What is Creativity and Success?

Over at Creating My Way to Success, Jill interviewed me about what I create and my definition of success.  I’ve included my interview below if you’d like to read it.

After you’re done at Harvest Moon by Hand’s blog, I’d like to encourage you to visit Creating My Way to Success.  I originally found out about Jill’s blog through her weekly “Round Tuit” post.  She features inspiring work made by several people each week, and then anyone can link a project they’ve completed (craft, cooking, or anything creative).

As Jill says, “…maybe it’s a project you’ve completed that you’re proud of – something you have wanted to get done for a while and need some extra motivation to get going on it – or you’d just like some of that fabulous encouragement, praise, and motivation that bloggers are so good at spreading around.”

She also has a section on her blog for clothes upcyling projects which over 100 people submitted projects to – including photos and tutorials.  It’s an excellent resource if you want to find a new purpose for old clothes…and make a positive difference on the environment.

After my interview, there’s a link for you to include your blog.  By visiting and following one another’s blogs, we spread the word about all the creativity out there…and countless inspiring ideas!

Here’s my interview with Jill (Jill’s questions are in bold type; my answers are in regular type):

What do you create?

When I think of what I create, I divide the items into three different groups:  things that I sell, share, or support. 

SELLING

My main way of selling some of the things that I create is through my shop on Etsy, Harvest Moon by Hand.  My goal is to help people enhance their homes by offering natural products which are calming and uplifting; and inspire creative and imaginative play in children.

Window stars that are available at

Harvest Moon by Hand.

I do this by:

– Creating handcrafted items made of natural, quality materials.

Hand-poured beeswax impression

available at Harvest Moon by Hand.

– Creating imagination-inspired, eco-conscious items from materials that would normally be recycled thereby lessening the impact on the environment.

Handmade bears with miniature bunting

made from a felted wool sweater.

Available at Harvest Moon by Hand.

SHARING

Another way that I create is sharing ideas through writing.  My blog, also named Harvest Moon by Hand, focuses on a variety of subjects, and gives readers a “behind-the-scenes” of what life is like at Harvest Moon and what provides the inspiration for its products. 

Set of needlefelted alphabet cards that I made

to help my daughters learn their letters

and corresponding sounds. 

The wool cards also can be used for spelling words.

Some of the topics I tend to write more about on my blog include: art, education, embroidery, family traditions, food/recipes, holidays, homeschooling, nature, reading, and sewing. 

Hand-embroidered journal quilt I made during 2010. 
This quilt is one of twelve that were made monthly for a year.

More information about the journal quilts and

what they symbolize are at Harvest Moon by Hand’s blog.

SUPPORTING

A third way that I create is by supporting my family by making or doing things for personal or family use. Some of the ways that I create on a day-to-day basis for my family are by:

– Making healthy meals and trying new recipes;
– Creating family traditions; and making good memories that the girls can look back on when they are older;
– Developing a personalized curriculum for each of my daughters based on their educational needs;
– Sewing clothes or quilts;
– Making sensory items and a memory quilt for my dad who has Alzheimer’s Disease;
– Making hand-embroidered toys; and
– Crocheting blankets.

I helped Sophia make sugar cookies one afternoon

after reading a book about a girl who made cookies.

She formed the dough into letters,

spelling the words “Family” and “Love.”

Why do you create?

That’s a good question.  In some ways, I think that asking me why I create is like asking me “Why do you breathe?” or “Why do you eat?”  Both breathing and eating are necessary to sustain life. 

I consider creating and creative expression – whether it’s a product, a memory, something to eat, a lesson plan, or playing a song on the piano – ways to sustain and enhance others’ lives as well as my own.  

Do you sell your creations? If so, how? Where?

I sell some of the items that I create through my shop (Harvest Moon by Hand) on Etsy.  What I enjoy about having a presence on the internet is that my work has been purchased by individuals and businesses throughout the world – including many states in the United States, Canada, Brazil, several countries in Europe, Australia, and Japan.

Pattern for a hand-embroidered activity book

available at Harvest Moon by Hand.

An equally important part of running a business is giving back to the community.  A couple of years ago, a local church asked me to make window stars for their fellowship hall/welcoming area.  I donated about 20 stars that they displayed in the windows around their Christmas tree.

One of the windows at a local church

where I donated some stars for

their Christmas display.

I also have made window stars, hand-embroidered ornaments, and other handmade items as “thank you” gifts for those who have made an impact on my life and who have indicated that they like the work that I do.  Sharing an item that I made by hand with someone who will appreciate it is something I enjoy doing.

What mistakes have you made or lessons you have learned?

