from perfection caused by factors such as the weather (humidity), the type of fiber used, the amount of time that has passed since the singles were spun (wool relaxes as it sits), and so forth. Whoever said spinning was a simple skill had no idea of the nuances of fiber manipulation!

But back to plying...
After a few minutes of spinning, then stopping to check the yarn balance, I finally filled a spool with the two-tone, two-ply yarn that had lived only in my imagination to this point. Unfortunately I had to stop when my working bobbin was full because my wheel only came with three bobbins and there was still yarn left on the two from which I was plying. (Note to self: BUY MORE BOBBINS) So I'll have to ply the rest later. As we still had a few more minutes of group time left, I was able borrow a niddy noddy to turn the bobbin-full of yarn into a more familiar skein or hank. (Second note to self: nag - um, ask husband to make that cheap PVC niddy noddy from online plans this weekend.) I was shown how to wind the yarn onto the niddy-noddy in a crosswise fashion, then tie each side to secure using a short piece of string wound in between the yarns in a figure eight pattern. It was then time to remove the skein from the niddy noddy, stretch it out (or snap it) just a bit, and twist it in on itself to make a "real" looking skein, a shape that must have a name that I don't know, but I'll just call it a twisted sausage.

And ta-da, it was YARN!

Here is my second spinning effort, two-tone, two-ply wool next to my very first yarn (dark brown), spun during my first spinning class in 2007.

But I am not finished just yet. I still have to gently wash, or rather, soak the yarn to relax it and set the twist, then rinse it with cold water, repeat, squeeze out the water, and hang it to dry before I can use it - or display it in a bowl on the coffee table as my hostess half-jokingly suggested. There is a certain "look-I-made-this" quality to any crafting project that demands attention. Creations need to be seen and possibly used for them to fulfill their destiny. So, in an effort to feed this need, I am placing my first yarns out on the internet coffee table for you all to ogle while I get back to plying the rest of it so I can move on to spinning that lovely blue and purple fiber still sitting in a bag.

Yummy blues and purples, like grape cotton candy!
I hope it spins well.

Internet Blog-In: CPSIA

2009-01-28T00:01:00.006-05:00

If you haven't seen or read about the upcoming February implementation of a new law called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act or CPSIA, then I'd like to help spread the word about how this ill-designed law will negatively impact all small businesses and crafters who sell items that could be used by children under 12. The CPSIA is supposedly designed to remove children's items containing lead and phthalates from the marketplace. Understandably, no one wants lead and harmful toxins in their children's toys or clothing, but this law punishes the wrong people. Extensive and expensive testing of individual products will now be required of all manufacturers, including the small home handcrafter. This is retroactive, meaning even existing inventories must either be tested to be within compliance, or items must be removed from sale, and/or destroyed.

While large companies producing toys and clothes on assembly lines in batches by the thousands might have the money to pay for testing each batch, the individual crafter who carefully and lovingly makes one item at a time would be hard-pressed to pay for testing each and every handmade stuffed animal, child's sweater, book or wooden toy. Only large mass-marketers will be able to comply, further limiting the consumer's choices for obtaining clothing and toys for their children and grandchildren. A better plan would have been to make manufacturers of raw materials provide certification of lead and phthalate content so small businesses could assure their supplies were safe to use without having to perform prohibitively expensive testing at their level. And not only are small handcrafters and manufacturers required to comply, but sellers of used and vintage goods that could be used by children must not sell any items that may contain the banned substances. Although they are not required to test their items, these vendors must rely on their judgment to remove suspect items from their shelves; a difficult task at best, and likely to drastically curb sales of recycled and used goods.

Now is the time for every concerned parent and consumer to voice their opinions before the law finally takes effect. Below is a protest letter written by two Etsy shop owners, Chichiboulie and Winklepots, to be posted on participating blogs on Wednesday, January 28, as part of an internet "blog-in" (an electronic version of a sit-in), to protest the upcoming implementation of the CPSIA law. The complete list of blogs involved can be found on the originating Etsy thread, http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6013238.

Here is their letter:

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all. Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

So what can the average person do? Contact your local congressional or senatorial representative, sign a petition, tell friends, blog about it!

For more information:
Handmade Toy Alliance
http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org/

Ways to contact your local governmental representatives:
Congress
http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/
phone numbers
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/phone_numbers.tt?show=hill_phone
Senators
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Links to Petitions:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/handmadetoys/

Where did the beads go?

2009-01-20T14:40:00.015-05:00

The beads are still here, neatly sorted by color and function in towers of clear, plastic boxes, sitting on my craft room shelves. I am just taking a little break from creating jewelry to work on things that reflect my word for 2009 which seems to be "fiber." Over a year ago I took a class on spinning with a wheel and I enjoyed it very much. In that one class I was able to make my first full hank of yarn: a somewhat irregular, bulky, brown wool skein - not bad, as I was told by my instructor, for a first attempt. Until recently, it was unceremoniously piled in a corner of the spare bedroom closet, but I have since given it a proper place to reside on a wooden peg hook below a decorative shelf in the family room. I admit I was inspired to hang it out in the open after seeing a lovely cascade of colorful yarns displayed on a pegged coat rack at the home of another spinner. Somehow having the fiber where I can see it makes me feel more like an actual "fiber person" which keeps me motivated to practice spinning. Plus, that one, skinny skein looks awfully lonely draped up there by itself against the blank, yellow wall; I need to make it a friend or two.

Recently spun wool yarn

I use the word "practice" because the first, say, 500-1000 yards or so of yarn will probably be inconsistent in appearance, at best. I can see that it will take a lot of wheel time before my yarns will look like something one could purchase at a yarn store. Nothing other than practice, practice, practice (and perhaps being around other seasoned spinners on occasion) will turn those lumpy, too thin, too thick, beginner strands into smooth and polished, knittable creatures. Since the only way to practice is to have a wheel to use at home, I started looking - or dreaming about - wheels in 2008. I searched Craigslist, want ads, spinning lists, eBay, and even Etsy on a daily basis trying to find a used wheel, not new, in an effort to ease the strain on my crafting budget. I didn't have any luck, but I did learn much more about the type of wheel I wanted. Then one day, a friend of mine and I took a spinning class; it was her first and my second spinning experience. It wasn't long after the class that she started shopping for wheels too. Not being the procrastinator that I am, she soon had a wheel delivered to her doorstep. Of course, I had to see it right away.

After looking at the wheel she purchased, and comparing it to my short list of brands, I had narrowed down my "dream wheel" to two or three models, including the type she had chosen. How does one make such an expensive decision? As with any tool, the best advice I was given was to try as many wheels as possible before buying. Spinning wheels are like shoes: it is best to find one that fits your body and spinning style or you'll be uncomfortable. I had already test-driven a few wheels at the spinning class, but I still needed to try out my top choices. The closest shops that sold spinning equipment were at least an hour's drive away. Half-a-dozen phone calls and hours of internet research later, I found a small store that had one of the two brands I wanted to test.

On a pleasant June day last year, I casually asked my husband if he would like to take a drive. "Where to?" he looked suspicious. "Um, to look at a spinning wheel," I answered, waiting for the inevitable questions about why, how much, and where will you put it? I truly didn't expect to make a purchase that day, but once I tried a few wheels and compared their treadling abilities, and even had my husband do a few test-drives, the choice was clear. Much to my surprise, somehow we managed to leave the shop with a large bag filled with fiber and an order for a spinning wheel.

Now, as you all know, life can get quite busy and complicated sometimes, and you've heard the phrase about the best-laid plans...Well, I have to confess that no sooner had the wheel arrived in my house, other things began keeping me from using it. I opened the package, set it up, treadled it a bit to make sure it worked, put it back in the carrying case, put it in the corner, and then promptly got swept up in summer vegetable gardening, working on jewelry for craft shows, etc., etc.; the wheel gathered dust. I felt bad, and quite guilty for buying something so costly and not using it. I am sure my husband thought this was just another one of my crafting adventures that would end up on the eBay auction block. (Mea cupla! I admit this has happened on more than one occasion.) And I really, really did want to spend more time making yarn and improving my spinning skills. So when I reached the end of craft show season and I needed a rest from beading, the wheel and the fiber started calling to me again. With trepidation I set up the wheel and tried to remember how to spin. After a studious review of the book, Start Spinning by Maggie Casey, my rusty brain creaked into motion and I found myself treadling away making actual yarn.

After all this talk of my wheel, I can't forget to introduce you to my trusty spinning companion. He or she (I haven't picked a name yet) is a Kromski Sonata, an upright, double treadle, wooden wheel handmade in Poland at the small Kromski family factory. I chose the natural color Sonata which coordinated best with our decor - something to consider if you intend to keep the wheel in a public space at home.

The Sonata's blend of slightly modern design and a simple, traditional, spoked wheel really appealed to my tastes. Its lines seem unfussy yet not overly plain or stark. But the best feature of this model is the relieved leg strain afforded by the action of the two foot pedals, or "double treadle;" neither leg gets worked too much. The Sonata is a folding wheel, and it comes in a sporty green and beige, padded bag, which makes it perfect for taking to a friend's house for a spinning afternoon, or to a meeting of the local spinning group. I've just been to my first group gathering and boy, was I nervous because I imagined its members would chastise me for letting the wheel sit idle so long. However, they were gracious and the meeting was very low-key.

So what have I made so far? Last night I finished spinning the dark brown, wool fiber I received when I bought the wheel. As I held my work aloft like a scepter, I proudly proclaimed to my husband that I now had a full bobbin of yarn that I made all by myself. It may not be pretty or WOW material, but it is real yarn - or should I say half of real yarn, since I will need to make a second bobbin-full so I can ply or twist them together to make a sturdy and usable product. Thus, on to my next project of spinning some light brown wool fiber in anticipation of making a two-tone, two-ply, brown yarn. Not terribly exciting color-wise, but I didn't want to delve into my really good wool and silk blend, dyed in a fabulous mix of purple and teal shades, until I had more practice time on the wheel. Did I mention that once one has a wheel, suddenly hunks of fiber in a variety of colors and textures start appearing in one's crafting cache? Hmmm, I can't imagine how that happens.

You may ask the next logical question, "What are you going to make with all this yarn?" Well, I asked myself that too. My latest stop at a knitting shop for supplies may partly answer that query. I can imagine all sorts of warm and fuzzy projects being completed from lovingly hand-spun yarn. However, there is one little stumbling block: I haven't knitted for about 100 years, and I just recently learned to crochet, just the very basic steps. So I guess those beads will have to wait a bit longer while I add a few more fiber-related skills to my repertoire.

Knit one, purl one, knit one...I'll let you know how it goes.

Tag, I'm It!

2009-01-17T18:53:00.004-05:00

A few days ago I found out that I (and my blog) had been "tagged" for the first time. Blog tag is an internet game in which the people tagged must reveal several little-known facts about themselves; then, subsequently, they must "tag" or select another group of bloggers to do the same. Thus far I have managed to escape the tagging rounds, but Christine of Fused Glass, http://fusedglass.blogspot.com, (Designs by Christine) has caught me!

So...according to the rules of this game, I must tell you all 7 random things about myself. Hmm...I am not that exciting, but I'll give it a try.

1. I used to play the clarinet and oboe in school.
2. I have at least 5 different pairs of eye glasses, and all of them have different functions.
3. I am an only child and I haven't any first cousins.
4. I am allergic to lots of things, including peanuts, soy and wheat.
5. I would almost always take caramel over chocolate. (Don't tell my BBEST Etsy team!)
6. I am an avid birdwatcher and I've been known to tramp through the woods with binoculars.
7. My college major was anthropology. I wanted to work in a museum, but I got sidetracked into retail by my first temp job.

