house wren studio

mother's day papercrafts

 

Last night I had dinner with a delightful new friend, Toni. She is a preschool teacher-- one of my secret career dreams. Listening to her talk about her class of 3 and 4 year-olds made me so nostalgic - again! Years ago I taught a summer art program for preschoolers...a great way to get in on and facilitate my own children's activities at that age. Anything that they could do and I could be part of was better than sending them off to daycamp. Of course it was so much fun, a little craft lab for kid-friendly projects and I think it ended up partly inspiring my book, Mothers and Daughters at Home.

Here we are approaching Mother's Day when mothers receive the most touching, keepsake gifts from their little ones. Time to get crafty.

This little card is one I made for a show promotion, but it is actually from a larger design that I did as a quick-kid-craft. The physical design is a papercutting placemat made from 2 contrasting sheets of 8.5 x 11" office copy paper. Fold one sheet into quarters as you would a snowflake cut-out only in a rectangle design. Draw and make a cut-out design through all 4 layers including a border. Open the paper and press out the creases with the back of a spoon. Using a glue stick or other child-friendly adhesive, apply the cut-out design to another sheet of contrasting paper. To make it into an official placemat, write a message on the back and then put the whole thing through a laminator (copy store). A set of 4, 5 or 6 with different designs and colors would be such a sweet Mother's Day tablesetting. Later, they look so cute tacked up on the wall. Affordable, adorable, awesome graphics...custom made for mom by the real artists in the house!   xoC

the daisy cottage conspiracy

Kim at Daisy Cottage was one of the first blogging connections I made. I can't really remember how I got to any of the original blogs that inspired me, but she was among the first. Such a friendly, helpful blogger, sweet Kim taught me all about getting started. Her popular, cozy blog is an inspiration to thrift collectors and decorators everywhere.

And that's not all good. No, it's a dangerous thing for me.

Every time I go over there to visit DC, I see something adorable that she found at the Goodwill for $1.00. Cutest darned thing you ever saw and she shows it off seamlessly arranged into her uncluttered, beautiful cottage (which must telescope for blocks behind the tiny cottage we see). That used to be me....but the sad truth is I collected too many darned cute $1.00 things, stuffed my house to the point of cute explosion, crowded and creeped out every living soul- except my poor dog. (He was asked to back into a tight corner for a studio shot when Where Women Create creatives were here and he looked at me like, Excuse me, you must be joking! Impossible to do! but of course, sweet Jake would do anything for me and he did.) My mother has a saying when she is admiring herself in the mirror: "There must be two of us, one couldn't have all this!" Same said here, except the reference is more about the fact that I could fill 2 houses with the amount of stuff I have. One shouldn't have all this.

So the problem is that visiting Kim at DC has made me want to have the fun of finding all those treasures all over again. And it's just too easy to find...on blogs, ebay, tag sales, the mailbox, church sales and Dede's mall in Chicago! I can't, I have to go the other way. Get it out, not bring it in.

So now I shop as if Kim is there, coming in a minute to catch up with me. Dede and I wandered the antiques mall, but I practiced thinking -this would fit right in the Daisy Cottage kitchen. And Kim would actually put it on and cook. Leave it here for her.

Kim, I wish you were there, my vicarious shopper. We would have gone through this whole hutch of linens. Cute enough? The rest is waiting for you.

Better yet, come on over to my house and fill a shopping cart. The place is about to resemble the back room at your favorite Goodwill. You'll have the time of your life! xoC

pink trees

Thanks for all the sweet, thoughtful birthday wishes yesterday. Maggie and I both enjoyed reading them....and yes, she did make me cry reading her comment. She knew I would- in a happy, grateful way. That's my girl.

