Gifts

My mom is turning 89 this week.  I would be remiss if I didn’t include her in my blog of inspirations because she was my first, and continues to be my strongest, source of inspiration.  I love her dearly, and would like to thank her for being my muse throughout my artistic life.

I have an incredibly gifted life.  True, I may not have a lot of money, fame or luck, but I have many gifts in my life for which I am eternally grateful.

 I grew up in a great family.  Yes, we have had our issues, as all families do, but I have wonderful memories, strong values and faith in God.  These gifts were all given to me by my mom and dad.  The things I remember most about our family of 6 ( mom, dad, 3 kids, and a grandma), are things like helping my grandmother prepare and serve snacks for my parents’ card parties when it was their turn to host the monthly neighborhood get together.  I remember my mom teaching me how to sew on the sewing machine, my grandmother teaching me how to crochet and my dad playing his music on the record player in our finished basement.

Mom has always been the rock in our family.  The quieter, calmer of the two parents, Mom was the one who held our secrets, gave us advice and had the patience to teach us things like driving a car.  When I had to commute to our state college because of the housing shortage first semester freshman year, Mom worked and I didn’t have a car, so she drove me a half hour each way, every day to school.  That’s dedication.  I remember lots of shopping trips on Saturdays with Mom and Gram which always ended with lunch at the diner.  I attribute my love of sewing, and crafts to my mom who loved to do both. Mom was always making something, sewing up stuffed animals, making Christmas tree decorations or making clothes for herself, my sister, or me.   My gram was a great cook and baker and Mom inherited those talents as well.

She is a true supporter of the arts (or at least my art).  She and Dad encouraged me throughout my creative life.  Mom wore every creation I crocheted or knitted, good, or bad.   She hung every picture I ever drew, and displayed every Christmas door decoration and ornament I ever made.  Looking back on all of that, she deserves a medal for bearing with me as I struggled to become the experienced artist and crafter I am today.  Thanks, Mom.

Mom is a modern woman.  She is a handy-“woman”.  There is seemingly no tool she hasn’t touched, no part of her house she hasn’t painted, and no toilet she hasn’t fixed.  She is always searching (and I mean searching because her house is spotless) for things to repair or clean in her house.  She has a computer ( did I mention she is turning 89?).  Mom was a secretary, so she is no stranger to the keyboard.  She picked up the tricks of surfing the net, reads her email every day, views photos sent to her by her kids and grandkids, checks the news, visits my online shop and reads my blog (thanks, Mom),checks the news and the weather, and changes her backgrounds to match the seasons.  She shops online, prints out recipes and plays games.  Did I mention she was turning 89?  Mom is a marvel and she is the most treasured, beloved and most unique of all of my gifts.  I thank God each day for all my gifts, especially for her.  Happy 89^th Birthday, Mom!

Kid's Room Painting Inspiration

I am an art teacher, but I am also a crafter and I love to try out just about any craft idea that comes my way.  I have to do it, and I have to do it now, which also means I don't always have the right materials for the project, but since I have been doing this for a very long time, I welcome any opportunity to improvise.  I have taught painting and drawing for many years and love to incorporate both into my craftwork as well.  There are lots of crafters who are not artists, but I consider myself lucky to be able to do both.

 I found a site that got my wheels turning, and although I got inspiration from this project, I turned it around to be my own.  I handpaint stools mostly with my favorite theme, teddy bears, and personalize them, so this project was not a far cry from what I usually do, only on a different surface.  My daughter, although a few years away from starting a family, had mentioned she liked the name Ava, so I chose that name as the departure point for this first personalized painting.  I formulated a theme as I was painting a background, made a bear fairy template using a member of my bear collection as a model, and began working.  I am always amazed at how my original idea undergoes a metamorphosis along the way.  It's added to, subtracted from,and tweaked until I reach the desired result.

I was very happy with personalized painting #1, but during another of my nights of waking up at least 4 times, a thought came to me and I began a second child's room painting, this time using the word imagine.
I wrote the word out using various fonts for each letter, turned the i into a tree, added some fanciful creatures interacting with the word, some glitter paint and finished painting #2.  I forgot how much I love painting, since I often go back and forth between mediums.  I don't teach painting this year.  With the advent of graphic design, I have been busily teaching several classes of graphic art and don't get much of a chance to paint anymore.  So when the opportunity presents itself, I fall in love all over again. 

