Amber June Studios

Vintage Fabric Stash

2012-03-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Hello lovelies.

Remember that recent influx of gorgeous vintage fabric I mentioned the other day?

Want to see a little bit of it?

Upholstery -weight fabrics and quilting cotton and poplins and seersuckers, wool and twill and suitings and flannels...

...funky-fun knits and even notions...

(I couldn't decide if this bird print was retro-ugly or retro-awesome, but I took it anyway and now I'm kind of in love with it. In a retro-awesome-ugly way.)

...and patterns! I almost didn't take any patterns because I already have a pretty plentiful stash of vintage patterns from my gorgeous Grandma, but flipping through them, I did find an inspirational couple dozen or so.

Ideas...

...so many ideas.

My heartfelt thanks again to Stella and her kind, good, talented mother whose fabric stash this was. She was an inspirational woman. A woman of home and family and wisdom and faith and generosity. Clearly, that has not been lost on her daughter, nor on anyone who knew her.

Now to create!

Pennies From Heaven

2012-03-07T08:00:00.005-07:00

I think I am finally old enough--or maybe I have just finally listened long enough--to get the meaning of that song. Pennies From Heaven: Even though it's raining, the rain is a blessing; in an April-showers-bring-May-flowers kind of way, but also in a how-can-we-know-happiness-if-we-never-know-sadness kind of a way.

Be sure that your umbrella is upside-down...

Recently, I feel like my little family has been stuffing our piggy bank with the currency of blessings from Heaven. Like we are participants in an economy of kindness and service, and hopefully we are giving as much as we are being blessed (so blessed!) to receive.

A few days ago, for example, the electric range in our house (which had, for some time, been not so much 'standing on its last legs' as sort of propped up with sticks because it had no legs left to stand on) gave up the ghost. Rain. Yet, not two days earlier, I'd been talking with my visiting teaching companion, a sweet lady who lives just down the street from us, about her kitchen remodel and her new double-oven range she was so excited about and she just hoped she could find someone who could use her old one, because it still had some years left and she'd hate to see it go to waste. Pennies from Heaven.

Around about the same time, I was secretly, silently lamenting that fact that my vintage fabric stash was getting woefully low (rain), when my amazing and generous friend Stella texted to say she was cleaning out her late mother's sewing room and would I like some fabric? (Pennies from Heaven).
And then Laurelei and Riley and I were out and about and ran into the owner of the gym where the kids used to take gymnastics lessons... just chatting it up in the parking lot of Lowe's when she offers the kids a three-month gymnastics scholarship in repayment (she says) for some way-back long-ago photo job she feels they never finished paying Brian for (I thought we were all even-stevens.Rain I hadn't even noticed!). So, hooray for gymnastics and the plink-plink-plunk of more Pennies from Heaven in the piggy bank.
There are so many more stories I could tell; so many blessings I could count. But do you know what the best thing is about receiving blessings from God at the hands of others? The way it compels us to want to give something in return. Our time, our talents, our resources...a smile, a kind word, or a helping hand...the way those blessings take us from feeling like we have nothing to give (or what can I do?), to feeling like we have so much to share and give.

Don't ya know each cloud contains Pennies from Heaven? I know it. How could I not?

(I'm kind of in love with this Pennies From Heaven cover I found on YouTube--doesn't she have a cool voice?)

Count your blessings, blogland beauties. I count you among mine.

Winter Picnic

2012-03-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

We woke up yesterday to sunshine. Bright, glorious sunshine. That may seem normal to most people, but in Missoula, where we have a scant 75 days of sunshine a year, that warm light triggered a forgotten primal reaction: the need to be outside. Our Sunday drive plans immediately changed. Less driving, more exploring. And a picnic.

A We-Can't-Wait-For-Spring picnic.