Looks like every little spring bud opened up overnight and the sun is pretending it's a summer day. If I were a tree, I would want to be pink too. Wouldn't you?   xoC

happy to you, sweet maggie

It's Maggie's birthday today...she's twenty-something, off at her "big-girl job."  I spent the morning in a pile of photo albums looking for that perfect photo to celebrate her day. Of course, I ended up in the baby department. (She's grateful that I am not revealing the awkward years as she calls them.) Even though this photo is so out of focus, it is my favorite today. I just want to climb in there, scoop her up and hug her. That face all flushed from the bath and bedtime playfulness, those sleepers already too small but so snuggly, those eyes, the bluest we ever saw, that look, so Mags! That look that says I love you, Mom! I love everything.....I love every day, every minute that I get to be in this world, every one of you, every adventure.....the whole thing. It's so much fun! Let's play all night!

And then I looked through her baby book. Didn't need to be reminded that she was an amazingly easy baby, but always very determined. A child who knew what she wanted out of each day. Creative, easy-going, loving, funny...man, is she funny!...., hard-working, smart, poised, beautiful, chatty, a little moody, compassionate, gentle, self-reliant, happy, always true to herself....all the words I used to describe her as a baby still portray Maggie, the young woman.

I just can't figure out how we went from here.......

  to ................

here so impossibly fast!

Happy Birthday, our darling Maggie! We love you so very much! xoxoxoxo

nested, at home

These are my favorite bowls, on my favorite shelf, collected from 3 different thrift shops 15 years ago. When I think about what to part with at this time of year (donation time for the church sale), I would never consider giving these up. But I say that about a lot of stuff.

I'm back in my comfort zone here at home, working on new projects and feeling creatively charged. Just saw some of my new home decor line samples back for review and I am so excited! Can't wait to show them to you-- and I will as soon as they get ready to go to market. My head is spinning with new ideas and more energy to put the plans to work. Hoping you are all feeling the same way now that spring seems to have established itself a bit. We finally have trees in flower, daffodils and spiky clumps of new grass popping up.

Miss T has given us the green light to start talking about Silver Bella. I am so honored to have been invited to participate as an instructor at this event. It's in November so you have plenty of time to get the details and register if you are interested. Looking like an exciting weekend so far...how could it not be? Stay tuned!   xoC 

earth day/night at the putt-putt

When I was in Chicago I spent that first evening with Robin and Michael. We headed down to the University of Chicago to catch the tail end of the Miniature Golf exhibit that Michael worked on as part of an artists' collaborative. The idea was to recycle and repurpose this huge amount of donated astro-turf so a number of artists each took a hole and they made a miniature golf course. And it was way beyond the coolest thing ever!

The course was set up in a building on the campus saved from demolition and now dedicated as a think tank workshop for recycling as a lifestyle. Everything is made of salvaged materials- floor from an old bowling alley, doors and furniture custom built from table tops and other doors, a big wood-burning oven from industrial fire bricks, a walled garden for organic gardening. Some of the floor was a patchwork of mill ends of recycled milk carton boards for decks. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

The course itself was a giant art Rube-Goldberg. There's Michael's illustration as the logo stenciled onto the astro-turf sign standing in the dark to show the way in. The mini-golf hole he crafted was the Cyclone. All his elements were recycled pieces too, scavenged and repurposed. The ball ends up traveling down a drainage pipe into his Fema trailer. Of course, I was fascinated by the field of tiny houses. Maybe I could recycle those.....decorate them with paint and buttons and flowers and rick rack.

 

All so smart, clever, artsy, brilliant, whimsical, funny, important. The students had a band, the little ones scampered through and watched over the scene, the artists talked about the fun they had, the response from the press and the public, how long they could leave it up. Sorry to say it has probably been taken down by now.

One of the holes required a putter that was 2 stories tall. You had to hang over the balcony to hit the ball with it. Another was uphill ramps into birdhouses. They will go out in the garden after the exhibit comes down. Another (striped boxes in center) was laid out so that later on the turf patches could be folded and laced together through rivets to make saddlebags for bikes. Skill...adventure...invention.