This weekend is supposed to be a snowy one, so I have already resigned myself to the fact that I will be staying in, doing laundry, vacuuming, shoveling the driveway, but, best of all, planning out my next project.  Today I will make a quick stop at the craft store to pick up a few things I might need, then to the grocery store to join the "stock up  before the storm" crowd and I will be all set to begin my next adventure!

Sneaky Santa Inspiration

My Winter Scene handpainted glass vase with "snow"

I needed a little Christmas inspiration because not only do I love Christmas, but I love to create a lot of my own gifts at Christmas.  I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.  I feel that my gift giving wouldn't be complete without some little handmade addition to Santa's sack of goodies for friends and family.
The faculty at my school does a voluntary gift exchange which we fondly call "Sneaky Santa".  This year I picked the assistant pricipal's name, and although we began working here some 36 years ago and have probably been each other's Sneaky Santa more years than most teachers at my school have been teaching, I still feel the need to give her something handmade in addition to a storebought item. 
Another reason I like to give handmade gifts is because they're different, unique and from me and hopefully the recipients will enjoy them just a little more for that reason.  I put a little of myself in everything I make.  I am not a really confident storebought gift- giver because I always second guess myself.  Can the person can use it? Will they like it?  Will someone else get them the same thing?  It's so much easier to whip something up and rest secure in the knowledge that they will not receive anything else like it.
The other day, I spent about 2 1/2 hours scouring the stores at our local strip mall for a unique gift to give my Sneaky Santa because the gift I was planning on making was not finished.  I picked up countless candles, potpourri containers, baskets and even thought about making a little bag of Christmas wrapping paper, bows, gift bags and tags, but for the amount we were supposed to spend, the bag looked pretty meager.  So I found these pretty felt snowflakes placemats, which, I have to admit, I have been eyeing myself.  I bought 4 and a little red felted cardinal ornament.  I wrapped it all in tissue paper and put it in a Santa themed felt bag, added a card and a ribbon and was set to deliver the gift.  But then I just didn't feel right because there was nothing handmade in the bag.

The next day I had a thought,  I only had a couple of hours before I was going to give the gift to her, but since I get to school early, I figured I had enough time make her an additional gift and finish it before homeroom or at least in my free periods. I was a woman on a mission.  I packed up a glass container I purchased at one of our local department stores, and my brushes and set out to school ready to  paint!

Wine Bottles Christmas Display
from www.cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com

I found a beautiful inspiration a few weeks ago for the gift I was about to make. It was a wine bottles Christmas display.  I tried this out on a large wine bottle, but since I wanted to add a more artistic touch,  I painted a little scene with houses and trees in the middle of the bottle and added the "snow" at the top and bottom.  I wanted to work a little smaller for this gift, so I purchased a nicely shaped glass container, gessoed it. and sponge brush painted the sky and snow, so it would cover easily.   Sponge brushing is so much more forgiving than using a regular paint brush.  I painted tree branches and evergreens with a little cardinal perched on a twig.  I added the Epsom salt snow (what an inexpensive and clever idea from the tutorial) on the bottom of the container, the top and randomly in the sky.  I used Mod Podge as the glue for the snow, but also added a layer on the container and an extra layer over the snow to help it adhere.

Detail of my Winter Scene handpainted vase

By my first class, I was finished and let it dry a couple of hours.  When it was dry, I wrapped it in red tissue paper which I actually forgot to bring with me, but being an art teacher with a closet full of miracles, my problem was solved.  I slipped it into a candy cane striped gift bag that I brought with me and brought that and the store bought gift with me to our holiday luncheon and presented the assistant principal with my final Sneaky Santa gifts.  I can't wait to see how she liked her gifts, after all, I left a little bit of myself wrapped in that red tissue paper in the candy cane bag!

Countdown to Christmas

I haven’t written about my sewing club much lately.  We have been working on the same projects we started several weeks back.  It’s hard to really get anything done in a half hour after school, but the girls don’t seem to lose interest in their projects, even if they miss a meeting or take longer than expected to finish.

      Fleece hedgehog pattern and tutorial from the book Wild and Wonderful Fleece Animals

My little hedgehog

Last time we met, I had planned on making cute upcycled mittens made from old felted sweaters.  One of my students felted a very heavy sweater which was difficult to work with, so she abandoned that project.  Another girl, who used a thinner felted sweater, actually cut out a pattern and made one mitten today.  Some of the girls worked on their felt owls, pillows and some began this really cute fleece hedgehog pattern I found online before the meeting.   I tried it out 45 minutes before the meeting and was putting on the finishing touches when the meeting began.  The girls fell in love with this little hedgehog and much to my delight, were definitely onboard with the project.  I had enlarged the pattern slightly and brought my fleece out of the closet.  I made mine in gray, but some opted for pink, turquoise or multicolor hedgehogs. One or two of them have decided to give their little creatures to a younger sibling for Christmas.

