Jadon’s First Camping Trip

We had a great time at Falling Waters recently and I got a few great pictures of the baby. Hiking, cooking, and exploring were the order of the day, as well as indulging in the delightful weather as it finally dipped below 80 degrees!

A few shots to share:

New-to-us coffee table

I love our new coffee table! It’s actually an antique from Mom’s Africa days. Isn’t the mahogany and the carved elephants simply exotic? Now that Jadon is here, we wanted a table with curved edges to hopefully minimize stitches and loose teeth when Jadon begins to toddle around. Probably I’ll have no such luck, but this table is a real beauty anyway! And since we removed the ivory elephant tusks, it probably really is a bit safer than our previous table.

Behold the Trove

The local thrift store had a treasure waiting for me. A large plastic tub full of little treasures. Twine. Embroidery floss. Wooden spools. Calligraphy nibs. Metal bobbins. Needles. And more. For $5.99.

And I don’t even like sewing! But there’s something about the shape and feel of the wood and metal that appeals.

Behold the trove.

Outside is pretty:

Inside is fun too!

Isn’t it delightful to stumble across so many different textures and colors? For so inexpensive too! God is so good, in so many ways.

Simple Handmade Touches

Living a handmade life doesn’t mean having to work craft baazars every weekend, bake your own bread, or sew all your own clothes. (Although if you enjoy that kind of thing, have at it!) But if you’re like me and hate long-term projects, then the one-hour or one-afternoon crafting experiences bring a great deal of satisfaction. Just looking at my little potted aloe that my mom brought up from her yard brings me great delight, probably as much as sleeping under a quilt I’d slaved years over (actually, it probably brings more delight because I’d worry about ruining the quilt and have no fear for the aloe).

Having a little handwork nearby is fun too. As long as it can stash out of sight quickly!

I marvel at the talent of other people (my husband’s extremely neat origami, for example).

And in the end, I’m glad to have a little something to work on that, preferably starting from materials that would have gone in the trash anyway (that way I can’t really end up ruining it, right?) One project that turned out great were these little votives, made from old guidebook pages with all the windows and doors cut out with an x-acto knife, so that the candlelight shines through.

Canning is something that I’ve recently been getting into, although only when I get some surplus of friends’ gardens or other such free bounty. Then it makes it work putting the time into. It does awaken the pioneer spirit within me, though! And that feels good.

So really, making do with what you have can bring much enjoyment as your creativity is able to flow. That is the essence of the handmade life.

Goldwork

Writing with a drop of gold that flows in a tiny trickle out of my funnel pen . . . there’s just nothing like it. It’s so art-like and ancient-feeling. The horrible smell of the gold medium is about the only unromantic thing about doing goldwork. Here is some recent work.

 

Vintage Dress Makeover

My mom is such a sewing wizard. When I was young I thought she could do anything, and now that I’m an adult my suspicions are confirmed. On a recent visit to the Panhandle, Mom helped makeover a vintage dress I got from my mother-in-law. The bodice was too big, the length pretty horrible, the collar too distracting, the shoulder pads unattractive, buttons needed to be moved (and more added—there were only four for the whole dress) and the waistline too tight. But I really like the way the dress fit in the torso, so I had hope that Mom and I could remake it.

I wish I’d take a “before” picture, but here is the finished product. The sleeves, collar, and hemline all were altered, and we added some hooks and faux buttonholes, and moved the buttons into a straight line. I’m pretty terrible at sewing but I could envision the finished product. Once again, Mom came to the rescue and made it happen.

Thanks, Mom, for being awesome.

What White Ware Is For

To stamp!

Some goods that are in the shop, or, er, were in the shop, in some cases. Catching up on sharing some work from a few months ago.