Now it's my turn to tag other bloggers. Who oh who will it be? Blindfold on, spinning around three times, and pinning the tail on the following lucky winners:

1. Beth Peardon Productions, http://bethpeardonprods.blogspot.com
2. The Copper Cauldron, http://thecoppercauldron.blogspot.com
3. Althea Peregrine, http://altheap.wordpress.com
4. My Gypsygoods, http://mygypsygoods.blogspot.com
5. Precious Quilts, http://preciousquilts.blogspot.com
6. Scottie Acres, http://scottieacres.blogspot.com
7. The Creators Palette, http://www.thecreatorspalette.blogspot.com

Ok all you "taggees," the rules of this game are as follows:
You need to...
* Link to the person who tagged you
* Post the Rules in your Blog
* Write 7 Random things about yourself
* Tag 7 people at the end of your post and link to them
* Let each Person know they've been tagged

Have fun because now YOU'RE IT!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:47:00.003-05:00

May 2009 be a wonderful year for everyone!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-24T14:36:00.009-05:00

In honor of the peace of the holiday season, the chatter of writing will step aside and let the quiet loveliness of visual art take center stage. Please enjoy this collage of work from talented Etsy artists as they illustrate the beauty and magic of the winter. Please take time to visit each shop (listed at the end of this post) to enjoy more of their creations.

Top row (all left to right):

Snow Day, Vintage Niki (Niki Jackson)
First Snow, molMolly
Finding Winter Cardinal, remarkable bird
Second row:
Beth Goes for a Walk, loveLiette
Fox in the Snow, Lauren Castillo
Glamorous Winter Plumage, bonheur (The Hopeless Romantic Boutique)
Third row:
Warm and Cozy, Elevenish
Snow Journey-Victorian Rabbit, Carmen Keys
Winter Landscape, The Creators Palette
Fourth row:
Winter Mouse, FlutterBrush
Happy Polar Bear in Snow, WhimseyArts
Moonstruck, Christina Colwell

The shops listed below showcase a number of artists whose work has remained somewhat undiscovered on Etsy. I hope to give them a little more exposure.

VintageNiki (Niki Jackson) - http://www.VintageNiki.etsy.com
MolMolly's Art - http://www.molMolly.etsy.com
Remarkable Bird Designs - http://www.remarkablebird.etsy.com
love, Liette (Jennifer Fletcher) - http://www.loveliette.etsy.com
Lauren Castillo Illustration - http://www.LaurenCastillo.etsy.com
bonheur/The Hopeless Romantic Boutique - http://www.bonheur.etsy.com
Elevenish (Carolyne Tillery) - http://www.elevenish.etsy.com
The Art of Carmen Keys - http://www.carmenkeysart.etsy.com
The Creators Palette - http://www.TheCreatorsPalette.etsy.com
FlutterBrush - http://www.FlutterBrush.etsy.com
WhimseyArts - http://www.WhimsyArts.etsy.com
The Folk Art of Christina Colwell - http://www.ChristinaColwell.etsy.com

May the peace and joy of the season last the whole year long!

Was it really worth it?

2008-12-22T19:27:00.002-05:00

This was the question I was asked by my father this morning after I said that sales were slow and likely to get slower in January. "Was it worth it to start a new commercial venture now?" I paused to think. 2008 was my first official year "in business," and my shop online and off had its ups and downs. This year was undoubtedly not the best time to sell merchandise when the economy was sliding downhill faster than an Olympic luge team. But monetary gains are only part of the full story when pursuing an unknown path. How should the worth of trying something new be assessed?

Looking out of my icicle-draped windows, I gaze upon a familiar landscape now coated with a thick quilt of newly fallen snow. It is easy to forget the rich, green panorama of life lying dormant under that velvety white curtain. Hidden under the most bleak of surfaces is often a luscious layer of convoluted textures just ripe with meaning. I find this true in my business experiences as well: The true worth of making myself and my creative work available for public scrutiny and purchase lies buried deep in the recesses of my inner landscape and far exceeds the worth of the outer, materialistic layer.

Indeed this retail venture - or should I say adventure, has been profitable in many regards. I finally followed through on doing something I had talked about for an annoying number of years (starting a home business). I exposed my creative side to hundreds of strangers and I lived to tell the tale! I have been the fortunate recipient of new friendships and relationships based on the mutual loves of art and craft. (This support has become life-affirming to me.) A new and vibrant community of peers has emerged to fill the gap left by my transition from homeschool to imminent post-school immersion. I pushed myself, sometimes with great struggle, to try new crafting techniques; I've kicked myself outside the creative box, looked inside it, turned it upside down, and spilled its contents on the floor in search of my own style. (I'm still rummaging through the mess!) I participated in five craft shows which is more actual public speaking than I have done in a long time. In emails and on paper I can talk up a storm, but put me in front of a live audience and I usully freeze. Sitting behind my table at a show forced me to make conversation, and worse, it required me to talk about myself and my work. By the end of the last show I actually relaxed (well, a little), and learned to enjoy discussing the details of the jewelry I had created.

Most importantly, I had the epiphany that trying something new, falling flat on my face, getting up and trying again or trying something else was a normal part of a full, human life, much in contrast to the what I had ingrained in me as a child, then reinforced as a young adult, that failure was to be avoided at all costs. In fact, it appears "failure" is crucial to growth and enhanced creativity. Maybe this seems commonplace to those lucky folks who had this secret revealed to them at an early age, but to me, the experiences of the past year were nothing short of transformational.

So, my final answer to the question, "Was it really worth it?" has to be an unwavering yes, but for reasons too personal and convoluted to explain to an outside observer in a short sentence. I simply dodged my father's question and went on to making breakfast. But to the rest of you I can honestly report that in my first year in business I didn't make much money, but I truly became enriched.

I wish you an inwardly and outwardly prosperous 2009.

Winter Solstice

2008-12-21T15:34:00.008-05:00

Sharing a little poem I wrote for the Winter Solstice in 2006...

Original painting by Matt Armington as inspired by poem. (Thank you Matt!)

Solstice Night

The moonless air is still
and dark.
Shadowless we wait
with eyes skyward
and frozen breath
curling
into the night.

Deep within our souls
we ache
with desire to embark
upon the timeless journey,
of night into day,
transforming
dark into light.

All wings must rest
folded
marking the time
until the heart calls.
Suspended in slumber
awaiting
time for flight.

Crystalline silken threads
spun
on winter dreams
by cryptic mystic spiders
lacing lives and loves
concealing
within a fragile web.

Diamond stars sparkle
escorts
from the shadowed realm
point to awakened roots
taking hold within us,
illuminating
slender slivers of hope.

Copyright Liv Herbert 2006

Winding Down

2008-12-19T12:46:00.016-05:00

For the past two months I have been cranking up my internal gears in preparation for the holiday season and three craft shows. I worked night and day like a little elf, the light over my work table often glowing late into the night (or into the wee hours of the morning). Although these times of extreme crafting were tiring, I experienced a wonderful explosion of creativity during those frenetic weeks. Pages of designs were sketched and added to my "inspiration board," and dozens of projects that had been lingering in the back of my mind were brought to life. Of course, I can't keep up that pace for long, and eventually I need to take a short hiatus where I make nothing. It is at that point which I find myself now: shows done, worktable in need of clearing, mind in need of rest. My internal clock needs to wind down. Winter is a good time for replenishing that energy deficit.

So what DID I do during all those late night crafting extravaganzas? Mostly I prepared new inventory for craft shows. The events were not highly attended and my experiences ranged from "awful" to "not too bad." I certainly had the chance to practice setting up and taking down my booth, which I fine-tuned to include new ways to display necklaces and earrings.

Picture frames lined with fabric
make nice back-drops for earrings

Inexpensive lampshades
turn into necklace displays

The booth set-up forms an
L-shape and tries to create
a boutique atmosphere.

The lighted topiaries and silk
flower arrangements I made
were a big hit. People wanted
to know if they were for sale.
Perhaps I should go into
floral design instead??

I made many bracelets, including new styles with wire and glass flowers (right). This is a style I think I may offer again with various handmade, wire focal clasps. I also did some knotting on silk cord (left) which I find very relaxing.

Flowers from Zuda Gay, fused glass pendants from Chauncey Design, handmade lampwork beads and ceramic pendants from other Etsy artisans made their way into my designs.

I also had a chance to use some recycled, vintage bottle glass in a necklace using wrapped Vintaj natural brass filigree to create a pendant, and combining it with frosted Czech glass beads in a matching cobalt shade.

In between the crazy days and nights of crafting, I also decided to open shops on two new, online marketing venues for handmade items. I now have the beginnings of collections available for purchase at 1000 Markets, http://www.1000markets.com/users/thefiligreegarden, and Artfire. I don't yet have a full inventory at these locations, but I plan to further explore these avenues in 2009.

Finally, it seems that everyone is getting into Twitter these days, and I have also taken the plunge into this new micro-blogging outlet. When a friend asked me what Twitter is used for, I was stumped about how to explain it. "Is it chatting?" Well, it can be... "Is is blogging?" Well, sort of... Twitter is really a running monologue (and sometimes dialogue) in real time that is from you to the Twitter community. It encompasses marketing, idea exchanges, information alerts, getting and giving answers to questions, social networking, and communication between people. The one thing it definitely becomes is addicting! If you want to give it a try, you can follow me on Twitter, http://twitter.com/filigreegarden, and we'll have a 140 character dialogue. Yes, each post can only be 140 characters long, so you soon become proficient in trimming what you say to the barest essentials - quite the challenge sometimes!

Now the snow is falling and we're preparing to be housebound for the weekend. After I file away a mountain of paperwork, put the last few pairs of completed earrings in my shops, and do a little more blog maintenance, I think I will clear everything off my work table and go into hibernation for a bit, or at least until January when visions of business taxes and inventory records start dancing in my husband's head. Ugh! Off to hang up the mental "Do Not Disturb" sign until then!

Blog Housekeeping

2008-12-18T10:00:00.019-05:00

Those little details of life that relentlessly pull you here and there seem to have gotten the better of me lately. My housekeeping, both on and off the internet, has been lacking. Eventually all those forgotten duties pile up to an extent that a tiny digital dust bunny becomes a huge, looming snow ball threatening to steam roll over everything else. So...it's time to clear out the cobwebs and get back to speed on blogging.

Today's first order of business is to express my thanks to thank a few people who have featured my work and my Etsy shop in the last week.

Fellow Twitterer Altered-Gypsy gave me a nice item spotlight in two of her blogs: My Gypsygoods highlighted my Zen and Faerie Flowers necklaces, which both use artisan beads and pendants as focal points, and Altered Events showcased my Victorian Bride and Secret Diary necklaces. I'd like to invite you all to visit her shop, http://www.Alteredevents.etsy.com, to browse her collection of handmade "unique, fun, fantasy, costume artwear" such as lace chokers, garters, fanciful feathered hats, hair combs, and cuffs. Her second shop, Gypsygoods, http://www.gypsygoods.etsy.com offers a variety of bags, tags, buttons, and seller shop supplies.

Hand stitched layers of lace are added together to create a unique victorian inspired choker
from Altered Events

Another surprise was being included in Jai's weekly top 20 favorite jewelry picks on the blog http://the20jew el.blogspot.com. I was very thankful to have my Copper Dahlias necklace displayed amongst so many other wonderful jewelry selections. Jai is a talented jewelry artisan. She offers her work on Etsy at http://www.jaijohnson.etsy.com, and on her own website, http://www.michelejanine.com. Her jewelry includes pieces created with sculpted solder, gemstones, wire work, scrimshaw, polymer clay and porcelain.

Rare vintage aquamarine
blue glass unfoiled stone framed
in hand-sculpted silver solder
with a silver plated bail
from Jai Johnson

Some of my favorite handmade elements to use in creating jewelry come from the artful hands of Zuda Gay, who makes very beautiful flowers in polymer clay and offers them in her Etsy shop, http://ZudaGay.etsy.com. Every piece of jewelry in my recent shows that included a "Zuda flower" drew lots of attention from visitors to my booth. There is something magical about her polymer designs. Zuda was recently featured on World Artisan Gems as a talented and emerging artist to watch. I heartily agree with this selection! I'd like to extend a big thank you to Zuda for mentioning me in her interview as one of two of her favorite jewelry artisans. I was humbled to be included in her list! Zuda's lovely creations have inspired me to create some of my favorite pieces.

