the crafttress

The letter K

2010-07-14T03:03:00.000-07:00

The Alphabet Walk is an ingenious idea put forth by Piper Toth of One Sydney Road. A fellow Clevelander! In my case, a former Clevelander, but born and raised there. I was intrigued the moment I saw her post on depicting the letters of the alphabet for a week. I was fortunate to get the last spot for the letters k through o. As you can see, the letter that was left was k. The best part about this process is the blog hopping that will ensue as part of this adventure. I'm hoping to discover some new and wonderful blogs to explore through this exercise. I'm always on the look out for adventures like this, especially since I'm a fairly new blogger. It helps me get to know others who have a passion for art, craft, design and all things lovely!

Without further ado, my presentation of the letter K is as follows:
Keep, kayak, kale, kind, and finally, kindling.

Off the beaten path in Williamsburg (the village of Haydenville actually), MA

Kayaks on the launch pad next to the Housatonic river, Lenox, MA

Kale from my garden, Worthington, MA

On the bench, Stockbridge, MA

Kindling from next winters woodpile, Worthington, MA

Rainy Day Cooking

2010-07-10T19:25:00.000-07:00

Rainy days are an opportunity to get some serious cooking done. In the summer that involves not using the stove, if possible. Instead I rely on my trusty blender and mini Cuisineart. Today I whipped up one of my favorite summer treats, a Mango-Blueberry Torte. I found this recipe in the Candle Cafe Cookbook, written by Bart Potenza and Joy Pierson, the owners of the amazing New York City restaurant by the same name. If you are into vegan cooking this is a cookbook to check out! Also, I highly recommend a trip to the restaurant if you are visiting NYC.

Besides the mango and blueberries, the ingredients for this torte include coconut milk, vanilla bean, dates and pecans. It is truly a tropical delight! Speaking of tropical, whenever I use coconut milk I'm reminded of the years I lived in Miami, FL and would go to the Saturday farmer's market in Coconut Grove to sample food from the Vietnamese vendors and have a drink from a fresh coconut. A whole was tapped into the coconut and you inserted a straw to taste the wonderful flavor inside! Such a treat!

This is a fairly easy dessert to assemble. First the dates and pecans are ground together in a food processor and pressed into a pie plate. Then the coconut milk and other ingredients are whipped together in a blender and mixed with the mango slices. This mixture is then poured into the crust. Finally, the torte is topped with blueberries and chilled in the refrigerator for an hour.

Usually I would cover the torte with blueberries. That will have to wait till tomorrow when I can pick some fresh ones from the bushes in my yard. But for now I am anticipating enjoying a slice with a cold glass of jasmine ice tea!

AWM Members

2010-04-25T11:43:00.001-07:00

AWM Members 4, originally uploaded by weyakin.

Yesterday, my pals and I from Artisans of WMass were out in full force in Amherst, MA celebrating our recent Etsy grant at the Amherst Sustainability Festival. This is our group photo. What a lovely group of ladies! We all had a great time listening to music, selling our work and enjoying the sunshine. We were out supporting our cause - To promote a "Buy Local Buy Handmade" culture. It is a privilege to live in an area where the community really gets this concept and supports it whole-heartedly. Where every you call home there is an opportunity do to the same! Check out more pictures from this fun event at Artisans of WMass on Flickr.

Crochet 101

2010-03-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

The latest process that is consuming my attention is crochet. I've been making forays into jewelry, bags, household items and accessories. I find it intriguing and a bit easier than knitting especially when it comes to creating garments by piecing together sections. I have created a few such pieces already but am unable to present them due to a lack of a dressmaking form of some sort. I'm on the search for one that is well worn. If you know of one that is available in Western Massachusetts, Eastern New York or Southern Connecticut I would love to know about it.

I am posting some pictures of recent work. Please let me know what you think!

One way I use up left over yarn from various projects. Any yarn will do!

These coasters are made from a chunky cotton chenille and novelty yarn.

A linen back pack created with one of my favorite yarns, Euro Flax by Louet. This bag has a hemp lining that I dyed with very strong black tea.

This luscious light green Ella Rae yarn is made of bamboo and silk.

The boarder is an all bamboo yarn from Eden of Italy.

Soft and silky with a nice drape.

