Small satisfactions
July 29, 2012 § 2 Comments
This weekend my sister came and we had a marvelous girls’ time. The weather cooled and we cleared our schedules for whatever we wanted to do, instead of what we ought to do.
So, we started our two days of good food and good fun with a night of arts & crafts. Elena made a yarn-covered letter “B” (the first letter of her last name), and I dug out my paints to replicate the photograph of a butterfly.
We talked as the sunset turned into dark, took a break for pie, and finished our projects with J.J. Heller and King Charles and Fun in the background. Then we admired our works with satisfaction and surprise: Look what we made!
Each of us created something new, something that would add beauty to our spaces, something that had not previously existed. This sort of activity was not uncommon for us as little girls. It occurred almost daily, and lived on our family’s refrigerator, or on our bedroom walls, or on the sidewalk outside, or perched on our dressers. We had little fear of imperfection or inadequacy, little sense of obligation to be accomplishing or completing another, more important task. We created because we liked to.
It is good to bring back these small satisfactions, to insist upon times set aside for the making of things. That thrill of creating beauty is unique unto itself. We remember that we have capable hands and important imaginations. We remember that we are artists.
A little shop preview
July 7, 2012 § 3 Comments
Aren’t these embroidered monogram necklaces simply sweet? I’ll be interviewing Danielle of The Merriweather Council to learn about how she got started with embroidery and an Etsy shop – so check back soon!
Handmade Shop: Green Trunk Designs
May 30, 2012 § 3 Comments
Is it just me, or are we having a revival of the creative? I feel like I’ve been noticing a general pulling away from what is mass-produced in favor of what has been made by hand. We are, many of us, being drawn towards things that are authentic, repurposed, inventive, and unique. This is happening in our own lives in DIY ways, and it’s showing up in a great flush of independent, locally-made, handicraft kinds of businesses.
I love this. I have always loved the idea of cottage industries and often fancied I’d have one. (I still fancy this, actually, along with the cottage itself.) I remember learning about the Industrial Revolution with dismay, though this may have been related to simultaneously reading a good deal of Charles Dickens. The disappearance of cottage industries with the rise of factories and migration to cities did not seem especially progressive to me, when my aesthetic tendencies would have me prefer thatched houses to dank, crowded alleys and smoggy skylines.
I suppose factories may have their place, and some have been intentional about incorporating pleasant and safe conditions within their operations. But I still prefer items that have been handmade. Something a human touched and created with a vision in mind, with care and detail emphasized over speed. Something that grew out of someone’s desire to make something beautiful and useful.
So! I’d like to share with you one small business I have discovered thanks to Etsy. These hats by Green Trunk Designs are made from recycled materials and have a distinctly vintage flair. Owner Jaya Lee crafts each hat or fascinator from her home in Brewster, New York; she finds “great joy in giving unwanted materials a new life and purpose.” Have a look at some of these unique, pretty creations. Photos courtesy of Green Trunk Designs.
Vintage 1920s Lace Cap
Rustic Rose Woodland Hair Comb
Felt Pillbox Hat
Patchwork Fascinator Hat
Woodland Cloche Hat
What do you think? Aren’t they charming? If I were to choose one of these, I think it would be the vintage 1920s lace cap. Which one do you like best?
How we feel about handmade
December 30, 2011 § 3 Comments
When Renee was here, we took a day to swing by Firefly Handmade, a market for artisans and craftspeople in the Boulder area. We saw lots of pretty things. Here are a few:
Renee took a home a blue silk flower for her hair and a handmade lip balm that smelled so fruity-luscious that it made your mouth water. I saved my pennies, this time, but took notes and business cards. And a sample of a salted caramel.
Afterward we almost passed the Dushanbe Tea House. Instead of passing, though, we paused. And went inside for another teatime. (I must mention that the next day we toured Celestial Seasonings. It was a tea-filled weekend.)
The tea house was built in the 1980s as gift to the City of Boulder from the capital city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan – a country I perhaps once heard about in eighth-grade geography, but must have promptly forgotten, as it sounds kind of made-up to me. Here’s some interesting history.
Inside we waited to be seated with our heads tipped upward. The tea house has the most beautiful ceilings.
And a delicious house chai.
It was an uplifting day!
So much art to be seen, touched, tried on and even tasted. Best of all with the best of friends.
That’s what I call progress
December 30, 2011 § 2 Comments
The needles have been clickety-clacking. This is a calmly happy thing, a new discovering of ability and possibility. There is something soothing in the repetitive motion, something satisfying in having a finished product make its way out, inch by inch, from your fingers.
Our culture has long looked humorously, even scornfully, at the grandmothers sitting in their cottage corners to knit or crochet. With a braided rug, a fireplace, and a cat. Probably also some cozy slippers.
Well now. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but . . . other than the cat (give me a big dog, please) that sounds just perfectly gorgeously pleasant. Warm, cozy, quietly artistic. And who can deny how beautiful yarn is, tucked into a basket, twisted and tied with ribbon?
If comfort and beauty are the things for the old souls, I am happy to be among them. Even in these last few months of my twenties. Finding such things along the path towards greater self-sufficiency and away from debt – that means progress to me.
Thanks to family members and also to Borrowed Pastures for the beautiful 100% wool and wool/alpaca blend yarns!
Kinds of Honey 
