so much good stuff

Here's something different. Last week my youngest boy and I took a cigar box guitar workshop being offered by my work (The Crossing Arts Alliance)

Neither of us play the guitar, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to learn the art of low-brow luthiership from maker and talented tattoo artist Tony Powers and co-teacher Brent Shepard.

These two have made CBG's from everything from cigar boxes to oars and cookie tins. In the hands of Tony and Brent these things sound great.

We were given the basic pieces of the guitar to assemble, decorate, and string.

My boy with his new geetar.

Everyone added their own flavor to their instruments.

Mary from LPTV was there to film and you can see the clip here

You're surprised to see mushrooms on mine, right?

This class was so much fun. The teachers made it very accessible and were able to handle any missteps we students made, and it was so cool to have one of them playing throughout the class, giving us hope that we might make something that sounded half as good. And, it's always fun to learn something new, right?

On Saturday I spent the day at a TEDx talk and have come away feeling really inspired and uplifted. I was also introduced to the music of Corey Medina, who moved from New Mexico to Minnesota (on purpose), and I am utterly entranced.

So much good stuff.

What's been inspiring you lately?

my bowls for Empty Bowls

Our second annual Empty Bowls fundraiser is coming up this Saturday, and I'm so proud to be a part of this event. Last year we raised $5000 for the local soup kitchen and we hope to raise more this year.

I am donating a couple of bowls this year, including this little mushroom-inspired one, which by the way, has sparked inspiration for me in a big way (more to come, hopefully).

If you are not familiar, Empty Bowls is a nationwide grass roots effort to raise awareness of, and combat, food insecurity in our communities. Next Saturday, Oct. 24th from 11am to 2pm, The Crossing Arts Alliance in Brainerd will be hosting the event at the Franklin Arts Center. For a $20 donation, guests are invited to a simple and delicious meal of soup and bread, and are invited to choose a handmade bowl to keep as a reminder of all the empty bowls in the world.

If you are local, I'd love to see you. I'll be running around but will be adequately name-tagged so please stop me and say hi if you make it out.

I've had a big week and there are other things I'm excited to share with you.

'Til then.

Sunday

A day spent picking rocks, time with a good friend, a smooth-as-glass Lake Superior, and a soft sunset over the lake. Just what I needed.

autumn love

Oh how I love autumn.

Just overnight the leaves got their cue to turn and my woods are a subtle wash of golds, rusty oranges, and mossy greens. In a few days they'll brighten and then they'll fade again, leaving the brown oaks with their lichen-encrusted trunks to be the focus.

I love the golden light, the smell, the crinkly leaves, the jeans with flannels, all of it. I don't even mind that fall is the precursor to winter, which seems to be the longest season of all here in Minnesota. Hey, winter is alright, it just overstays its welcome, that's all.

The next few weeks are going to be busy at work with fundraisers, kids events, and upcoming shows, but I aim to make time to do some stitching, do some baking, and get out in the rustling leaves.

In the meantime, I've made the last of this season's acorns, just two sets. They're in the shop today.

Have a glorious day, all.

autumn is for acorns

Because it wouldn't really be autumn around here if I didn't make a couple of acorns.

In my shop.

my 8x8 piece

We're having a fundraiser where I work in which almost 50 of our artists have created artwork on 8"x8" canvases that will be sold starting Sat. Oct. 10th. We were to make a piece that was representative of our "style" and this is what I came up with.

The first thing I did was to take the canvas off and use just the frame. I needled my scene and, in wanting to keep the 8"x8" size, "framed" my piece with leather belt pieces.

It looks at home on the forest floor but it's actually meant to hang on the wall.

Those ants found their way into my piece, I'm sure, because of this encounter.

For those of you that are local, please join us on Oct. 10th from 10-2 in the Crossing Arts Gift Shop in the Franklin Arts Center for this fun sale, mingling, and snacks. Each of the pieces will be available for sale for $50 or you can take your chances and place a bid at $25. If no one outbids you by the end of the month, the piece is yours. There are some beauties to be had, and it's for a great cause.

Happy Sunday, all.

rather, autumn

No dandelion seeds showed up in my stitching. Rather, autumn. I think I'm ready.

In my shop today.

seeing stitches

I saw a lone dandelion stalk illuminated in the rising sun this morning. By the time I grabbed my camera to capture it, the sun had moved past it. I captured it anyway, and instead of an illuminated orb I see stitches.

