serendipity

Pompom Topiary

"The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses."

 -- Hanna Rion

Topiarys are living sculptures.  They bring delight with their whimsy.  As a child I imagined they were the homes for elves and fairies.  Here is a  delightful popom topiary I designed for that childlike spirit who still believes in magic.

Materials

1    1 3/8" Clover pompom maker

1    1 5/8" Clover pompom maker

1    2 1/2" Clover pompom maker

1    bamboo skewer

1     2" x 1 5/8" miniature wood flower pot

1     6" piece of 1/4" ribbon

1     small bottle of dark green acrylic paint

1    small bottle of brown acrylic paint

1    skein of light green yarn  

1     skein of emerald green yarn

1    paper punch in the shape of a butterfly

1     sheet of gold paper

1     bottle of Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue

1     1"x 1" x 1" piece of styrofoam

1    piece of dark green craft felt

1     scissors

1     piece of white tailors chalk 

 Directions

Paint flower pot with green paint.  Allow to dry.  Paint another coat. Allow to dry.

Paint skewer with brown paint.  Allow to dry.  Paint another coat.  Allow to dry.

Make 1 small, medium and large pompom.  Use both green yarns held together.  Trim any access or long bits.

Turn the flower pot upside down onto the felt.  Trace the circle with a piece of tailor's chalk onto the felt.

Cut out the circle.

Insert the foam into the flowerpot pushing it down firmly so it is secure.

Glue the felt circle onto the top of the styrofoam.

Glue the ribbon along the brim of the flower pot. Trim off access.

Make a gold paper butterfly using your butterfly punch.

Glue the butterfly onto the ribbon at the point where the ends meet, so that the ends of the ribbon are no longer visible.

Stick the skewer into the center of the flowerpot through the felt and styrofoam.  Remove.  Squeeze some glue into the hole, carefully not spilling any onto the felt.  Push the skewer back into the hole.

Thread the pompoms onto the skewer, beginning with the large, then the medium and finally the small pompom.  Spread them evenly across the pompom with the smallest at that top.  

Once you like the positioning of the pompoms, add a little glue to secure them to the skewer.  

Allow to dry before moving.

* This project is perfect for using with yarn leftover from other projects.  Make them white for a winter scene or for use at a wedding table.  

mini bead flower sweetness

 

 

"I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers."  --  Claude Monet

I've been meaning to post a few images taken of work by Thelma Schweizer. These miniature beaded blossom are just so sweet.  I love the iris and the rose!  

 

 

I never had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Schweizer.  Her daughter contacted me after seeing my Glass Prairie collection.  Her mom had passed away and she had a huge stash of beads for sale. Needless to say, I bought the stash.  They were still labeld as from Czechloslavakia.  It's an honor to work with the materials that someone so obviously treasured.  

I'd never been interested in making miniatures, but after seeing this collection, I am tempted. Tempted enough that I also bought many of her small vases! I think a collection of these little treasures would make a very attractive addition to my collection of pewter miniatures.  Imagine them also gracing a dining table set for Easter dinner or the cheer they would bring to the kitchen window on a cold winter day.    

button topiary

 

"Flowers seem intended for the solace of ordinary humanity."  --  John Ruskin

 This quick weekend project is a great way to show off your button stash while making them easily accessible to use when the need for an emergency repair occurs.  A great decoration for your dining table or mantlepiece.

 

Materials

1     6" Styrofoam ball 

1     ball of  worsted green yarn (I chose an olive green.)

1     3/8" x 12"  dowel rod

2     yds of ribbon

1      3.5" terra cotta flower pot

1     bag of decorative spanish moss

1     4oz bottle of Aleene's Original Tacky Glue

4    boxes of Dritz Quilting Pearl Head Pins

2    yds of gingham ribbon 

1    scissors

1    small box of dry plaster of paris mix

1    sharpened pencil

1    ruler

1    roll of Duck Tape

 

Measure 3.5" from the end of your dowel rod with a pencil

Take your dowel rod and insert it into the styrofoam ball.  Push it in to the ball to the 3.5" mark. Pull it out.

Wrap your yarn around the ball.  Do not cover up the hole you've made for the dowel rod.  Once you have covered the entire surface, glue down the end.

Measure 2.5" from the other end of your dowel rod with a pencil.

Apply a small amount of glue onto the dowel rod between the marked ends.  Spread it evenly across the wood's surface with your finger.  Wrap the ribbon around the dowel rod.  Trim access.  Allow to dry.

Take your buttons and begin pinning them to the ball.  Use two pins per button.  Place the buttons evenly across the surface using a variety of sizes and textures.  Push the pins fully into the styrofoam.  Do not cover up the hole for your dowel rod.

