Measuring...

a little craftiness that Santa's elves are making


Hello Friends... I've been absent once again...but here I am!


Thinking about gifting and giving and receiving at this Christmas time (or your own holiday)....


This year, I am crafting all of my gifts. Which isn't any different from the last 5 years but there were times in the past, several years, when many of the gifts given and received have been handmade. But this year, probably not. My family has been busy in their own right; new babe, new jobs, new moves and different lives so I think I will be the only one Crafting Christmas this year. and that's okay, because I understand the BUSY.

But I start to fret in the realm of my craftiness,

will my gifts be well received?

Should I just pony up and buy a gift card?

Aaaacccck! It sucks....

I don't want to be the CRAZY AUNT BETHANY who brings jello with cat food and boxes up her cat in pretty ribbons....

Do you question your own craft?

Do you undermine your own creativity to a $50 Macy's gift card???

A Handmade Manifesto vol. 2

The old school groundhog kiln used to fire famous NC pottery
the broom maker, who explain the difference between corn brooms, and using different kinds of corn and sorghum to make brooms.
the cotton baler.


As most of you realize, my birthday was this past weekend. It worked out that friends gave us tickets to this sort of exclusive primitive village event that just happened to be on my birthday.

The primitive village is the brainchild of a doctor in NC. Over time and happenstance, he has acquired all of these primitive homes on his property and now he has a festival each year celebrating the skills and home crafts of early settlers in NC.

There are old homesteads all over the country side in Western NC. Whenever this doctor heard of a building that owners no longer wanted, he volunteered to come in, take it down, and move it for them. As word spread, these structures were donated to the doctor and now more than 90 buildings have been moved and restored on his property.

You can find all kinds of awesome stuff going on at this one day event. Peanuts boiling in a kettle. Soapmaking. Fire building. Cotton ginning and baling. Lacemaking, Wool carding and spinning, a primitive distillery, cane grinding for molasses and syrup. Chair caning. Shingle riving. And if I go on to think, I could probably name about 50 other skills or more that were taking place!!!

It was really an awesome, awe inspiring thing!

And it got me to thinking AGAIN about skills and about HANDMADE, and the nature of human existence and entrepreneurship and basic subsistence on skills and trades.

Have you seen Great Depression Cooking? It's a video series on YouTube and now she has a cookbook, dvd etc.

I really started thinking again about it yesterday when I was reading a blog post about said Great Depression Cooking videos, which has been in my YouTube favorites forever and in the comments, people were sort of negative!

....How unhealthy the recipes were and how they "couldn't eat that."

It really, really made me sad.

It seriously bummed me out about the state of ingenuity in our age and society. Here, this old woman, this relic and heirloom of an amazing and resourceful time in American history is sharing her wisdom and people were saying they couldn't eat it?

I'm aware they aren't the healthiest of recipes by today's standards but as opposed to starving or being hungry, I'm thinking they are pretty damn tasty....and she's in her 90's now so I'm thinking people might want to take a listen. To remember and be MINDFUL of, how to make something out of nothing.

All over the primitive village, there were samples of primitive cooking and eating. We drank sassafras tea, ate pumpkin soup and bread, boiled peanuts, and fresh apples. It was really nice to sample period foods and see how they were prepared, preserved and cooked. I think we would be wise to cling to the old ways a bit. I don't think that economic times are getting better and the more resourceful we are as a people, the better we will live, thrive, and enjoy our lives.

This is the 2nd part in a continuing series. to be con't....

Fractal

My thought and creative processes have been very fragmented lately. And, trust me, they don't need any help in that matter in the first place. After the busy-ness of the last several months, I have been feeling completely tapped out.



I've been in this wild, wonderful creative journey long enough to realize the importance of being gentle with myself, with my creative spirit and my sensitive nature. However, it is still a struggle for me.



I haven't been working on new polymer. Actually, I have, I did this week. Worked on some fall inspired colors and owls to go with the changing of the seasons and transition my color palette. The majority turned into a floppity-flop, which is fine. I was experimenting with a new brand of poly (fancy stuff, even) I think given time, it might grow on me, but as of yet, the experience is still leaving a bad taste in my mouth.

It reminded me, once again, how ingrained our process becomes with not only our medium but even down to specific supplies.

I remember this, of course, after the fact.

Being a mixed media artist, I remember back to different times when I HAD to have a certain brand of cerulean blue paint to capture that thing, that essence, that specific quality I was seeking.

So it is putting me in a bit of perspective, centering me, if you will. Despite the fact I've de-cluttered my studio and my life numerous times, it has me thinking really hard & reevaluating the clutter and necessity of my process and how I'm
honoring it.



The old with the new. I've been experimenting with some techniques I picked up out of Stephanie Lee's Semiprecious Salvage. Here is my first finished experiment ♥

Convoluted?