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in trying to run a business. I do not have a business degree (my undergraduate degrees are in Psychology and in Communications, Telecommunications, and Theater; and I did some graduate work in Arts Administration), so I’m not as skilled as others who have a strong business background.  I’m learning as I go; and having Harvest Moon by Hand has taught me a lot about different aspects of operating a business from home.

Children learning taiko drumming from

a Theater Mu performer. 

This picture was taken during one of the

Create & Cultivate Art Camps

that I founded and directed right at the farm for many years.

One of the most important lessons, for me, is not to give up.  I’ve tried lots of different ways to be self-sufficient by running my own business or non-profit organization.  Some things were very successful (not neccessarily monetarily, but in terms of positive impact on others)…and others failed miserably on all levels. 

Campers petting one of the sheep at Harvest Moon.

The camp program drew children from a 50-mile radius;

and featured hands-on opportunities to learn

the connection between agriculture, the arts, and nature.

When faced with failure (or multiple, repeated failures as was the case many years ago when several things failed all within a few years of one another) life can get pretty discouraging.  I’ve had to step back at these times and objectively look at what was successful and what didn’t work, and come up with another idea, hoping that the new one would be the one that works well. 

What, to you is success? Have you achieved it yet, or are you on your way towards success?

To me, success isn’t related exclusively to money….it’s related to giving.  There are some core questions that are always in the back of my mind that guide how I view and work towards success:

– What are you doing to make a difference in the world? In your community? In your family?

– How are you making the lives of others who are having difficulty (or who have less than you do) easier?

– How are you enhancing the lives of the next generation? (These children are the ones who will be in charge when you are older…in business, government, and healthcare. Helping children now benefits everyone in the long-term.)

I know this is a very different view than some other people have regarding success.  Traditionally, success is equated with how much money you make and accumulate; how big a house you have; or how many “toys” you own.  Simply having lots of money and not using it to help others, to me, is not success.

My dream would be to have an even more profitable business – so that I could give more.  When I look at the opportunities to help…to make a difference…it would be nice to be able to have the financial resources to make gifts to others or travel to places to volunteer (beyond just donating items or time which my daughters and I do now on a weekly basis to various organizations). 

So what’s next?

I enjoy developing patterns, and would like to create more PDF patterns for natural, hand-embroidered children’s toys.

PDF pattern for a hand-embroidered zebra

available at Harvest Moon by Hand.

I also did a 52 Weeks of Baking challenge in which I tried new recipes each week for a year.  I modified the recipes so that they were dairy-free (so my oldest daughter could eat the food).  I typed each of the recipes along with modifications made, a photo of the recipe, and lessons learned during the week. 

My next step is to format the recipes into a book and print two copies – one for each of my daughters.  I’ve considered making some extra copies and trying to sell them since appetizing, dairy-free recipes for children aren’t always easy to find.

Sourdough cinnamon rolls that I made during

the 52 Weeks of Baking challenge.

They were incredibly good…and dairy-free!

Many years ago, I wrote a multi-disciplinary curriculum for families who homeschool that was based on creative reuse (it was called “Waste Not” and “Second Impressions”).  My daughters at the time were not old enough to do many of the activities over the ten-month period that I piloted the curriculum and activities to a local homeschool co-op. 

Handmade pillowcase made from

a used (and cleaned) bedsheet and extra fabric.

So, I would like to revisit the curriculum, do the activities with the girls, and re-format the curriculum with pictures of the activities that my daughters enjoyed the most.  The photos of the projects, tutorials, and information would be available in PDF format through my shop. 

Felted sweaters that were cut and

made into cat toys.

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Tutorial: Upcycled Dress Made from an Outgrown Shirt & Some Fabric

I’ve been wanting to make this dress for some time now after Olivia picked out a dress at Kohl’s this spring.  She liked the soft t-shirt top and cotton skirt of her new dress, and I thought it would be good for Olivia to have a few extra dresses to wear this summer. 

Olivia in the dress I made for her

using a shirt that was too short for her and

some extra fabric I had on hand.

Recently, Olivia told me that a favorite shirt of hers was too short when she lifted her arms over her head.  The rest of the top fit…it was just too short for her liking.  I had a piece of fabric on hand that was similar in color to Olivia’s top.  Asked if she wanted me to make a dress out of the shirt.  “Yes!” she answered.

I’m sure there are more efficient and professional ways to make a dress.  However, this is what I came up with that seemed to work for me.  The only thing that I wish I knew how to do was how to attach the piece of elastic with the curly edge which is around the waist of the Kohl’s dress. The Kohl’s dress also was made using a serger which I don’t have…just a standard sewing machine.

FIRST STEP: GATHER ITEMS YOU NEED

To make the dress, you’ll need one shirt and some fabric.  How much?  I have no idea.  That’s why the dress from Kohl’s is also out – to get an idea how much fabric is needed to make the skirt. 