The pattern called for sewing the hedgehog by machine, but I made mine by hand and decided that was a quicker and easier route for the amount of students who showed up for the meeting.  I explained how to cut out and pin the pattern, how to place the one piece on the fold, and how many of each piece to cut.  Some just cut, some just pinned, and one actually stitched her hedgehog body to the bottom and added the eyes.  The one student who started putting her hedgehog together has had several years of sewing experience, so she catches on to projects immediately and works quickly and skillfully.  Although some have very little sewing experience, they are moving along pretty well.
Honestly, I don’t care which project they work on during the meetings, I am just happy to teach them a little bit about sewing and watch them as they become more adept with each new project.

Student hedgehog in progress

When I was out and about doing a little Christmas shopping about a week ago, I was inspired by the little felt gift bags for sale in several stores, and thought that would be a great project for the girls during this holiday season.  They can decorate the outside of the bag with hand stitched appliquéd shapes and then stitch the bags and handles via the machine.   I’d better introduce that project soon.  I can’t believe we only have 2 more Thursday meetings until Christmas vacation!

Trimming the Tree with Teddies

I have been hand painting ornaments for as long as I can remember.  I have made all different kinds and have gotten some interesting requests on what to paint on the ornaments!  My favorite things to paint on glass Christmas balls, though, are teddy bears.  I happen to be a teddy bear lover and collector.  I have teddy bears in almost every room of my house.  They sit on a shelf in the kitchen, on my hutch in the dining room, on an antique dresser on our computer room, and on a wicker chest at the foot of our bed.  They are a part of who I am and fit perfectly into the décor of our cozy, folksy house.  So it goes without saying that my favorite subject matter would be teddy bears.  I use them as my models and they love to pose for me.  They are such hams!

 I add lots of different details to the teddies on my ornaments to create a different personality for each one I make.  I usually like to create one- of- a -kind ornaments since it is difficult to capture the same look more than once.  My bears also pose for my hand painted stools.  They are busy little fellows and all vie for the chance to be immortalized on one of my ornaments or stools.  Some of my furry friends are naturally better at posing than others, but I would never let them know, so as not to hurt their feelings.  Like a good mother, I love them all the same.   The hardest part of creating my teddy bear ornaments is letting them go, but as long as I know they will be going home to someone who can appreciate and love them, it makes saying goodbye so much easier. 

So this Christmas, I have started creating some teddy bear ornaments like the ones in my shop on ArtFire.  On Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, there will be free shipping on my ornaments.  I hope one of my teddy bear ornaments makes its way into your heart this holiday season!

Culinary Inspiration

Although my first creative loves are painting, and crafting, I have to admit, I have always loved baking, decorating cakes and candy making.   My love of baking began when I was a child.  My grandmother lived with us and was a magician in the kitchen.  She made lots of delicious meals, but baking was her specialty.

My grandmother was born in Germany and had an endearing accent, often substituting her v’s for w’s.  We still smile when we read her handwritten recipes where she suggests using a  “handful” of sugar, a “pinch” of salt and a “pount” of walnuts.  Her biggest thrill was making the weekly trip with my mom and me to the grocery store and picking out some “nice” meat.  She loved going to the local farm stand in the summer, and buying fresh fruit and one of my favorite vegetables, corn on the cob. 

Gram, as we lovingly called her, had her baking specialties.  I loved to help her make homemade apple strudel.  She would lay out a tablecloth on our kitchen table and after making the pastry, we would stretch it out until it covered the whole tabletop, then she would cover it with melted vegetable shortening and finally a mixture of apples,  sugar and cinnamon.  I used to love eating the unbaked apples and cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Gram used to set some aside just for me.  After the pastry was stretched out, she would cut off the edges and then lift up the tablecloth on one side and roll the strudel from one end to the other.  She would lay the unbaked strudel carefully on the baking pan in a crescent shape and pop it into the preheated oven.   The delicious smell of baking apples and sweet spices filled the house, but that wasn’t an unusual occurrence.  There were always delicious smells coming from the kitchen in our house, thanks to Gram.