Use a small piece of Duck Tape to cover up the hole at the bottom of the flower pot.

Mix 1 cup of dry plaster following package directions.  

Insert your rod into the center of the flower pot at the 2.5" marked end.  While holding the rod with one hand, pour the plaster of paris into the flower pot.  Hold your dowel rod straight until the plaster sets. Allow to dry several hours.

Once the plaster of paris is dry, squeeze some glue into the hole of the styrofoam ball being careful to not squeeze too much.  You don't want any to drip out when you turn it to place on the dowel rod. If it does, wipe immediately with a paper towel.   

Place the stryofoam ball onto the dowel rod.

Use the rest of the ribbon to tie a bow onto the dowel rod.  

Place some spanish moss into the flower pot covering up the plaster of paris.

Allow the glue to set in the styrofoam ball before moving to the center of your dining table or mantlepiece.  

*Note -  I recommended using plaster of paris as you need to add weight to the flower pot.  Otherwise your piece will be top heavy and likely to tip over.

The crocheted blanket in the background was made by my great grandmother who was never without her "work."  I inherited her collection of steel hooks and many of her finished pieces. Following in her footsteps, I made the featured black and white granny square table runner from linen.  

beaded button bracelet

"Jewelry takes people's minds off your wrinkles." -- Sonja Henie

Simple, but elegant.  A crochet rope the length of a bracelet with a scattering of beaded buttons.   Sometimes I take my design inspiration directly from the materials.   In this case it was the buttons I received as a gift from a friend.  Sheila owns One World Button Supply Company.  The buttons she sells, many which of she has designed, are beyond belief gorgeous.  She sent some blue and green beaded buttons that I am itching to work into a necklace.  

To add strength to the bracelet and to allow for easy attachment of the clasp, a length of stringing wire runs through the center of the rope.  Sterling silver bead caps finish the ends with a basic ball-end (in this case a heart) and toggle clasp.  A dangle of crystal adds just a dash of extra flash.  

Thank you to Larry Sanders for the great photo!

making a needle-felted pancake bead

"Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment."  --  Claude Monet

I love making these felted beads.  They are quick to make, easy to do and can be used in a variety of jewelry projects.  They are an offshoot of my other felting experiments and a nice alternative to the more common ball-shaped bead.  

For this particular group, I chose a woodsy palette in shades of green, chocolate and cream.  To get started you will need the following:

Materials

1 package each of Clover's Natural Wool Roving in Chocolate, Mint, Moss Green and Off White

1 Clover Needle Felting Claw & Mat Cleaner

1 Clover Needle Felting Mat (small)

1 Clover Pen Style Needle Felting Tool

1 1" biscuit cutter

Put your biscuit cutter on the mat and press it slightly into the surface to keep it stable.  Pull a tuft of the roving . Gently roll it into a ball shape and stuff it into your biscuit cutter.  

Using your needle felting tool, begin punching down the roving.  Move from the center to the edge of the circle and back.  I hold the biscuit cutter with one hand while punching with the other. (In the case of this photo, I was using my left hand to take the photo!)  Once you have a fairly uniform surface, lift up the biscuit cutter and flip it over and felt from the other side using the same process.  Continue until the bead is flat like a pancake and about 1/4 inch thick..

Remove the biscuit cutter form.  Hold the bead in place with the claw in one hand and continue felting with the tool along the edge of the bead to firm up the sides.

When the bead feels dense and firm, pull a thin tuft of a contrasting color and lay it across the surface.

Remove one of the needles from the needle felting tool.  Punch down in the center of the tuft to begin attaching it to the bead.  Twirl the tuft of roving around the needle and continue punching it into place.

It will soon form a dot.  Continue punching around the edge until the dot it is round and dense.

You now have a bead!  You may add another dot to the flip side if you wish.  

Glue your new creation on a pin.  Thread it onto a cord.  Add it to a jacket zipper. There are many possibilities!  

evening primrose

You know the bloom, unearthly white,
That none has seen by morning light-
The tender moon, alone, may bare
Its beauty to the secret air.
Who'd venture past its dark retreat
Must kneel, for holy things and sweet,
That blossom, mystically blown,
No man may gather for his own
Nor touch it, lest it droop and fall....
Oh, I am not like that at all! 
-- Dorothy Parker

My first evening primrose was the yellow Cleland Evening Primrose (see flower on the right).  I planted it along my fence and year after year it returned to light up my garden as dusk fell.  The flower's common name is derived from the simple fact that it blooms as light falls rather than like many flowers which follow the sun.  My father's favorite evening primrose is the Whitest Evening Primrose which he calls the Colorado Evening Primrose as it can be found throughout the state as one hikes the lower elevations of the Rockie Mountains. 

