house wren studio

rainbows and redbuds

We're seeing spring in fits and spurts. Super warm, then blustery cold. But it is of course, very exciting and beautiful to see everything greening up. 

This is an inspired time of year. I know why folks clean house in spring. So many cobwebs. Open the windows, let the breezes blow them aside. (Or at least into the corner again.)

I've spent the winter playing with paint, but mostly making a big dent in the couch, stitching. Lately, it's stitching up these little cottages for my Etsy shop and doing some commissions. Fun matching my materials and vision to real houses. 

Working with the children at school in the art room stirs my creative spirit too. So inspired by the beauty of these big paper puffy birds the 4 year olds made. Loved watching them come together and now floating in the gallery space. (When I took out the box of feathers, poms poms and bottles of glue, the ta-da's took flight!)

They were easy to make. I cut out two bird shapes at once from newsprint. Stapled the edges all around and like a pillow, left an opening at the top or bottom. I stuffed them ever so lightly with crumpled paper. Doesn't take much to give it a form. Then I stapled it shut. The children painted them with tempera paints, careful not to oversoak the paper and let it break down. When they were dry, wing cut-outs (again from from folded newsprint) were painted and stapled to the top of the body. Tail feathers were literally torn strips of construction paper, bundled and stapled too. Decorate with feathers, pom poms or whatever you have handy. Suspend with clear thread. 

So, to the title of this post.

Last night there was a quick storm and then this amazing double rainbow appeared out the front door (first ever). Outside my window today, there is a pair of bluebirds making a home and nest in the birch tree. For a girl who never sees anything on that list of special things, seeing the bluebirds (first ever) and the rainbow is a big deal. 

The redbud.

My mom and I loved redbuds, loved the early flowering trees deep in the Missouri woods in the spring. The girls love them too because we planted one in our backyard in Chicago when they were little. They grew up together. After Mom passed, Maggie and James were gifted a tree of their choice to plant in the yard as a memorial to Mom. They chose a redbud. Redbuds are fussy. They like the forest and less so suburban yards, but this one is thriving. It burst into bloom a week or so ago. Maggie sent a photo with the caption, Grammy's here! 

It will be a year tomorrow. We miss her. So very much. 

Yeah, Mom! Ta-da! 

 

february loves

I had a chat with a new friend yesterday about social media and its place in our lives. There are so many platforms available now and it's increasingly easier to just point, click, post and move on. This blog was my first online home. Ten years ago! I used words mostly. I wasn't a photographer and words were my best tool. Over time, I sharpened my basic skills with photos and increasingly leaned toward images. I'm a visual person. Words are harder to come by, images are everywhere for the taking. 

That said, I miss writing words and the larger story. That's my new challenge. Write. Craft. Teach.

This has been a transitional time for me. I'm really happy in this new home and love the time I get to just be here. I'm inspired to make things, push furniture around, hang art on the walls, cook, bake, entertain old and new friends. After a long hiatus, I pulled out my wool stash and rug-hooking tools for the winter. There's that enormous rug in progress that I've been dragging around for years. Still have a long way to go, but I am working on it. Never knew where it would go, but I have a spot picked out now.

When I packed and moved the wool stash, I got the idea to use it for more projects. It will be incorporated into the spring retreat with Jen from Noodle and Lou (sold out) as pet portraits, but I'm also using it to make tiny houses in hoops to hang on the wall. Loving the use of small pieces of wool and embroidery. There are a few in my Etsy shop. 

But the biggest source of joy has been joining up with an arts organization and teaching art to children at the village school. They are so much fun! The excited buzz in the art room, the adventure of art-making without brakes or self consciousness. Wow. So inspiring!

{Next post is about the making of this fantastic Emperor Penguin.}

It's the season of valentines and home-made art. Remembering the valentine boxes we made in school long ago. That was my favorite part. Decorating that shoe box, watching classmates drop messages into the tiny opening. Looking forward to making valentines with the children at school this week. Who doesn't love a paper heart? Scissors? And a glue stick?

And a length of yarn?

Sending love to you and hoping you find moments of heartwarming joy to cheer the spirit. xoxoC

new year, making, finishing

Watching this little guy grow up so fast is an inspiration to make more of the time I have for making. So far this year, I have finished stitching the West End sampler I designed awhile ago. Once I dug in, it was pretty quick and I had such fun using the felt pieces for those shutters! 

That's Vince in the upstairs window on the left. (Mo is the baby up top and her sisters, Erin and Maggie as little girls are in the downstairs window.) I love the squirrel and the stork. And the roof, so in love with the colors and texture of the roof! Done!

Then I got busy with this new design I call Into the Wild. I colored it two ways, blue and pink and also left it uncolored for those who prefer making those choices. I think it would be pretty in redwork. But the colored version is awesome because it lets you off the hook of having to stitch everything. I'm just adding texture here and there with stitches that sometimes fill the space and sometimes just accent it. I wanted to create a sampler that could be dedicated to a baby or feature a personal message. On the bottom of the panel, I added an alphabet that can be traced to make the words of your choice. I think that's a great way to make a special gift for someone - it could say welcome or thank you or onward or .... well, you get it.