We drove to Rock Creek (famous for fly-fishing, yes, but also perfect for snow picnicking), and set out down the Spring Creek trail, reveling in the almost-balmy 54 degree fresh air. Mamma hesitated and nearly called it quits when we spotted a whole trail of these:

(Yes, those are mountain lion tracks. I should have set something else in the picture to show the size--those bad boys were huge.)

...but we decided, with the number of noisy people in our little party, the bright sunshine, and the abundance of fly-fisherman in the vicinity, to keep a wary eye in the trees, stick together, and forge ahead.
I'm so glad we did.

Not only did we not see any mountain lions, we also did not see any cabin-fever grumpiness, it's-too-cold-shivers, or let's-go-home long winter blues. We got hot. We (at least Brian and I) got a little bit sunburned. And we spent the day basking in the magical crossover of winter's beauty and the hope of spring.

I hope your spring comes soon.

p.s. Thoughts on spring from my favorite poet, William Carlos Williams.

p.p.s. A couple of people have asked me about the boots I am wearing in these shots. They are the Joan of Arctic by Sorel and if you are a winter outdoors kind of girl, they are the Best. Boots. Ever. A little pricey, but I got them on a screamin' mid-winter sale at REI. Worth it.

Our Little Library

2012-02-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

We have this little alcove area, between the children's bedrooms, which we affectionately (read: optimistically, exaggeratedly) call The Children's Library.
It, uh, needed a little help...

Oddly enough, I found my inspiration for the project in the dollar section of Target, where purple dot items were 70% off (woohoo!). I bought three mousepads, and five or six cute reusable tote bags at 30 cents apiece, and set to work.

Ideally, I would have loved to paint both the wall and the shelves, but, being renters, neither are mine. So, I decided to take the advice of Theodore Roosevelt: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

I stacked the two bookshelves to utilize the vertical space and free up more floor area, and the mousepads I hung with colorful thumb tacks (the middle one says "Inspiration grows in even the tiniest of places." Fitting, no?). Then the kids and I sat down to sort through the books. The mounds and mounds and piles and piles of books. A few (but very few) we decided we could do without. The remaining tomes were sorted by series, size, and paperback versus hardcover. The tote bags we used to create easy, themed grab-and-go-read book bags for bedtime reading, car trips, or whenever. For example: If Riley is in the mood for vehicular literature (when is he not?), he could grab the bag with all the train, truck, and airplane stories. If Laurelei were feeling particularly French, she might choose the bag with all the Madeline and Anatole books. We did one with all Curious George and Little Critter stories, and another with Magic School Bus and other science-centered tales. There's even a tote bag stuffed with Mamma's favorites, for special story times.

The best part of this little spruce up? Finding books we'd forgotten we had and getting lost in them. Completely, blissfully lost.

Even in our teeny, tiny make-do little library.

Peek!

2012-02-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Another little sneak peek from my Spoonflower designs! This is one of my favorites. Shop should be open mid-March, and I'm thinking that might call for a giveaway!

Mamma In Winter

2012-02-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Blogland Beauties,

Two days ago, when I began writing this post on being a Mamma in the long days of winter, my perspective was skewed. I was tired. I was letting worries (no more than the common, everyday things) overwhelm me. But just as I was about to click 'publish', something changed. My sweet husband came home and kissed me. I heard our children in the other room playing wildly, but happily, together. And I looked up from my screen to the window to see the thin fingers of an orange sunset veiled by softly falling snow.

Two days ago, I was here: Breathing deeply and trying to remember that bitter winds and ugly winter muddy-slushiness are no one's fault, least of all my children's. And that if I'm tired, it's my own fault for staying up late, eating ice cream and watching Downton Abbey while wallowing in my own woes.

I don't know exactly how a kiss, a laugh, and a sunset changed me, but I do know that those small blessings came from one who knows me and knows my needs. I changed my attitude, looked outside myself and found humility in the knowledge that I am loved, and inspiration in the wisdom of so many of you in the blogosphere. What I read and felt gave me the strength to continue to be Mamma (the good version) through the long days of winter once again.