The evening primrose is native to North and South America.  It belongs to the genus Oenothera, which is Greek for "donkey catcher."  Perhaps donkeys have a fondness for the plant, I don't know, but I do know that the plant is edible and high in a variety of healthy essential fatty acids.  I use evening primrose oil to relieve skin inflammation and itchiness.  

Evening primroses make great models for beaded flowers.  Their broad petals are easy to fashion and the variety and subtlety of colors are fun to simulate.  Here's my version of a Missouri Evening Primrose.

The Showy Evening Primrose has pink edges and transitions gradually to yellow towards the center. I used a 26 gauge red-colored copper wire at the time I made it, but I think I will give it another go with some pink Artistic Wire from Beadalon to better blend the wire with the beads.

Photo credit goes to Larry Sanders.

fireweed, fire pink, tickseed and blanket flower

"I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature, which, if we unconsciously yield to it, will direct us aright."   -- Henry David Thoreau

Here's Fireweed, also known as Epilobium angustifolium.  It's common name derives from the plant's responsive growth after fires.  Imagine a field filled with them!

Of course, Fireweed is not to be confused by Fire Pink, which isn't pink at all but a firery red.  This deceptively simple looking flower took me several goes to get right.  The petals' tips are serrated and rather tricky to do with beads and wire.  My first few attempts were clumsy and clunky.

Blanket flower is so named because of its resemblance to the bright the color work of Native American blankets.  I don't know from which Native American nation this reference derives, but the flower is definitely beautiful.  The plant is especially drought tolerant, so if you have a spot in your garden that is difficult to water, this is your plant.  Extra bonus - it is easy to grow from seed.

And finally I show you my version of Tickseed,  Tall Tickseed to be exact.  It is an excellent flower for the back of your flower border.  I have some growing in a the corner of my garden where I want to block out the view of my neigbor's garage.  When I say tall, this particular variety of tickseed will reach heights of 5 feet or so.  It is also a favorite of butterflies.

Photo credit of beaded flowers goes to Larry Sanders. 

road less traveled

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. "

-- Robert Frost

I've been absent from Serendipity these last few weeks due to a cold.  Well, actually it was more like laryngitis that turned into nasty bronchitis before seguing into a mild form of pneumonia.  After two rounds of antibiotics, bottles of cough syrup and oodles of naps, I'm finally feeling like myself. While sequestered to my bed, I could hear Mom's voice telling me to slow down.  She had been extolling such words long before she passed away.  She knew I have this tendancy to bury myself in my work.  When one loves what one does, it's difficult to take a break.  After all, work doesn't feel like work when you enjoy it.   Right?!  But when one has been sick three times in a year, it's time to listen.

It's moments like now that I wish I could ring her up to chat.  I valued her opinion and sure would love it now.  Whenever I felt a bit wobbly about career decisions she would recite Robert Frost's poem The Road Not Taken with extra emphasis on the last few lines (see above).  This year has been amazing.  My work has been featured in exhibits across the country and as far as London, all the while receiving numerous reviews.  I was a featured artist during Chicago Artists Month and my community work The Red Thread Project® was performed three times, involving well over 1,000 knitters and crocheters of all ages.  Truly, it's been an amazing road to travel, but racing down it at full speed has taken its toll.  

So what to do, what to do.... 

I've decided to pull back on my exhibition schedule.  There I said it!   I need time to pursue my career as a proect designer.  I fully plan to continue making and exhibiting art, but I won't take every opportunity given me.  I'll be choosy.  Fewer shows means more time to reflect upon new work and really give it polish. Less emphasis on finding, securing, shipping and installing exhibits means more time in the studio to experiment.  This experimentation will in turn fuel the work I do as a project designer for craft companies.  Being choosy means pushing my career toward solo exhibitions in smaller, regional museums.  I've missed showing in acadmenic galleries and museums and have it on my list to pursue more of these venues. I also want to show more internationally which is going to require some research.  

I put this out there because I must stay to the path I've delineated and not be sidetracked which is incredibly difficult for me to do.  These are my New Year's resolutions - to stay focused on new business plan, take more breaks, go on a vacation and spend more time with family and friends.  I also have pledged to not end up in the doctor's office again, let alone the ER! It's an apple a day for me!

The image above is of an Etsy treasury I recently curated.  Take a look.  The work is beautiful.  I especially love the chunky cable slip cover for a chair.  It makes me want to curl up with a good book which is exactly what I'm going to do right now.

