Dear Reader,

I receive so many wonderful donations from my local community. It's always exciting to open a box or a bag and see what I find. Occasionally, it's something very special. And, when that happens I sit and ruminate for quite awhile before I cut into the garment or fabric.

Ideas are constantly swirling around in my head about the things I want to make. Sometimes they're quick and I make things without a hitch. The ideas go right from my head to the garment without any hesitation or mistakes. Other times, there are a lot of mistakes. When that happens, I might abandon a project, even if I've put a lot of time into it if at some point it doesn't feel right. But, when I know that what I'm doing will ultimately come out the way I dreamed it would. I just keep going.

This happened last week when I finally figured out what to make with some deconstructed antique lace and tulle ruffles that I received in a donation last summer. I decided to make a skirt, and along the way, I made many mistakes. First, I sewed the two tiered ruffles on the wrong way. Then, I had to VERY carefully seam rip the who thing in about 1/2" increments. After doing this, I realized that there was a rip in one of the tiers, so I had to cut that off. Then, after sewing the new ruffle on, I realized that the tulle had a bit of wear and tear due to age, so I hand stitched those areas. And then, finally, after all of that, I finished the skirt. Why did I keep going? Because I knew in the end it was going to turn out the way I planned and I just had to make it. I finished up the day before a show, took the skirt along with me, and there it found a new home.

Dear Reader,

Do you vend at art shows? Do you have a family member or friend who does? If any or all of these things are true for you, then you know that it's hard work. I've been doing art shows for over twenty years, and since I'm basically a nomad by nature, I could never imagine a 9-5 job or owning my own store. The thought of doing the same thing and going to the same place day in and day out has never appealed to me, so my store is portable.

Would I live in a camper, travel around and do art shows throughout the country? Yes, you bet I would. I know how difficult this is, but even so, it still appeals to me way more than doing something that the majority of the population would find much easier. Technically, hauling things into my van and out of my van, setting up, tearing down, dealing with weather conditions and many other things is literally more difficult, but still, it works for me.

My first jobs

Dear Reader,

What were your first summer jobs? I started working for myself when I was nine. While the income certainly didn't rival my official jobs that came later, I loved the experience. My cousin and I would harvest my dad's tomatoes and then strap them onto our bikes and ride around my neighborhood selling them door-to-door. We had a pretty good little business summer after summer, but in retrospect, we probably should have given my dad a bit of the profits since he grew such amazing tomatoes.

After that I baby sat from about ages 11-14. This worked out pretty well too. I mainly just babysat for one little boy whose mother worked a 9-5 job M-F. This was a great gig since the little boy was a sweetheart, and he basically wanted to hang out outside for most of the day and ride his bike or play kickball with the neighborhood kids. Then, once he got involved in camps, and was basically old enough to stay at home alone (at least by 1980s standards), that job ended and I had to head out into the real world of crappy teenage jobs.

Greenhouses are love

Dear Reader,

When I was a child, my grandparents and great grandparents owned a flower business, and they grew all of their plants. I remember walking around the greenhouses and being allowed to choose whatever flowers I wanted to take home, which I loved. To this day, I find such a sense of peace and calm roaming around a greenhouse. The smells, the warmth, the air filled with the aroma of plants. It just feels like home to me.

Working on farms

I feel like I blinked this week and it was suddenly Friday, with me still not knowing what I was going to write about in the newsletter. Since I'm dork who in my days of academia would have never even entertained the possibility of not finishing my homework, I like to have the newsletter completely finished before I go to bed on Sunday. Some things never change.

I spent most of this week making things and figuring out my booth display. Since I bring so many things with me to shows (it's basically a traveling shop), I am constantly figuring out how to best display everything. This usually involves me setting up in the living room so I have somewhat of an idea of how things will work. The set up for most shows starts early in the morning, and since I've never been a morning person, that makes this process go very slowly for me.

Aside from that, I've been making a lot of things. Stepping back from social media has not only relieved a lot of my stress, but also given me the freedom to focus creatively. Sometimes my hands can't keep up with all of the ideas swimming around in my head. If you do happen to stop by any of my upcoming shows, you will find many new things available. I also now sell my work locally at River Pearl Studio in Marietta. And, for those of you who are not local, once the sun comes out again I plan on taking some pictures and restocking my website.