So, I've been trying to come up with a couple of different craft show setups. My idea is to streamline things into 2 or 3 different setups for different types of shows. One would be a large setup suitable for a big tent show or trade show with lots of props and tables, etc. More often though, I get the opportunity to do a small table setup at a local market or trunk show type of setting where I will be offering just a sample of all my products. Basically, all of these things need to fit in my (compact) car and be set up pretty quickly without too much flash. I need to redo a larger banner for the big type shows but I wanted something smaller, other than a banner attached to a table cloth (which is usually overlooked) for the market type setting. So, I came up with this frame, which I can just plop on the table.

Now, this probably flies in the face of all good marketing but hear me out. The criticism of it could probably be that it should show my work. Be some type of glossy printout, all matching my logo, etc. HOWEVER, I've decided to do things a little differently.

When people look at my work, I want them to notice 3 things:

* the attention to detail
* that each piece is one of a kind, and made by hand
* the narrative, almost collage-like layering, in the process and color.

I arrived at making my pieces because I am a painter at heart and by training. And the process to my beadmaking is very similar.

So I decided to hand paint and collage a sign, that hints at my jewelry through color, process, and method.

I made it colorful so it matches my jewelry but stands out from my neutral setup. The frame is a take off of a frame tutorial by my friend, Katie Runnels, and then I did a small collage painting to fit inside with my shop name and what I do.

I'm really quite taken with it as a temporary solution, for now. What do y'all think???

Handmade Holiday Vol. 1

Handmade Holiday will be a bi-weekly feature through the Holidays giving you some fun easy thrifty ways to enjoy your holiday, the handmade way! Handmade Holiday will focus on packaging and simple gifting to make your holidays more meaningful, less stressful, and better for Mother Earth.

Simple tips to remember throughout the Handmade Holiday:

1} Use what you have. Don't have pretty baker's string? Use butcher's twine. No butcher's twine? Use yarn or embroidery floss. No, embroidery floss? What about dental floss? In college bookmaking we often used dental floss as a substitute for the waxed linen thread used in bookbinding. And if you want to get really creative, the scented kind already sort of smells like the holidays...

2} When giftwrapping, go on a hunt for all things of a similar color scheme. No red and green? All colors can become festive if you go with a single color scheme. Use that long forgotten orange stamp pad, that ugly orange ribbon you bought for some unbeknownst reason and a simple holiday stamp.

3} Just about anything can become wrapping paper. Newspaper, old grocery bags (paper & plastic), old fabric, leftover ugly wrapping paper turned inside out to show the white side.

Here's a simple pennant wrap idea I made using recycled kraft paper, a homemade rubber stamp, and some baker's string:

1} Cut a simple triangle shape out of an eraser. If you don't have an eraser, you could also use a wine cork, piece of foam, or makeup sponge.

2} Gather your stamp pads. I experimented using both several shades of green as well as just red and green. Yes, I've got that many stamp pads.....

3} Find your paper for your wrap and cut it to approximately the size needed to wrap your gift. Here, since my box was already nicely finished, I decided just to make a sleeve to wrap around it.

4} Stamp your triangle in a straight-ish line. Changing the angle around slightly will give it a presence that it's floating in air like a real pennant.

5} wrap your gift and tie with a thin string just above row of stamped pennants. You could also draw a petite line with a black pen for a cute look as well!

Tune in on Wednesday for some more fun ideas using die cut shapes!

delicate and lovely

Just had to take a moment to show you what arrived on my doorstep 2 weeks (no,can't be that long now!) ago and now I'm finally posting it! Another of my too pretty for words art swaps from the A Year Of Color blog hosted by Kari Ramstrom aka Artsy Mama.

My partner for this summer themed collage swap was Elise. She has a *gorgeous* little etsy shop and blog, all showcasing her amazing vintage finds. Not only are they adorable but they are packaged just so, as evident by the way my collage was boxed up. I literally didn't want to open it up! So, as not to disturb the lovely ribbon, pretty tissue and frippery.

There is this whole CLASS of artists out there who have an amazing sense of light airy color palette. Beautiful pastels, carefully chosen bits of metallic ephemera, all light as a feather and so feminine and pretty. Elise is one of them and I am *green* with envy. Me, even if I set out to do this, it ends up gaudy and colorful, like a circus. This is my curse. I just roll with it.

We chose a garden theme on an 8" square and I'm pleased as a Cheshire cat. There's a photo of me grinning like one, that Mike took when I opened it, but I'll spare you the drama...

You can see the collage I made for Elise here.

Ta Da!

Alright, I know the suspense has been killing you. You want to see the craft show display, right?? Well, I'm afraid the build up was a lot bigger than the actual finale. As I prepared, I decided to use the K.I.S.S. method until I figured out what worked and what didn't in reality. And it looked pretty good! But next time, it will look even better. :) I'll be excited to see the transformation. I need to find a lot more fixtures and invest in another table or two. Since I sell such a variety of things, I really want it to have it's own boutique feel. Everything on one table just was sort of a jumble. I separated it into halves, so it wasn't too confusing. When I set up at home, I had it all arranged together, but it didn't feel right.

