serendipity

"To Mom" Box

"Creativity is just connecting things." -- Steve Jobs

Mother's Day I got to thinking about Mom and created this box in her honor.  I wanted a container to collect the bits of paper by which I remember her - little notes and cards she wrote me, photographs of her, etc.  I kept thinking of a box she made with bits of Dresden papers that she used for her make-up.  I wish I had saved it despite its ragged appearance, if only to have freshened it up with a new collage.  Hindsight is always 20/20, as Mom would say.  

I'm pleases with the result.  I used an inexpensive box I found at JoAnn Fabrics, sanded it and gave it several licks of gesso, followed by acrylic paint. I used my zippy new Westcott paper trimmer to accurately cut the larger patterened papers.  My inability to cut a straight line has been cured! I've been doomed since kindergarten when I received my first "Needs Improvement" for scissor skills. All I did was measure the size I needed, line up the paper with rulers on the trimmer and cut.  Magic! Dresden foil papers trim the box while single motifs were added to the lid.  The buttons and ribbons are from my bottomless stash.

Not to let a surface go unfinished, I had to embellish the interior of the box.  The base is a silk that I fused to a piece of cardboard.  It's lightly padded and has a lovely sheen as you open the box.  The inner lid has a Japanese paper for the base and is collaged with Dresden reproduction scraps along with a few gold foil paper butterflies.

I'm now addicted to this process and have nearly completed another box with 2 more in line.  I wonder if this is the sign of a new series starting to work its way out of my head.....

paper love!

"Joy is the feeling of grinning inside." -- Melba Colgrove

Where have I been this last week?  Buried in my studio.  Well, okay, only part of the time as I had meetings to attend, final exams to give, and of course Mother's Day and Sweet Pea's birthday to celebrate, but yes, by and large I've been in the studio cutting bits of paper.  

I am in love with Dresden scrap papers, many of which are vintage or inspired by the Victorian era. They remind me of Gam and Mom who had their own stash. They remind me of an era that seems simpler though I know it wasn't.  In my studio I can forget about jury duty, NATO summits, layoffs and all the other negativity that swirls in the air. 

This combination is from the lid of a box I am finishing up.  I love the contrast of the gold against that strawberry red!

Nothing escapes a bit of decoration.  Some leftover matt boards from another project made a perfect blank slate for collaging.  The photo is of me at 24 with Sweet Pea at 3.  Hard to believe that she is now the same age as me in the photo. Good grief, where does the time go?!

Of course if one is scrapping, one must make a card... or two or three....

It seemed only natural that I should have a butterfly version after having painted a 3 foot fiberglass butterfly for the exhibition Magic Garden.

I used a true glass glitter with a silver content that will tarnish slightly over time.  I learned that glass glitter is just that - glass.  I was scooting excess off of my table with the side of my hand and scratched it badly.  I now use a large jelly roll tray with a paper lining.  The paper can then be rolled into a funnel to pour the glitter back into the jar.  No more torn up palms!

I've also fallen in love with glue dots.  They are ingenious!  Press one onto the paper, place a sequin - no muss, no fuss!  This is certainly faster than stitching them one by one into place as I am prone to do with my art.

storytelling: a talk with Pon Angara of Barkada Circle

"We remember best through stories." -- Pon Angara

 

The arts providing tools for nonprofit businesses to grow?!  As I read about branding and listen to all the balu about social media, I find the need for experience-based marketing to be  ever more relevant. I recently caught up with Pon Angara, creative director and principal of Barkada Creative to discuss his launch of Barkada Circle.  Barkada Circle provides educational arts-based programs that help participants discover and harness the transformative power of the visual arts, music, theatre and more to spark creativity in telling their organization's stories, stories that fully engage people.

 

What made you launch Barkada Cicle?
After years of years of working with nonprofits on branding, visual communication and marketing, it became apparent that a critical piece of the message was missing.  This lack of message prevents a nonprofit from taking it to next level.  I kept thinking, “Your story isn’t compelling. Why should I care?  Why should I want to be conncted to this organization?" To effectively help my clients, I realized that I had to help them tell their story.

Isn't a story the same as a mission statement?
No, a mission statement is just a statement of purpose.  One statement of why a business exists. That's it.  A story goes deeper.  It involves the emotions, relating the struggles and successes of a nonprofit, its people and its consituency. It can take many more forms than a statement.  It may be told in different mediums - word, image, sound, etc.  The key thing is the emotional part.  We remember stories because we remember the emotions running through them. 

