My friend Diana and I went craft shop-hopping today (woo hoo) and so I will have that pillow done really soon!
However, just to fill in, I ran across this - I've seen some dogs he does too...very cool!

Labels: art, inspiration, ponderances

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Labels: family life, ponderances

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My daughter is having a difficult year. She's seven. I'm not even totally clear on why, but yesterday the reality came out that "I'm not popular." She's in first grade for heaven's sake! The "popular" girl in question is very pretty, dark haired, adorable. According to my daughter ALL the boys like her. According to the boys mother's the boys have no idea what liking a girl even means. They still rank wrestling and playing games with boys FAR above any "like" of girls.

So, I've spent the last 24 hours thinking about what it was like to be a seven year old. I remember caring a lot about boys and about what other people thought about me. I don't actually remember worrying about the "popular" part until we moved to the "big city" from a very small town when I was in sixth grade. Then the whole popular/not popular thing was absolutely devastating. I remember the warm feeling that you got when you held a boys hand and what a wonderful thing a play date was - enjoying Coloring, playing Barbies, playing with toy horses.

But I also remember the immense pain when someone didn't like you anymore or teased you because of your teeth or your clothes. As her Mother, I completely come to her defense - Mama bear in action! She's gorgeous, long blonde hair with highlights that people pay HUGE money in salons for. She's skinny, and tall - a "tall, lanky blonde". How could she not be "popular"? Because that silly statement is as random now as it was when I was seven.

The first words out of my mouth to my daughter were "ignore them" and "popular isn't important" but I realize how completely hollow those suggestions are. Frankly I can't really say I follow that at my age. I still care about what people think and if someone says something hurtful (which thankfully happens less at forty) it hurts.

So, if I were seven what would I do? I think I'd make some wonderful best friends. Not the "coveted" popular girls, but the normal kids...like me. I'd share our thoughts and feelings and then try to understand if they weren't my friend when they were trying to be popular. I think I'd try to love myself. That's what it's all about - if you love yourself then those people can never completely tear you down. I'd also come home and confide in the ones I love at home more. Tell them how much I love them and bask in the comfort that is home.

As for the boys, hmmm, girls will always be more interested than boys at that age. I guess I'd realize that they can just be friends that I enjoy and like to be around. Not love, just friendship. I'd try not to obsess about the "cute one" or the "smart one" and just enjoy playing with them, cars, crazy mystery games and dress up.

As for the "mean girls" well don't become one of them, treat people the way you want to be treated, but stand up for yourself. But I would also understand that the "popular" kids don't usually choose to be popular and that their lives revolve around having people like them. I would try to remember that this isn't the meaning of life nor should it be. It's great to have people like you, but it is always the most important to like yourself. "Popular" kids are always up for scrutiny on what they do and what they like. Most often the popular kids don't even know they're popular. They feel as alone and outside as anyone else.

So what's important at seven? Enjoying life, enjoying your friends and enjoying who you are. I know it's probably an unreachable goal, but now I just have to figure out how to try to get her to believe me! Wish me luck.

Labels: motherhood, ponderances

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My first article on Art Versus Craft led me to some interesting insights. Basically the first article was really a question, "What defines "ticky tacky" and where's the line between that and art and craft."

I posted this on the Fiber Arts board and got some fabulous responses: http://fiberartsmixedmedia.ning.com/ Probably the biggest response was discerning "crafter" from "craftsman" and artsy from crafter. A lot of this was imagination and taking techniques and "winging it".

"The crafters are the ones who as you say "cut and stick", use kits, copy trends (usually slavishly), jump on the bandwagon with popular items"

Not to mention crafters who sell their items to people who have no idea the amount of work or technique that goes into them:

"I just hate to be lumped in with the cut and stick brigade. I wouldn't want to deny any of these people the enjoyment they derive from their hobbies, but when they fetch up with their cut and stick cards at the same artists and craftsman market as me and tell me that I am putting off customers because my well designed and lovingly created handmade goods are too expensive, I GET A BIT CROSS!"

But some defend the word craft and all it includes. After all, many traditional quilters copy and repeat patterns and yet are amazing crafters…using techniques that make items special, like color and technical ability.

" I would like to reclaim the word "craft" which I think contains the idea of a special body of knowledge and skill passed on from generation to generation. My art is what I make; my craft is the skills I have learned in order to make it well."

A couple of great resources came up in this discussion, one is a fiber artist, Gwendolyn McGee who has a wonderful insight into art vs craft that can be found here. Another person suggested "Notes on Camp" by the late Susan Sontag.

Labels: crafts, ponderances

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One of the great things about working at home is that I meet clients in great coffee shops...in this case a wonderful one at the Tattered Cover book store in Denver. Poor me!

I'm sitting here as kids descend from the high school across the street and I'm amazed at how times have changed. Every one of them has a cel phone...taking calls and arranging apointments as they eat their lunches. I wonder if we would have stayed on campus more if all of these technical advances were available to us? The closest we got to this was sneaking to the arcade to play Pac man (there, I'm totally dating myself).

I did want to update everyone that I've just posted some awesome new classes over at Helping Handmade! I've postponed our first class date a bit to get my ducks more in order so that hopefully the classes will run very smoothly.