Do you want to learn to crochet but think it seems too complicated? Then you should have a look at this book, Teach Yourself: Visually Crocheting. It's basic step-by-step approach is most helpful for the beginner. It is also helpful for those who have forgotten what was taught to them long ago. It can help refresh your memory so you can pick up a hook and start crocheting again. I found this book to be a great resource when I revisited crocheting about a year ago after not handling a hook for many years.

Spring Love

2010-03-14T14:48:00.000-07:00

Spring is a time of rejuvenation and I love to experience it in the great outdoors. So when I have the opportunity on a sunny day to go for a walk in the woods I take my camera along. I am forever smitten by the color and texture of the earth waking from it's winter slumber. Sometimes the color of early spring is subtle and sometimes it is vibrant. I am speaking of the time before the leaves on the trees unfurl. The texture has been there all along but was left buried under the snow.

I feel fortunate to witness such splendor and I would like to share a little bit with you. This is truly what I find inspiring particularly in spring time!

What inspires you when you are outside in the early spring sunshine?

The trillium is from last spring but I love it's color so I included it here. It is still a bit early for them. They usually appear in April in large groups and are my favorite wild flower. They grow in the woods around my house and are easy to miss if I don't get a chance to go out walking. They are a short lived flower.

Falling out of Love

2010-02-28T13:11:00.000-08:00

Following along with 52 Weeks of Blogging Your Passion by Scoutie Girl's Tara Gentile has been a challenge for me! Blogging can be the last thing on my mind (if I even have anything in mind!) after doing all the other things that need to get done on any given day. I find myself falling a bit behind in the blogging realm - This is the end of the month and I'm on week 7! But I'm persistent and when the spirit moves me I post.

So our topic is falling out of love with a technique. This one has been particularly difficult because everything I'm doing now has not become redundant. I am really just getting rolling here. When I thought some more about this topic I realized I did have something to share. This is more about falling out of love with a material rather than a technique.

For many years I was a ceramic artist. I was deeply in love with clay and could not get enough of it. In one of my last posts, How I Fell in Love with Creating, I detailed my clay path a bit. Never the less I ended up falling out of love with making things out of clay. I still very much enjoy owning and using pottery I just don't want to make it. I feel fortunate for the time spent working with clay and the camaraderie of the clay studio's I've been part of. You can find some excellent examples of work I love in my list of artists.

Just Seeing

2010-02-20T18:49:00.000-08:00

I recently spent a week at a Buddhist meditation center called Karme Choling where I had the time and space to explore one of my favorite things, photography. The wonderful thing about combining meditation and art is that it allows one to experience mind as uncluttered. In this space we can see things in their natural state. The world becomes vivid and magical in a way we don't experience when we are speeding along "doing our thing".

One can appreciate this approach by studying a form of contemplative photography called Miksang. Miksang is a Tibetan word that translates as ‘Good Eye’, and is based on the Shambhala and Dharma Art teachings of the late meditation master, artist, and scholar Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. "Miksang, at its most basic level, is concerned with uncovering the truth of pure perception. We see something vivid and penetrating, and in that moment we can express our perception without making anything up—nothing added, nothing missing." You can find out more about this practice through The Miksang Institute For Contemplative Photography

How I fell in love with creating

2010-02-15T16:29:00.000-08:00

It's hard to answer this question without looking way back into time.

My interest in creativity started at an early age. I seemed to always have a desire to create things that did not exist already. Even though I had lots of toys to play with they always seemed to need accessories that could not be found in stores. Either that or I was unable to obtain them since I had no means to do so. None of this was a problem. If Barbie needed a house I would make her a summer palace down by the creek out of stones - furniture included! As I grew older my interests changed to creating things that had more of a lasting quality. Snow horses melted and rock palaces were swept away by rising water levels. I learned to crochet and sew at home and public school art classes provided a wondrous array of processes and materials that I eagerly soaked up.

Fast forward to collage where I discovered clay and fell in love. I spent the next 10 years after collage making functional handbuilt pottery. When I finished honing my designs I took a leap into the wholesale/retail market and sold my pottery through contacts I made through the American Craft Council shows. I returned to school after that exploration to earn an M.F.A. This allowed me the time and space to explore different materials and create work I had been thinking about for awhile. When I graduated I moved back to New England and decided to look for a teaching job. Through happenstance I found an interesting situation at a private institution where I teach people with troubled minds how to be creative with yarn, cloth, beads and other materials.

This is just my back story that has come full circle to what I am doing now. How did I fall in love with creating? I guess I would have to say I was born into it. It is just what I do and who I am.