Can you believe he's almost one?! 

In between, I got out that beautiful indigo wool from Vermont. (Truth is, I can binge watch Fixer Upper or Broadchurch and knit at the same time if it's a cowl.)

And I used every last lick of it! The ball wasn't very big and I can assure you, I've wasted as much good time as usual. Plenty here to finish that hasn't even made the list yet. But it was a good start. 

Wishing everyone a very happy new year full of many good things, new dreams, beginnings and a few finished projects too! xoxo

painting and stitching summer

I'm still getting the hang of this new place. Every once in awhile I uncover the top layer of a basket full of things I squirreled away in here and find that there is actually something wonderful inside. (BTW- I recommend moving in Ikea bags. Throwing those workhorse bags over the shoulder like a sailor's sling duffle is so much better than lifting a box!)

I didn't quite know what to do with those blue and white dish embroideries I made awhile ago. I found a long piece of linen I dyed in France and thought I might use as a shawl. I'm stitching the embroidered pieces onto it. Maybe for the table. 

Sorted vintage fabrics and the indigo dyed textiles from Vermont. Sewed up new pillows out of some.

Doesn't it seem like everything in the universe is suddenly being dipped in a blue dye bath? So beautiful!

Started to think about the shadowboxes we are making in the September sessions in Vermont. I gave away so much great junk before the move, but I'm finding more inside the magic basket stashes. So glad I kept what I did. I've often joked that I can go buy it all back at the church sale. That's just a few weeks away. Hmm. Maybe I'll buy someone else's treasures this time. 

♥♥♥ Our Vermont weekends have a few spots left each weekend. It's a great group of women each weekend and we expect to have so much fun crafting, tag saling, eating all that homecooking and getting to know each other. Kaari and Jenn will each lead special projects and autumn in Vermont promises to be colorful and charming as always. Happy to tell you more if you email me at the link above in the left sidebar. 

Sometimes very early in the morning, I'll get out the paint basket. Again, blue and white. (And dishes.) I have my best luck with just one or two colors. I'm still struggling with brushes and paints, what they will and won't do. What I love about stitching is that I can pick out the mistakes and start again. Harder with a paintbrush. Will keep at it though. 

Always happiest back to needle and thread. The perfect take-along or stay-at-home craft. The end of day honeyed light pouring through the windows is so pretty, bouncing off the Hudson downhill.

Suddenly, it feels like fall.

how softly summer shuts, without the creaking of a door.

~ emily dickinson

january

Happy new year! (um, I can't believe it's almost the end of January.)

So much going on all the time these days. Winter weather, birthdays (my mom turned 85!), moving, quilting, stitching, baby showering, baby watching, shoveling, shoveling.

We made it though the terrible-but-not-bad-at-all-really snowstorm named Juno. All this coincided with my mother's move which was pushed up a day as we tried to get it done before the snows came. It was successful and she's in. Her new space is cozy and sunny and right in the heart of our pretty little village. I think she will be very happy there.

Maggie is ready to have her baby any day now. It's so exhilarating to imagine this little guy arriving and being in our arms within days. He will be amazed at all the adoring faces peering into his nearly every time he opens his eyes.

Other news- the Vermont retreats are sold out for the spring. Thank you!! That happened within days of posting here. 

I have a new sampler in the shop tonight. Just have to get it listed. And another one in the works. When it's this cold and snowy, there isn't an excuse not to have a stitch basket within reach. Thank you for all the recent orders from my etsy shop. I love sharing these designs with you.

Wishing everyone warmth and wonder as we head into another winter month. Reminding myself that today we are one day closer to spring!

for my birthday

So I had that big birthday this year. Way back in September. A few weeks ago, my daughters planned a weekend getaway to celebrate with them. And it was so completely perfect.

They whisked me away to a place they found, close but far enough away to feel as though we were just us. 

Being from the midwest, my idea of escape is a rustic cabin, a quiet lake, deep woods and a cozy fire. Same for the girls who grew up visiting my father's handmade cabin in Missouri. 

Always the best escape is one that includes my three sweet girls. All together. Again.

Erin

Maggie (and bambino)

Momo

They planned it so well. Maggie made a playlist of music they grew up on. Categories included piano recitals, dinner parties, dance moves, weekend breakfasts. It played in the background while we sat by the fire and started a quilt for the bambino in the style of the one Pam made for me.

There was a moment when I looked up and flashed on the book I wrote years ago about mothers and daughters at home. It works! We were sewing together, making this quilt collectively. Wow. Joy!

They also made a menu of foods I used to cook for them when they were little. 

Dutch baby pancake with lemon wedges and powdered sugar. (Beef stew. Mac 'n Cheese. They are way better cooks than I ever hoped to be!)

