Small comforts
November 30, 2011 § Leave a comment
The November issue of Country Living – British Edition is in my house, with features like “Cosy Knits for Autumn Nights” and “Decorating Ideas for Rustic Rooms.” This room isn’t quite rustic, but everything has been cleaned and put in its place, and there is that peace of a well-organized home. I have finished one scarf (all knit stitch) and am nearly finishing another (all purl stitch). Such satisfaction comes with learning a new skill! And it has been good to remember how to learn, not expecting perfection but allowing yourself mistakes and time.
As I sit on my roommate’s couch with my computer and plans for tracking down that Right Job, and smile occasionally about how tricky life can be – still there are these things. These home comforts.
Dear readers! What are some of your home comforts? Comment on this post and you will be entered into a drawing to receive your own copy of Country Living British Edition – the December issue!
Also, the “Where do you create?” photo drive is still going on! Send a photo of where you create and you’ll receive a packet of blue pumpkin seeds as well as a chance to win a copy of Storey’s Country Wisdom Almanac!
Where do you create?
November 17, 2011 § Leave a comment
Keep sending in those photos! I’m curious to see the places that you claim for your creative projects. (Click here for the initial post about this request and giveaway.)
You might also mention what specific kinds of art, crafts, trades, and projects you like to do in your creative place. . . from making snowflake cookies in the kitchen to shaping wooden spindles in the back shed, from sketching in the office to collecting scraps of fabric from thrift stores.
What’s in it for you? Why take the time to snap and send a picture? In addition to building the artistic community simply by sharing with one another, (1) the first people to submit will receive packets of blue pumpkin seeds, and (2) each person who sends a photo or two will be entered in a drawing for a copy of Storey Publishing’s Country Wisdom Almanac: 373 Tips, Crafts, Home Improvements, Recipes, and Homemade Remedies. Send your photos to birchbark (dot) erica (at) gmail (dot) com.
I’ll be checking my inbox . . .
Creative spaces, a pale blue pumpkin, & a giveaway!
November 13, 2011 § 4 Comments
Have you heard of the publication Where Women Create? It’s an entire magazine devoted to exploring the work spaces that women shape around their creative endeavors. Being a woman keenly aware of and influenced by her surroundings, I have found this publication to be at once surprising, unique, and inspiring.
I have yet to attain the dream home with its well-lit studio room or renovated loafing shed. And I rather wish I could be leasing a 100-year-old house or a flat in an old brick building where I might claim unique spots near windows with detailed trim. But I’m currently making the best of yet another cookie-cutter apartment. It’s not perfect, gorgeous, or quaint, but a girl does what she can. Lately I’ve been finding my creative spot on a quilt my sister gave me for Christmas, nestled with cushions in front of the fireplace. Add a cup of coffee and a handful of writing ideas, and I am set.
This is where I create.
Tucked in corners around where I create, I still have pumpkins! My favorite has been one I just had to take home from work, because it’s a very pale baby blue. See?
But, as you might also notice, the pumpkin was starting to get soft and brown near the stem today. This means Cook Me Now. So I cut into my blue pumpkin and set it on a baking sheet. Do you know what I found inside? Lots and lots of seeds. The seed cavity was huge, although there is still a good bit of flesh to eat. And no, the flesh is not blue (that would be weird, right?) but typical pumpkin orange. I can smell it baking right now. And I am feeling generous.
So here’s my giveaway offer this month, which is perhaps more of a trade: I’m curious to know about your creative spaces – even if they are just dreaming-of-creating spaces right now. Men and women are welcome to answer, by the way! So snap a shot or two, and send it to me at birchbark (dot) erica (at) gmail (dot) com. In exchange for your pictures, some of which I will post with credits on this blog, I’ll send you a packet of seeds from my pumpkin . . . until all the seeds are gone. (Be sure to provide me with your mailing address.) The sooner you submit, the more likely you are to have blue pumpkins growing in your garden next year! I’m looking forward to seeing your studios, workshops, wood tables, living rooms, attics, backyards, garages, barns, and wherever else you make things beautiful, make things messy, and make things up.
Kinds of Honey 