After all that, I almost forgot to take pictures, so parts look a little sparse, after some brisk sales. :)

Swoon.....

I've been so busy working on my first craft tent display and production for it! I am so excited and can't wait to show you all some pictures. My hands are busy painting and my fingers are getting calloused from wrapping wire! Hopefully, it won't be all for naught or else I will.....ahemmmmm, have lots to list in my shop next week!!!

So as soon as I post this off to you I'm out to the studio to work my rump off.

I will leave you with the gorgeous work of Sugarboo Designs this morning for inspiration. I first saw these awhile back on Poppytalk but I didn't know they had such an extensive line of work until I saw them over at Coastal. Rebecca Puig & her husband Rick started Sugarboo Designs together a few years ago. Their mission is to make handmade products that add soul to the home. Each piece is made one at a time and many are based on original paintings by Rebecca.

And //shockingly// enough, they're from Athens, GA. All my favorites right now seem to be from Athens. I think we need to coin a term for all the great work coming out of Athens, sort of like the Black Mountain School??? Okay, maybe not. It was just a thought.

p.s. I would just like to add that the last piece with the frame with the Pueblo indian prayer is one of my very favorites. It reminds me of my family and why I wake up and do everything that I do everyday, especially my dear grandpa who passed in April. I was not able to be home for his funeral but I included this quote on the arrangement we sent....such a blessing we enjoy from all the lessons learned from our family :)

the beginning....

Am very excited about what's coming up in the next couple weeks! I will be participating in a art and antique market on the Second Saturday in July. More details to come.... This entailed me going out this weekend and purchasing my first big white craft tent. Something I've been putting off for awhile. Since that big old tent required a generous expenditure of my meager funds, I thought it would be fun to construct all of my display fixtures from materials I already have....something that is totally feasible if I get off my rump and apply myself. So, this is the beginning of my display fixtures....a covering for the table.

I have a GIANT role of canvas that I think I've had since I graduated from SCAD. So, I decided I would paint a table covering that would resemble a very large, more subtle version of one of my paintings. This is the beginning of that and will look very different when its done, but I was enjoying it fluttering on the line, drying, and thought I would share a couple photos.....

little diy project of our own....

How come it is that if you're creative for a living, you get to do your own creative projects last?? I guess its sort of like a chef that cooks all day and comes home and eats TV dinners....lol. Well, Mr.Mike has been at me to paint this piece of wood that he had so he could make a rack for all the outdoor clothes. Where he can hang his overalls and weed-whackin' clothes. So, yesterday, whilst I was painting, I finally fashioned him a 2ndsurf styled coat rack. Totally made out of found hooks, wood, and items that we had around here. Since I was already painting, I only used leftover paint on my pallet too so basically, it was completely free, outside of labor. I think it looks pretty groovy, no?

Do you ever?????

Do you ever search random words on Etsy just to see what comes up? I love searching odd words on etsy to see what transpires. These are all things I found using the search term "matrix". I was thinking about The Matrix as I drew today and as I sat down this evening and found these Matrix tagged items on Etsy.... enjoy....


...and I learned something new....apparently matrix has something to do with the patterns in stones. bonus education!

sending the goods....

closeup of wreath
all the goods arranged together
I'm really excited about how this turned out! almost don't want to let it go....
I wanted to post pictures of the pretty little items I sent for the "All that I love" swap hosted by The "year of color" blog hosted by artsy mama. The swap was pretty liberal in that Kari aka artsy mama, let us work with our swap partner to get to know them and really exchange things that we thought each other would like. My partner, Marlene, exchanged ideas back and forth and we decided we would exchange items based on the idea, Salt Water Taffy. Both Marlene and I live near the shore and both enjoy the color scheme that salt water taffy evokes.

I made an adorable Katie Runnels -inspired wreath, replete with salt water taffy colors, perfect for spring decorating, included a handmade heart ornament that i made from canvas, one of my junk ornaments, and a small box of bits and baubles that she can -hopefully- use in her crafts. I also included some cute vintage inspired valentines and some hot chocolate, until spring breaks up there in the frigid north...

collections

center, the last supper; top left and right, two vintage ladies; bottom left, brokeback mountain; bottom center, the blessed virgin.

one of my bizarre collections is vintage paint by numbers. i've had a penchant for them ever since i can remember. i don't have too many because i'm a)cheap and b)very particular. i like them to be very strange and kitschy and well priced. here is my collection as hanging on the wall in the kitchen chez mike's. i call the landscape one on the bottom , brokeback mountain because it a pastoral scene complete with cowboy riding a horse and the cowboy's shirt was painted pink. Classic!

something fun.

thought this card turned out cute. i made it for mike's new niece. it has my signature pencil fonts and vintage bird images from a children's school workbook.