Here are a couple of links to posts I loved:

:: 100 Ways To Be Kind To Your Child (Creative With Kids)

:: When Parenting Means Steering Into the Skid (Simple Mom)

And eventually, spring will come again. I promise.

p.s. What do you think of the new blog look? The background = a little sneak peek on my soon-to-be-opened Spoonflower shop. So excited!

My Path

2012-02-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

This illustration, from LilyMoon, one of my all-time favorite Etsy artists,

sums up so much of how I feel about my life and its beautiful, but often unexpected turns.

And I definitely feel I have encountered myself on the journey.

I don't know why this just spoke to me today, but there you are. That's the power of great art. To illuminate and illustrate the mortal experience, unite through the commonalities of human nature, and soothe the soul.

I hope you have encountered yourself on your beautiful, unexpected paths.

To My Husband

2012-02-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

My heart,

entangled in the vines of a life and love

wild and overgrown

that flourishes still,

I give to you again.

And again.

Each hour, everyday.

I Love You.

p.s. To my blogland peeps: Thanks for putting up with my mushiness. I married a man who believes in me, is an amazing, involved, fun Dad to our two children, and works harder to achieve his dreams--year after year, without ever giving up--than anyone else I've ever known. How could I not be all internet PDA on Valentine's Day?

The Book List

2012-02-13T14:31:00.001-07:00

Big oops! I forgot to add the book list from the children's literature class. Ah, but never fear, it is now right here:
Just click the crazy long link below to print the PDF.

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BzSTu0bB7dQwOGVkMDNlM2MtNGM4Ny00MTQ0LTlmZTgtMGNjNzE0NmFjYjYx

(Amazing art from one of my favorite Etsians of all time: The Black Apple)

Even More Book Love

2012-02-10T17:17:00.004-07:00

*Art courtesy of decortherapia.blogspot.com*

Hello, my blogland beauties. (Okay, so between writing that first sentence and this one, I just spent 45 minutes being sucked in by the wonder that is Pinterest. Kind of like a squirrel or a small dog distracted by pretty, shiny things.Curse my weakness for aesthetically pleasing objects!) ANYWAY...if you've read any of my recent posts (and by 'recent' I mean the last time I posted which was, I believe, 2 bajillion years ago), you know that I've had books on the mind lately. Yes, more than usual. I taught a small class on children's literature on Wednesday night at our church. Which, A.) was a lot of fun, if I do say so myself, B.) allowed me to put heads together with another fine authorial-type mind, and C.) has given me a great excuse, for the past month or so, to sit and read (or stand and read, walk and read, whatevs). A LOT. And I thought it might be fun, and hopefully beneficial to someone out there, to share the information from said class here in the ol' blogosphere. *Forewarning*: It's a long post, but I'll go ahead and toot my own horn as much as to say 'I think it's worth the read.' Toot toot!

The focus of the class was finding good, valuable literature for children--getting parents and children to share reading experiences together and to really communicate about what they're reading and learning--beginning with a discussion on why it's so essential to make literature an integral part of our children's lives in the first place.

From an early age, even from birth, the act of reading to a child is, of course, much much more about spending time together than anything else. As Elliott D. Landau, former professor of Child Development and Children's Literature at the University of Utah, wrote:

"But the primary purpose of reading to your child early in his life is not to provide quantities of anything for his future learning; rather, it is to insure a quality experience in your earliest parent-child relationships. The fact that he will be preparing himself for the later discipline of having to read is secondary. Reading experiences for children in the first three years of their lives must not be for instructive purposes; they should be for the opportunity of mother, father, and child’s sharing time, sound, and delight with one another."

(Don't you love that? 'Sharing time, sound, and delight with one another?')