You’ll also need a fabric scissors, pins, sewing machine, thread, bobbin, ruler, an iron, and ironing board.

STEP TWO:  CUT THE FABRIC FOR THE SKIRT

Iron the fabric, and then fold it so the folded edge runs vertically (the fold is on the right side in this picture).  Place a finished dress on top of the fabric, and spread the skirt out so the full width at the bottom is flat.  The edge of the skirt should be touching the folded edge. 

Allow an inch or so on the left side and at the bottom of the fabric; and then cut out so you have a rectangular piece of fabric.

STEP THREE: CUT THE SHIRT

Cut the shirt so that it is about a half inch longer than the shirt on the finished dress.  You could make the top longer or shorter…depending on where your daughter wants the top and skirt to meet. 

If you plan to make the top substantially shorter or keep most of the length, you may want to cut the top first and then the fabric for the skirt so the dress is long enough. (So, reverse steps 2 and 3.)

STEP FOUR:  SEW THE SKIRT

With right sides together, sew the length of the skirt (from waist to knees).  I used about a 1/4″ seam.  Press open the seam.

See step six (below) for a tip to make pinning the skirt and shirt together much easier.

STEP FIVE: GATHER THE SKIRT

Using two strands of thread, gather the top of the skirt about a half inch from the top.  Pull the thread when you get to the end a bit.  Adjust the gathering so it looks even.  (Note to self:  Working in the garden before sewing doesn’t make for good pictures.)

STEP SIX: PIN TOGETHER THE SHIRT AND SKIRT

Turn the shirt and skirt so the right sides are together.  To pin the skirt to the top, match one side seam of the shirt with the sewn edge of the skirt.  Pin it together.  (Make sure you are pinning the right sides together – you have to kind of lift the skirt and shirt up a bit and then pin it.)

In retrospect, what I would have done back at step four is mark the skirt in four equal parts along the waist.  I also would have marked the shirt in four equal parts along the cut edge.  In this way, the four markings could be matched and pinned. Then, the gathering could be spread out equally within quarters. 

As a side note, the white “fake shirt” that’s inside the pink shirt was taken out by a scissors at this point.  Olivia didn’t like the feel of it and would have been bothered by it. 

STEP SEVEN: SEW THE SHIRT AND SKIRT TOGETHER



With a 1/2″ seam allowance, sew the skirt and shirt together.  Take your time…it’s easy for the skirt or shirt to get under the needle.  The last thing you want to do is take out your stitching.  Trust me…I’ve done that before.  It’s not fun…especially with gathered skirts.

STEP EIGHT:  DO SOME IRONING AND HEM THE DRESS

Iron the dress – or just the skirt part – again.  It’s probably fine from the last time you ironed…but just in case there’s a crease somewhere:  you can flatten it beyond recognition. 

Then, you need to hem the skirt to the desired length. I wanted to hem my daughter’s dress 1/2″ so I folded it up 1/4″ and then ironed it.  Then I folded it again (so 1/2″ was turned up).  Pin the hem as you go.  Sew the hem.

Turn the dress inside out….and now you’re done. 

It’s an easy project…it doesn’t take a lot of time…and it’s a great way to reuse a shirt and use some fabric for which you haven’t yet found a use. 

So that’s my first tutorial.  Hopefully it was clear enough through the pictures and/or words.  If not, let me know…perhaps I can better explain what I did.

The finished dress…and a daughter who’s happy

she has another outfit to wear.

 

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Kids Clothes Week Challenge

Finding clothes that fit Sophia properly has been a challenge during the current and past few seasons (spring, winter, fall).  She will be going into 5th grade this summer (we homeschool year-round), and has already had a major growth spurt that has made her too tall/large for fitting into children’s clothes.

When Sophia and I have looked at the next size up (juniors), the majority of the clothes are not appropriate for a child to wear.  The necklines are cut way too low, the tops are often too short, the skirts too short, and the pants too long.  It’s incredibly difficult to find clothes that are comfortable to wear and reflect the age of the wearer. 

So, when I saw that there’s a Kids Clothes Week Challenge (KCWC) on Elsie Marley’s site, I thought it would be a great opportunity to make the time to sew some clothes for Sophia.

KCWC is (obviously) a one-week time period where participants commit to sewing for one hour a day for 7 days. The purpose is to sew clothes for children (one’s own or other people’s kids). 

I’m thinking that it also would be a good week to make at least one item to donate to a child in need.  There are a lot of programs out there that welcome handmade clothes for children (e.g., pillowcase dresses for girls in developing countries, hats for newborns)

Olivia showing a pillowcase dress I made for

Little Dresses for Africa.