Give me an example.  
The mission of Barkada Circle is to give nonprofits a creative forum in order to develop different ways to craft their own stories using techniques in the arts that is usable on their website, in their brochures, etc.   

One story of Barkada Circle is in why I launched it. Immersing myself in the activities of a nonprofit organization, I had the opportunity to experience the same struggles they were having in trying to get a compelling message across. Some nonprofits were more successful than others, but the challenges were there nonetheless.

I'm reading a lot these days about the use of storytelling in branding.  How is Barkada Circle different?
The Barkada Circle approach differs from the others in that the focus is on a multi-sensory experience using the arts, whether the visual arts, theater, music, writing or cooking.   The best way to really embody a story is for the storyteller to engage as many of his/her senses as possible in creating the story, so that telling it engages multiple senses for the listener. This approach was inspired by the book The Experience Economy:  Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage by James H. Gilmore and B. Joseph Pine.  

Why have your targeted nonprofits for your program?
In my book, they are the ones that deal the most with complex emotions, concepts, ideas, and challenges.  They deal heavily with humans, not just products for humans.  It’s all about the people.  Nonprofits generally have direct impact on issues that affect the quality of life in our communities. It has become my personal choice to share in this mission.

If teaching artists are interested in working with you, what’s the best way to contact you and what will they need in terms of experience?
They have to be skilled in their craft, but also have a personal mission for educating others about it. They need a minimum of 5 years of teaching experience with adults, sharing and demonstrating their passion.  I am willing to talk to new artists after June to see what they have to offer. It's best if they read through the website and then leave of comment expressing their interest on the Our Artists page. 

 

I'm honored to have been working with Pon on this venture since its inception.  My workshop for Barkada Circle, The Power of Symbols, looks at the way symbols have inspired change throughout history.  It's an amazing experience to work with directors from small and large nonprofits, helping them to better understand and harness the storytelling potential of their organization's visual symbols.   

the duchess of no

"Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned."  --  Mark Twain

 Grace Bonney's recent essay on  Design*Sponge about the business of saying no left me amazed.   How in the world was she able to crawl into my head?  I've been there, done that and have the medical bills to prove it. What we've both experienced is the negative impact of stress.  Last year was one of the best years of my career, but I  also ended up in the emergency room, not to mention the doctor's office for more tests than I wish to count.  For someone as driven as myself, saying no to any opportunity, let alone to family and friends, has got to be the hardest thing I can do.  I suck at it.  As it turns out, I'm not the only one judging from Grace's essay and the comments following it.

But I'm learning.  This was my first weekend off in nearly three years! Yes, two whole days off in a row.  Saturday I sat at my dining table reading through Facebook, going numb from the possibilities, so I did some dusting.    Like I said, I'm learning.  Grace figures she's become the Duchess of No, working her way up to Queen status.  I'm still at the stage of Lady-in-Waiting.  It really is a process to learn how to let go, to relax, to just be.

Buidling a business is completely absorbing.  I love my work.  So if I love what I do, does it still count as work?  YES!  Last year I sat buried in my studio, cranking out show after show.  Every opportunity was another brick in the foundation.  Art brings pleasure.  I enjoy it.  I also love to garden, putter in the kitchen , read and hang out with friends.   My garden is a mess and the homemade jam stock is down to a single jar.  You get the picture.  

As Grace so astutely pointed out, saying no doesn't mean missing an opportunity.  I've worked hard to make those opportunities happen and more will come my way.  Sure, I may cause disappointment, but sometimes it is worse to say yes, especially if the situtation causes stress for myself.  I have to trust that there will be another opportunity at another time, better yet, by saying no now, I may actually be opening the door to something even better.

I'm adopting the guage marks set out by Grace.  They refer to my choices in life.  Take a look at her post and remember - "...[e]mbark only on situations that are respectful of your time, your knowledge and your health."*  You can say that again.

*quote from Grace Bonney's essay "Biz Ladies: Saying No" from 3/06/2012.

Images are of my piece "How many times do I have to tell you..." from my Woman's Work series. The art is 7 feet by 12 feet and made up of worn out dish cloths with computerized text across the surface.  Photo credit goes to Larry Sanders.  

spring cleaning the natural way

"My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance."  
-- Erma Bombeck

The other day I watched with horror as an evil, wool-munching moth flittered across my studio.   It's a sure sign that spring has arrived -  and that I need to do some cleaning.