One of Zuda's polymer clay flower pods drips with dew made of
silver-wrapped Czech glass beads in amethyst
and clear vintage Czech crystals in my Faerie Flowers necklace.

Finally, my blog was honored with this Butterfly Award given by agoodwitchtoo on her blog, The Coppe r Cauldron. Thank you! Make sure you check out The Copper Cauldron at Etsy to peruse agoodwitchtoo's fine selection of handmade soaps, http://www.agoodwitchtoo.etsy.com.

As recipient of this award, I am obliged to pass the love on to 10 other bloggers whose blogs deserve some attention. So...

The awards go to:
1. Magdalene Jewels
2. On a Whimsey
3. Mystic Mooma Makes Things
4. Word Walks
5. Joonbeam
6. Beth Peardon Productions
7. Nuvo Felt
8. Dreaming Spirals
9. Jai Johnson
10. My Gypsygoods

Now those receiving the awards are urged to do the following:
1. Post a copy on your blog.
2. Mention who gave you the award.
3. Pass the award on to 10 others.
4. Leave a message on their blog letting them know the honor has been bestowed upon them.

Well, housecleaning can be exhausting! Next, I'll update you on what I have been doing for the last month. Stay tuned.

Handmade for the Holidays

2008-11-14T10:59:00.002-05:00

Here's a special opportunity for all of you online shoppers who want to save gas and shop from your keyboard instead. Check out It's a Wonderful Sale this holiday season when you shop the BBEST Limited Time Sale and find handmade and vintage treasures for everyone on your list, quickly, easily, and at remarkable values. So pull up a chair, get comfy and find the joy that the BBEST (Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team) has to offer! BBEST artists are talented individuals who sell their products in the homemade goods marketplace known as Etsy.com.

Here's how this special event works. First, if you have not yet registered as an Etsy visitor, go to http://www.etsy.com, and click on Register. Now you're ready to begin!

Check out the BBEST HoLiDaY HuNt for registered Etsy buyers. THREE WONDERFUL PRIZE PACKAGES will be given away.

These BBEST Team members have generously donated the fabulous holiday gift item collections seen in the above photo.

Kathy's Krafty Kreations, http://kathyskraftykreation.etsy.com
Beth Peardon Prods, http://BethPeardonProds.etsy.com
ZudaGay, http://ZudaGay.etsy.com
Yankeegirl’s Watercolors, http://yankeegirl.etsy.com
Firefly Glass Design, http://fireflyglassdesign.etsy.com
Sixsisters, http://sixsisters.etsy.com
Sassa Lynne at Etsy, http://sassalynne.etsy.com
Van Fleet Street Design, http://VanFleetStreetDesign.etsy.com
joonbeam, http://joonbeam.etsy.com
GinaBEE Supply http://ginabeesupply.etsy.com
Precious Quilts http://preciousquilts.etsy.com
Onawhimsey http://onawhimsey.etsy.com
Chauncey Design, http://Chauncey.etsy.com
artmixter, http://artmixter.etsy.com
JN Originals, http://jnoriginals.etsy.com
Lemachi Designs, http://LemachiDesigns.etsy.com
Hemlock Hollow Creations, http://hemlockhollow.etsy.com
Ghi-Goo-ie Designs by Joni Stinson, http://jstinson.etsy.com
Talking Dog, http://TalkingDog.etsy.com
Anna’s Jewelry, http://Annasjewelry.etsy.com
Rosegardenfae, http://rosegardenfae.etsy.com
Night Sky Jewelry, http://nightskyjewelry.etsy.com
The Button Hole, http://ButtonHole.etsy.com
Kittyd, http://kittyd.etsy.com

TWO ways to enter. NO PURCHASE REQUIRED.

RULES:

Play this way . . . Holiday Hide & Seek:

Simply hunt through the shops below and look for the BBEST avatar seen to the right. It is randomly placed in one listing item photo slot in some of our shops.

Find the avatar. Copy the listing ID of each item. When you've found 10, convo (contact) the BBEST shop with that list, AND come to the sale discussion on Etsy (click on link to get there) and post that you've done so. Do not reveal any hidden avatar locations to any eligible players. Your name will be entered into our random prize drawing! Limit: one entry per Etsian.

EXEMPT from this method of entry are those team members who have a hidden avatar in their shops. EXEMPT from both methods of entry are joonbeam, chauncey and sixsisters, who are the team leaders and organizers of this sale and game.

Play this way . . . Support Handmade.

Save money. For every $1 you spend in our participating shops, listed below, your name will be entered into the random prize drawing. All three prize packages will be given away.

You must enter BBEST in the notes to seller upon checkout.
Only complete dollar amounts (i.e., $7.65 = 7 entries) from each shop count. No amounts less than $1 will be combined between or among multiple shop purchases.
The final sale price dollar amounts coincide with your entries. In other words, regardless of when the discounted price is finalized, the discounted total dollars determine the number of entries. (For example, some sale transactions are handled via convo / reserved listing with the sale price, others purchase and get a revised invoice.) If a shop has a mix of sale (reduced price) items and non sale items, all purchases do count toward your dollar amounts.
Excludes shipping/handling costs. Item costs only.
Only purchase dollars from transactions with the shops in this list and made between 12:01 a.m. Etsy Time, November 12, 2008 and 11:59 p.m. Etsy time, November 17, 2008 qualify.

Winners will be announced on our team blog: http://boomersandbeyond.blogspot.com on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at NOON Etsy Time. You must come by and look for the winner's Etsy ID names listed there. Winners have 3 (three) days to convo (contact) the teambbest shop with their mailing address, or they will forfeit their prize and subsequent names will be drawn.

You can play either or both ways. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.

Each shop owner has their own sale style and terms, which you will find in their shop announcement.

We are all convo friendly. Do not hesitate to contact us with your questions or requests! Thank you for shopping with us and HaPpY HoLiDaYs!

Participating BBEST Team Shops for It's A Wonderful Sale 2008:

ART:

Yankeegirl’s Watercolors, http://yankeegirl.etsy.com
On A Whimsey, http://onawhimsey.etsy.com
Purelypainting, http://purelypainting.etsy.com
Sixsisters, http://sixsisters.etsy.com
Van Fleet Street Design, http://VanFleetStreetDesign.etsy.com
Fairy Frond, http://fairyfrond.etsy.com
Althea Peregrine, http://AltheaP.etsy.com
Jean Levert Hood, http://JeanHood.etsy.com
Lemachi Gallery http://lemachigallery.etsy.com
Heron Kate, http://heronkate.etsy.com
Artmixter, http://artmixter.etsy.com

CRAFT SUPPLIES & CREATIONS:

Circle In The Sand, http://circleinthesand.etsy.com
GinaBEE Supply http://ginabeesupply.etsy.com
The Button Hole, http://ButtonHole.etsy.com
Lemachi Designs, http://LemachiDesigns.etsy.com

FABRIC & YARN ARTS:

The Knotty Sheep, http://theknottysheep.etsy.com
Sassa Lynne at Etsy, http://sassalynne.etsy.com
Precious Quilts http://preciousquilts.etsy.com
Asianexpressions, http://Asianexpressions.etsy.com
Whimseys, http://whimseys.etsy.com

GLASS:

Firefly Glass Design, http://fireflyglassdesign.etsy.com
Chris1 http://Chris1.etsy.com
Nonnie’s Treasures, http://Nonnie60.etsy.com
Chauncey Design, http://Chauncey.etsy.com

HOME DECOR ART:

Jill’s Treasure Chest, http://JillsTreasureChest.etsy.com
joonbeam, http://joonbeam.etsy.com
Glitz n Glass, http://GlitznGlass.etsy.com
Lord’s Living World, http://lordslivingworld.etsy.com
The Wild Hare, http://thewildhare.etsy.com
Talking Dog Productions, http://TalkingDog.etsy.com
The Good Old Days, http://GoodOldDays.etsy.com

JEWELRY:

Sending Love Gallery, http://sendinglovegallery.etsy.com
Kathy's Krafty Kreations, http://kathyskraftykreation.etsy.com
Magdalene Jewels, http://MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com
Night Sky Jewelry, http://nightskyjewelry.etsy.com
Hemlock Hollow Creations, http://hemlockhollow.etsy.com
The Filigree Garden, http://thefiligreegarden.etsy.com
Rosegardenfae, http://rosegardenfae.etsy.com
Kittyd, http://kittyd.etsy.com
Ghi-Goo-ie Designs by Joni Stinson, http://jstinson.etsy.com
maryeb jewelry designs, http://maryeb.etsy.com
Anna’s Jewelry, http://Annasjewelry.etsy.com
Wrist Wrap Works, http://WristWrapWorks.etsy.com

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Beth Peardon Prods, http://BethPeardonProds.etsy.com

POLYMER CLAY ART:

ZudaGay, http://ZudaGay.etsy.com

Harvesting

2008-09-07T23:17:00.025-04:00

The end of summer comes faster each year it seems, and with it comes the bittersweet flood of freshly harvested garden vegetables. Though I adore the taste of sweet yellow pear tomatoes straight from the vine and the crisp crunch of home-grown cucumbers, this last mad influx of produce means that the long winter and a time of fallow fields is not far behind. Already the squash vines are browning and fading away, the herbs are setting seeds, and the sunflowers are bowing their heads to the ever-shortening hours of sunlight. I will surely miss the wonderful flavors of summer when the greenery is gone and the garden is bathed in frost.

Yet there are many ways to preserve the pleasures of the harvest long into the winter. For the moment, my crafting life must take a back seat to food preservation. Hours and hours spent now skinning, seeding and simmering fresh tomatoes means having a taste of summer in January in the form of spaghetti sauce kept fresh in a chest freezer. I have been busy putting up dozens of pints of freezer pickles, sweet relish, tomato sauce, and quarts of mashed potatoes made with red and white potatoes from our bountiful crop. Some things are dried with a dehydrator and packed in glass jars, such as oregano, basil, chocolate mint, and sage. Other vegetables can be kept for weeks in a cool section of the basement; the balance of our potatoes is stored in perforated brown paper bags sitting on top of an unused air hockey table. Not the ideal root cellar arrangement, but it will have to do until we can build a more proper storage area.

So how did the garden grow this year and what is still left to be harvested? It was a strange summer in terms of weather. Early warmth was followed by weeks of rain. Then a cool August was followed by a hot and humid first week of September. Mid-summer rains caused the tomatoes to stay green until late in August meaning a relentless number of red fruits are now coming in. Green and wax beans were plentiful again this year. The sage grew like weeds. Our two-year-old peach tree produced a dozen delicious fruits. The cucumbers flourished on trellises, a method we will use next year as well. Radishes happily germinated and almost all the garlic plants produced healthy bulbs. The new asparagus bed is now well populated by lacy asparagus ferns. On the downside, the squashes were attacked by vine borers yet again, causing a reduced winter squash yield, although a few new summer squash bush varieties were very productive. In the future we'll plant only the bush type to save space and make the borers more manageable. Unfortunately beetles and grasshoppers feasted on the basil and kale, making the crop mostly unusable, and the broccoli never produced heads for the second year in a row.

There were a few wonderful surprises in the garden this summer. After a poor showing by potatoes planted in containers in 2007, we planted several in-ground rows of plants this year. Having survived an early attack of Colorado potato beetles, the plants went on to surpass our wildest expectations by yielding over 110 pounds of potatoes! And before you ask, no, we don't have a farm! We live in a suburban neighborhood and have a back yard garden that comprises only about 3% of our land. It is amazing how much food can be produced in a small area if the popular focus on large expanses of green lawn is traded for a love of well-placed, intensive gardens.