Here is a small sampling of work I've done in the past 10 years.

A Work in Progress

2010-02-09T17:10:00.000-08:00

It's been been six months since I opened my Etsy shop, Artwink Jewelry, and what a challenging experience it has been so far! Finding time to develop and create new designs while maintaining a presence with my original work are what first comes to mind.

Originally, I started out with a vision to create handmade affordable jewelry that I thought was unique. But I soon came to realize that it is quite a saturated market and, that it is a significant achievement just to have a foot in the door of such a vast and talented medium. Now that I have gotten a toe hold my mind has turned towards new ideas. My latest quest is to change my line with an eye towards more fiber incorporation in my jewelry.

Deciding when something works and when it doesn't can be a quandary. I am always interested in exploring new ideas and challenging my ideas of what constitutes good design. I'd love to know your thoughts on this subject.

How and when was the right time to launch your new designs?

Up, Up and Away

2010-01-31T10:11:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been thinking about how to progress along the path towards self employment as a jewelry designer. It is a lofty goal I aspire to. I spend some time each day working towards this goal. To me it is like flying above the clouds but instead of an airplane I have to get there under my own power. This is a process that takes patience and time. There are so many things to take into consideration alone the way. I am working to familiarize myself with marketing, social networks, blogging and web design to name a few. My short term goal for the next couple of months is to get my own domain name up and operating. Long term, I would like to have a viable internet business selling jewelry and other accessories!

I Give You My Heart

2010-01-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

There is a wonderful campaign circling around the internet where you can pledge to buy handmade. I support this not only as an indie jewelry designer but also as someone who cares about supporting small businesses. The bedrock of our economy.

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and it's a wonderful opportunity to start your own buy handmade pledge. I know not everyone has romantic feelings or intentions for the day but, what about just saying you care or appreciate a person in your life by giving a handmade gift. It can be simple and inexpensive or not! There are many lovely items to choose from on etsy.com, one of my favorite places to buy handmade gifts.

This idea was expressed in a lovely way on Scoutiegirl.com Check out this site for many beautiful handmade gift ideas. tell-someone-i-heart-you-by-buying-handmade

Celebrate 7 days of Creativity

2010-01-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

I've starting a little campaign to rename the days of the week. I've been thinking about why we have preferences for certain days of the week and dislike others. Monday's are a drag but Saturday's are fantastic. It's all based on this attachment to the 5 day work week as a downer. If we let go of this notion we can actually be inspired any day of the week! Think about the possibility of raising your energy and charging head long into realizing your creative dreams!

Recently I posted a comment on karmacrochet's blog answering her question about dreams and inspiration. That's when I came up with the idea to give each day of the week it's own motivational/inspirational quality. May you be inspired by this idea too!
Follow me on Twitter and see my tweets to inspire and motivate!

Jewelry 101 Staying on the Path

2010-01-17T11:35:00.000-08:00

There are many things that need to fall into place in order to successfully design jewelry. First you need skills, second you need materials and third design sense. One top of that, you can have all the talent in the world but, if you don't market your work no one will know you exist. All of the above apply to my journey. It's like the picture here. There is work to be done before one can reach the destination of those tall peaks.

To go back a bit, the beginning of my journey, to be a jewelry designer, started with making a commitment to leap into the fray of a very competitive medium. Since it is something I love to do I was willing to take the chance. That is the big obstacle I over came. Deciding, just 6 months ago, to just do it and see what happens! The next step is for me to stay on the path of challenging myself to improve. It is a work in progress. The final destination is self employment.

It seems that with all the things I have to be grateful for on my journey as an artist and a business owner the biggest obstacles I still face are those of time and space. There are never enough of either!

New Ideas Different Materials

2010-01-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

This past week I continued my exploration into new designs. My "new ideas different materials" approach is to combine fiber and wire to create a new jewelry line. I am really excited about this combination! It intrigues me not only by it's interesting texture but also the structure, which is different from knitting with yarn alone. The first piece I created is a wide cuff. The wire allows the piece to be scrunched and shaped. I also add beads to give it a little sparkle and dimension. It's a really fun and funky piece that may change my whole outlook on jewelry designing!