The KCWC challenge says that knitting and crocheting are fine as well as pattern making, fabric cutting, and seam ripping.  I think my main focus will be on sewing (rather than on knitting and crocheting) since the weather will be hot in a matter of months. 

The last time I sewed for the girls, I made each of them a dress for their First Communion.  My mother (who made a lot of clothes for my sister, brother, and me when we were children and teenagers) helped guide me in putting in the zippers, making sure the sleeves were done right (and comfortable to wear), and ruffling the skirts and attaching them to the bodice of the dress.  I hand-sewed over 200 clear beads onto each of the dresses to embellish the bottom part of the dress and make them a bit more special for the girls.

Sophia and Olivia in dresses

I made for them.

The next step in the KCWC is determining what items would be most useful and worn during the summer; and picking out patterns and fabric. I’ve taken a look at the Flickr group that shows clothes that people have made (HERE), and saw some cute ideas.  There were some ideas for “re-inventing” clothes and giving them new purpose (e.g., jeans made into shorts).

Jeans to shorts made with homemade bias tape.

Source: http://www.seamsoflife.com/seams_of_life/2011/05/blue-jeans-to-shorts.html

I’m thinking that it may be good for Sophia and Olivia also to learn how to make something easy – perhaps a skirt – so they can learn some basic clothes-making skills as well.  They could also learn how to do applique on clothes. 

One woman who did the KCWC challenge last year embellished a new top that had become immediately stained with food.  She did some cute applique work that covered the stains so she didn’t have to throw out the shirt. 

Applique shirt that was made to cover stains on a shirt

so it could be worn and not thrown away.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28868951@N06/4610976425/

As the KCWC website says, “A lot can happen in a week if you put in a little time each day. And with hundreds of people sewing along with you and cheering you on, well, you can’t help but make great stuff!” 

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52 Weeks of Giving – Week 17 – Helping the Birds

This week for the 17th week of the 52 Weeks of Giving challenge, the girls helped the birds who are starting to build nests by creating nesting containers for them. 

Olivia making a bird nesting container.

Each of the girls filled a wire container normally used for bird suet with a variety of items:

– wool yarn cut into small pieces
– sheep wool
– horse hair

Sophia adding sheep wool to her bird nesting container.

They hung the nesting containers on two different trees near where birds made nests last year.  The wrens are starting to make their nests now, so hopefully we’ll see them visit the nesting containers and take some of the items in them. 

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Project Simplify – Hot Spot #4 – Refrigerator

Hot Spot #4 for Project Simplify’s five-week challenge was focused on the pantry and refrigerator.  Since I did some major cleaning and organizing of the cupboards for the 30 Day Vegan workshop, I chose to focus on the refrigerator for this challenge.

This challenge came at a perfect time.  I had some gift cards that I had been saving, and now could get a new appliance with them.

It was time to get rid of the 12-year old refrigerator that no longer had the bins for fruits and vegetables, the shelf propped up with a knife, and the shelves on the door held on with duct tape.  Although it was still working, it was not an energy-efficient appliance. 

The challenge with finding a new refrigerator is that I have 28″ of space available.  The door leading to the kitchen is only 29″ wide and the space in the kitchen for the refrigerator is 28″ wide.  There are not many refrigerator/freezers out there that are so narrow.  It is quite limiting.  In fact, there was only one model that fit into the space. 

The morning that the refrigerator/freezer was being delivered, I took one last look at the one I used for over 12 years:

Very crowded and disorganized refrigerator.

Notice the missing bins, shelf being held up with a knife,

and the shelves being held with duct tape.

It’s time for a new refrigerator!

The freezer with absolutely no

organizational system.

The freezer shelves in the

old refrigerator/freezer.

I transferred all items from the freezer to the large freezer in the mudroom.  All the magnets, artwork, and photographs came off the sides of the refrigerator.  Some of the business magnets or ones that had seen better days immediately went into the trash.

When the delivery men arrived, I unloaded all the items from the refrigerator.  They set up the refrigerator/freezer and took the old one away. 

As I began putting items into the new refrigerator, I checked all expiration dates to make sure items were still okay to use.  Anything that hadn’t been used in awhile (on the door shelves), I threw away the contents and soaked the bottles to get the labels off. (I reuse the glass bottles to hold homemade dressings and food I buy in bulk at the co-op.  I’m trying to get away from using plastic, but it’s a slow process making that transition.)

I picked some items from the big freezer to put into the new freezer – like juices; butter (dairy free and regular); a variety of frozen vegetables; frozen fruit that the girls and I picked during the summer and froze; a couple packages of meat; and a few containers that have food that can be re-heated (e.g., stuffed peppers). 

Here’s what the refrigerator and freezer look like now:

The new refrigerator/freezer with

only the items that I’m going to use. 