With the sun pouring down through the golden trees, we walked through the woods to a farm where the owner sold fresh eggs. We wandered around her pretty farm, watched the hens, met the barn cat, petted the golden retrievers. 

The three of them together, reunited, sharing their deep sisterhood. So wonderful to see.

We watched the eagles flying the lake, sitting in the trees right outside the cabin.

Can you see him flying just above the tree line on the right? We tried to keep up.

Bambino kicked and met his aunts for the first time.

I'm so very lucky to have these three. My dear girls. The way they love. Each other, me, their dad, their husbands, their grammy, their friends, the world they live in. 

Yes, it was a happy, happy birthday. 

And next week they'll be home for Thanksgiving! So much gratitude ... and time to work on that quilt together again!

We're preparing for Adventures in Boyhood!

bits and drips

One of these days it's going to be spring. I swear it.

A bit of sunshine arrived yesterday in a new publication out of the UK called Hoop-La! Such a pretty magazine all about embroidery. I love the way my project feature looks inside.

I'm working on the stitched sample for this design. It should be in the shop in a week or so along with the other designs you have been asking for as well. 

Like everyone this winter, I've been hibernating in a deep snowdrift for the past few weeks. Digging out slowly, but so very ready for sunshine and warmth. Daffodils, ranunculus and colored bits of thread certainly do what they can.

Patience is the art of hoping. ~Vauvenargues

mid-november gifts

Hard to believe we are already halfway through. As I was editing images, I thought about the way the colors outside follow us inside. It's been a spectacular fall and now the wind blows some of it away every day. Even so, there's always something new to notice, left behind. The maple leaves are followed by the golden ginkgo, my favorite. Such elegance.

I've been stitching and finished the Use it Up sampler, finally in the shop. Now I'm working on a little sweater cut down from a larger one that I felted a long time ago. (Have to follow my own motto and Use it Up!) I decided to embroider the rows with bands of favorite stitches and colors. At first I hurried to get it finished as it's meant for a gift, but now I'm stretching the project into longer intervals so I can have all the pleasure of choosing and stitching. It's good to slow things down a bit and enjoy the exquisite tumble of color all around, inside and out. November days start fast and end quickly.

So, stay warm, lovely friends. Be inspired to sift through your stash baskets and pull out something, old or new, to capture your imagination and begin a handmade project. As my dear neighbor Madi said, with every stitch .... 

 

january vermont getaway

We're all set with the details about the upcoming January weekend getaway. It's January 30 to February 2 at Meleen's houses in the Green Mountains of southern Vermont about 4 hours north of NYC or an hour away from the Albany airport.

One of the things we will do is introduce you to rug hooking. Meleen and I are both experienced rug-hookers, although we have different techniques and styles. I have designed and hooked rugs for a few magazines and my books and I used to speak to rug hooking groups around the country about technique and design. Meleen has filled her homes with her own beautiful rugs - and they are gorgeous. 

Vermont in the winter is magical, cozy and adventurous! How much fun will it be to sit around the fire in our pajamas, drinking coffee and chai while we make things?! Then we'll have one more scone or piece of pie while the soup simmers and bundle up for a walk around the corner to the antique center just as it starts to snow again. (Okay, we can't actually promise snow. But we can promise pie.) And when we get back .... the art room will be waiting with more creative play to come. I'm gathering inspirations to design a special sampler.

The cost is $595 for three nights and days at Meleen's fabulous side-by-side houses with all the delicious home-cooked food, crafts and local adventures of the season. Airfare is not included but we'll pick you up at the airport and take you back again. There will be swag and handmade gifts. And lots of sweet new friends to meet including some who came last time.

Check out Mary's blogpost here for a nice testimonial about our October weekend. 

If you'd like to come, please write to us at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com. Registration is open through that email address. 

vermont getaway highlights

Fifteen of us arrived safely from all parts of the country to gather in side-by-side cottages for three nights and days at Meleen's place in southern Vermont. It was everything we hoped it would be, except sunny. But that didn't seem to matter much after all. 

We did it all. Crafting and making things.

Stitching.

Exploring, adventuring. Collecting.

Visiting and learning.

More crafting. Always crafting.

Eating, eating, sipping, eating. Talking. Laughing, of course.

Gifting and sharing.

Relaxing. Appreciating the time, the place, the season.

The friendships. The fun! 

Hard to see it end and head home. But we will definitely do it again. 

Thank you to everyone who came, supported our vision of the weekend and made it especially fabulous. And to Meleen and John - not enough words, flowers or hugs to say it enough. Thank you!!

Tons of photos in the Instagram group pool #craftygetaway and on other blogs like the post here. I'll do another post about our generous sponsors and a giveaway to come as well. 

If you would like to be on the newslist for the next one, shoot us an email at fallvermontgetaway(at)gmail.com. We're already thinking about winter, late spring and/or summer.