As our children grow, the reasons for making reading time a part of the daily rhythm of our homes only increase. Hearing sounds and connecting words with those sounds, feeling the patterns in sentence and story and syntax...all these are essential aids in a child's own reading development. And, it has always been my firm belief that, once a child learns how to read, the entire world is open to them. Not just the world of knowledge, though certainly that, but literally the entire world. A reader can learn and do and be anything.(And just in case you're doubting yourselves, my lovelies, yes. That does include YOU.) Literature provides us all with an awareness of worlds and thoughts and experiences outside our own small spheres of existence. One more lit. professor's thoughts on that note:

"The first reason we read is for fun and for escape from the present; to lose ourselves in another person’s life; to reach out from the moorings to which we are tied in time and space to soar off to explore Mars with Ray Bradbury, or the depths of the sea with Jules Verne, or a treasure island with Robert Louis Stevenson, or merely to become acquainted with Mr. Tolkien’s hobbits. To lose ourselves is, then, the first step to joy in reading. It is a step that we never leave behind, for regardless of the degree of sophistication we achieve in our reading, we must always maintain this initial pleasure, or reading will become a bore.

As we mature, a deeper kind of fun emerges, for in living vicariously the lives of fictional or real characters, we can identify with them. We can step back and view life with a new objectivity. In the hectic pace of our own lives, we seldom take the time to study those directions in which we are moving or are being moved. In reading The Scarlet Letter we can watch vividly the effects of a guilty and unconfessed conscience as it destroys the Reverend Dimmesdale...in the story of Samson we can watch what happens when a man allows lust to turn him from the Lord. In the story of the wealthy disciple of Jesus we can see ourselves rejecting the eternal riches offered by the Lord for a destructive materialism in this life. In Macbeth we can study the effect, from a safe distance, of greed for power as it works on the lives of a man and his wife—and we are finally relieved, as in waking from a bad dream, that we are not those miserable people. Still, we have learned from the experience, for literature has intensified and clarified and helped us interpret similar or very different tendencies in our own lives.

Through good books, then, we see portrayed in the lives of the heroes and heroines some of the same forces that are at work in our lives, and we find ourselves studying, as Brigham Young admonished, good and evil and their effects on our race. On this second level we can test our own problems by identifying with literary figures; we therefore experience a new detachment in evaluating our lives and our experiences...literature provides an opportunity for us to probe the universal “truths of the human heart” (Hawthorne),...cosmic, eternal truths, higher truths that produce in us a deeper understanding of and love for our fellowmen, truths that impart to us a sense of community with those fellow beings as well as a moral obligation to care for them."

Richard H. Cracroft

And if that's not reason enough to raise bibliophiles, I don't know what is.

*photo by tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com/page/104/via Pinterest*

But what about the what? (What the what?) WHAT should we read? What is worth our time? Which books will instruct and entertain and nourish and enrich the whole child--mind, body, and soul--and which are nothing more than metaphorical processed brain candy (with added MSG)?

I'm not going to make a list of books that I think you and your family should not read. I am not in favor of book-banning in any form. What you read is your decision. But I am more than happy to share my thoughts and opinions (and the thoughts of wiser peeps than me) on what constitutes worthwhile literature. (See a synopsis of my definition here.)

*Caveat.* One of the moms in Wednesday night's class brought up the very valid point that if children are forced to read what we want them to read, rather than what they want to read, they will learn only to dread reading. However if they are allowed to read the 'candy' books (ie: the annoying Scooby Doo leveled readers Riley is absolutely addicted to at the mo') when they want to, and learn to associate fun and pleasure with story time, then they will most likely be open to other books, and, eventually, Scooby Doo shall pass.

More thoughts from Messrs. Landau and Cracroft:

"After a child has learned the basic skills of reading (methodology notwithstanding), it is imperative that he be introduced to the literature of his language. To learn to read and then to read only to fulfill an assignment is sad. To learn to read and then to read only some of the errant nonsense presently found in certain “reading programs” that teach the children a predetermined sequence of skills from stories that make a mockery of language by their disregard for the importance of literary content is pitiful. In all great literature, in superb children’s literature, too, there is that which vibrates the soul, which enables man and child to enter into the lives and thoughts of others in a way not afforded by those who would engage children in the art of linguistic acrobatics as a substitute for literature."