It is so much easier to find things now, and only the items that I’m going to use are in the refrigerator and freezer.  It’s been a few days now since I did this, and it has been wonderful to have a fully-functional and working refrigerator/freezer. 

When I’m making 21 meals a week (breakfast, lunch, and dinner since the girls are homeschooled and we eat all our meals at home…unless we are helping my parents and they want to take us out for lunch), having an appliance that works and is in good order is nice.  It makes meal preparation so much more enjoyable!  Truly, it is simple things like this that make me happy.

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Creative Reuse – Crafting Using Supplies on Hand and "Found" Objects

Over at Show Tell Share, there’s a challenge for February:  STASH!  The challenge is to “…use materials from your overflowing stash of stuff. …. So go ‘shop the house!’ Create something beautiful out of what you have laying around!

“You may have to go buy just a little something, button, zipper, etc. to complete a project, but extra points it you can pull it of without buying anything.

“And you don’t have to stop with one, see how much of your stash you can put to good use! You can make something completely from start to finish, or see how many of those half finished projects you can complete and show off! Then at the end of the month, you’ll have so much extra room in your craft room/closet/bins.”

This sounded like a great challenge to participate in – not only am I saving money by not buying new craft supplies, but I’m using what is on hand and creating space.  Below are some things I have made so far this month.

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I had a couple of maps that I didn’t need – one from Brazil and another from Spain.  The one from Brazil is written in Portuguese and was purchased there about a decade ago.  The other map is from a National Geographic magazine. What I like about the latter map is that there are short explanations about the significance of some of the cities or towns on the map. 

With the Brazilian map, I made folded flowers that I glued onto 5 inch by 7 inch greeting cards. 

Flower made from a Brazilian map and green copy paper

Open flower where a message can be written

The matching envelopes have a floral image from the map to tie the greeting card and evelope together.

Greeting cards and envelopes made from the Brazilian map

With the map of Spain, I made two type of miniature cards (they are 3 inches x 3 inches).  The cards themselves are made from sheets of 12 inch x 12 inch scrapbooking paper.  For some of the cards that had an interesting fact, I left the cards plain. 

Miniature greeting and thank you cards

With the cards that didn’t have a fact, I placed a hand-stamped “thank you” flower in the center.  It is affixed to the card with a 3D double-sided foam piece.

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I had quite a few vintage children’s books on hands that the girls were done reading.  They had cleaned their bookshelves about a month ago and removed all the books they no longer wanted.  Before donating them to the local thrift shop, I pulled any vintage books that could be used in crafting. 

After removing the pages that had pictures, I traced an envelope template onto each page.  I cut each one out by hand; and then folded and glued it.  I pressed the envelopes under a couple of heavy books to flatten them.

Variety of handmade envelopes from vintage children’s books

With some of the books, the pages are a bit small for standard-size envelopes, so I made gift bags with the pages.  Again, I use pages with pictures for the bags.  After removing the pages from the books, I pair pages together and then trim them so the edges match.  The edges are cut with pinking shears.  The edges are sewn on the sewing machine.

Gift bags made from vintage children’s books

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I have a lot of scrapbooking paper and notebooks that are taking up shelf space.  An idea to use both of these were to make letterettes.  I received a set of letterettes from someone on Swap-Bot awhile back.  I thought it was such a clever idea.  She used a heavier decorative paper (almost like a cardstock) for the exterior.  Since I didn’t have patterned cardstock on hand, I used a lighter-weight decorative paper.

Letterettes

The patterned paper is 12 inches by 12 inches.  I cut the paper into two pieces – one that was 5 inches wide and the other was 7 inches wide.  The length is 12 inches.

The inside of each letterette has 5 sheets of notebook paper that were cut into smaller sizes:
– Smaller letterette:  4 7/10″ x 7 3/4″
– Larger letterette: 6 7/10″ x 5 7/10″

Letterettes – with one open to show where it is sewed

Once cut, they pages were folded in half and placed in the folded patterned paper.  I sewed on the sewing machine along the folded line in the notebook paper, making sure to reverse sew along each of the edges so the stitching wouldn’t come out.  After trimming the thread, the letterettes are ready to use.

After writing a letter on the notebook pages, simply seal the letterette with a glue stick or decorative tape, put two labels on the outside – for the return and sending addresses – and it’s ready to be mailed.   

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I had a gift box that had a nice pattern on it, but I am now using fabric bags to wrap gifts.  So, instead of recycling it I used my tag punch and paper punch with a tiny hole to create tags.  Using a thicker embroidery floss, I cut and attached hangers so they can be used for gifts or for price tags for products. 

