Primary Colors

Yes, Devin chose that cheesy,if appropriate title. I was feeling so good about blogging in the new year. And then I got the flu again. This time is was a different kind of flu. And by different, I mean the kind that leaves you ten pounds lighter. Ahem. Well, on to more pleasant things. I wanted to share this great coat rack that I found on clearance at Anthropologie. We both have an insane number of coats and jackets,plus grocery bags,etc., so additional hanging space was really needed. Plus,it's more immediate than where we normally hang our coats,which (hopefully) will help us resist the urge to pile everything on a dining room chair.


As you can see, the kitchen is bright yellow and white. Recently, red has become a regular accent color. I hope to share some more of the red in my kitchen,including another great Anthro clearance item.



I also wanted to share some of the handmade that was given this Christmas. Outside of my jewelry Hannah was the recipient of the most. This is the collage I gave her for her new apartment:



One of her other requests was for coasters that "look like your stuff". I was a little pressed for time and experimentation,so I actually used these with my own images. Here is one of them:


We enjoyed a big day out today, mostly full of fun for Ramona. Getting lots of attention while we make a return to JCrew, running off leash, hiking,and the dog park. Needless to say she's pooped. We're a little pooped too. Nose to the grindstone tomorrow,though because I have some sweet items for Valentine's Day to show you.

craft in America

I finally got a chance to see the PBS series Craft in America. I was so sorry that I missed it when it originally aired. The topic is one close to my heart not just because of the work that I do, but because of the craft world I grew up in. My parents became involved, very young in the reemerging craft world of the seventies. My dad worked as a traditional blacksmith for a very long time. The smell of coal still immediately takes me back to the forge where he worked when I was little. This was my dad's day job. To make extra money as young newlyweds my parents managed a variety of food related businesses within the very large craft show that friends had began. Everyone we knew was involved my grandparents, aunts and uncles and most friends of the family. Our family history is full of stories like "The year the pancake booth caught on fire".

Later my mom began making hatboxes. She had a tiny spot in our tiny laundry room with a tiny black and white TV, where she would work when she wasn't chasing after my brother who was a toddler at the time or when she wasn't at her regular job. My parents were very interested in the Shakers and my dad began learning how to make Shaker boxes, working in the basement where the ceiling clearance wasn't much more than his height of 6 feet. Slowly he began to work on more and more complicated projects, eventually creating beautiful furniture pieces.



The shows we did were often based on colonial and traditional crafts so they usually involved colonial costumes. As a little girl obsessed with Little House on The Prairie, this was fine by me. I feel pretty certain that all the years spent around reenactors and other crafts people obsessed with historic accuracy had a lot to do with me choosing History as a major so many years later.

I think it's so interesting what an integral part of life craft is. The social role it plays is astounding. Before craft blogs or dare I say, the internet, the craftsmen looked forward to the craft shows where they could swap gossip and gain inspiration from one another. I suspect that this social connection is why my grandmother at the age of 81 still manages the Commissary at one of the largest craft shows in the country. I also think it gives my parents a great deal of pleasure to see that my generation is picking up where they left off and reinventing what craft means.