Elliott D. Landau

"Great literature exudes sweetness and light. Great literature must by nature deal with the old verities or truths of the heart, which William Faulkner has called “the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed—love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice.” Great literature enables us to hold our heads high, to be certain in our hearts that, despite all, truth will prevail. Great literature cuts through the dross and accumulations of earthcrust that build upon our souls, and in cutting through to eternal truths, such literature allows us to focus on the many noble traits of man...the great works of literature enlarge and interpret passages of scripture and make vivid and unforgettable abstract ideas such as, “Wickedness never was happiness,” “Men are that they might have joy,” “Love thy neighbor,” and “Thou shalt not kill”—ideas that we must clothe with meaning through our own experiences that we can better understand through great books and great art or even good books and good art."

Richard H. Cracroft

Ummm, pretty sure I'm in love with that last quote.

So those are some thoughts on the Whys and the Whats. Now how about the How? How do we find the good books? Where, among the bajillions of published tomes in our modern world, do we even begin? Well, gentle readers, I ask you this: how old are your children?

I was surprised to learn Wednesday night that many parents are not at all familiar with the recommended age divisions that exist in the world of children's lit. Not that age is always a definitive indicator of what a child should be reading, everyone is different, but it's a place to start. So, if you're familiar with these already, feel free to scroll on down the line, otherwise, here you go.

The five categories within children's literature typically are: Picture Books, Early Readers, Middle Grade, Upper Middle Grade, and Young Adult.

Picture books are usually aimed at children ages 0-8 (if you're an aspiring picture book writer you will, however, need to be more specific than that when querying your MS--0-3? 4-8? 5-7?). Nearly always intended to be read aloud, these books are simplistic in language, but can be Marianas- Trench- deep in emotion (it's impossible for me to get through Library Lion without bawling my eyes out), and shorter in word count--usually fewer than 1000 words. And, as the title "Picture Book" might be expected to imply, these books are heavily illustrated with art that is at least as important to, if not more important than, the words in telling the story.

Next come Early Readers, also sometimes called Beginning Readers or Leveled Readers. Early Readers are written specifically for kids who are learning to work out the technicalities of our nonsensical, illogical, and yet beautiful English language. Usually, but not always, these kids are between the ages of 5 and 8. Early Readers have a slightly longer word count of up to 5000 words, but are written with a limited and repetitive vocabulary.

Middle Grade books are sometimes referred to as Chapter Books because they are, essentially, the first novels a child is presented with. With language progressing beyond that of the Early Readers and a word count increasing to anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 words, Middle Grade books are perfect for children who are ready for more of a challenging read, more of a story, and characters with whom they can identify (typically ages 8-12).

Then we have Upper MGs. This is a relatively new distinction that some publishers do not even recognize as a separate grouping. From what I have read, Upper Middle Grade novels have emerged as a result of the widening gap between the content of Middle Grade and Young Adult books. Upper MGs are written with 12-14 yr. olds in mind--kids who are ready to move beyond Because of Winn Dixie but aren't yet ready for The Hunger Games or Uglies. Word count averages around 60,000.

And then of course we have the YAs. Young Adult books are generally full-length novels of 60,000 words or more, aimed at readers 14 and up (some publishers would say 12 and up) and featuring characters in that age range.. Incidentally, the YA room is my favorite section of the library. I may no longer qualify as a young adult, but in my humble opinion, authors who are writing for this age group simply try harder. They have everything else in teenagers' lives to compete with--from personal media to social media to dating to school to hormonal/ emotional upheaval and turmoil--it's just going to take more to hook a YA reader and convince them to sit down and read.