I'm still hunting for more sewing and crafting teachers tho, so if you are one, or know of any, please let me know.

Update: The day ended with a weird phenomenon called Thundersnow. Some days are just meant for ponderances.

Labels: Denver, helping handmade, ponderances

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I'm in the mood to stir up trouble! Not sure why, I woke up in a feisty mood this morning! I'm pondering something tho. As I posted the other day I had a good surf around the net, being in complete awe of some of the art/craft that people do. Amazing.

However, in running Helping Handmade, I'm also made aware that there are a LOT of very very tacky crafts out there. Quite a few of these are done in the name of reusing recyclables, but frankly are they really the sort of things that you will have around your house for years? Does that matter?


What defines "ticky tacky" and where's the line between that and art and craft. Obviously by my link the picture above, I don't consider this box to be "high art". I'm sure it could have a purpose, but it also is akin to things that you are given and in a year or so (when it's safe) they are donated to charity or put in a garage sale. We have a good friend who's mother makes doll tops for air fresheners - some might scoff, but she lovingly puts detail into them and my daughter adored it!

I know the angst of crafters who lovingly make afghans and quilts tho and those end up in garage sales or in someone's basement too. So, how do we increase appreciation, but also draw the line. I hate being compared to a crafter who uses glue and tacky elements to create something....however, I have seen amazing creativity with just a bottle of glue and some paper.

Obviously my mind is not made up on this, but I thought it would be great fuel for discussion. What do you have that might end up in a garage sale and do you think people are gaining any awareness for the work that goes into a lot of craft items?

Labels: crafts, ponderances

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Today we're getting organized for the holidays....wrapping presents, maybe baking, and doing some other practical things! :-) So, I ran across this on a blog and thought I'd do it myself and pass it along! I'll tag a couple of people, but leave me a comment if you decide to answer the questions.

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Wrapping...oh dear heavens I HATE gift bags and can't throw them out...I have a ton of baby gift bags waiting for me to become younger or have a lot younger friends!

2. Real or artificial tree?Artificial. Although our artificial is old enough and tortured by the cats and so STILL drops it's needles! I had a friend years ago who couldn't afford her mortgage, but always got a real tree. I think that solidified for me what a total waste cutting down a tree and throwing it out was. Although we do use the chopped up ones from the city in our garden.

3. When do you put up the tree? The weekend after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day! And this year I'm pondering completely redecorating the house after we do it! I have this absolute NEED to clean everything up after Christmas. As cute as the house looks, adding Christmas decorations makes it look pretty junky and I need to declutter!

5. Do you like eggnog? LOVE IT! However, Rex makes it "ALL WRONG". He keeps trying, but I still love the stuff off the grocery store the best!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? You know, I can't think of anything that sticks out.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep. However, my husband is an atheist and so our compromise is that he gets to replace baby Jesus with something creative each year. He's put in a gorilla, an alien, and this year it's the smallest "nest" out of my Japanese nested dolls. He thinks he's funny - the jury is still out on that one!

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Again, nothing coming to mind...bad memory?

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? EMAIL. However last year we mailed a ton. We've sent a big long letter for years and this year we're "going electronic". It's too expensive and the amount of return cards we get have been dwindling every year. The joy of email is that you can wait until the last minute.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? "Charlie Brown Christmas"

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Either on the last Internet shipping day or we line up a sitter and hit one or two stores and do it all in a couple of hours. I HATE shopping - haven't stepped foot in a department store for years. I worked retail for years and so this year it was a truly electronic Christmas.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Wow! The mind boggles...lets see: sugar cookies with icing, fudge, scotch shortbread, turkey skin and hot cocoa. (all very very slimming...notice the trend! :-) )

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear lights outside and colored on the tree.

14. Favorite Christmas song? Music is probably my favorite thing about Christmas. "Santa Baby" has been a favorite for a few years, but they overplay it now. I just downloaded "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" the other day LOVE it! Oh, and the kids and I LOVE rocking out to "Feliz Navidad".

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home. We're broke.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer. Absolutely....it's required with kids...isn't it?

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? It's kind of a Russian Orthodox church spire looking thing. So neither.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Christmas morning. Years ago my family started a tradition of opening one on Christmas eve, but my Mother INSISTED on making us open pajamas so we'd look cute in the Christmas pictures (where's the fun in that!). So we quit. Except for the occasional get together away from home (this year we're doing Christmas Eve at my parents and opening there) we open them Christmas morning. Rex gets out the video camera and we trash the place!

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Shopping. Bleck!

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Nope, the tree is covered with ornaments from my childhood and we're slowly fleshing it out with stuff the kids bring home. A junky tree is a fun tree!

21. What do you leave for Santa? Cookies and hot cocoa

22. Least favorite holiday song? My father in law would say "Silent Night" (I know, I can't believe he hasn't been arrested for such a thought! hee hee!). I have to honestly say I don't think I have a least favorite. I'm one of these weirdos that have the radio tuned to "all Christmas all the time" throughout the entire month.

23. Favorite ornament? The kids and I were just talking about this. Probably a really pretty little angel ornament I've had all my life (or all of it I can remember)...photo below:

So, I tag: Connie , Leslie, LouAnne, Tina, and Pat!

Happy Holiday preparations everyone!

Labels: Christmas, ponderances

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