Hello my friends! I’m so sorry for my long absence. I was feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, so I decided to take a much needed break. Turned out the timing was right; our summer was full of absolutely crazy/wonderful/awful/ridiculous life stuff. I also did a big reorganization of my craft stuff, which felt awesome. (I’m still trying to remember where everything is, now that it’s all straightened up!) And I finally sat down to create earlier this week. I’m sharing my little accordion journa...
Well today I spent much needed time in my craft room. I made a few cards after a horrible time with the flu. I decided to challenge mysel...
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When the old way isn't the slightest bit efficient... ....and a taste of some WIPs and things to come...
Much needed vaca🖤#ThemBlacks
There are two options available for increasing revenue for much needed highway projects: raise taxes or transfer funding from existing line items in the…
In the February issue of PME we look to balance the changes that are already the theme of 2017 with some much needed stability.
Last week we got a new shed. This may not sound all that monumental to some of you, but in our world, it is. Now we can clear out some of the stuff that’s been cluttering our house. And soon I’ll be able to breathe easier. You see lately I’ve been feeling suffocated by our […]
Not the worst, by any means. Do you ever feel like there's just too much stuff in the world? I've been feeling that way lately. The disgusting NYC snow piles have begun to melt, exposing all the detritus frozen beneath them these past few months. Chicken bones, dog shit, crushed water bottles, dirty diapers, fast food wrappers—all scattered across the street, sidewalk and curb. I love Brooklyn, but it is seriously the filthiest place I've ever lived. Because NYC is small and dense (landmass-wise) garbage days are epic. The piles of black bags on the city streets can reach mountainous proportions. It is stunning to walk through/by SO MUCH garbage. It makes me reaffirm my commitment to living smaller, making do, mending and repairing instead of buying and disposing. I've also been reading a lot about "fast fashion" and the politics and problems surrounding that. I can't help but consider how quilt fabric production is a part of that problematic cycle (though less egregious, perhaps, than clothing production). Huge amounts of energy and water are required just to grow the cotton. Plus you have fertilizer and pesticide run-off (not to mention the heavy hand of Monsanto and their appalling exploitation of small farmers), and then the dyeing of textiles which requires huge amounts of water and uses terrible chemicals, etc. It's not good. This presents some problems for me as a quilter. Also as someone who hopes to make a living at some point as a textile designer. I know there are companies that use organic cotton, and that's great, and something I will explore. But knowing just how much clothing and textile waste clogs landfills, I wonder if I shouldn't be using more reclaimed fabrics. Upcycling stuff from thrift stores. That has almost no appeal to me aesthetically, however. Is it a matter of rethinking my process? Reimagining what my quilts would look like made from shirts instead of yardage? I love the quilts Sherri Lynn Wood makes. But I don't know if I want to work that way. I don't really like thrifting. Or am I just being lazy? I don't know.
This week I looked at my craft stash and decided I have Too Much Stuff. It has reached a stage where I spend longer looking for the right em...
We weigh in on how Renault Lodgy's launch in Pakistan would make complete sense!
Annette's forays into the arts & home of Artful Romp Studio.
To say this piece was where it all started would be a flat out lie. My mother has always refinished furniture either out of desire for cha...
Stress and anxious thoughts are some of the biggest culprits in straining your inner ecosystem. And with everything going on in the world, it’s easy to let worry takeover. When you feel anxious about circumstances beyond your control, it’s important to acknowledge the uncertainty and ground yourself in the stability that still remains.