Hidden Little Things

2010-01-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

I'm often inspired by what I find around my yard. For instance, I'm always impressed by the industrious work of birds and their nest building skills. I have gathered several and placed them where they can easily remind me to look at the little things in hidden places. This time of year is great for discovering hidden treasures when the bare landscape offers up a different view. Take a look around and see what you might discover in your area! If you live in a climate that has a full, lush landscape you could look in places you usually ignore and see what inspiring treasure you might find!

Winter Inspiration

2010-01-09T08:02:00.000-08:00

Winter is a season that may seem bleak and devoid of color. But when I look around I find lots of inspiration in the subtle shapes, color and texture present in our world. I feel fortunate to live in a rural area where I can experience winter's intrinsic beauty right outside my window. I'm inspired my the brilliant blue sky, the twinkling snow and the plant forms left from summer gardens. Making these observation informs my choices of color, shape, pattern and texture. It led me to designing a pair of earring using the stone labradorite, which reminds me of the twinkling snow and knitted wire that is reminiscent of jumbled twigs.

Support and Inspiration

2010-01-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

This morning I sent out a card via email to all my Artwink Jewelry customers. I sincerely wanted to thank them for supporting my creative endeavor as I continue to explore the in's and out's of having an Etsy shop. It's been quite a journey so far. The daily process of keeping up the pace of creating, marketing and managing an indie business can be challenging. I look forward to continuing on this journey with enthusiasm and courage even when it seems difficult.

The best way I know how is finding inspiration in others stories. There was a piece posted recently on Etsy::The Storque by Yoola about her shop makeover that gave me inspiration to go forward and stretch my comfort level. One of my goals is to tackle the quest for better photo's to represent my work. I really feel there is always room for improvement. Plus I'm a big tweaker!

Etsy :: The Storque :: How-To :: Shop Makeover Series: Stretch Your Boundaries

A Fresh Start 2010

2010-01-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

Relaxing at home at the start of 2010.
Now it's time to get down to business after enjoying a wonderful holiday season with family and friends.

My Mission: I started this blog in September and have thought a lot about how to best use this space. My main desire is to use it as an informative tool. I'd like this to be a place to engage and enhance my readers understanding of various art and craft disciples. Those that inspire me and that I am passionate about and, hopefully you will be too. This will also remain a place to talk about new jewelry designs, introduce special offers and enticing give-aways. I am very interested to hear from readers about this focused direction. Please feel free to share your impressions, ideas and interests.
Happy New Year!

Gemstones

2009-10-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

I came across an interesting website about gemstones while tooling around the internet. I looked up one of my favorite gemstones to use in artwink jewelry, turquoise.

Did you know that blue turquoise is copper based and green turquoise is created by a combination of iron and chrome. Patterned turquoise, which has dark veins running through it, is referred to as 'turquoise matrix'. The most prized turquoise, light blue in color, is found in northern Iran.

http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/gem-by-gem-by-variety.html

Work in Progress...

2009-10-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

This morning I was working with white as a theme for a bracelet. Bone, pearls, crystals and gold beads were the materials I selected. This became the start of what will be a wedding section in my Etsy shop! I'm excited to devote my weekend work schedule to this project.

20% OFF ENTIRE ORDER THIS WEEK END

2009-10-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

Visit my Etsy shop, artwink jewelry, if you are looking for early holiday shopping, birthday presents or just something special for yourself. I am featuring lovely, simple jewelry to accessorize your autumn wardrobe.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5522344

Fiber Arts Challenge

2009-09-27T10:09:00.000-07:00

Calling all fiber artists....
This sounds like an intriguing challenge from Northeast Fiber Arts Center. No purchase necessary to enter. Follow the guidelines in this link.
http://www.northeastfiberarts.com/fiberchallenge/fiberchallrules.php

Learning to Knit

2009-09-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ok. For those of you who want to knit, but are completely flummoxed by the process, there are several You Tube videos for you. This one is uncomplicated and gives you basic information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uw-nUvGrBY
If you are expecting a verbal tutorial you will want to turn the sound off on your computer because all you'll get is music - which you may like. The visuals are slow and repeated so that you can get the hang of it while you try out knitting. Remember, you can always pause to catch up. For more videos try Googling how to knit.

Also, you can never underestimate the helpfulness of having a mentor. An experienced knitter can show you how to work with mistakes, encourage you - we all need that, and give you pointers on what to watch out for. Remember, if you really want to learn you can. You might also try some helpful books.
I recommend:

Teach Yourself Visually Knitting (Teach Yourself Visually) by Sharon Turner

The Knitter's Companion: Expanded and Updated (The Companion series) by Vicki Square

The Knitting Experience Book I: The Knit Stitch [KNITTING EXPERIENCE BK I] by Sally Melville

Knitting because you Love it!