Tags made from a decorative box

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I had a few pages from the vintage children’s books leftover as well as some notebook paper.  So, I made some made stationery gluing a sheet of notebook paper on top of a page from the children’s book.  I had debated about painting over the image that’s under the notebook paper, but I thought that it was nice to be able to see the design of that page of the children’s book as well as the image on the backside of the stationery.

Stationery with notebook paper and a page from a children’s book



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My next focus:  using the fabric and felt that I have on hand.  I have quite a few patterns that I’ve wanted to try that use these materials. So, during the next couple of weeks I’ll start using sewing or embroidering using felt and fabric.  I’ll do another post at the end of the month with what I’ve made.

  

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Decorating for Valentine’s Day with Natural Materials

Each year, the girls look forward to decorating the home for Valentine’s Day.  Last year, I made a variety of window stars that I put on the windows.  After the holiday, I packed them away to use again this year. 

It was so easy this year to decorate the main window in the dining room.  Here’s what it looks like:

As the girls and I looked through the bin of Valentine’s Day decor, we came across the paper cuttings I did last year for each of them.  One chose red paper as the backing and the other chose pink.  We hung the paper cuttings with a couple more window stars in the living room.

Since I just put out the winter nature table scene on the dresser in the dining room about a week ago, the girls and I decided to keep it up.  So this will stay up for a little while longer (perhaps right after Valentine’s Day it will be changed to another scene).

Winter Nature Table

Since we decided to keep the winter nature table where it was, Olivia suggested putting a Valentine’s scene on the bookshelf.  The table is more craft focused rather than nature focused since the winter nature table has the nature elements (e.g., rocks, sticks, pinecone, walnut shell beeswax candles). 

Valentine’s Day Items

The display on the bookcase has hand-embroidered gnomes made from wool felt and sheep wool stuffing from sheep who use to live here.  The elf clogs are hand-embroidered and made from wool felt as well.  I made a pair for each of the girls using their favorite colors.  The wet-on-wet watercolor lanterns are made from watercolor paper, kite paper, and tissue paper.  The girls made them a few years ago.  The two cards are handmade featuring origami designs made from Japanese paper. 

The picture is of Casey who died 3 years ago on the day before Valentine’s Day.  An artist painted the picture in exchange for some of my work.  It’s been a treasured picture…and one that has been the focal point of several displays.

I like to make a few new things each year, so this is a new window star I made.  It follows a base pattern that I use for another star, but I changed things up a bit to create a new pattern.  Here it is:

I also made a couple of miniature bears from a wool sweater that I felted in the washer/dryer.  The bears are holding a paper bunting with Valentine’s Day theme paper.  The bears are available in my shop, but I’m going to make another set so the girls have something else to decorate with in future years. 

Bears (made with a felted sweater) holding a bunting

The other item I just started making are bendy dolls with wire, beads, and wool felt.  I use a length of wire and two different size beads to create a miniature human form.  The clothes are hand-embroidered onto the wire frame.  The hat needed to be hot-glued onto the bead head in order to stay…otherwise it just slips right off.

I’m doing some for my shop as well as some for home.  The girls like them because they can bend and be posed in different ways.  Here is the trio of dolls that I made this weekend:

There are still a couple of weeks until February and some more things the girls and I want to do before then that relate to the holiday….more crafts, recipes to try, and activities to do.  Next week, I’ll post some more Valentine’s Day ideas.

Family room window with winter-white stars

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52 Weeks of Giving – Week 4 (Helping people who are homeless and/or those in need)

This week, the girls and I have been doing some house cleaning and had quite a few bags of items that were in good condition that we no longer needed. 

On Monday, we brought three garbage bags and two grocery-size bags to Family Pathways that were filled with toys, stuffed animals, crocheted blankets, clothing, and books.  I was ready to take a picture of the girls with the donations, but the battery in my camera had run out.

The girls were so happy with all the items they were donating – the majority of which came out of their closets and rooms.

We regularly make in-kind donations to Family Pathways because we like what this non-profit organization does to benefit the community.  It:

• provides senior services, including companionship and respite care, to the elderly so they may live in independence with dignity.

• provides hope and nourishment to adults and children in crisis with their food pantries and community advocacy program.

•builds awareness and sensitivity in youth and their families with their youth services programs.

They accept donations of clothing, household items, and furniture in good condition (the majority of items found in a home which is great – it gives the items another opportunity to be used by someone else while keeping them out of the landfill).

By donating to Family Pathways Thrift Stores, people can directly impact their commitment towards helping the community. Income generated by the sale of the donations is what they use to fund their programs for seniors, children, and families in crisis. (This is the link to the list of items Family Pathways accepts.)