Grandma hated the smell of moth balls.  She swore by her  time-tested recipes for herbal sachets. I've been making, selling and using these herbal sachets for years.  They don't last forever, so it's time for me to make a new stash.  I figure if I need them, you might too.  So, I've started listing the first batch at Enjolive - my Etsy shop.

Keeping one's yarn inventory (or drawer full of gorgeous wool sweaters) moth free isn't difficult. First, make sure everything is free of food debris.  This is less a problem with a yarn stash, but stains often end up on sweaters, so it is best to give them a wash or take them to the local dry cleaners before storing them for the summer.  Once done, toss in a sachet or two and relax.

With the flight of that evil moth, I am going to do a thorough check of my yarn inventory to be certain it hasn't laid eggs.  If you see signs of moth invasion, don't panic.  Take the item and either freeze it in your freezer or take it outside for a few hours in the sun.  Both actions will kill all larvae.  

Now that I'm having to go through every bin in my studio, I figure I might as well give the whole house a scrub down.  Ms. Martha always has excellent room by room cleaning guides, but I love these all- natural recipes from Rodale.  They are non-toxic and cheaper than the store brand versions.  Many of them also smell great with the addition of a few drops of essential oils.

As I really do find cleaning to be a bore of a chore, I think I might liven my spirits with a treat from Chel Domestic Goodies, a fellow Chicago Craft Mafia member and domestic goddess.  Love the gloves!  

Customized Monogram Sachet

 

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
--  William Wordsworth

I have monogrammed towels, napkins, handkerchiefs and pillow cases that date back to my great grandmothers.  Some were stitched by them, others were commercially made and all are treasured. 

For my daughter's birthday, I decided to make a monogrammed sachet featuring the initial of her first name.  I flipped through books of typographic counted cross stitch charts, but none were satisfactory for my purpose.  They didn't reflect my own script.  Handwriting is personal and unique to that individual.  With a few simple tools and a little bit of improvisation, I was able to make a sachet that featured my handwriting.

 

MATERIALS

5" x 5" piece         14 count cross stitch canvas - white

5" x 5" piece         cotton cloth to match your floss

1 skein                    6 strand floss in your favorite color

1                                Tulip® Disappearing Ink Pen

1                                tapestry needle, #22

1                                sewing needle

1                                spool of white thread 

1 pr                          scissors

1 ounce                  dried lavender

1                               metal ruler

1                               rotary cutter

1                               rotary matt

iron

sewing machine

 

DIRECTIONS

Measure and cut the cross stitch canvas and backing fabric using your metal ruler, rotary cutter and rotary matt.

Use the Tulip® Disappearing Ink Pen to write the letter you wish to stitch in your fanciest of fancy handwriting.  Be certain to center the letter on the canvas.  Don't worry about making a mistake.  If you do, simply rinse the canvas in water and iron until dry.

Cut a piece of the floss the length of your arm.  Anything longer will likely tangle.  

Divide the floss in half.  You will be working with only 3 strands at a time.

Thread your needle, knot the end and begin.

For my monogram I combined back stitches with cross stitches.  Where the line is thinner, I followed along with back stitches.  As my line grew thicker, I switched to cross stitches.  

I followed the thicker portion of the monogram with one cross stitch working them on the diagonal along the curves and then went back to fill in with another where I felt a bit more fullness was required. The result looks stepped like a staircase when close up.

When I finished the monogram,  I stitched one cross stitch every other space around the perimeter of the letter to act as a frame.

Once finished with the stitched framework, place right sides of both fabrics together.  As this project is small, you won't need pins to hold them together.

Using the straight stitch, machine sew around the edge of your sachet with a 1/4" seam allowance. Be careful to leave a 1" gap at the bottom edge that you don't stitch. 

Trim away the excess fabric.  

Cut the corners close to the edge of your stitched line.

Turn your sachet right side out and lightly press with your iron.

Fill the sachet with lavender.  I found it easier using a spoon rather than a funnel of any kind.

Hand sew the gap closed using the ladder stitch.

Make Day 2012

"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have."