One other interesting twist occurred in a last minute raised bed we created in our south-facing front yard. Running out of space and time, we tossed some watermelon seeds and the extra home-grown tomato seedlings into this new bed. We waited and waited and yet no little watermelon seedlings appeared. Then, one day, seemingly overnight, watermelon vines began covering the bare soil at an incredible rate. The prolonged heat in the front yard apparently fueled their growth spurt and soon several green melons were forming under the lush foliage. One of these green beauties is now over 18 inches long! We are anxiously waiting for the day that this giant surprise baby can be opened. Will the center be sweet, red and juicy? Or will it be pale and lacking flavor? Only time will tell.

Like the hidden and mysterious interior of the watermelon, one never knows what will grow in the garden each year; its progress cannot be rushed and the outcome is always unpredictable. Sometimes waiting for the harvest can be a stressful and tedious process. Those long, quiet days when nothing seems to be happening are masking the intense changes taking place underneath the surface. Watching a garden grow builds patience and forces our acceptance of things beyond our control. It develops our appreciation of success and failure as two sides of the same coin; the flourishing of one thing balances the shortcomings of another. Gardening encourages us to be unafraid of trying something new for the results may lead us in an entirely unexpected and rewarding direction. Of course these lessons are more acceptable in hindsight at the end of the season. I am sure I will need to relearn them again next year as I curse at the bugs and wait impatiently for fruit to ripen. Hindsight may be 20/20 but it has a short memory. Luckily Mother Nature is always willing to repeat the lesson.

Blog Love

2008-09-07T20:33:00.010-04:00

Some days start off the same old way, and then a few start off with very pleasant surprises. This morning I was greeted with a little bit of blog love in the form of a nomination for the award pictured here, "Brillante Weblog-Primo 2008". My wonderful BBEST (Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team) team mate and fellow blogger Pamela of Magdalene Jewels has included my blog in her list of seven favorite artisan blogs. Pam's great blog and the original nomination can be read at http://magdalenejewelspjk.blogspot.com
Pam creates beautiful jewelry which is offered in her Etsy shop, www.MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com. I am greatly honored to be included in her list! Thank you Pam!

In turn, I am to nominate seven creative bloggers to join this list of blogs to love. Narrowing down this list to only seven will not be an easy task! Here are a few of the worthy blogs I frequent. I am sorry I can't include more!

1. http://joonbeam.blogspot.com
2. http://wordwalks.blogspot.com
3. http://scottieacres.blogspot.com
4. http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/sueb
5. http://sandfibers.blogspot.com
6. http://www.vanfleetstreetdesign.blogspot.com
7. http://lizplummer.com/blog

Now that I have passed the "Brilliante Weblog-Primo 2008" onto each of these artists, they, in turn, must do the same by following the instructions below:

1. Add the logo of the Award to your blog.
2. Add a link to the Person who nominated you for the Award.
3. Nominate 7 other blog members.
4. Add links to their blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message (or convo) for those you nominated on their blog.

Please do take a look at each of the blogs that I nominated. You will find interesting reading, beautiful artwork, and creative inspiration at each stop. Enjoy!

Getting to your roots

2008-08-10T13:58:00.036-04:00

In yesterday's post I reminisced about the creative passions of my youth that I am now revisiting as an adult. I asked friends in my Etsy BBEST team (Boomer and Beyond Etsy Street Team) to look back at what arts and crafts they were drawn to as children. Their insightful and interesting answers are posted below.

The Questions:

What arts and crafts did you do as a child? Did these interests carry with you into adulthood or did you return to them as an adult?

The Replies:

I always loved drawing and did a lot of it as a child. I also did collage and glued things together. They certainly are what I do now.

Six Sisters, http://sixsisters.etsy.com
Fairy Frond, http://fairyfrond.etsy.com

I played with playdough a lot! I played in the mud out side. I remember digging clay out of a creek bank and making flowers. hehe... I colored and drew and painted. I sewed from the time I could stand and press the foot petal and was tall enough to see the needle. Every time my Mama got up to press a seam I stood and sewed until she came back to sew her next bit. I never stopped doing any of them.

ZudaGay, http://ZudaGay.etsy.com

I did all sorts of artistic things as a child and I still do. Played music...still do....wrote, still do...draw, still do, but now I do it with glass....

Gimme Beads, http://gimmebeads.etsy.com

I learned to knit when I was 8 years old - and I never stopped! I also did crochet, needlepoint, cross stitch, and embroidery. I learned to sew, but I have always preferred more portable crafts. In addition, I have been playing piano since I was a child.

Alysa Merle Handcrafts, http://AlysaMerle.etsy.com

I knitted as a child - still do. I also liked to create things out of other things and draw. I was an art minor in college and have dabbled in watercolors. I was also a drafter for a few years - actually drawing for money!

Blazing Needles, http://blazingneedles.etsy.com

At about the age of nine I started embroidering, and continued to do so for years. I also did some knitting at a very young age but was terrible at it, so I lost interest pretty quickly.

I loved making clothes for paper dolls (do they still have those?) and was designing clothes for "real" dolls by wrapping them in various scraps and ribbons from my mom's sewing drawer until I was old enough that she let me use her machine. I think I was about 12. As an adult I made most of the clothes for myself and my oldest daughter, but by the time my youngest was born, I was over it. As a kid, I was always doodling and drawing, but don't really have a talent for that. I loved writing and wrote a lot of poems, stories, and plays. I've always adored horses, so they were usually the inspiration for my drawings and writings.

There were no beads, gemstones, or wire involved in my childhood, this passion must have grown from my general love of making things with my hands!

Night Sky Jewelry, http://nightskyjewelry.etsy.com

As a child I loved to color, draw, paint, and play with clay. I took tap, ballet, and toe dancing for 13 years. I used to sew a little and I love to knit. I am still pursuing my love of color with my glass work.

Firefly Glass Design, http://fireflyglassdesign.etsy.com

I loved to draw as a child, but wasn't any good at it, and can remember making clothes for dolls out of tissue paper... no cloth or anything around. I learned to play the guitar when I was 13. These days, I work in cloth and paint, and have lots of stringed instruments, including a lute.

Artmixter, http://www.artmixter.etsy.com

I always loved to color and arrange color. Colorforms, paint by number, crayons and coloring books were our favorite Christmas gifts. We also made those potholders and I remember being very picky about the color, feel and quality of the loops which were randomly packaged. Drove me nuts. We did sell them door to door in our neighborhood, too. I learned cross stitch and loved that and then learned embroidery. My sister and I would also design elaborate doll condos out of cast away 'stuff'. We'd build these on the floor at the end of our beds and they'd last for months, we'd add and detract over and over. We didn't care for playing with the dolls at all. Just designing these complex structures.

Our family (genetic) creative interests were cooking/baking, photography and home movies. I've always loved, pursued and excelled in those areas. In High School I learned to sew with a machine and I also learned cake decorating, which I loved & would love to do again. I was married very young and sewed and did embroidery work a lot. Experience with both of those has led to increased skill, a sense of joy and happy satisfaction.

What carries over from these activities into my art life today is my interest in assembling things from 'nothing', being very color and environmentally affected oriented (both immediate and global), and, of course, there's those indispensable scissors ~ the tool that arranges all of my disparate findings into a whole new creation.

Although I sometimes wonder what path I might have taken if I'd had opportunities for art & literature higher learning, I do like being self taught and there's plenty of time for things like film school!

Joonbeam, http://joonbeam.etsy.com
Flying Housewife, http://flyinghousewife.etsy.com

My mother was a wonderful seamstress who made all her own clothes and mine too! She was brilliant at embroidery, I remember dresses being embellished with embroidered flowers using French Knotts. Also, tablecloths, bed linen. And then, she discovered machine embroidery and a lot of open work which brings me to the conclusion... she was so immersed in her sewing etc with me sitting in the corner just colouring whilst she learnt her skills that I ended up taking a real dislike to sewing!

In fact I remember sewing at school. Our first project was to make an apron. This was supposed to only take a few weeks before you were allowed on to another project. I took a whole term and hated it! It looked pretty awful too. Now cooking? That was a whole different ball game! Loved it, and to this day I love cooking.

However, in later years I have delved into the world of sewing but this time, patchwork. Something my mother just could not get her head around!!

........... and then I remembered! As a child I used to love doodling with pen and ink. Picture after picture and maybe that is why I love 'doodling' with encaustics because I never know where I will be going!

Precious Quilts, http://preciousquilts.etsy.com
On A Whimsey, http://onawhimsey.etsy.com

Interesting question. I have always, as far back as I can remember, loved making things. I've said for years that I must have a short attention span as I seem to change interests often. I remember making makeup when I was maybe 7 with magic markers, water and baby powder. Geesh! I did the doll clothes thing, I always had the coolest halloween costumes, loved to make these shoebox things where you would cut a hole into the side to look in and there would be a diorama inside.

As an adult I've been all over with crafts. Again short attention span. I have a dollhouse that I built that has a chimney that spews smoke. I spent a couple of years making beaded jewelry, painting sweatshirts and t-shirts, got more advanced with machine embroidery, I sill love photgraphy and here I am now, addicted to glass.

Chauncey Design, http://Chauncey.etsy.com

I learned to sew (and knit & crochet too!) when I was around 6. Mom had a Singer. She sewed clothes for us kids. My Paternal grandmother taught my Mom and I both how to knit and crochet. I still love it all. I used to sketch and paint on everything. Got in trouble for sketching nudes. Heck it was a Catholic school. When I got to high school I excelled in anything to do with art. Forget Home Economics....I cooked and sewed at home. I did scenery for plays at school and the local theaters. Designed costumes. Made some large scale sculptures working with clay. Did commissioned art work for different businesses and private owners. I had been accepted to several top schools for design but chose to marry my childhood sweetheart instead.

I have continued with designing and sewing (my kids had the greatest wardrobes as they were growing up) and got into patchwork quilts for awhile. Then I found model railroading and started creating miniature buildings and making trees and landscapes. I developed a business making resin structure kits that I finally closed last year after almost 10 years and am now back into (I never really left I guess) sewing. And with the age of the digital camera I am having fun with photography. Whatever medium....I need to create.

Scottie Acres Boutique, http://scottieacres.etsy.com

I did a lot of needle crafts as a child. My mom and grandma taught me to crochet and a bit about sewing, embroidery and tatting. I wanted to learn how to knit but they told me it was too hard, because it used 2 needles.

I kept up with crocheting, sewing and embroidering, teaching myself new things all of the time. I found crocheting to be a BIG stress reliever in college.

While working at my 1st job in a Pediatric ER, one of my fellow nurses would knit during her breaks. When I asked her about it, she said that it was easy. Soooo, I bought a book, yarn and needles and taught myself to knit - a sweater!! I still knit today. I love learning new techniques.

I've also done lots of other arts and crafts:quilting, stained glass..... In fact the other day I thought that probably the only thing I haven't made is a boat.

I think what I learned from the various needle arts has helped me greatly in the wirework I now do. Much of my jewelry making reminds me so much of sewing and embroidering. What I learned about color from making quilts has also had a big influence on my jewelry designs.

Mary E Jewelry Designs, http://maryeb.etsy.com

I used to draw A LOT. I would read a book or story and then draw whole notebooks full of illustrations for them. Also in school, I remember drawing a lot, even on the chalk board! I took shop instead of home economics, which means I only learned the basics in sewing (which I hate), knitting (which I did a lot as a teenager) and crocheting (which is not my thing at all). I did learn to make things with clay early on, which was love at first touch, and I became a professional ceramic artist and teacher in the end. I also loved to write, mainly letters, I had some pen pals, this was before the internet obviously.
But clay really was my favorite thing ever. I still get sentimental about it, but don't have the energy to start a studio from scratch any more, since I sold everything before I immigrated to the US. The window clings reflect my love for drawing, but they also have a texture, like glazes do.

Clinging Images, http://clingingimages.etsy.com
Nice Old Stuff, http://www.NiceOldStuff.etsy.com

I used to play with my mother's and grandmother's jewelry, taking it out and running it through my hands and putting it back. I always had some of my own. I still have a huge rhinestone that I called "my diamond"! Other than that, I was mostly interested in nature, outdoors, butterflies, bugs, dirt, rocks - once found a huge rock at camp that was loaded with garnets. Somebody stole it after I brought it home!

