Every year, Big B and little b make Christmas ornaments for their aunts, grandparents and teachers. This year, they are both old enough to be careful with glass, and I bought several clear glass balls for them to adorn, not knowing yet which method we'd choose. We'd experimented with the paint and glitter swirly method, but they just didn't turn out the way we'd hoped. Then, Papa and I went to the grand opening party for a fabulous new home accessories boutique in town, and saw these adorable beauties:
I remembered the masks I had scored at Goodwill before Halloween, and the bounty of peacock feathers collected at the ranch, and our ornament making afternoon took shape.
I just love these. They are each so different, so simple, yet so elegant, and Big B and little b created them almost entirely by themselves. We will revisit this concept next year, I'm sure!
I was immediately inspired when I saw this post on my favorite children's craft collective, The Crafty Crow. It was a nice, slow process. The boys helped me cut branches from paper grocery bags. The tree stayed leafless for a couple of days, then we took out the watercolors and painted a handful of coffee filters I had stashed in the craft cabinet.
The next day, when the coffee filters were dry, we folded the filters in half, then in half again, then cut a leaf shape out of them, leaving a very cool star in the center of each.
I love our new door art! The leaves don't really change much where we live, so creating a bit of color brings the season that much closer. Looking forward to more cinnamon and pumpkins and apples and hay and all things autumn!
Last night, I had the immense pleasure of visiting an art gallery with my dear friend Rose. In and of itself that would have been a rare treat to be savored. But what was inside was a collection I've wanted to see for years, one that moved both of us more than we expected. The quilts of Gee's Bend.
Two years ago I scrapped (no pun intended) my measured method of quilting and joined droves of modern quilters in the improvisational movement. This liberating practice of piecing to your heart's content and throwing straight lines and rulers out the window results in a much more interesting, personal, creative expression. The quilters of Gee's Bend literally pioneered this movement, and not by going down the road to the fabric store, but by finding scraps, jackets, blankets, whatever--and creating history.
Stopping at this pre-war piece entered me in conversation with another quilter moved to tears.
This piece shows just how resourceful the quilters were. Using swatches from campaign ribbons, army gear, sweaters, mixing knitwear and cotton and polyester and bedsheets with beautiful results.
Log cabin-style blocks become so much more interesting when pieced in this way!
I think this was my favorite quilt in the room. Again, pausing to admire it found me in conversation with another quilter, this time trying to imagine how the quilter's pieced this beauty. The juxtaposition of fabrics is spectacular.
Another friend was there, and she recognized one of the fabrics from a doll she had as a child!
I loved this very improv log cabin piece that used cottons and courdoroys in perfect accord, contrasting them with denim from old blue jeans. They kept the pockets! Love that!
Each of the quilts was so inspirational. Every piece of fabric was carefully transformed into something much bigger than itself. The quilts of Gee's Bend are metaphoric, iconic pieces of Americana that showcase community, creativity, and true sustainability. I was grateful to be in the presence of so much love.
This week, Big B and I were blessed to take part in an initiative by a friend and her daughter, who are traveling to Swaziland, Africa this weekend. As a country, Swaziland has a 40% HIV rate. 10% of the population are orphaned children. Their life expectancy is 32. The region that my friend is visiting has a 90% HIV rate. They are going there to bring them clothes, toys, and books...but mostly love.
We collected gently used items from three other families and spread them out on our dining room table. When all was said and done, we had amassed five huge garbage bags full of love to send across the ocean. I must admit, I had an ulterior motive for taking part in this project. Of course the statistics I learned and the pictures I saw were plenty to compel me to do some small thing...but I also jumped at the chance to broaden Big B's global perspective. When I told him these children had no food, he asked, "Why don't they just go to Publix?" When I told him there were no grocery stores like he was used to, he asked, "Why don't they just go get the food that's free?"
I am grateful that Big B has never had to understand this struggle. But a personal connection with a lifestyle so different from his own can only expand his mind...and his heart. I showed him some of the photos of the children my friend visited last time she went, and it seemed to do the trick. He wrote them this letter, with his picture attached:
Dear kids in Swaziland,
We're sending toys to you. Maybe along with some clothes and books and art supplies. I hope you have Easter there, and I hope that you like to play with the toys. Have a happy summer and I hope you can write to me sometime.
Bye!...and, from Big B's mama, this excerpt from a poem I read long ago:
The same hands that made the stars made you. The same hands that made the canyons made you. The same hands that made the trees and the moon and the sun made you. That's why you are so special. God made you. He made you in a very special way. He made your eyes so they would twinkle. He made your mouth so you could smile. He made your laugh so you could giggle. God made you like no one else. If you looked all over the world, there would be no one else like you. No one with your eyes, no one with your mouth, no one with your laugh. You are very, very special.
I am grateful for Big B's expanding mind. To continue the process, I've laid out this memory game, gifted to us by one of the moms that donated clothing, for us to play after school. We keep a gratitude journal in our house. We say three good things that happened in our day at every family meal. Thankfulness is a concept that is driven home pretty hard around here. As parents, Papa and I are grateful for the amazing opportunities that surround our children simply as a result of their place of birth. As children who have never really wanted for anything, it is difficult to understand these concepts.