Putting travel size shampoo, conditioner, and soap into a bag

for Simpson Housing

On Wednesday and Thursday morning, the girls and I put together some items for Simpson Housing.  Simpson Housing aims to house, support, and advocate for people experiencing homelessness

Tea, sugar, and creamer packets for

breakfasts at the shelter that

serves men and women who are homeless

They achieve their mission in the metro area by providing a full continuum of supportive housing services to end chronic homelessness:

• Emergency shelters for men and women (separated by gender).

• Permanent, subsidized, supportive rental housing for single men and women who have been homeless long-term, with a unique focus on the needs of single women.

• Subsidized, supportive rental housing for families with children, both single site and scattered site, both transitional and permanent housing.

Sophia and Olivia putting two pillows in a bag

for Simpson Housing.  The organization is

in need of blankets and pillows for their shelter.

This is the link to the items that Simpson Housing accepts.

We were in downtown Minneapolis at Orchestra Hall this morning (one of the programs designed for youth), and Simpson Housing is less than ten minutes away.  We drove to their administrative offices and the girls and I brought in the items we were donating.

Sophia and Olivia packing boxes of cereal to donate

to Simpson Housing for breakfasts for adults who are homeless

The staff was friendly and appreciative of the items we brought – all of which will be used at the shelter that helps men and women who are homeless.

The girls ready to drop off some of their donations

at Simpson Housing.

On February 16th, we received a letter from Simpson Housing thanking the girls and I for our donation.  It read, in part, “On behalf of our shelter guests, program participants, and staff I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your support.”

The letter went on to state that Wilder Research “reports that in the last three years homelessness in Minnesota has increased by 25%.  Our community members have lost their jobs or have had their hours cut.  Others have had their apartment buildings go into foreclosure and they have been unable to find an affordable place to live.”

The letter concluded, “In this time of increased need your gift shows that you care.  You share our belief that no one should experience homelessness.  We appreciate your care and hope that you will continue to work with us.”

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Flashback Friday – Labyrinth + Lodge + Peace Village

I was looking at photos from the Create & Cultivate Art Camp program that was held here at the farm from 2000-2003 this morning.  One of the artists with whom I was honored to have work here was D’Arcy Teasley.  Her work was (and continues to be) thoughtful, engaging, and reflective of an incredibly creative and talented artist. 

While she worked at Harvest Moon’s Art Camp, she did some large-scale, multi-day projects with the children who ranged in age from 6-11 years old.  One of the first projects D’Arcy did was to create a labyrinth in the east pasture. 

The children, teen camp counselors, and D’Arcy used rocks gathered from a nearby farmer’s field to line the pathway.  The pathway is covered with bark chips.

Four of the art camp participants by the labyrinth

The children learned the difference between a labyrinth and a maze; heard the Greek myth about the Minotaur and the labyrinth; and were able to walk/dance/hop/skip to the center of the labyrinth on the last day and receive a special necklace that D’Arcy made for each child. 

Another year, D’Arcy guided the children in making a huge storytelling lodge.  The children wove tree branches, grasses, and other natural elements into the lodge that held about 15 children and teens. 

The lodge was built on the back part of the farm – in an open field that had no trees at the time.  Needless to say, in the middle of the summer when the days were very hot and sunny, it was challenging doing construction work. 

However, by the time the lodge was completed and fully enclosed, it was a much cooler place of retreat and escape; and was a comforting spot where one could tell or listen to stories, enjoy a picnic, or relax while listening to the quiet of the country. 

Children in the finished lodge listening to a story.

The final large-scale project D’Arcy did during the Art Camp was a Peace Village.  This was also done in the back part of the property where the nature trail is located.  There were four structures – including a tipi, wigwam, and two other home-structures of different shapes.

If I’m recalling this correctly, I believe D’Arcy designed all four structures to use the same “footprint” in terms of size on the ground.  However, the way the sides were constructed yielded different size homes from the ground to top of the different structures.  Some homes felt smaller (like the tipi) while others felt much larger where the sides simply went straight (rather than angled in to a center point).

Each of the homes in the Peace Village were large – many children could sit in each one.  There were pathways connecting the homes to one another, and tie-dyed and decorated flags that the children made were strung from each of the homes to one another. 

Flags connecting the homes in the Peace Village

It was an incredibly cool project, and one that the children and teens were equally engaged in building and playing in.  The childen were very proud of their work in creating the homes, and were excited to show their parents at the art show on the last day of camp.

Peace village with four homes

What ties these pieces together as I look at them now is that they all used “discarded” wood products – tree limbs and branches that were trimmed; stones from a farmer’s rock pile that he didn’t want; and other natural elements that would have just been tossed or burned.  Instead, D’Arcy gave new life and purpose to these items. 

She encouraged children to challenge themselves to do things they may never have thought they could do – like build a home or a labyrinth.  D’Arcy brought to life the following quote by Caroline Adams which, I think, is a great reminder of the importance of living a life that is full, purposeful, and meaningful:

“Your life is a sacred journey.