Now, having said all that, it's time for another caveat. *Most of the books in a specific age division will be about characters who are that age (ie: Wendy in Peter Pan is 12, you're going to find her in the MGs). The exception to this rule, however, occurs when the content of a story is deemed by publishers too mature or inappropriate for the age grouping into which the protagonist falls. To quote the infamous EA from Editorial Anonymous:

"A Middle Grade book can have doubt, but not depression. It can have flirtation, but not seduction. There can be the bomb, but not the fuse."

Even with an 11 or 12 yr old main character, a novel dealing heavily with anything from abuse to drugs to drinking to suicide to sex is going to get kicked up into the YAs. Not that there aren't children of that age--or even younger--who are dealing with these issues in reality; there absolutely are. But they are no more prepared to face them in real life than they are in books. That's the point. One could argue that by "protecting" children in this way leaves them naive and vulnerable. Maybe so. But I would submit that it is the parents and caregivers and teachers who should be talking with children openly about these issues, not book characters. It is the idea of destructive, abusive, and harmful behavior being portrayed as 'normal' that we need to be wary of. Shelving these books in the YA section is just a metaphor for what adults ought to be doing in actuality: not sheltering or hiding children from the harsh realities of the world, but saying "I know you don't know how to deal with this on your own yet, so I'm here to help. I am your advocate. I will answer your questions openly and honestly, I will teach you with love, but I won't leave you to meet this on your own."

Is that helpful at all? I hope so. Now, armed with that knowledge, may I present:

Amber June's Three Step Plan for Finding Good Children's Literature

Hurrah! Okay, step one:

READ.

Then, read some more.

I don't think I really need to go into elaborate detail here. An adult cannot expect to know what is out there in the world of children's lit. if he or she is not reading children's lit. Nor can parents expect their kids to value the reading experience and make time for it if they don't set the example themselves. Now, I know (trust me, I sooo know) that reading takes time. And not everyone has time to spare. So as a last resort fallback to doing the reading yourself, try checking out commonsensemedia.org. I love it. You can look up any book, game, app, movie, or t.v. show in their system and read reviews from parents and educators, as well as detailed synopses of content. Their 10 Beliefs from their Mission Statement:

We believe in media sanity, not censorship.
We believe that media has truly become "the other parent" in our kids' lives, powerfully affecting their mental, physical, and social development.
We believe in teaching our kids to be savvy, respectful and responsible media interpreters, creators, and communicators. We can’t cover their eyes but we can teach them to see.
We believe parents should have a choice and a voice about the media our kids consume and create. Every family is different but all need information.
We believe that the price for free and open media is a bit of extra homework for families. Parents need to know about the media their kids use and need to teach responsible, ethical behavior as well as manage overall media use.
We believe that through informed decision making, we can improve the media landscape one decision at a time.
We believe appropriate regulations about right time, right place, and right manner exist. They need to be upheld by our elected and appointed leaders.
We believe in age-appropriate media and that the media industry needs to act responsibly as it creates and markets content for each audience.
We believe ratings systems should be independent and transparent for all media.
We believe in diversity of programming and media ownership.

Step two:

Solidarity Sister.

Allow me to expound. Hopefully every parent out there has friendships, or at least acquaintances, established with other parents who share your views on parenting, on standards, on priorities. Friends (or family members) whom you know would, if put in a position to do so, teach your child about life in a way you would want them to be taught. I am blessed to have many friends and family member like this in my life. The point of this step is: Talk to them! Share with each other the good books, the great reading experiences. Let one another know what books you've encountered that have not provided an uplifting experience for your family (but remember not to be offended if your friends disagree). Help each other out. Solidarity sister (or brother, as the case may be)!