 

Plan for the future. Save the world, one green game at a time.

Sabine's quilt

Feeling a little unstitched today. Or maybe that my life resembles some kind of crazy quilt of little scraps. Trying to put the pieces together, then ripping them out again.

But I am excited to see the quilt for Sabine Kim all ready to go over here.  The photo of the quilters working on it around the frame is just the peaceful bit I need. I am really happy I made that little square as my small contribution. The finished quilt is so lovely. Thanks to everyone who helped to make it so. xoC 

thinking about blogs

A very kind blogger over here nominated me for a thinking blog award. That was a surprise and I am very flattered to read why she chose me. Like most bloggers I think a lot about what I am doing here, who my audience is, if I'm posting relevant material, offering enough crafts, sharing the right aspects of myself....and then thinking about it the rest of the day. Sometimes into the night. I am a worrier and when it gets quiet here, I start to worry that I have lost my way.

There are a few blogs that came to mind quickly as my nominations because they are the places I go to calm my worries, relax and get back in the game. There are more than 5 though. (Just imagine that there are 2 more tiny men still inside the basket. BTW If anyone knows what the story is on this treasured bag-o-men, do let me know. The basket is 2" tall, capped with what looks like kimono silk and the 5 little men are about 1/2" tall. Are they an Asian version of trouble dolls? edit- read Mark's comment for an intriguing explanation. I was kind of close, well, that is if you go completely in the opposite direction of my guess.)

At the top of my blogroll and my list is 3191. These two close friends post a pairing of side-by-side photos that they take of their own household worlds at roughly the same time each day. 3191 miles apart, they don't plan the shots or talk about the posting. The way the images are mysteriously synchronized is fascinating. I go there almost every day for my little piece of quiet. It's a place to just stop and think.

Claudine's art blog is a daily reminder of why I love what I do. Her steady joy in her work, her honesty about the reality of life with art and its never ending to-do list always makes me feel like getting back to work. Making art isn't fun every minute but it sure is most of the time. She makes me think so anyway.

I have made a few friends like Teresa and Lisa. Seeing what they are up to makes me think they are right across the street or something. They are my community when I realize that everyone else in my world has gone off to a job. I go there with my coffee cup for gabbing, commiserating, news, advice, comfort, support and lovely inspiration. I always end up thinking how lucky I am to have found such good friends.

Lena is another friend like that, but her blog also makes me think of times gone by, simpler lives and a softer way of doing things. Seeing her pretty page banner, Victorian images and the world she portrays as Mrs. Staggs at Merryville is so reassuring and calming. My rocking chair blog.

5 mentions is the pattern for this meme. But I have to stretch this some. I love Crystal's writing, her touching story and how much it makes me think about my own young life. She brings out the mother/grandmother in me...and kindly tolerates all my unsolicited advice. Her little E (we had a little E too, now grown into big E) is soooooo precious and adorable.

And, there is my touchstone blog...Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy. I think nearly everyone visits her and knows why she is a thinking blog. It's like one-stop shopping there....talent, inspiration, LOL humor, honesty, beauty, amazing writing, a genuine brilliance that infuses my outlook with energy and optimism. Plus she writes about her hometown sometimes which is where I lived too. Always happy to take a side trip there.

There are more. I could list so many important blogs in my day. I recently told Maggie that I used to get up and walk the dog. Now I get up and walk the blog. It's a much longer walk, but it's not doing much to lower my cholesterol.

Here we are, another day of blogging has begun. Hoping it brings out the thoughtfulness in everyone.  Going out for a walk. xoC

spring break

It's the weekend. Let's go outside and play today. Drag the chair into the sunshine, clean up the yard, take a walk in the fresh air. There's birdsong and children laughing, too.   xoC

settled

Things are evening out here. Thanks so much for the wise advice and reminders to be patient, relaxed and hopeful. Maybe you knew that today everything would be better. It is. xoC