And it is about change, growth, discovery,

movement, transformation,

continuously expanding your vision of what is possible,

stretching your soul,

learning to see clearly and deeply,

listening to your intuition,

taking courageous challenges at every step along the way.

“You are on the path… exactly where you are meant to be right now…

And from here, you can only go forward,

shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph,

of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom,

of power, of dignity, and of love.”

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52 Weeks of Giving – Week 3 (Help Senior Citizens)

Each week, Sophia, Olivia, and I are doing an activity as part of our “52 Weeks of Giving.”  During Week 1, the girls and I visited The Hunger Site on the internet and clicked on buttons to help eradicate world hunger. 

During Week 2, we cut newspaper into 8″x6″ pieces that will be used to line cages at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center this spring when there will be many orphaned and injured birds. 

Which brings us now to Week 3 – helping senior citizens.  I chose Week 3’s activity to focus on seniors within our family (versus seniors who live in the community or in nursing homes) because the girls have grandparents who can no longer drive.  My parents rely on others to help them with errands and chores around their home. 

We visited my parents this week, and my mom had a long list of things with which she and my dad needed help.  First on the list:  getting the bird feeders filled. 

Sophia and Olivia transferred the birdseed from bags into washed pickle containers from Burger King (a great way to reuse these buckets).  This keeps the birdseed protected from pests as well as from the seed spilling out of the bag if the bag is accidently ripped or it falls off the workbench. 

The girls transferred birdseed from bags to containers with lids

for their grandparents

After filling four birdseed feeders; and repairing and filling a suet feeder, I shoveled their deck a bit so there was easier (and safer) access to the feeders there.  There are two feeders on the deck railing so they can watch the birds while they eat meals. Within five minutes of filling the bird feeders, a nuthatch flew in, found some dried fruit, and flew off with a piece of fruit in its beak.

Since both my parents can no longer drive, they depend on others to take them to do errands.  I took my dad for a haircut and beard trim while Sophia and Olivia helped my mom at the grocery store and pharmacy (right at the grocery store).  My mom has challenges with her vision, so she relied on the girls to be able to read the packages and cans to make sure they were selecting what she needed, and to examine the produce and meat to make sure it looked okay.

Took them to other places that they needed to shop at:  the meat market, Costco, bank, and their church to pick up items for the quilting group that meets at my parents’ home twice a month to make quilts for people who are homeless or women who are escaping from domestic violence situations. 

While at their church, I talked with the receptionist and another woman on staff about some needs that my parents had regarding transportation to and from church.  If they are unable to find someone, I requested that a priest visit them to give them Communion (my parents are Catholic). 

Without being able to drive a car since December 23rd or having a ride to/from church, this has been quite upsetting to my parents who were use to attending church weekly.  I’m hoping that by talking with people at their church in person that something positive will happen soon for my parents.

The next stop was back at my parents’ home.  While I unloaded their groceries and donations for the quilting group, Olivia walked with my dad to take the garbage can to the end of the driveway. He has fallen quite a few times this winter, so her job was to walk with him. 

Olivia walked with Papa to the end of the driveway as he took

out the garbage.  She went with him to check the mail.

Sophia’s job was to take their recycling container to the end of the driveway.

Sophia taking her grandparents’ recycling container

to the end of the driveway.

It was 3:30 p.m., and time to head back home after being gone for 6 1/2 hours.  (The girls were tired, and Olivia ended up falling asleep on the way back home.) 

My parents were both very happy with everything that we were able to do, and waved to us as we left.  They called in the evening to thank us again for helping, and wanted to let us know that they enjoyed spending the day with us…and that they had a good dinner (they picked up a ready-to-eat meal from Costco). 

It was a good day…and one that we all enjoyed.

*~*~*~*~*~*

There are many other ways to help seniors (if you don’t have one or more seniors in your family).  On the Doing Good Together website, there are several suggestions for helping seniors in the community. 

Adopt a grandparent

Ask the volunteer coordinator at a local nursing home about the process for matching families and residents, then choose an elderly person to visit regularly. Spend time talking, reading, writing letters, playing games, and simply strolling. This is an opportunity that families with children of any age can enjoy.

Assist an elderly person living at home

Our older neighbors could use help with laundry, yard work, and house cleaning. If you don’t know of a senior who needs help, contact an organization in your area that serves the elderly. This can be a one-time commitment or a weekly or monthly affair.

Initiate or help with senior activities

Contact a local nursing home or senior center to see what type of activity would be welcomed. Some ideas: Give a party; assist with celebrations, games or outings; plan and carry out a craft night; share a hobby; help with Bingo; perform a family talent show; escort residents on a walk; or be a lunch buddy.

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