Stuff from this week

Dear Reader,

Since this week was very full, I really didn't have the space to consider what I was going to write about. I thought about a lot of things, but nothing seemed quite right. It wasn't that I was out of ideas. Actually, all the things swimming around in my head made my brain feel about as full as my week. Backing away from social media has given my brain much more space to focus on things that are more important and much more relevant both personally and creatively, so I thought maybe I'd write about those things.

I don't know about you, but spring always makes me feel like I'm on the cusp of something. It's a bit uncertain, as we jump back between balmy days and blustery rainy days. My heart always wants to leap into summer, my favorite season. I can't wait for the lightness of heart I feel soaking up the sunshine day every day, and spending as much time as possible outside. Since I am one who revels in warmth and light, every summer I feel reborn and new again. Although I have gained some patience with age, I still feel like I sit here waiting. . . However, once summer is finally here, I can't help but feel a sense of urgency to fit everything in that I possible can in those months that just seem to fly by. So with that, here is an ever- growing list of what I hope to do/accomplish this summer.

The list

Dear Reader,

Are you a person who likes to read one book at a time and not start a new one until you're finished? Do you do the same with your projects? Or, like me, are you a person who reads many books at a time and constantly starts new projects?

Why do I read multiple books at a time?

I started thinking about this the other night as I was rereading one of my current books in rotation, Swann's Way. What I was thinking about is how I always read at least two novels at a time, and often a couple poetry books as well. Why do I do this? For many reasons, I think. One of which is that I tend to lead with emotion and feeling with almost everything I do. If you do this too, you know how necessary it is for those of us who do it, but also how difficult it can be sometimes. This means, that I have to have several reading options available at all times based on my mood. Even though this is the main reason, there are also some practical reasons as well. I always have at least one book that it is quite difficult, so it requires my undivided attention and concentration. Since I live in a house with a husband, two teenagers, two cats, and two dogs, I don't necessarily have the time to put that effort into a book everyday, and sometimes I might not even want to, depending on how my day went. So, then we factor in the second novel. This one is always a light read. A book I can read when people are having conversations around me, or even when I might be tired at the end of the day. Sometimes this might be a YA novel-most recently, a reread of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. I can jump in and out of a book like this without missing a beat. Then we add in the poetry books. It's always necessary for me to have at least one of these in the rotation, but usually it's two. I can always find a quiet moment to sit and read a poem, maybe even several if it's Emily Dickinson. Right now, the two books I'm reading are Devotions by Mary Oliver and The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. Not sure if audio books technically count as reading, but I also have an audio book in the mix. Currently I'm listening to book six of the Outlander series. If I'm going to dork out as to why I simultaneously read (and listen) to so many books, I'd say it's also because I am more of a global learner. Having a lot of things going on at once is very comforting to me.

Dear Reader,

Natural dyeing

A number of years ago I exclusively dyed my fabrics with plant dyes that I foraged, using only water from our rain barrel. Natural dyeing feels a bit like alchemy, but it's a laborious process, involving many steps, and also not as visually rewarding as using procion dyes or paints. Not to mention the fact, that sometimes after going through the extensive process what you achieve may indeed be nothing, as you watch the dye completely wash away. I had experiences with mulberries and poke berries that started out vibrant and ended up very beige. The process was physically and sometimes emotionally exhausting, and creatively, I was definitely ready to move on to something else. But something was holding me back. I was worried that I would disappoint, or possibly lose customers if I stopped the natural dyeing and went in a different direction. Of course, deep down I knew that if I continued on the same path and denied my need to move on I would be unhappy, and this would definitely be reflected in my work. So finally, when we had to get rid of our rain barrel because, not only did it have a crack, but it took up too much room in our small urban yard, I took this as a sign, and I stopped using natural dyes. Stepping away from this gave me a sense of freedom that I hadn't felt in years.

Dear Reader,

Have you ever felt like taking a break from social media? Yeah, me too.

How it all started

More than ten years ago, I made the decision to stop looking at Facebook. The main reason was that I felt like it was just too much information coming at me all of the time, and enough was enough. I still have an account, but with the exception of checking marketplace, I never use it. Do I miss it? Absolutely not.

Dear Reader,

The whole notion of quilt making involves giving and sharing. It's a human activity that reflects friendship, love, home, and community. Metaphorically, a quilt is sentient; full of stories that begin with the piecing of fabric and continue throughout its life.