Now, Big B is beginning to make connections with children who don't have these opportunities, who are sick, hungry, and parentless, yet still exude joy and gratitude for the gifts they've been given. I hope that through this exchange of photographs and letters, and by giving clothes and toys and books that were once his, Big B will begin to feel gratitude in an entirely new way. I hope he begins to understand that regardless of the tremendous disparity in how children live all over the world, they are all connected. They need love just like Big B does. Their bodies work just like his does, and they like to play and laugh and explore just like he does.
I am so grateful to my friend and her daughter for traveling so far just to give these children some love and kindness. We wish them peace and strength of heart on their journey. They've given us quite a gift in the process.
This morning was just one of those mornings. And I mean that in the best possible way. Tomorrow begins a ten day Spring Break for Big B, so today feels very much like a Friday. Little b and I decided to get our usual Friday chores done today, and that included picking up Papa's drycleaning, which--oh, darn--happens to be adjacent to the very best Goodwill in all the land.
I haven't been shopping at Goodwill since before the holidays, and was amazed at how beautifully the shelves have restocked in those three short months. I scored two adorable pillowcases to add to my growing stack, ready to be converted to aprons: ...this simple vintage box o' party games, complete with pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey: ...a bright and cheerful piece of fabric with a bold linear print, perfect for the tablecloth I've been dreaming of making for spring: ...a gallon ziploc bag full of miniature baskets, just in time for a sweet Easter project:...and call it fate, call it serendipity, call it kismet, but when I woke up this morning, I was internally scheduling my day, and visualized setting out large wooden beads and pipe cleaners as an after-school activity for the boys. On my way out of Goodwill, I found a gallon ziploc bag full of large wooden beads and pipe cleaners.I love days like this.
Spring has officially sprung. We set the clocks forward last night, the pileated woodpeckers are back on our telephone pole, and the blue jays are trying to make nests with the streamers on our tricycles. We've resurrected the bubble machine and have been outside all weekend. Yesterday Mimi came in town for a visit, and we went out exploring, seeking the jewels of the season.
After finding a flea market and admiring its treasures, ...we headed to our favorite nursery, where spring's real treasures are beginning to shine.We bought two varieties each of peppers and tomatoes for our Earth Box, and several kinds of herbs and flowers to create a mini-garden in an old Radio Flyer wagon that's been rusting in our backyard. These little signs of spring are refreshing and invigorating, and each glimpse of growth will be a reminder to nurture the beauty within each living thing.
"All through the long winter, I dream of my garden.
On the first day of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its energy, and my spirits soar."
It happens only once a year. The chosen have been busy for weeks creating their handmade gifts. The hustle and bustle of shoppers is abuzz with energy. I must admit, I look forward to this indie craft festival each year almost as much as Christmas Day itself.
We are so lucky to live in a community that embraces the handmade, the repurposed, the upcycled, the vintage and the offbeat. For the fourth year running, our local municipal auditorium was absolutely packed to the gills for The Atomic Holiday Bazaar. After learning my lesson last year, and with big thanks to dear Papa, I was able to go this year without the boys. The craftiness captured my complete attention, and Noni and I noticed a few new trends.
1: FEATHERS. It seemed feathers were everywhere, on hair clips, headbands and hats.2: HATS. Speaking of hats, they were everywhere too--the tinier the better. Pillbox hats are apparently back with a vengeance. There were tiny hats on large heads......and then there were just large heads. Handcrafted, totally unique creations like these are what makes the Atomic Holiday Bazaar so incredibly fabulous.3: OWLS. This is not a new trend, by any means, but these birds just keep getting hotter. Here are a few joined by other whimsical ornaments from Red Marionette.Owls were spotted on handbags, clutches, wallets, wall art, and pendants, like these upcycled spoons from Gorilla Dust.4: BEER BOTTLE CAPS.Noni and I noticed several things made from these, like magnets, pendants, and picture frames. This recyclable seemed to slip in where last year's vinyl left off.5: GIVING BACK. Enter ZimKids. What a cool idea. Each of these little dolls was created by a child in Zimbabwe. For $25, someone can take one of these handmades home, and receive a thank you from the child who created it. All of the money goes directly to helping feed the child's family. $25 can feed a family in Zimbabwe for an average of one month. Look how sweet these are! A pop top for a belt buckle? Pretty ingenious for an eight-year-old.There were so many great vendors, perhaps it's a good thing my camera died early in the afternoon; I could actually pay attention to the creativity around me. I would like to give props to Sutara, Fat Orange Cat, and Dragonfly Crafts for especially inspiring my creative juices, as always. A new inspiration for me this year (and maybe just the kick in the pants I need to get little b's birthday bunting made) was the darling work of Shanlie. I told myself that I would not buy any gifts at the Bazaar, in keeping with our secondhand Christmas. But Papa made me promise to treat myself to something (whatta man), so I chose these simple pendants honoring my boys, from local jewelry artist be. She stamped them right there while I waited. I'm looking forward to next year's Bazaar already, and am freshly inspired to work on all of my own handmade gifts for the season. Off to my sewing machine!