Hemlock Hollow Creations, http://www.hemlockhollow.etsy.com

I did paint by number some as a kid and lots of coloring books (all carefully within the lines). They were constrained but that was what was available in my mind. I also learned to knit afghans. In art class though I felt freer... I still have several paintings I did that color-wise look just like my work now. It is so cool to look at them. I guess I was too caught in not being able to take risks outside of class.

I did read - lots and lots!! And I stared a lot into a few reflective surfaces we had (like bathroom window sill) and imagined other worlds and upside down worlds in the reflections. The reading I did also totally stretched my mind into other times and places ... and these things impact my work now as an artist.

In my 20's I started to do embroidery on my dungarees and work shirts and they are colorful and free. I also painted a few practical things like utensil holders made out of an old bed headboard. I also started quilting and making pillows with quilting techniques ... that is when I started coming into my own (in life too).

Diane Clancy's Art, http://DianeClancy.etsy.com

As a child I loved drawing, coloring, and experimenting with a variety of techniques/mediums. One of the highlights of my summer was always going shopping for school supplies. I begged my mother to let me buy the big box of 64 Crayola crayons; she usually would give in, even though the school only required the 24 count box. I loved those crayons and remember the smell of the fresh wax to this day.

J.B. Guess & Company, http://jbguess.etsy.com

I loved drawing, coloring, and painting with watercolors as a kid. I played with play dough and clay. I learned to crochet and sew when I was a teen. My big love was music. I played the violin, cello, and taught myself to play the piano and guitar. I still play the last two.
I still sew and crochet and started painting again on wood and ceramics. Cutting out wood pieces on a scroll saw is a lot like sewing.

Jill's Treasure Chest, http://JillsTreasureChest.etsy.com

I never realized until now how much my childhood has affected the person I am today. What an ingenious question which will get us all thinking of things from the past to the present.
I have always loved working with my hands and creating. I couldn't have been more than 4 when my grandmother purchase a tiny Indian beading loom with Native American beads. Strangely, one of the few things besides my Madame Alexander dolls that I kept was that loom and still have some beads left. Could this have been the beginning of my love of beading and jewelry making?
Another memory that immediately comes to light as I think back was my first sewing machine. It couldn't have stood more than 6 inches high; but I had the best dressed dolls in town. Who even knew what a pattern was. I would just lay my doll on the fabric and cut around it and stitch it up. I still design and make my own quilts, and design and sew all the costumes for our theatre group; and yet, I still don't know where to begin using a pattern. It just evolves from my head to my hands. Unfortunately, I never kept that little machine, but my sister so kindly brought me a new one this year for my birthday.

Magdalene Jewels, http://MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com

Ever since my formative years I have been an observer of life - that has been a keen approach to my becoming a photographer. I feel my observation skills have served me well in creating images that I'm proud of showcasing my work in gallery exhibitions.

Susan Elkin Photography, http://www.SusanElkin.etsy.com

As a young child I loved to draw/paint and create all sorts of crafts from gathered natural items. Pinecones and twigs were transformed into pins or collage pieces, or even used for a 3-d addition to a current painting. I made many a clay bowl and ash tray, not to mention picture frames from popsickle sticks. I was always creating something and made all my own gifts.

Then one day my art Teacher chastised me for drawing a tree without leaves. Gave me a "d" for teh project and sent me home in tears, drudging through the snow, only to tell my Mom that I would not ever paint again. Of course I had to fill my time somehow, so I explored other crafts and spent hours amusing myself as I attempted to sell my creations. Other kids may have had lemonade stands, I had art and craft shows! Yes, I was an enterprising young lady! I began taking my braided bracelets to schhol and selling them during luch. Many a Mom received my special pine cone pin for Christmas!

So, yes, I did continue crafting and jewelry making, often with a strong nature influence as I became an adult. A few years ago, I even attempted to paint again. However, I must say that my covered bridge charcoal drawing that I did when I was eight looks much more professional than my most recent attempt. So I am just going to stick with the other 99 or so things that I do and leave painting and drawing to those more talented artists!

UniqueXpression, http://uniquexpression.etsy.com
Unique Garden, http://www.UniqueGarden.etsy.com
Unique Treat Dog Bones, http://www.UniqueTreatDogBones.etsy.com

As a child I was always checking out craft books from the library and trying all kinds of things. I learned to sew and a toy sewing machine first and then my mother sent me to a sewing class at the Singer sewing center in our small town. I had my pattern pieces all pinned onto the fabric and was cutting them out, the two instructors were so busy gabbing and not watching me that I started cutting on the hem line instead of the bottom. They had to scramble to stop me. It turned out okay and I won first place in our district. I still have the dress to this day complete with piping, covered buttons etc. Maybe I'll photo it and post on flicker. I sewed all my clothes through high school and did a lot of embroidery on them too. Still have a few of those also. I took a dress design course by correspondence when I was in high school.

The other think I loved to do was collage work, I remember cleaning, crushing, and painting eggshells and then making pictures with them. I also used common postage stamps my dad gave me to make designs. I still have one of those too. The other thing I loved to do was doodle drawings where I "scribbled" with a pen and then colored in using different colors.

Big Island Rose Designs, http://birose.etsy.com

I can't remember a time in my early childhood when crayons and colored pencils, paper, scissors and glue were not available. Etch-A-Sketch had just come out, as well as Play Doh, so we experimented a lot. Although coloring books were available, it was much more fun to make and dress our own paper dolls. My brother and I would rewrite fairy tales into plays, make our own costumes out of whatever we could find (because at that time we did not sew), and we turned a bedroom closet into a stage with the doors serving as curtains. We held puppet shows, too. I liked to write stories and illustrate them, and told everyone that when I grew up I would be an author.

My first experiences with hand sewing included hemming a bandana and darning socks on a darning egg (do they even make those anymore?), and my first sewing machine experiences were in junior high, when we sewed an apron and a kettle cloth jumper. During the summers, the local elementary schools had activity programs that were free for all ages as long as your parents registered you. I can remember weaving lanyard keychains, making paper mache masks, and forming colored tissue paper flowers.

While I was in high school and college, all of these activities seemed to drop off the map, probably because I had different (academic) priorities. But it's interesting to note that when I graduated from college, one of the first things I did was to take a class in crochet, and I bought a sewing machine. It was as if a floodgate opened, for this was just the beginning of many experiments in different kinds of arts and crafts activities.

At age 52, creativity is more important to me than ever. I even volunteer for an international non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage and promote creativity in youth. And those claims that I would be an author one day? Well, I do write for publication, even though I don't do any illustration!

JN Originals, http://jnoriginals.etsy.com
2nd Chance Treasures, http://2ndChanceTreasures.etsy.com

My first crafting memories are of creating little gardens in the mole-hills in the lawn, using bits of broken mirror for a pond. I also had a passion for drying out melon seeds and making necklaces from them for my sisters. Glueing paper chains and lanterns kept me occupied for hours each Christmas. Still doing all that kind of stuff 50 years later!

Make your presents felt, http://makeyourpresentsfelt.etsy.com

As a kid I played in the mud a lot and made dishes and play dough was always turned in to coil and pinch pots, my whole family was involved in ceramics even before I was born.. I’m the only one who moved over to pottery..

There was a lot of sewing also.. We were taught to embroidery, knit and made doll quilts.. by my grandmother..

Also we lived by DU so I hung out with the hippy chicks by our house learned macramé, candle making and those kinda things and still do them now..

Fehu Stoneware, http://fehustoneware.etsy.com

Crafting from the Roots Up

2008-08-10T10:31:00.027-04:00

Coming into midlife has been challenging for me. I struggle with relinquishing who I was as a young adult, and I balk at moving into a future that is frighteningly wide open. I am emerging from my middle age metamorphic cocoon still not knowing what type of butterfly I am. What do I want to do with my life – the second half? The excitement of being able to reinvent myself is counterbalanced by the lonely glare of a blank slate framed by adult fear and indecision. I could reinvent myself…but as what? There are so many vocational options, unlimited activities to try, dozens of interesting crafts calling my name, and many facets of my personality to explore. I feel like a teenager again. Yet unlike a girl of 18, I am a “mature” woman with a lot less time to waste. My second half has an expiration date that was absent in my first half. I’d like to get to the heart of the matter soon and spend those precious second-half days doing things that make me truly happy; I want to grow back into the soul of the child I was meant to be.

There is something very overwhelming about having too many options. Which one of those numerous potential new activities and creative pursuits is “the one”? In order to discover my lost self, I had to take a trip back in time to my crafting roots. Was there an art or craft that always captured my heart? I began to remember the things I asked for as a child: crayons, books, a typewriter, paper, pencils, thread, fabric, a camera, more paper, more crayons, yet more books...some items were very prominent in my recollections. These key objects represented activities that brought me joy at an early age, and are interests to which I am drawn once again.

Looking back, I always liked to play with color and texture. I can remember the pleasure of opening a fresh box of Crayola crayons with their rainbow of colors to delight the eye. One Christmas I received an enormous box of crayons, well over a hundred, packed neatly in a large, flat box along with a crayon sharpener and a few other art supplies. I was in heaven! Then there was the holiday which brought a “learn to draw” set which came with a pressed board drawing surface, a book on how to draw horses (my passion at the time), a sketch book, a box of charcoals, and some professional pencils. I felt like an artist. When I was older, my mother bought me a “real” set of Prismacolor colored pencils and a small palette of Grumbacher watercolors. We even went to an honest-to-goodness art store to purchase them. I spent hours drawing, mostly horses and other animals, but I also designed clothes and imagined they would be in pattern books or fashion magazines some day. Many of those colored pencils were worn down to little stubs in no time, but I never had the heart to throw them away.

Does anyone remember collecting S&H Green Stamps years ago? My mother would get these stamps when she made purchases at the grocery store; when you saved enough stamps and pasted them in a little paperback book, you could get your choice of items from a catalog. After weeks of squirreling away and attaching those little green tickets (I can still taste the stamp glue!), I was able to make my dream purchase: my first camera. I was still in elementary school at the time so this was very exciting. My choice was a Spartus Vanguard, made by Herold Products. It took color or black-and-white photographs with 127 film and it had a bulbous flash set in a silver-lined cup that looked like a small radar dish. It seems so antiquated now, but at the time it was my window on the world; it was a way to capture the beauty of nature or to forever frame a moment in time. I wanted my photos to be like the ones in National Geographic magazine, which came every month like clockwork in my parents’ mail. The magazine’s pictures seemed perfectly composed, romantic and mysterious. Every one told a wordless story about people and places that existed in a world different from my own. Of course, of the hundreds of pictures I took with that boxy camera, only a few turned out even remotely like the magazine shots, but I kept trying.

And let’s not forget the world of crafting. During my younger days I tried a lot of different things from sewing to knitting to embroidery. In middle school I learned to follow a pattern to make clothes, and I sewed some simple decorating items for my room. Like a lot of other little girls I made clothes and jewelry for my Barbie dolls, and I created jewelry for myself from beads and buttons. (Have you ever seen beads made from drops of Elmer’s glue?!) One of my favorite collections that I still have today is a mixture of plastic beads that I keep in an old, blue and white, metal cookie tin. One day my family stopped at a country store not far from a relative’s house. In one room of the store was a large, wooden whiskey barrel filled with beads. For a small amount one could purchase a bag of beads in a random assortment of sizes and hues. I remember dipping my hands deep into that cornucopia of color and wiggling my fingers through the round bits of plastic as if I had discovered a pirate’s chest filled with gold coins.