2009-09-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Knitting is one of those things that you either take to and it becomes an obsession or you don't get it and want to throw your work across the room! If you are in the former category (another post to follow for those who are in the later) here are some wonderful sights for free patterns.
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/
http://www.lionbrand.com/content-knittingPatternIndex.html
http://www.knittingdaily.com/media/tags/Interweave+Free+Knitting+Pattern/default.aspx
http://www.ravelry.com
http://www.knitty.com

Knitting Daily and Ravelry require membership to access their data bases. It is worthwhile to sign-up. Both are excellent resources. Ravelry is a community of knitters that lets you store and access all sorts of helpful knitting information. How to keep track of all those knitting needles? They have a form for that!

Another site I love, and this is for beginners too, is Knitty. They have an excellent archive of patterns as well as helpful tutorial on such pesky items as the Kitchener stitch (a.k.a. grafting).
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/FEATtheresasum04.html

Charming PMC Jewelry

2009-09-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

I really love making earrings. The are such a problem solving opportunity! On the surface they seem simple but, they really take time and thought. I consider color, shape, texture and weight among other things. Design questions like these come to mind: What do the different elements look like together? Do they work together or oppose each other?; Do I make the findings or are they manufactured. My overall approach is to relate to them as little ear sculptures. You can see some of my charming pmc jewelry in my Etsy shop.
http://artwink.etsy.com

Featured here is a pair of one of a kind earrings that I sold on Etsy. All my pmc jewelry is either one of a kind or limited addition.

PMC Jewelry

2009-09-08T17:43:00.000-07:00

Society of American Silversmiths website features information for those who are interested in knowing more about precious metal clay.
http://www.silversmithing.com/1clay.htm

PMC connection is another wonderful sight for PMC enthusiasts.
http://www.pmcconnection.com/

New on Etsy!

2009-09-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Precious metal clay is an interesting material to work with. I find it a somewhat familiar material, as someone who spent the majority of their career working with clay, it is great to be able to mold and manipulate in a way you can't with sheet metal. Casting would do if you have the set-up. I got lost when multi-joint soldering was introduced in school all those years ago. Otherwise, I love metal and appreciate my friends who are excellent metalsmiths!

Knitted things for fall

2009-09-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

I can't have enough neck warmers. Here in New England they are quite useful. I find scarves to be a nuisance sometimes. Neck warmers are great because you can also pull them up over your ears. They are way more versatile then a scarf! This is my latest knitted rendition. I used thick-thin yarn and a cross stitch. I love shell buttons so I had to add them for fasteners.

2009-09-07T18:16:00.000-07:00

I love the look of a cloche. They're so elegant...so 1920's Paris. I designed this cloche for fall and have made it in red and pumpkin so far. I added ribbon yarn and a little crochet flower for fun.

Last day of 15% of sale in my Etsy shop

2009-09-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

That's right! This is the last day to take 15% on each item you purchase from artwink, my Etsy shop. A refund will be sent you you via PayPal. Get em while there hot!
http://www.artwink.etsy.com

Thinking about sock monkeys again...

2009-09-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

Check out my Tweets to view links to sock money fashion by Rebecca Yaker . What a wonderful sense of humor! I especially love the bikini with parasol. I also found a very clever sock monkey goddess. What self respecting sock monkey collector wouldn't want one?

Sunflower Heaven

2009-09-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

I feel so fortunate to live just down the road from a lovely field of sunflowers. The are so inspiring when thinking of fall colors for your work. I doesn't matter whether you knit, crochet, paint or make jewelry sunflowers can add a bright element to your day! Here is a bracelet I recently sold on Etsy that was sunflower inspired.

Sock Monkey Hat by Sheryl Lange

2009-09-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

More sock monkeyness...This is a really fun pattern for a sock monkey hat. Check out the pattern in Knitty.com summer 06 issue.http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTsockmonkey.html

Sock monkey collection

2009-09-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get a notion about a new collection. Sock monkeys have always been one of those quirky items I love. They have a great sense of character with their perky eyes and cheerful smiles. The are each unique and handmade with love. Some child's cherished toy from an era when mom's and grandma's made things by hand. I am grateful that torch has been taken up again in strides!