Pillow for the Ring Bearer...Handmade

This is the pillow that my then three year old nephew will be carrying down the aisle at my wedding.  It looks a little bit bare right now because fresh flowers will be added before the ceremony.  I used fabric scraps from my collection and hand sewed most of it with a needle and thread.

The pillow was then stuffed with cut up plastic bags allowing me to finish it completely without spending a dime!  My fiance Cam and I designed the pillow together.  He loves paisley, and although it is not my favorite, I love it here because he does.  I love a good compromise...and it is a good thing because that is what marriage is all about, right?

Finally, I added a ribbon handle on the bottom.  The pillow is complete.  Wedding planning has been smooth sailing so far!

Art Lesson #1

On Friday morning, my neighbor girls Maggie and Lucie came over for their first art lesson in our studio.  Maggie, 7 and Lucie, 4 are home schooled by their mother Anna Kate.

Their first lesson needed to be light and fun, an introduction into the limitless world of creativity.  The girls made greeting cards.  They were provided with plenty of supplies including crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue, scrap paper, glitter, cardboard, and fabric scraps.  The fabric scraps seemed to be the favorite along with the glitter.  They were each aloud to use scissors too as I was not holding back when working one on one with them.  They each used them with great control and impressive skill.  

 I pulled samples from my own personal collection of handmade greeting cards, which I keep stocked and ready for sending to friends.  I shared a few and gave them instructions while they snacked on some homemade banana bread.  Without hesitation, the girls jumped right into the project.  They are very good at staying focused.  I think this comes from their home school background, as they do not have many distractions in their daily environment.

Using the glue was good practice especially for Lucie.  Children tend to use too much glue so we were working on controlling the amount needed to stick each piece to the paper.  With a little guidance, Lucie was well on her way to becoming a glue expert at the ripe age of four.  Lucie finished sooner than Maggie and went into the living room to visit my boyfriend Cam who is also an artist.  Cam read Lucie a few books while Maggie continued to work.

When the one hour lesson was finished, the girls proudly held up their greeting cards to show their mom.  They even had a special card made just for her, and one for me too!  The girls left their cards to dry in the sun.  Next week, Cam will be introducing the girls to drawing and using their box of pastels!

  

Grandma's Quality Kitchen Goods

Growing up in my family, a lot of things were always handmade.  I believe the first time I had store bought jelly was probably sometime in high school.  Grandma always made our jelly, and she still does.  All things handmade is a part of our world.  It is a way to get by with spending less money, express our need for creativity, and show each other our love.  Today I am highlighting one area of Grandma's handmade expertise of many.  There will be many more blogs to come about my Grandma's goods as well as my Mother's.  

 Here is a photo of numerous dish clothes and hot pads all made by Grandma.  I really love using them, and I'm not afraid to.  Although they do hold sentimental value, they were also made to be durable.  Grandma occupies much of her time making them, so whenever I go to visit there is always a stack of different colors to choose from.  I always choose a new color because my house is full of lots of colors, not just one.  filling my kitchen with these handmade goodies is like surrounding it with Grandma's love.  She is well known for her cooking, especially her cookies and pies and I like to live up to her kitchen standards.  One thing I always do is keep my kitchen floor very clean, just like Grandma does.  I try to sweep it every day and mop it once every 2-3 weeks.  Grandma mops Her's every week, but I am not that attentive.  Having Grandma's influence has infiltrated much of my life and having her wonderful handmade things in my kitchen keeps the creativity flowing throughout the house.

Life in the Moment

Rose Beerhorst is an artist that I really admire.  She has the kind of work that rewards you when you look closer.  

If you study them closely, you get the sense that there is something meditative about her work.  This reminds me of the time I spent studying at Ox-Bow Summer School of Art.  There they emphasize a sense of "being" with your work.  It looks like when she makes a piece, she sits with it for a long time.  She puts a lot of thought into it.  She laments each element, each tiny detail.  

Rose works almost entirely with recycled materials.  She reuses what is already available.  Even the buttons are reused.  Most of them are vintage.  This is why I say that Rose represents "life in the moment."  Her used and vintage elements add a story and a history to each piece while her young ambition adds a sense of new ideas.  These two qualities combined play into what I receive as something contemplative in her work.  She seems to reflect a calm hora, carefully soaking up each moment in life.  Perhaps Rose has a little wisdom beyond her years.

You can shop Rose's work at sockmonster.etsy.com

Hand Sculpted Clay Earrings by Funamals