-- Maya Angelou

With March just days away, it's a perfect time to celebrate National Craft Month with your own Make Day party.  I attended one yesterday and had such fun. Everyone invited was expected to share a skill with others. There wasn't a rule on what kind of skill, so there was much to see, learn and enjoy.

The cookie station was especially popular.  Pastry chef extrordinaire Stephanie Samuels of Angel Food Bakery brought sugar cookies  ready to be decorated along with an assortment of colored icings and sprinkles.  YUM!

The mail art station was also popular, full of rubber stamps, inks, stickers, tapes and papers.  Here is my daughter who proudy shows off  her postcard titled "Corn - Rush Rush."

Now imagine a kitchen gadget expressly designed to make a square egg out of a perfectly normal oval egg. Why you need a square egg is beyond me, but definitely worth a go if only for the novelty factor. 

While we cooked and baked, we collected stickers for our hostess's sticker book. What a fun idea! Have you noticed how many stickers are present in the ordinary act of cooking?  Seriously, they are on your fruits and vegetables, attached to food packages, let alone stuck to every can you may purchase. Don't waste them! Make art with them!

Our hostess's home is gorgeous.  Cathi is a mixed media artist who frequently uses recycled and upcycled materials in her art,so it came as no surprise to learn that her kitchen countertops were made from salvaged flooring from a former bowling alley.  

Every space of her home is cleverly organized and arranged.  This sculpure by fellow Chicagoan Danny Mansmith is made from thread wrapped around various forms.  Gorgeous!  

I love this merging of function with whimsy. The stack of books (which is actually a bookshelf designed to hold books horizontally) is topped with another of Danny's sculptures and finished off with a dapper bowler hat. 

By the evening's end, I had sampled this and that, but who could resist the baked apples? Not me!

Make Day is just that - making shared with friends.   Here are few more ideas to get you started on one of your own:

-    an art journal table complete with colored pencils, markers, glue sticks, old magazines, and paper

-   a needlework table with yarns, flosses, fabrics, needles and embroidery hoops

-   amixed media jewelry table with beads, fabrics, ribbons, beading wire and scissors

-   aneedle felting table with roving, felting needles and upholstery foam

-   a basket full of easy to play instruments 

-   a kitchen canning corner with fruits and spices to make jams

-   a table set up with glycerin, essential oils and soap molds

The possibilities are limitless. 

Victorian Valentine Collection

True love, to whom my heart is prey,
How dost thou hold me in thy sway,
That in each day I find no fault
But daily wait for love's assault.
-- Pernette du Guillet

I  never thought of Gam as a sentimental person.  She was an apron-wearing, straight-talking, practical person who loved her country music when baking.  If you did something wrong, you knew. All she had to do was give you "the look."  If you came under that particular gaze, you had little choice but to apologize and quick.  No, I never thought of Gam as sentimental, yet she had this lovely collection of vintage valentines that now grace my walls.

 The above valentine dates from the 1850's and is about as frilly as a valentine can get.  The large lacy paper rectangle is hand-painted with a gold lacy heart at its center.  Backing the heart is a trim of pleated tulle.  A hand-painted embossed paper book with a silk bow completes the card.  

This valentine is smaller, but no less senitmental.  A paper scrap of a girl posing, looking out toward the viewer, is set off by a frilly paper rectangle.  Cupid's bow and arrow hover above her head.  No question about it, the maker of this card was head over heels.

A bright turquoise lacy heart set within a rectangle is framed with a pale blue scalloped border.  A floral paper scrap is at the center of the heart with the words "Be My Valentine" crossing its tip.  I have several variations of this same valentine, so I wonder if they were all made by the same person as a general valentine sent to family or friends.

Gam had the valentines in her powder room.  No, this wasn't a bathroom, but a space where she would dress and apply her makeup finishing off with a liberal dusting of face powder.  It was her private space, the space where guests never ventured (except for nosy grandchildren).

Now the valentines reside by my bed providing much pleasure and endless inspiration.  Here is a card I recently made that is definitely inspired by them.

I stitched vintage ribbon around a die-cut felt heart.  The little girl was a Dresden paper scrap that I photocopied onto transfer paper and then ironed onto white cotton, trimmed and glued into place. A scattering of silver dots made with Beads in a Bottle fill the background.  The whole collage is framed by a mint green paper set on a cream card.  I know I should send it, but really, I want to frame and add it to the collection.

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!

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.