I've made many quilts that I have given as gifts throughout the years, starting with the baby quilts that I made for my now teenage children. Even though they have been long since outgrown, these quilts are still used as picnic blankets in the spring and summer. Their stories contained within the tattered fabric scraps that have been mended along the way now live on to create new stories.

Dear Reader,

In today's world our lives are documented in photos. Every day we take pictures of various events and things we see, and for some of us, that includes our art. Do we live in the moment anymore and just exist there? Or, must we freeze time so we can share it with the world? As artists, do we create for ourselves or do we create for our social media audience? I think most of us would say that we do a little bit of both.

Creating for yourself

As a person who sells the things that I make, it's easy to get caught up in considering what will sell. After all, this is my business, so in order for it to be successful I need to turn a profit. However, I'm a person who leads with her heart and her intuition, so there's literally no way that I can create otherwise. I try to spend time every day making things that bring me joy, whatever that might be. This changes day-to-day, and that's why I do so many different things. I think it's important to follow your creative energy and impulses. Not only does it keep things interesting, but it expands your creativity. Not following trends is another way that I create for myself. If I need inspiration, I look to shapes and silhouettes of the past, I take a walk with my dog and notice color combinations, textures, etc. Inspiration is all around us.

Dear reader,

When chaos is swirling all around us, it's hard to take the time to think of anything else. But, I believe in times like these, it's so important to maintain calm and not become cynical. It's also crucial to care for yourself both emotionally and physically.

My family and I are currently rewatching Lord of the Rings together, and the timing couldn't be more perfect. The corruption of power and not allowing darkness and evil to prevail seems quite relevant. We all could use Gandalf on our side, but it's important to remember that we also have the power within each of us to enact change. As Galadriel says to Frodo, "even the smallest person can change the course of the future." Alone, we might be small, but together we are not.

How do I stay focused and calm myself during these times?

As a person who spent much of her younger years, specifically teens through early thirties with a pretty pessimistic attitude, it’s still odd for me to see myself as an optimist of sorts. Having kids really changed my point-of-view, when I suddenly realized that it wasn’t all about me, and I was responsible for shaping the lives of these small people.

When I notice my former pessimistic attitude creeping in at times, not only try to figure out why, but I try to change my outlook. This happened recently when I applied to a show and I was not accepted. Let me preface this by saying two things.

1. I was invited to apply.
2. In the twenty plus years that I have been doing this, I have only been turned down a small handful of times.

I've been in a creative field in one way or another for many years, and rejection is something that you have to deal with. So, what did I learn from this experience? Well, I used my frustration about all the time spent on the application to pursue different channels of exposure for my business. I'm happy to announce that I did some interviews that I will share once they are live.

Fostering a sense of community

Winter is a time for hibernation, indulging all of my creative energy, and considering what lies ahead for spring and summer. My show season usually is April-December, and while I welcome the downtime, mostly because I have time to create for the sake of creating, I do tend to get antsy pretty quickly. While I've applied to many shows already, I've been thinking of other ways that I can connect with my community.

I thought that it might be nice to start a monthly craft meet up at local parks in the city. This would be very informal of course. We could gather together with our chairs and/or blankets and our bags stuffed with our handwork projects and hang out. Even though chairs might be more comfortable, I think I'll probably bring a blanket, so I can scatter all my craft supples. Maybe it would also be nice to bring snacks to share as well.

I posted this on my instagram stores this week, and people seem to be really interested, which is great. I'm so excited for this to happen. Almost as excited as I am for summer, which is pretty huge, since I'm basically waiting for summer to happen again as soon as it ends.

I can’t believe that it took me so long to create a newsletter. For so many years I knew that not only would it be good for my business, but also, good for me personally. Ever since things started to deteriorate on instagram, I knew that I needed an alternative. After all, I was a creative writing major, so I might as well get back to it, right?

At first, I was considering leaving instagram all together for many reasons. But, I've built a fantastic community there that inspires me, so I'm not going anywhere. I'll just take breaks from time-to-time whenever I feel that it's necessary. This newsletter, which will arrive in your inboxes every Monday is a way for me to stay in touch.

What can you expect to find in these newsletters?

Information about shows and pop-ups, new product alerts, updates on upcoming sales (you'll be the first to know), behind the scenes stuff, maybe some tutorials, special discounts for subscribers, and whatever else is going on throughout my week.