Stepping Away from the Edge

If the Shoe Fits

Back to the Chicago Flower Show . . .

(I need to squeeze out one last Flower Show-related post!)

Last year at the Flower Show, I was pleased to discover a fiber arts exhibit by a group of women artists from the Chicago area, Women's Journeys in Fiber.   (Last year's exhibit featured aprons.)  I was so hoping that this year's show would feature a similar exhibit . . . and I was not disappointed!

This year, Women's Journeys in Fiber presented Footwear: Women's Stories.  Each artist constructed a pair of women's footwear (shoes, boots, sandals, slippers, etc.) using a textile techinique (or more than one!) of their choice.  The work was to tell the story of women through history for whom the "shoe" had a role in defining the individual or her destiny.

The pieces were remarkable!

Each shoe was a wonder; each story compelling.  (For a full view of the exhibit, complete with stories and artists bios, click here.)

My favorite "shoe" was actually a sock.  Designed by a knitter.  With a story that will resonate with most of knitters I know:  A story of the artist's life. . . as told in fair isle.

What really captured my attention with this one?  Why, the needles left in at the top!

The artist left them there, intentionally.  Because her story isn't over yet.  She's still knitting her life -- and she has so much more to add!

I was so glad to find this year's exhibit.  The shoes definitely fit!

 

 

Have Your Cake!

Okay . . . still catching up from last month, here.  But I really do want to show you a couple more things from the Chicago Flower Show.

This year, there was a cake decorating contest as part of the show.  (Perhaps this is always the case, but this is the first year I've paid attention to it.)

I've never been much of a cake decorator.  (Ahem.  Understatement.  Refer to this for proof.)  But I can certainly appreciate the ART of cake decorating.

Like . . . check this one out:

Yeah.  That's a cake! (Click to embiggen.)

Sandie really liked this one:

And this one was very sweet:

I didn't even realize this was a cake:

(But it was!)

Here's my favorite:

After the Flower Show, I Googled to find out which cake was the ultimate winner.  The winning cake was shaped/decorated just like a Tiffany lamp.  Sadly, I have no photo.  (Probably because I saw it and thought it WAS a Tiffany lamp.)

How about you?  Are you a cake decorator?  Which one do YOU like best?  (And. . . do you think you can have your cake AND eat it, too?)

Moss for Meditation . . .and Celebration

Just before I took my computer in for a brain transplant (successful, by the way; although slow), I spent a day at the Chicago Flower Show.  I hadn't finished telling you all about the wonders I saw there before the computer surgery.  You see, my photos were either (a) on the soon-to-be-transplanted brain; or (b) on the reliable, external back-up . . . which was only useful on a Mac.  Which I no longer had in my possession.

Anyway.

It's time to catch up. 

So.

When I was in Chicago for the Flower Show, Sandie and I took great interest in this. . .

Moss for Meditation.  (More information and photos here.)

My photos just can't begin to do justice to this beautiful, living artform.

The artist's website (link above) describes her work like this. . .

"The moss for meditation series is a creative response to studies emerging from the field of Ecopsychology, which represents significant evidence that consistent exposure and interaction with green landscapes, regardless of size,  significantly decreases stress and supports mental and physical health."

I would say. . . yeah.  Consistent exposure and interaction with green landscapes significantly decreases stress.

(Ecopsychology.  Who knew?)

Sandie and I were inspired.  INSPIRED!

In fact, Sandie . . . being an artist herself. . . dove right in and tried it fwhen she got home.  Her first attempt. . .

Small-scale and very cool. 

She invited me to join her in making moss creations for my birthday last Saturday. 

What fun!

She gathered the materials.

And set up a little studio space in her conservatory/sun room.

Then, we just let our creativity run wild with all the mosses and lichens and . . . stuff. . . she had assembled.

The glue gun came in mighty handy, although we also had access to other (more permanent and volatile) glue sources.

And, in the end, I ended up with this. . .

I've got the moss-piece hanging on the wall, under a clock, in my kitchen.  Once the glue-smell dissipated (which took awhile, I'm telling you!), I'm finding a sense of peace and calm whenever I walk by.

Just kidding about that last bit!  But I love my framed moss.  It was fun to make - especially with Sandie, and I love having it nearby -- where I can enjoy the Ecopsychology-effects on my well-being.

Ahhhhh.  I feel calmer already!