I think that means I need to stitch some stones.

Hope you all have a loverly Sunday.

it ain't pretty

There's been a secret I've kept from you all, one that gets carefully omitted from photos, and oft-discussed with my husband. A giant, unsightly beast, whose mere presence raises my blood pressure. An eyesore representative of just another project left uncompleted, hidden under tarps. Given to us as a gift, we (ahem, husband) imagined happy family adventures on the road but it's yet to be moved. I've threatened to call the scrap company to haul it away a dozen times only to be reminded that it has new tires, and it's one part away from running, and we've already started to gut the inside, and we have paint!

It was in a conversation this weekend that I began to see it differently; as an opportunity rather than an eyesore.

But oh holy buckets is it an eyesore.

We had started to gut it a few years ago and just look at this mess.

I do dig that plaid seat though.

So it seems I have myself a new project and maybe, just maybe, lil fish studios will be on the road someday soon.

Wish me luck! (and Lysol)

playing with fire

My weekend was just as wonderful as I had hoped it would be. I got to hang out with great friends, eat way too much pasta, laugh lots, and play with fire.

Lynn did an amazing job at teaching us the basics of torch-fired enamel. Even those that were timid at first were beating their chests with new-found confidence by the end of class. Everyone got plenty of practice first and then made their own choice of earrings or pendants. I made a couple of each.

My work is nowhere near as perfect as Lynn's but I love it anyway. What a fun experience.

What? You don't know Lynn? Stop by her blog or shop to have a look. Not only is she an enamel queen, but a skilled stone-cutter and metalsmith, and painter, to boot.

Have a great week, all!

impending shenanigans and satisfaction

I've been ears-deep in grant-writing the past several days.

My kids have started school and with that comes the wrangling of four little schedules, the monitoring of homework, the making of breakfasts, and the fun of shoving them on the bus at 6:45am.

Throw in some car trouble, for grins.

I've been so busy that I haven't done a bit of art-ing in more days than I'd like.

BUT.

Tomorrow a dear friend I've never met in person (the power of the internet connects us) is coming to see me, teach a class on torch-fired enamel and have a trunk show at my work. Another life-long friend is flying in the event and there shall be shenanigans. (oh yes there shall)

Shenanigans

and laughs

and torching things

and good meals

and friendship

and laughs.

Oh am I looking forward to the laughs!

(and the shenanigans and friendship)

I imagine that by the time Monday rolls around I'll be full and satisfied, like that little tree frog up there.

the best laid plans

The last batch of promised stones have headed out the door, a couple of days late. I did a good job of stitching every day, even when work and life blew up, but getting them shipped out took a couple of days longer than I had hoped so I'm reluctant to list more stones until I have them finished, wrapped, and ready to go.

In other, "well that didn't go as planned", news...I had hoped to have my exhibit open on Sept. 18th but I've pushed that back too. For now, anyway. I have high hopes that this fall will bring some closure to outstanding issues and some calm to schedules both business and personal, and then maybe... A girl's gotta hope, anyway.

Ah, life.

a stone in a tree

A nearly-dead poplar by our driveway, and a stone that hadn't turned out quite right, met this week.

The woodpeckers have already been at work on this tree and no doubt it will fall in an upcoming wind, as poplars are wont to do.

I'm not so sure the carpenter ants were that thrilled with the art piece I offered them. (you can just barely see them on the left side, checking it out)

But there it is, until the wind or the saw decides otherwise.

me in Rug Hooking Magazine

I was contacted by Rug Hooking Magazine a few months ago to write an article for their Beyond Our Borders feature where they share the work of fellow fiber-lovers who don't work in rug hooking, and I got my copy in the mail this week. I think it's a cool concept, introducing people to forms of art that complement their own.

My friend Lynn mentioned that she thought it was interesting how many artists she knows who are known to work in one medium, and migrate into other areas of art. Artists are often dabblers, aren't we? More than that though, I think that when we migrate (or dabble) we bring those other skills and techniques from other mediums with us, and it gives our work more dimension.

So there you go. When you need to justify why you're taking up a new art when you have already immersed yourself in another...you're just adding dimension to your work. (I plan to use this to justify my stash of wool when I take up pottery one day. Dimension, baby, DIMENSION.)

Anyway, back to the point, the feature turned out lovely and I'm just thrilled that they had me. If you see this most recent issue on newsstands, give it a look, won't you?