Princess Cake

My version of the  Oreo Turkeys

When I was a teenager, I began making cakes, often from scratch, like Gram, then I moved onto making cream puffs and éclairs, from scratch.  When I got married and had children, I created all sorts of fun birthday cakes for them.  I made a princess with a cake skirt, a butterfly, Winnie-the-Pooh, a fish,  Thomas the Tank Engine, a dinosaur, a beach scene with teddy bear cookies among others.

Oreo Turkeys

 I began making different kinds of fudge at Christmas for my mother-in-law and it has since become a holiday  tradition.  In recent years, I have begun making peanut brittle, thanks to a recipe one of my colleagues shared with me.  That too, has become a traditional homemade treat.   My daughter gave me a candy thermometer last Christmas, so I tested out a recipe for English Toffee which I brought to a party over the summer.  It was a big hit, so that will definitely be a treat I will share with friends and family at Christmas this year.  I also tried my hand at fondant and created a sheet cake in the shape of a wedding dress for my daughter’s bridal shower.  For every holiday, I make my homeroom a sweet treat…chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles, molded candy lollipops and at Thanksgiving last year I made these Oreo and Peanut Butter Cup Turkeys.  The girls loved them, so I will whip up another batch for this year’s homeroom. 

Fish Cake

Taz



Winnie the Pooh

 Creating gives me such joy. I am very lucky to come from a very creative family and to be able to carry on our traditions.   Both my mom and I have compiled some of our favorite family recipes for my daughter who has incorporated many of them into her culinary repertoire.  Gram, we may not be stretching out homemade pastry on our kitchen tables, but we know you would be proud of our culinary accomplishments!

Looking Backward and Forward

Today is my daughter and son-in-law’s first wedding anniversary.  I know they really have been a couple for seven years, but their wedding was a very special day, nonetheless.

My daughter is a graphic designer and I am an art teacher, a wonderful wedding planning combination!  As soon as my son-in-law popped the question, my daughter and I were on the phone planning the wedding.  We spent weeks combing the internet for locations, ideas, colors and dresses.  My daughter is a take charge girl and took care of all of the details, booking the church, the venue, the DJ, photographer, the menu, and the shuttle busses.  She had a plan, and a definite idea of what she wanted.  We exchanged ideas daily and the excitement mounted.  My daughter lives 3 hours away from us, so everything was done long distance.  The wedding was going to take place closer to where she lived as well, so it was just easier for her to take care of all the details. 

So where do I come in?  Well, once the details were taken care of, we started planning the diy part.  She had definitely done her homework and knew what she wanted.   She loves a neutral palette.  She loves the play of textures and different types of paper.  She sent me a photo of a beautiful fabric flower and the rest is history.  I made the flowers for the bouquets and centerpieces from white and ivory sheer fabric and the flowers for the accent pieces from burlap and satin with large fancy button centers.

I decorated white and orange pumpkins with wedding sayings and their initials.  I made the bird bride and groom wedding cake topper, and the flowers for the wedding cupcakes from music pages from an old book. 

My daughter designed her save the dates, invitations, and programs.  I wrote out the envelopes.  She is a stickler for details and created lists, detailed instructions for the guests and bridal party!  She brought in lots of vintage props for her candy bar, votive glass candle holders and tea lights for the tables and hung mason jars with tea lights from an archway in the reception venue.  She painted signs with their initials on framed burlap and various signs and props for their photo booth as well as. That was a big hit and lots of fun, by the way, especially for the younger kids who started the ball rolling.

I even made flowers for the church and boutonnieres for the groom and groomsmen.  Not only did all of this save us money, but it made the wedding a unique and beautiful event.  Where did my son-in-law fit into all of this?  Well, he knew to stay out of the way of creativity and welcomed it!

The day was beautiful and went off without a hitch.  My daughter and her bridesmaids looked gorgeous and my son-in-law and his groomsmen looked handsome.  The flowers, the decorations, the guests, my husband’s speech, the food, details, everything was picture perfect and just as she wanted it. 

The day after the wedding, I felt like an athlete after the season ends, or an actor after the show closes.  I had been in creative overdrive for months and now it was all over.  So several months later, with my daughter’s help,  I started my own business doing what else?  Creating wedding items, of course, as well as baby related items.  Hmm, I wonder how much longer it will be before I go from mother-of –the-bride  to grandmother- of- the- baby ?    I guess it’s never too soon to start planning, right?