Red Thread Dance of Hats Chicago - Let's Party!

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet regardless of time, place or circumstance.  The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break."  - Chinese proverb

The Red Thread Project® is a community art project I started 7.5 years ago as a double dare from curator Kaz McCue.  Little did I know that the simple dare would blossom into something so large.  The Red Thread Project® celebrates community connections, both visible and invisible, while encouraging and fostering individual creativity. The hats on display exhibited the creative efforts of hundreds of youths and adults from across Chicago (and as far as Belgium) who’ve been knitting and crocheting hats since late September.

On December 3rd we partied!  300+ hats were attached to one very long read "thread."  We had so many hats that we didn't have enough room to lay them all out!  People of all ages and all parts of Chicago came to celebrate, showing their community spirit, and let's face it to get down and boogey. The event was at the Chicago Cultural Center as part of "What's Your Art: Celebrating the Art Centers of Chicago" presented by Chicago Public Media, Sixty Inches from Center, TimeOut Chicago and Intellegentsia.

We had a last minute change of music with the EE Marching Band providing a fantastic  New Orleans jazz sound.  Meida McNeal and Felicia Holman got us line dancing and Sara Convery photographed the event.  Mary Lawrie rearranged her work schedule to help with all the last minute attaching and assist with the installation.  Bless you lady, the show would not have gone on without you! 

All hats contributed will be donated to local charities including those assisting cancer patients, foster children, the elderly and the homeless.  Since its inception in 2004, over 6,000 hats have been donated to charities in Terre Haute, IN, Memphis, TN, Grand Rapids, MI, Sugar Grove, IL and St. Louis, MO.

The Red Thread Project® was a featured program of Chicago Artists Month 2011, the sixteenth annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant community presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture.

Thank you to the following organizations for hosting Red Thread Stitching Studios:

• Borderbend Arts Collective
• Claretian Associates / South Chicago Arts Festival
• Kilbourn Park Organic Greenhouse
• Knit 1
• Loopy Yarns
• Newberry Libary
• North Branch Projects
• Rogers Park Business Alliance
• Sifu Design Studio
• Southside Hub of Productions
• The Art Center of Highland Park
• The Emanuel Congregation Sewing Ladies
• The Knitting Pub Crawl (6 Rogers Park bars)

And a special thank you to these great folks who helped make the day happen!

Andrew Altman (webmaster), Nicolette Caldwell (Sixty Inches from Center), Georgia Chilton (media organizer), Sara Convery (photographer), Penelope Dullaghan (illustrator), Felicia Holman (choreographer), Tempestt Hazel (Sixty Inches from Center), Mary Lawrie (intern), Meida McNeal (choreographer), Corinne Peterson (sculptor and knitting circle maker), Breeze Richardson (Chicago Public Media).

So what's next?  I've had offers to bring the project to more cities, but it's time for new adventures. I will soon be archiving the project which will become part of the Women and Leadership Archives at Loyola University.  If you have a photo or a story you want to be sure is added, just let me know.

craft fair season + thankful

"Each day comes bearing its own gifts.  Untie the ribbons."  

--Ruth Ann Schabacker

It's craft fair season and I am busy in the studio.  The DIY Trunk Show broke all expectations! Thank you to all who stopped by my booth to say hello.  Your smiles were a great gift.  And to all who made a purchase, thank you again.  I woke up last week to find a giant puddle of water in the basement.  The leak was more than a leak.  Evidently everytime I turned on the bathroom sink, a huge waterfall came cascading down my basement wall.  What normally would have caused a major panic was offsett by such great sales and knowing I could easily pay the plumber.  So a mighty THANK YOU!

You can next find my work at the Out of the Box Holiday Gift Market (see image above).  I will be there 12/10, 12/11, 12/17 & 12/18 selling my beanies, berets, and bags as well as new charming paper ornaments made with vintage papers and colorful felted hats pins.

In the meantime, I am busy knitting more of the red "thread."  I picked up another 68 donated hats, so I guess that means another 68 yds of i-cord to knit over the holiday weekend.  Yeah!

My daughter and I have a tradition.  We make pumpkin pancakes followed by either pumpkin pizza or homemade pumkin ravioli (in a sage and brown butter sauce) followed by pumpkin pie.  Yes, being a vegetarian, it's a pumpkin theme around here rather than the focus on a turkey.  When completely full and barely able to move, we head out to the movies to watch the latest chick flick.  Unfortunately there aren't any chick flicks on offer, so I think it will be the latest Muppet movie.  While I will miss family in St. Louis, I am thankful for the down time we have together, giving us a chance to recharge the energy levels before holiday season swings into high gear.

 Wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!