And step three:

"C" is for Community

Here's a not-so-secret secret about children's librarians. No one becomes a children's librarian because it's the only job they could get. They're not in it for the money, or the glamour, or the employee discount. People become children's librarians because THEY LOVE CHILDREN'S LITERATURE. With a passion. And they know children's literature. And, they want to pass that knowledge on to you! Think about it. Have you ever met a children's librarian who was like, "Sorry, I'm not going to help you find books your kids will enjoy and benefit from. That's your problem." Ummm, no. At least I haven't. Note to fellow Missoulians: Our local librarians are a-maz-ing. Especially the Youth Events Coordinator, Dana, who always has the time to talk with parents about what their children are interested in, who always will walk you right to the book you're looking for, who always has at least a dozen recommendations right off the top of his head. So grateful for him.

So, who are the librarians in your community? How about great teachers or school librarians? Bookshop owners? The point is, literature by nature creates communities of like-minded people by giving them shared experiences through books. Step outside your comfort zone and talk to people!

The "C" is also referring to larger community--the worldwide community of writers, publishers, and educators involved in the world of children's lit. Specifically applied: book awards. We've all heard of The Newbery, The Caldecott, and maybe even The National Book Award, but what about The Carnegie? ALA Notables? The Michael L. Printz? The Young Reader's Choice? These are all awards that, in one way or another, have to do with excellence in literature for children and young adults. And there are lists of them ready and waiting at just about every library in the country, as well as on the American Library Association website. Now I'm not saying that you should assume that just because a book has won an award it's great literature. Or even that it's good literature. That's a matter of opinion and yours might differ from the award committee's (mine does about 25% of the time). And you should definitely not assume that because a book has won an award you don't need to wonder what your child might be reading about. But I am saying that, like the age divisions, it's a place to start.

*my favorite painting: The Fairy Tale by Sir Walter Firle, via art.com*

And that's that. three steps that I hope are helpful, plus an inordinate amount of rambling. I'd love to know your Whys and Whats and Hows; please share them in the comments! Then go grab your kids and read.

Something For Us

2012-02-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

Running a shop for handmade goods, I feel like I'm always making things I love...and then selling them. Always making stuff for someone else. But this week, with thoughts of learning from great literature on my mind, I decided to make something-- one of my custom vintage windows-- for my family:

Isn't it pretty? I wanted the words to look sort-of typographic, but also like they were cut from pages of a very big book. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. It's on our nature table now, but I envision it in our library in the Someday House.

And now something for you: A thought on learning through literature in your family:

Reading is not an antidote for thwarting social illness. It is not a tool with which to conquer space. It is not a thing we do to children. A child needs to be plunged into the world of literature in order to experience sound, emotion, and self. There is a certain urgency in young parents cuddling their children in the first year of life and sharing with them the cadence of Mother Goose rhymes, the rhythm of simple poetry, and the vigor of prose. To what end? Surely not to give them instruction.

It is true that the experience of hearing good literature, of seeing one’s parents read, of participating in family-in-the-round creative dramatic activities based on “Henny-Penny” or “Jack Be Nimble” will go a long way toward giving children a head start in learning to read.

But the primary purpose of reading to your child early in his life is not to provide quantities of anything for his future learning; rather, it is to insure a quality experience in your earliest parent-child relationships. The fact that he will be preparing himself for the later discipline of having to read is secondary. Reading experiences for children in the first three years of their lives must not be for instructive purposes; they should be for the opportunity of mother, father, and child’s sharing time, sound, and delight with one another.

-Elliot D. Landau

New Horses...

2012-01-31T23:59:00.000-07:00

New in the shop:

Meadow Grass

Oceanus

Spring

Titus

Welcome to the herd, little horses!

The Beautiful Aftermath

2012-01-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night was our family's turn in the babysitting rotation we've formed with three other families (best idea ever). Each couples takes one Friday a month with all four families' worth of kids (that adds up to eleven, in our case) and tends them for four hours while the other three couples have a date night. It makes for one heckuva Friday night play group for the kids each week, and three nights out (without paying for a sitter) for each set of parents each month. Good trade-off, in my book. But I digress. As I was saying...