But the most enduring of my childhood passions grew from my love of books, which were my constant childhood companions. Like photographs, books could transport me into foreign places and let me tag along on adventures that could only take place in my imagination. Words were enticing and playful, beautiful and magical. They had power and yet they could be shaped into landscapes, actions and images. Words could communicate on paper what a shy kid like me couldn't verbalize. I loved those words and I wanted to write them too. So sometime when I was about 8, I asked my parents for a way to write faster than I could by hand. My wish was granted in the form of a brown, plastic typewriter that had cream-toned keys. I banged on that typewriter for hours; my parents got their money’s worth from that purchase! Eventually I graduated to a more grown-up, metal, Smith-Corona and, sadly, the poor little plastic typewriter went the way of all well-used toys. However, it will always have a fond place in my heart.

Vintage Hermes 3000 typewriter I purchased at a yard sale brings back memories of my childhood writing friend.

So, as we grow older, do we grow back into the creative people we used to be; the people we were born to be? If we are lucky, I think the answer is yes. Though many of my interests popped up here and there during my 20’s and 30’s, I am now beginning to return to my roots with more fervor in my midlife rediscovery of drawing, needlework, sewing, photography, beading, and, through the wonders of technology, writing. Blogging is undoubtedly an addictive outlet for word-lovers! This emerging butterfly might have finally found her wings.

I asked friends in my Etsy BBEST team (Boomer and Beyond Etsy Street Team) to look back at what arts and crafts they were drawn to as children. Did they carry these interests into adulthood or do they find themselves returning to these parts of their earlier selves? Their insightful and interesting answers will be posted tomorrow!

Growing Local

2008-07-26T11:56:00.024-04:00

Daily cooking tasks always seem more pleasant and interesting in the summer when fresh, local produce is arriving in great abundance. It is no surprise that my culinary creativity peaks from July through September. In addition to the herbs, fruits and vegetables growing in my own small garden, we have been reaping the edible benefits of our purchased share in a local CSA called Rabbit's Dance Farm, located just off the beaten path in Cumberland, RI, near the the Massachusetts border. This lovely pocket of farmland is tucked away on a small back road that is not far from the commercial shopping strip on Route 114 in Woonsocket, RI. One would never know that this unassuming rural gem existed so close to big box megamarts like Walmart and Lowes. In contrast to the oceans of pavement and energy-draining lights of the stores on the main road, Rabbit's Dance is a quiet oasis of trees and fields gently striped with rows of lush, green plants in various stages of bloom and growth.

I came upon a mention of Rabbit's Dance last year while perusing the listings of local farms at Farm Fresh Rhode Island, a comprehensive and informative site for budding localvores like me which provides links to area CSAs, farms, farmers markets, community gardens, and related events. I was delighted to find an organic CSA within a 15 minute drive of my home. Right away I contacted Rabbit's Dance manager, Kristin Lewis, to inquire about a share. I was just in time to sign up for a 2007 winter share, which offered delicious fresh fall produce such as mixed greens, squashes, potatoes, garlic, sweet potatoes, beets and carrots. This year I am splitting a full summer share with a friend. Though I have enlarged my gardening area at home, I know I cannot grow all my own produce. Buying supermarket chain fruits and vegetables is an option, but buying locally-grown food has many advantages both for my family's health and for the well-being of the environment. Obtaining additional produce from a CSA or farmers market nicely fills gaps in my home food production.

"CSA" stands for Community Supported Agriculture. A CSA is a partnership between a local farm and the community which is mutually beneficial: community members buy shares in the upcoming harvest in advance, which pays for farm expenses such as seeds, labor, land costs, and equipment maintenance, and in exchange, the shareholders receive a portion of the seasonal produce grown on the farm. Most CSAs expect their shareholders to spend a little time volunteering on the farm, either helping on share distribution days, in the fields, or in the greenhouse. Spending some time on the farm and interacting with farm owners or managers and other shareholders increases interactions between members of the community, builds a personal relationship between growers and consumers, keeps local farmland in food production and out of development, and allows people to develop closer connections to the origins of their food. For more information on Community Supported Agriculture and to find a CSA in your area, visit LocalHarvest.org.

Basil from Rabbit's Dance waits to become pesto!

Having tried my hand at growing food at home, I know how hard it is to be successful in the face of variable weather conditions, animal theft (oh those woodchucks and chipmunks are hungry!), insect invasions, and plant disease outbreaks. I have great respect for local farmers, especially owners of small farms, who persist despite all these natural barriers, and while being pressured to compete with "cheap" food that is sold at big chain stores. However, it is becoming more apparent each year that seemingly cheap food has hidden costs in terms of health dangers, increased shipping energy expenses, and loss of natural habitat that highlight how important it is to maintain support for our local food sources. No farmland and no farmers equals no food.

Beyond buying a CSA share, frequenting farmers markets and farm stands are two additional ways to buy local produce as well as to support local food production. Located not more than a few miles from Rabbit's Dance, is the farm stand at Cooks Valley Farm in Wrentham, MA. After having picked up my share at the CSA, it has become my pleasurable habit to drive a few minutes down the road to Cook's to purchase a few fruits and vegetables from the wonderful, large assortment of their own produce grown on site on this 300 year-old family farm. Though Cooks is not an organic farm, they do strive to grow with the least chemical input possible; for example, they use methods such as integrated pest management which is also used by organic growers. I am always amazed by the wide variety of produce that the Cook farm grows. The farm stand, located in the historic, white barn by the side of the road and adjacent to the family farmhouse, displays numerous baskets of lettuce, broccoli, radishes, peppers, squash, peaches, berries (in season), cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn, amongst other vegetable delights. Right now bunches of garlic can be seen hanging from the barn rafters while curing for future storage. In the fall, the farm has pumpkins, winter squash, and a sizable number of apple varieties available for sale. The stand is open quite late in the year too: I bought bags of their apple seconds to make applesauce just before Christmas last year!

This year, Rabbit's Dance has teamed up with Cooks to offer summer fruit shares and a coupon program for purchasing additional vegetables at the farm stand. The two farms seem a natural blend considering their close proximity and mutual devotion to local food. Since my food shopping this week included the bounty from both farms, I decided to try to make an (almost) entirely local meal.

On the menu:

Crustless Broccoli, Baby Red Onion, and Cheese Quiche
Oven-roasted Mixed Summer Squash, Italian Style
Sliced Fresh Cucumbers

Ingredient origins:

baby red onions, sweet yellow pepper, cucumbers, summer squash - Rabbit's Dance Farm, Cumberland, RI
broccoli - Cook's Valley Farm, Wrentham, MA
garlic - my own garden
Atwell's Gold cheese - Narragansett Creamery, Providence, RI (sold at Rabbit's Dance)
eggs - Ferrucci Egg Farm (A. Ferrucci & Sons), Milford, MA
milk - Munroe Dairy, E. Providence, RI (delivered by Maple Farm Dairy, Mendon, MA)
butter - Kate's Homemade Butter, Old Orchard Beach, ME
salt and pepper, seasonings, olive oil (not local)

Why not try to make a locally-sourced meal, especially during the summer when produce is readily available? You'll be challenged to think creatively and to explore the food resources in your own area. It will also be an eye-opening experience that will make you look much more closely at the origins of what you are eating.

Bon appetit!

Resources:
What is a "localvore?"
http://www.postoilsolutions.org/localvore

Where to find food grown near you
http://www.localharvest.org

More about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture)
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Farm Fresh RI (CSA, farms and farmers markets)
http://www.farmfreshri.org

Massachusetts CSA Programs
http://www.nofamass.org/programs/csa.php

Massachusetts Farmers Markets
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/farmers_markets.htm
http://www.nofamass.org/programs/ofg/markets.php

Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Consumer Resources
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown

Rabbit's Dance Farm CSA, Cumberland, RI
http://www.rabbitsdancefarm.com

Cooks Valley Farm, Wrentham, MA
http://www.cooksvalleyfarm.com

Narragansett Creamery
http://www.richeeses.com

Munroe Dairy
http://www.cowtruck.com

Maple Farm Dairy
http://www.maplefarmdairy.com

Kate's Homemade Butter
http://www.kateshomemadebutter.com

Ferrucci Egg Farms
508-473-7015
Milford, MA (sold in local stores and through Maple Farm Dairy)

Creative Composting

2008-07-23T14:09:00.002-04:00

Writing has always been one of my favorite pastimes, but my inspiration for it comes in waves, and I don't produce a steady stream of written works all year long. I tend to focus my energies on different projects in different seasons. I haven’t been attending to my writing during the past few months because I have been researching, planning, and nurturing my incipient garden, which is promising to be bigger than it was last year at this time. For the past two summers I have been experimenting with one method of raised bed gardening that reminds me of the ebb and flow of my writing endeavors: lasagna or sheet-mulch planting. For those not familiar with this method, here is a summary. Place a thick layer of newspapers and cardboard over the grass. Soak thoroughly with water. One can construct foot-high, wooden walls for the new garden bed, but it isn’t entirely necessary. Add straw and other organic waste matter – wood chips, kitchen vegetable scraps, grass clippings, leaves, yard trimmings, or any kind of non-toxic plant matter. Then pile on a layer of compost, and mulch generously. One option is to cover this layer cake with a sheet of black plastic to speed up the decomposition process, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. And voila, in a couple of months, depending on the temperature, you will start to have a nice, rich earthy mass of nutrients to feed your plants. No double-digging or sweating for hours with a hoe and shovel trying to encourage our rocky New England soil to part with its rubble. This method builds up rather than excavates down. With any luck, you will also be able to dig down into the rotting pile of biological refuse to find a squirming layer of earthworms busy doing their job churning life into the future soil you have started.

It’s really quite a magical natural process, and it all happens without much effort on the gardener’s part beyond the initial set-up. One can even toss in non-animal food scraps and grass clippings over the course of the year and enrich the pile, heaping on new fodder for future gardening. Keep adding organic matter to the mess as time goes on and the soil just gets better and better. And it all happens underneath the surface, under the cover of mulch or plastic, and completely out of view. The magic happens so subtly that peeking under the outer layer during the incubating period would not be advised. Allow the mystery to stay behind Mother Nature’s magic curtain. It is best just to have faith and believe that, indeed, a voluptuous brown earth, steaming and teeming with vital nutrients, will be waiting to nourish your plants and, in the end, you.

Our "Arbor Garden" with its archway made from a recycled cedar swing set.
Hinged, arched doors were created out of reclaimed, old barn boards.

How does decaying vegetal matter remind me of writing you ask? Well I don’t want to reveal too much of what goes on under my mulch, but trust me, covering up the brain and letting the worms work into that gray matter is an absolutely necessary part of my creative process. I suppose that doesn’t paint a very pretty picture, but I warned you not to peek under the outer layer until it’s time to plant! I’ve been very guilty of lifting up that thought-incubating plastic way too many times before the soil was ripe; I was often repulsed and discouraged against creating anything by the nasty sight of ideas not yet fully ready for growing into fully-leafed projects. Remember: Never peek! Trust that nature is stewing and churning beneath the surface of your skull.

When the time is right, and the temperature has the reached proper level, the stink of rotting thoughts subsides and the pleasantly sweet aroma of creative compost will signal that your mind-garden is ready for cultivation. Lift up the top mulch, throw in some seeds, and watch what grows. A veritable cornucopia of essays and poems, art work, and literary fruits will blossom if you just let the land between your ears lay fallow for a little while. Composing in the compost increases your creative yield. Trust me, decay and dirt are good things despite what your mother may have taught you. Now pardon me while I put back my mulch. My artistic compost pile needs to stew a little longer.

When I am not looking...

2008-07-22T12:08:00.010-04:00

...great things grow. I am gradually learning to let go of my natural tendency to fuss over things, like my garden. Planning is necessary, of course, to get the plantings established, and I do put some effort into arranging the vegetables and herbs so that they are next to companions that they like. However, once the plants are in the ground, the more I worry and tend to them, the more they are beleaguered by insect pests and disease.