 

As I Head Out the Door

I'm off this morning for an exciting day here . . . on Navy Pier in Chicago.  (So excited!)  But. . . thought I'd share this before I leave.

Check it out. . .

Such cool eggs. . . there on the cover of the new issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.  Full instructions inside.  I'm going to have to try this!

One Little Word Wednesday

Last month, our assignment for One Little Word was to create a "vision board" inspired by our word.   A "vision board" is, essentially, a visual intention -- a collection of images and words of what you'd like to invite into your life.

I have created many "vision boards" over the years -- in many forms.  Scrapbook collections of images and phrases I particularly like.  Bulletin boards of inspiring photos and quotes.  Collages of ideas.  (Before there was Pinterest. . . there were "vision boards!")

I had a great time with this project.  I gathered some magazines and my scissors, and I let the images and words shout out at me.  Then I mod-podged it all onto a 16 x 20 canvas from Michaels. 

Here's what I ended up with (click the photo to see it even bigger):

The process was therapeutic.  The just-looking (not reading).  The cutting out.  The deciding.  The gluing-it-down.

I loved the whole "old-school" nature of the project.

And I love what surfaced in all that cutting and pasting.

SURPRISE!

A Little Garden Project

My best gardening pal, Sandie, and I spent a glorious afternoon yesterday making papercrete hypertufa containers.

Huh?

We made containers like this one  (Sandie made this one in a workshop last April).

Only three ingredients:  paper pulp (shredded newspaper soaked in water for 48 hours), Portland cement, and perlite (or, in our case, vermiculite . . . because we couldn't find perlite).

Did you know that cement is really, incredibly cheap?  So cheap. . . that the smallest bag you can buy is 94 pounds!

That's a whole lotta cement. . . but what a deal!  Only $9.79 for a 94 pound bag!

Anyway.  We gathered our ingredients and some plastic forms and other oddments, and set up shop in Sandie's garage.

We measured . . .

and mixed. . .

(3 parts paper pulp : 2 parts Portland cement : 1 part perlite/vermiculite . . . with a splosh of water during the mixing up)

and ended up with a bucket of papercrete!

We coated our plastic molds with vegetable spray,

and then just started glopping it in (with a lot of intentional mooshing and smashing).

We ended up with quite a collection of hypertufa planters!

Now . . . we just have to wait . . . for the papercrete to dry, harden, and cure.  In a few weeks, we'll have new containers for yet more succulents!  (And we have enough cement to last a lifetime. . . )

 

Summer Studies in Fermentation

What's a chemistry student to do over the summer?

I mean, really.  What do you do when your friends are off on exciting ventures in, say, Peru. . . or India . . . or Vienna.  Or even at home in much more exotic locations . . . like Albuquerque, for example.  And you. . . have to take Calculus II at the local community college because you didn't have room for it in your schedule last semester.

What do you do to get past the dullness . . . of a summer mowing the lawn?

Why, you try your hand at making beer, that's what you do!

Way back in '79, the summer I started going out with Tom, he was making beer in his basement bedroom.  At the time, I thought this was . . . rather peculiar.  And colorful.  I mean, it was unusual... back then... to brew your own beer.

That summer, Tom spent a lot of time looking for equipment that would work for home brewing.

I remember he was using a giant trash can (properly sanitized, of course), and that he spent a very long time looking for some sort of "______ometer" (I don't remember the name of that particular thing, and he's not around right now to ask).

In the end, his beer was . . . okay.  Rather explosive, though.  (Some of the bottles actually DID explode.)  He got busy with grad school.  And fishing.  And me.  And the beer-making was left behind.

Now, though. . . there are two chemists in the house.  And they are both interested in the art of craft beer making.  What better time to give it a try . . . again.

What a difference 30 (plus) years makes!  Now there are books and local brewing shops and advice on the Internet.  Now you can find kits and equipment and even ________ometers.  There are ready-made flavor packets and pre-measured malt and hops and barley.

Now, everything you need for beer-making is available and accessible!  You can go out for an hour one afternoon. . . and come back with everything you need for a summer of fermenting fun!

(And, because they are both scientists, there are thorough lab notes. . .)

Summer beer batch #1. . .

Fermenting now. . .

in a basement shower stall!

(I wonder if he'll get extra credit?)

Transformation. . . on the Cheap

For reasons we won't discuss here on the blog, I need to cover the interior side of my front door.  I was looking for some sort of . . . decorative swag . . . to display (and hide a rather unsightly, ummm, feature.)

I have plenty of Christmas decorations.  In fact, I've decided I have Enough Christmas Decorations, and I'm not purchasing any more.  Ever (if I can help it).  But I didn't have anything appropriate to hang on the interior side of my front door -- right there in the entry way.

So I decided to try to make something.  On the Cheap.

I started with this:

A sort-of-sad, basic fake plastic evergreen swag, complete with metallic leaves, pine cones, and a few berries; quite squished and very lopsided.  On sale for $4.99 at my local Michael's store.  (I just noticed that, because of the shadows in this photo, the swag looks much nicer than it actually was.  It was very misshapen in real-life; it almost looks . . . good . . . in this photo.  Lies.)

First, I "floofed" it out a bit and bent the branches into a more natural and pleasing shape.  And I messed around with the (hideous) metallic leaves. . . trying to decide whether they added to or detracted from the overall look I was going for.

Next, I used a wire cutter to separate the individual segments of a "branch" of sparkly, glittery, gold flora (on sale for $1.79 at JoAnn Fabrics) . . .

and randomly wired them in to the "floofed" branches of the swag.  (Still undecided on the metallic leaves, but leaning toward leaving them in.)

Then, I made a bow with two types of ribbon ($2.59 on the super-clearance table at JoAnn Fabrics). . .

and. . . voilà!  A transformed swag!

Much nicer!  (Even with the metallic leaves.)  Does the job!  And all for under 30 minutes and $10!

That's my kind of transformation!

Time for a Pin-tervention?

When I was cleaning out my sewing room last week, I found this:

It is my "old school" Inspiration Journal.  (Actually, it's about #5 in a series of Inspiration Journals; this is just the one in progress.)

Way before Pinterest was a gleam in someone's eye, I was creating "boards" of my own.  In "old school" fashion, I collected (with my trusty scissors) images or quotes that particularly appealed to me.   And then, every so often, I would tape all the images in a journal.  For future reference.  For visual stimulation.  For inspiration.

I have been doing this for years.  Informal scrapbooking.  Collecting images I like.  Inspiring myself -- with a little of everything.  I called these journals my "style books."

Quotes.  Colors.

 

Interior design.  Outfits.  Jewelry.  Bags.  (Always bags.)

Project ideas.

Birds and the like.

The biggest problem with this "old school" journaling process was time.  I used to spend an afternoon now and again clipping from my pile of catalogs and magazines.  And then, I had to find another big swath of time to adhere the images into my journal.

As you can see. . . clippings piled up.

And up.  Always, more inspiration than time to deal with it!

You can imagine my delight, then, when I discovered Pinterest.

Now, I can collect my favorite images and quotes and ideas digitally -- with the simple click of a "Pin It" button.

I can create "boards" and edit and arrange to my heart's content.  It's so easy.  No mess.  No need for big swaths of time to clip and save and tape in.

I love Pinterest.  I love it so much. . . that it's only a matter of time before I need a "Pin-tervention."

How about you?  Have you discovered Pinterest yet?

Guess Whoooo's Sewing?

Well.  Me!

I used to sew all the time.  Clothes.  Curtains.  Bags.  Little crafty things.  I have a beautiful sewing table (that my Dad custom made for me), a lovely "sewing room" (which doubles as a "knitting room"), and a great sewing machine.  I'm set up for sewing.  But I just don't do it much anymore.

I've decided to let Project Spectrum inspire me to sit down at the sewing machine again!

I visited my favorite local fabric store earlier this month, and found some wonderful red fabric -- and an irresistible, aDORable little pattern for owl potholders.  Color me . . . inspired!

The owls go together quite easily, thanks to fusible web.

It's fun to play with color as you build the owls.

The inner layer is an insulated batting product called "Insul-Bright" -- so these potholders are completely functional and can be used to pick up any hot pot or cookie sheet.

The pattern is adorable.  But not detailed.  It says things like "bind all edges with bias tape."  It does not give you any hints, tips, or suggestions.  And you do have to make your own bias tape (but, again, it doesn't tell you how).  I've sewn a lot (and I know how to make bias tape) -- but if you haven't, this might not be the pattern for you!

This adorable little flock of owls will be going with Erin next week when she moves to Pittsburgh.  (She loves owls -- and her kitchen "decor" is red.)

These little guys were so much fun to make.  You can be sure that more of them will be flying out of my sewing machine soon.