This year, for a variety of reasons, I planted and walked away. One could say that I almost neglected the garden for about three weeks; I didn't weed or prune or inspect the plants for bugs. And yet, when we returned from vacation this past weekend, we were surprised to find many vegetable gems hidden under all that wild, green foliage. Pickling cucumbers had grown seemingly overnight, and the long, plump D'Avignon radishes were popping out of the dirt like stout fingers reaching up from the soil. Under an unassuming canopy of leaves, we found the bean plants were heavily laden with both green and yellow pods. We harvested 2 1/2 pounds of beans and still more young ones await to grow on the vine.

Nature will follow it's own course, for good or bad, whether or not I fret and hover. I wish I didn't have to repeatedly learn this lesson in gardening as well as in other areas of my life. I am sure I can't let go of trying to control every tiny detail because I lack a trust that life will take care of itself; I feel a need to force events to be just so. I should follow the lead of my plants and grow with abandon when the season is right, knowing that the sun won't always be shining and that the rain will ebb and flow. Be fruitful when opportunity strikes and don't dwell on what is less than perfection. Everything grows very well in its own way and in its own time, bugs and all. Should it be any other way?

The wall of cucumbers!

An onion plant flowers after being rescued from the compost bin

A tall variety of phlox

Feeling Knotty

2008-07-01T13:10:00.037-04:00

Since I took a short workshop on making knotted jewelry with silk yarn a few months ago, I have had the urge to create more knotted pieces. There is something very satisfying about the feel of working with thread and cord; I imagine it must be the same meditative groove that knitters and crochet enthusiasts slip into when they are deeply occupied with their craft. Manipulating yarns and threads can be very soothing. The rhythmic and repetitive motion coupled with the textural sensation of fiber against the fingers elicits some ancient human memory of a time when making things by hand was both a daily part of survival and an artistic expression.

There's nothing really naughty about feeling "knotty", though it did cause me to break my "no new supplies" fast with the purchase of more silk cord. In fact, knotted jewelry requires far fewer tools than any other type of bead-craft making it a highly portable crafting pastime. The floral necklace pictured above was made using Griffin silk cord, Czech glass beads, gold glass pearls, gold-filled clamshell tips and jump rings, a gold-filled clasp, chain-nose pliers, and a knotting tweezer. Sounds fairly simple? Well, a moderate amount of patience and advance planning is also required because the design needs to be carefully arranged before the first knot is tied; constant measurements must be taken as the work progresses, especially in the "tin cup" style (seen below) which includes numerous spaces between knots where the cord is left uncovered. Once the knots start happening there is no turning back. If you have ever tried to remove a knot from a piece of fine yarn or thread, you will know that your frustration often ends with a pair of scissors and a few choice words. A misplaced knot in a piece of knotted jewelry most likely will mean starting the design from scratch.

The design name "tin cup" comes from a movie of the same name in which the character played by actress René Russo wore a necklace made of pearls knotted at intervals along a lightweight silk cord. This style gained popularity from film exposure and now it has become a classic jewelry design. A "tin cup" necklace or bracelet can be formed along silk cord, nylon monofilament with crimps, nylon cord, waxed linen thread, or multiple strands of silk yarn, as in this lariat style necklace that was my first piece constructed during the workshop I attended. These Swarovski crystals in various shades of topaz and jonquil seem to float on 8 strands of very lightweight, metallic, Japanese silk yarns. Individually these silk yarns are no thicker than fine sewing thread, but together they are quite strong while creating a delicate effect. A lariat style necklace made with silk cord would be great for someone who is allergic to metal for no clasps are required. Closure is achieved by looping one end over the other, and the length can be varied depending on where the ends are crossed.

Knotting has been used for centuries to string pearls. Better quality pearl necklaces are usually strung on silk cord with knots in between each pearl; this keeps the pearls from rubbing against each other and becoming damaged during the course of normal wear. The other benefit of placing a knot between each pearl or bead is that if the strand breaks, only one bead drops out. The rest stay securely in place. Pearl knotting with one knot after each bead in a continuous sequence is easier than making something tin cup style because no measuring of open spaces is required. The necklace below was done this way using a variety of Czech glass beads in jet black and red. The lovely flower centerpiece is a handmade polymer bead made by ZudaGay, a very talented artist who creates beautiful multi-hued beads, pendants, and ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions and Originals) by blending and sculpting polymer clay. Her wonderful garden of designs can be found in her Etsy shop, http://www.zudagay.etsy.com.

True, though silk is strong, it will eventually wear and break, especially if the jewelry is worn frequently. It has been suggested that knotted pearls should be restrung every few years. Silk cord also should not be exposed to water. (No showering or swimming while wearing knotted beads!) Yet knotted jewelry is supple and has a wonderful drape, and the silk cord adds a gentle sheen to the overall appearance of each piece. The extra labor involved in hand-knotting makes this type of jewelry very special and unique.

I have many more knotty creations floating around in my mind. I have several colors of waxed linen cord that are "fit to be tied," so to speak. Knotted linen would yield a more casual look and might be interesting combined with stones and wood beads. No matter what the materials, I am sure I will be feeling "knotty" for some time to come.

Fiber, Paper, Scissors

2008-06-29T00:40:00.014-04:00

Recently I took a little side trip away from making jewelry into the wonderful world of paper and fiber by taking an online class called Journal Making for the Fiber Artist. During the 5-week class, students learned techniques to make five different types of blank journals that have fiber covers and stitched-in paper sections known as “signatures.” Although I have only completed the first lesson in the series (my first journal is pictured to the left), I enjoyed using new techniques and working in a fresh medium. I found I had fun playing with paper, especially applying embellishments using paper punches and eyelets. There is nothing like diving into a new artistic realm to spark one’s sluggish creativity. one’s sluggish creativity.

Our instructor and creator of the journal projects is Sue Bleiweiss. Sue is a talented mixed media fiber artist, a teacher, publisher of the online mixed media zine Fibre & Stitch, and an energetic, creative individual who is always experimenting with new techniques and materials to develop unique surface treatments for her many artistic projects. Her primary focus at the moment is exploring the creation of 3D structures such as fabric boxes, sketchbooks and journals. Sue writes that she is “enjoying the challenge of adapting traditional book binding techniques to work with fabrics and fibers.” Her work is showcased in her Etsy shop, http://www.suebleiweiss.etsy.com.

I had the pleasure of meeting Sue at her home where she gave me a tour of her studio, which contained many works in progress, including fabric in process on her loom for a magazine feature, and new designs for fabric journals. When asked what sparked the development of her handcrafted journals, and how the marriage of fiber and paper took place, Sue replied, “I'm not really sure why I started making journals. I think it came from wondering if I could adapt traditional bookbinding techniques to work with fiber and fabric. My first designs started out fairly simple with plain paper insides. Now I spend just as much time (and sometimes a lot more!) creating the insides as I do on the outsides.”

Although her worktable is currently covered in supplies and notes for creating samples for her latest journal making class, she is always thinking about the next project. Sue’s talents cover a wide range of interests, including weaving, fabric painting and dyeing, handbag design, construction of fabric boxes, and papermaking and embellishment. Sue is now happily immersed in fiber art and teaching, but until six years ago she worked in the high tech world building online reporting and financial analysis systems. Sue recalls her decision to make a career path change. “I decided that I wanted a less stressful and slower paced way of life so I left it to pursue some other things. I started out weaving and spent a couple of years selling my weavings and handbags. I fell into online teaching a couple of years ago when I was approached about creating an online class teaching silk fusion. I love to teach and have been developing and offering online classes ever since.”

Sue’s enthusiasm for helping her students and seeing them enjoy exploring new mediums is obvious; she is very prompt and thorough in replying to their questions during class. “I absolutely love to teach, it's one of my favorite things to do besides the actual creating,” she explains. “I am in the process of developing a second journal making class and another mixed media techniques class. The techniques class will either be a 12-week class or two 6-week classes. I haven't decided yet. I also have on the ‘to develop’ list to create a new updated version of my Silk Fusion class.”

During our visit, I found myself inspired by Sue’s willingness to dive into new projects and to venture into unknown artistic realms, places where many of us hesitate to go without much deliberation and analysis. I wondered if her creative process had a particular format; if there was a pattern to the way she brought an idea from a passing thought to a finished product. Was there something that inspired her or got her creative juices flowing? Sue provided this insight. “My creative process is a hit or miss one. I'm typically in the studio for 6 to 8 hours a day starting at about 6 a.m. Sometimes I go in with the intention of working on an idea that I've sketched out or written down in my notebook and sometimes I go in with no plan at all. The only thing that I do consistently with regards to the creative process is to keep a notebook going at all times. Nothing fancy mind you and it doesn't have any artsy-sketched drawings done in colored pencils or watercolors. It's just page after page of scribbles and notes. Sometimes I paste in something I cut out of a magazine or catalog that caught my eye but mostly it's just notes and lists. This helps to keep me focused and organized so that when I'm ready for instance to start developing a new class or working on a new idea I can refer to my notebook and everything is in one place.”

Sue seems to have a boundless creative energy, which she applies to anything she attempts. I asked if there were any aspects of crafting that she didn’t find appealing and that she wouldn’t try again. Sue did acknowledge, “I tried spinning once and that didn't go well at all! I tried doing glasswork once but didn't really enjoy that either. I prefer the tactile nature of working with fiber.”

Sue’s other hidden talent lies in publishing, and she greatly enjoys the production of the online magazine Fibre & Stitch with her partner Terri Stegmiller. Sue explained how the “zine” was developed. “F&S was started on a whim believe it or not. I was looking for a new challenge and I thought why not try my hand at online publishing. I sent an email to my good friend and now business partner Terri Stegmiller (http://stegart.blogspot.com/) and asked her if she wanted to start up a magazine with me, and two months later we were up and running and taking subscription orders. We're just about ready to publish our 4th issue and we're looking forward to the next four.” Sue and Terri also collaborate on the website Two Creative Studios where both artists offer a number of online learning opportunities in a wide variety of mixed-media fiber arts subjects such as journal making, paper quilting, mixed-media fiber collage, surface design and much more.

Undoubtedly Sue has been very successful in many artistic avenues from weaving to journal making to publishing. She has been featured in magazines such as Belle Armoire, Somerset Studio and Handwoven. I asked her to suggest some tips for those just starting out in the world of marketing their creative work. Sue responded, “My advice to those just starting out is to make yourself as visible as you can. Market yourself online in Yahoo groups, Ning groups, and by being active in the blogging community. Submit work to print and online magazines. Getting published is a terrific way to get your work and name in front of an audience without having to spend any money up front.”

I am thankful to Sue for opening her studio to me and for offering insights into her creative process. I am looking forward to seeing what new techniques and fiber designs emerge from her workshop, guided by her talented hands and inspired by her very fruitful artistic imagination. To keep updated on Sue's latest projects, visit her blog at http://suebleiweiss.typepad.com/sueb/ .

While the muse is away...

2008-06-02T10:28:00.009-04:00

We all associate long, dry spells with the middle of a hot summer. Well I have been in a crafting dry spell in the middle of a beautiful spring this year. I haven't made much in the last month. It seems my creative muse has left for vacation without so much as a note or a fond farewell. I think she became scared and took off when I reorganized my crafting space; all that neatness and those nicely arranged shoe boxes on brand new shelving were just too much for her. Miss Creativity needs organized confusion!

So what does one do while creativity is on holiday? Plan for a future crafting journey and gather supplies for the trip of course! While out foraging for crafting provisions for my upcoming adventure learning to weave (see my previous post on my loom acquisition), I happened upon an antique spinning wheel being given away on Craigslist. Being a sucker for an old, abandoned sewing or crafting tool, I was immediately drawn to the poor wheel with its missing spoke, broken flyer, and absent footman. After a little deliberation, I said I would rescue it, all the while hoping my husband would not object to yet another piece of "Are you going to use that?" equipment being brought into the house.

It's an interesting Saxony-style wheel in a lovely, aged cherry color with Colonial-style carved legs and spindles. Naturally, it is pretty dusty and it needs some tightening up here and there. A curious mystery peeks out from under the dust on the bench part of the wheel. Inscribed in large, dotted letters is the following:

"No. 14
R T
1836"

There are also scallop designs all around the top of the bench made in the same dotted style. Are these markings of the maker, or a former owner's personalization? I am trying to solve the mystery as well as locate someone who can tell me if the wheel can be repaired.

What will I do with this wheel you ask? I have had a couple of spinning lessons and I thoroughly enjoyed the rhythmic motions and tactile sensations of working fibers into yarn. I had been perusing Craigslist and eBay looking for a used, modern spinning wheel within my budget to purchase when this little fellow (can spinning wheels be male?) caught my eye. I am still on the hunt for a newer wheel to use for spinning practice, but I would like to repair this old one for both the challenge of trying to use it, as well as to restore and give new life to an antique tool.

So now I have a spinning wheel to repair, a loom waiting to be cleaning and warped (another learning curve to stretch my thinning brain cells), half-finished jewelry projects on my work table, and Sue Bleiweiss' online fabric journal-making class just starting. I hope my muse has had a nice, long rest while she has been away because I have lots of projects wating for her when she returns!

My Morning Surprise!

2008-05-05T23:42:00.023-04:00

Monday morning, when I checked my email as usual, I received a pleasant surprise from Google Alerts. My online Etsy shop, The Filigree Garden, had been featured in the blog of KimberlyHanson, proprietor of The Wild Hare. Kimberly's post was lovely and very detailed. I am very grateful and flattered to have had my handmade wares presented in such a wonderful way. Many thanks to Kimberly! For a glimpse of what she wrote, you can visit her blog page for Monday, May 5.

Kimberly and I are both members of a very active and supportive "street team" at Etsy called BBEST, (Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team). BBEST is a great way for Etsy shop owners over age 40 to connect, network, promote their shops, collaborate on challenges, discuss interests, and make friends. This is diverse group of vibrant, creative and interesting people, and I am enjoying being a part of the BBEST community.

One very positive aspect of being involved with a team is the inspiration and encouragement offered when someone ventures into a new crafting realm or tries his or her hand at a new art form. Sharing our design innovations, as well as our frustrations, keeps us all motivated to move out of our creative comfort zones into new, more exciting possibilities. For example, Kimberly's shop, The Wild Hare, has always offered a very nice, assortment of handmade crafts including diecuts for scrapbooking, delightful cards and gift tags, lovely watercolor paintings, painted tile coasters, and delicate crocheted wraps. However, she recently shared her newest sewing adventure with us when she listed a series of fun and colorful pincushions, some in the shapes of "mini-muffins," and some that wrap around a finger for keeping pins close at hand. An interesting and eco-friendly feature of the "muffin" cushion is that a recycled, plastic water bottle cap is used to create its base; felt completes the design. Her new creations received a lively and positive response. It is always exciting to see what new projects teammates such as Kimberly bring to their Etsy shops.

The Wild Hare is a family affair. As Kimberly writes, "We are a family starting to do more of what we truly love - creating wonderful, practical, beautiful things with our hands and hearts. Parents, Children, Grandparents - everyone is getting in on the fun." To so many of us on the BBEST team, our Etsy "village" has become like an extended part of our own families. I think the aspect of community in our crafting lives is so important to stay connected to a higher level of creative flow. It provides a sounding board for our latest ideas, about which we may have doubts. It keeps us flowing out beyond our personal artistic boundaries, and yet it provides a life raft in case we feel like we have gotten into water that is too deep. We are kept afloat while we are tired; we are carried along with the tide of the community's energy until we are ready to swim again on our own. I am thankful for the support of my "Etsy Village" and for gracious team members like Kimberly.

Congatulations, it's a...

2008-05-03T02:29:00.005-04:00

bouncing baby…no, not girl, not boy…it’s a LOOM! I am not sure what color balloon I am supposed to hang on my mailbox announcing the happy arrival of something that is 36 inches wide, weighs 155 pounds, and is made of metal and wood. Yet here he - or she, sits in the middle of my family room floor begging for attention like any new family member. Not-so-little Leclerc, model name Nilus to be specific, is a handsome “child” made of kiln-dried, Canadian hard maple and sporting four-harnesses. Built in the 1980s, he is hardly a newborn, and he has a few signs of wear. His bench is a little wobbly and the seat is scratched. (I can identify with his condition!) This is his third home. However, overall, he is a sturdy piece of equipment that should be with us for a long time as long as he is given a moderate amount of good care. I intend to do my best to be a good parent.

This was an “unplanned pregnancy” of sorts. I had no intention of buying a loom at this point in my life as I was focusing on other craft projects. Yet, when I received an email from a friend who knew someone selling a loom due to a move to a smaller home, I was immediately intrigued. The price was right. How could I NOT look at it since I had wanted to learn to weave for over fifteen years? Having taken a weaving class many years ago whetted my appetite for making my own textiles, but being newly married I was not able to afford a loom at the time. Instead of a loom, I satisfied my fiber fetish by working in a fabric store and buying way too much fabric, much to my dear husband’s chagrin.

A few days later, a friend and I took a trip to see “Nilus,” who looked rather forlorn in the loft above the barn where he was stored. I brought a friend who weaves so she could give me her opinion about the loom. While she and the loom’s owner reviewed the different parts of the machinery with me, mentioning terms that were somewhat familiar but long lost in distant memory, I nodded in approval. As the warm, late afternoon sunlight streamed in over Nilus’ dusty, caramel-colored frame, I realized that seeing the loom was just a formality; I had secretly come with the intention of bringing it home with me. I even had a check in my pocket. Within a few minutes I heard a voice that sounded surprisingly like mine saying, “Yes, I’ll take it. When can I come to get it?” After a week of waiting, we had a loom at our doorstep. I feel a new craft addiction coming on.

The excitement of birthing a new creative outlet, like any new romance, offers a high that is hard to match. I am drawn to the flush of new artistic love. Although I am a very consistent marriage partner, I am a fickle lover when it comes to my craft supplies. Any handsome piece of fabric or shiny new bead cap can turn my head. I’ll leave my familiar boxes upon boxes of remnants and findings in an instant for the smooth, seductive feel of a fresh roll of chenille, or the mesmerizing sparkle of new glass beads. While constructing a pair of earrings with my trusty pliers, I’ll turn away from my work for a moment only to spy the corner of deep red, paisley brocade peeking out from within a pile of future projects under my sewing machine cabinet. “I would make a stunning bag if only you’d take me out,” this handsome textile beckons with a come-hither look. I am hooked and I start dreaming of sewing rather than wrapping wire.

Like any parent, I won’t commit to having a favorite amongst my crafting “children,” but the newest members always tend to get more attention. I know that once I start learning to weave and start spending more time with the loom, my old tools will feel like ignored older siblings after the birth of the latest child. But they can rest assured that, after awhile, I’ll come back to them, refreshed and revitalized by my latest creative adventure, and ready to love them, through the joys and frustrations, for all the unique qualities that they bring to my crafting family and to my life.

Jumping Into the Stream

2008-04-30T01:58:00.013-04:00

How I Muddled My Way Here

Everybody’s doing it these days, and I am thinking about doing it too. For every generation, the phrase “everybody’s doing it” meant something different and sometimes something illicit or something your parents didn’t want you to do. My mother used say, “Just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t mean you have to. If everybody jumped off bridges, would you do that too?” Well, of course not, and mom knew her point was well-taken. But sometimes something comes along that is more than a fad; it’s a change in cultural viewpoint that is really interesting and worthy of consideration. So why is everybody blogging and should I do it too?

If you don’t spend a lot of time on a computer these days and don’t know what a blog is, I’ll bring you up to speed. A blog is short for “web log” and is a personal journal made public by placing it on a website for everyone to read. Some blogs allow readers to make comments on the journal entries, which may consist of everything from what someone eats for breakfast every day, to deep philosophical ruminations on the nature of life. Blogs often include photographs and links to other blogs, or links to websites that the author finds interesting. I have recently been reading the blogs of handcrafters and artists as inspiration for my own resurging creative endeavors. I have truly enjoyed reading about their current projects and the sources of their ideas. Many of the pictures they share are zen-like in color and design simplicity, and I love to look at them over and over again because they soothe my soul. I have also been drawn into the artisans’ lives, hopes and dreams through this diary-like format. Reading the entries is like hopping on someone else’s stream-of-consciousness; I even see bits and pieces of my own life reflected here and there. Like a soap opera, I am anxious to tune in tomorrow to see what enlightening or exciting tidbits the latest journal entry will hold.

As readers comment on the blog, and the bloggers link to each other’s sites, a community begins to form, a community that somehow chips away at the voids in our social spheres left by locked doors, long work weeks, and dwindling neighborhood conviviality. Technology has both pushed us apart and bridged the distant parts of the globe in the same momentous blink of time. It is partially a longing for community that drives me to want to share myself in the world of blogging. “Belonging” and “blogging” seem somehow related. Wouldn’t it be strange to come across a blog written by the woman next door who you never see? Or maybe a distant relative is blogging about wanting to find you and your family, and you stumble upon it by chance…or was it chance after all?

I did an online search for “blog” and I got 2,640,000,000 results. There certainly is something happening out there with all these blogs going on. Is it just too much mental static? Will it all fade away when a new internet fad comes along? Or is this a way that the universal mind is linking us all together? Of course, for me, not all blogs are worth reading, just as not all of my thoughts are worth writing. Many blogs do not resonate in a wavelength that matches my own; some are just plain boring and some are really odd. A few are strangely disturbing. However, there are plenty of blogs in the digital universe that expand my thinking and make my mind work a little harder. They pick up on a train of thought that I had yesterday, or the week before, and I am re-engaged in contemplation, perhaps with new light shed on my ideas.

This technological explosion of cranial activity made public has removed the veils that keep our thoughts private. We are inundated with the random thoughts of people we don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I am in a movie in which the main character can suddenly hear the thoughts of total strangers. Is that a good thing? At the end of the movie, we usually find out that the hero would rather not know; he’s overwhelmed with too much information. He’d rather be blissfully unaware of what others think of him and themselves because knowing everything leads to uncomfortable situations. Yet there is a key difference here: We make the choice to read or write a blog. It is completely up to us if we want to spill our guts or keep them sucked in, if we want to dive into the thought-stream or stay on shore. We can post every day or only when inspiration strikes. We can choose to let out as much or as little of ourselves as we want, perhaps only allowing flashing glimpses of our inner workings to emerge for general consumption.

So, by now, you may be asking if I decided to blog or not. Well, I haven’t decided yet if the glaring light of the internet is too bright for me and my ponderings. I am not sure if I want everyone to see the real me in all my blemished glory. I could write just a little; the writer in me is itching to get going. Maybe nobody would read it anyway. Ok, I’ll just create an account at a free blogging site and then decide if I want to “do it” like everyone else. Oh, oh, I am stuck at username. What shall I use? What ID do I want to assume? What image do I want to project? What do I want to say about myself? Who am I and why do I exist? What is the nature of the universe? Oops, went a little too deep there. Let’s just back up to username for now. I write down a few name combinations but nothing seems to capture what I want to express. That’s probably because I haven’t yet figured out who I am. Every day brings a new facet of my personality to the top of the heap. I can’t commit to just one.

Perhaps I’ll wait for the universe to send me an inspired sign as to which name I should pick. It’s been a few days and nothing is happening. I think I am getting an “out to lunch” signal from the powers that be. I decide to brew another pot of tea, clean the bathrooms (now I know I have reached a point of desperation), and think about the username for a little while. It would be nice if I could write a blog without having to decide on a persona. After all, my inner life wasn’t built in a day. A lot of things about me emerge from my writing, like the indecision and fear of commitment that is peeking out right now. Looking back on the words I’ve just written, I guess I already have my first blog entry done. Now if you should hear back from the universe about my username while I am away from the computer, could you let me know? Email is fine, or you could relay it to me the old-fashioned way, by talking. Or better yet, maybe you could blog it and we’ll all jump off the bridge together. Come on, everybody’s doing it.