Last Friday night it was our turn to watch the munchkins. And then, because I ~~sometimes~~ often do crazy things, I gave Laurelei permission to invite the three older girls in the group to stay and have a sleepover with her. Which they did.Oh My Gigglefest. Who knew four seven-to-eight-yr-old girls could have so much fun in such a small space in only one night?

I guess I did. Somewhere, in the recesses of my memory, I knew how much fun it would be for them, because I remember what sleepovers were like for me when I was that age. And not only the level of fun, but the bonds of friendship that were formed by those experiences...the meaningfulness in the midst of the silliness that I maybe couldn't identify then, but I could feel in the strengthened connections with my friends. And I can see it now.

Which is maybe why I let it happen. And why, when the girls had all gone home after very few hours of actual sleep, but plenty of waffles with blueberry syrup, and Laurelei had fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted, I wandered around the mess that was now our home, smiling. Curiously pondering the workings of childhood imaginations that led objects to be end up where they did. Content with the beautiful aftermath of what I hope will become a meaningful memory for my daughter and her friends.

(were they playing bookstore? I don't know...)

That's some serious sleepover hair there, kiddo.

But beautiful.

Individuals, Together

2012-01-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

I get into this mode sometimes...the planning, organizing, coordinating Mamma mode...which basically involves me making lists (okay, so that's not so out-of-the-norm) both on paper and in my head of things like:

this morning WE will all do our chores together and then WE will all sit down to lunch together and then WE will read books together and discuss them together and then WE will go on a walk and Enjoy Nature together, work on our math together, etc. etc. blah blah blah.

And while I truly believe that planned family activities are an important part of a nurturing home life, I sometimes have to shake myself and repeat this little mantra: Hey. Amber. You don't have to plan every moment of everyday. You and your husband and children aren't any less of a family if you don't do everything together. (alright, so it's not the most memorable mantra I've ever used...doesn't exactly roll off the tongue...but it suits the purpose.)

Typically, though, it's not any great awareness of my own, or anything I do that snaps me out of it. It usually happens when I look outside myself and see, not a co-dependent lot of non-entities waiting for Mom (MOM!) to shape and define them and lead them on, but individuals. People. Who know what to do and who they are because they know they are loved. Are they also a family? Yes. My family as I am theirs. But sometimes, in those moments when I look beyond my lists and plans, I see that we as a family, are only individuals bound to each other by love. And it is the individuality of each of us that defines who we are together.

I had one of those moments this week. It was past noon, I felt like 'WE' hadn't gotten anything done..my morning had been lost in emails and phone calls and grown-up things. And then I stepped outside of myself and my own stresses and looked at my children and realized that their mornings had been just fine. Better than fine. Full and wondrous.

Even without me.

I found Laurelei in her room, which she had tidied and organized, quietly and contentedly sitting on her bed and reading "Just So Stories." She'd even made up her own: How the Tree Frog got His Red Eyes. Riley was sitting at the table, excited to show me the monster mask he'd made and the cookie tower (my fault for leaving the package out) he was constructing.

"Look Mom, it's the Leaning Tower of Ketchup- no, wait- Pizza."

And the rest of that day, even after Daddy came home, we each spent in quiet individual repose. Doing our own things. And now and then sharing them with one another.

Maybe I should write a new mantra:

Just because our family loves to be together, doesn't mean we always have to be together to love our family.

Good plan, Mamma. Good plan.

Wedding Wreath

2012-01-23T19:46:00.000-07:00

Just a quick share tonight...

This Paper Blossoms flower wreath/ crown was requested by a customer for a her daughter-- a soon-to-be bride-- to wear at her wedding tea.

I'm just pretty dang happy with how it turned out.

If you're interested in a custom Paper Blossoms design, you can contact me through my shop:

amberjunestudios.etsy.com

Today List: Snow

2012-01-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today I was reminded of:

::all the reasons I love snow. Especially the kind of snow we've had falling on our little valley continuously since Tuesday night. The fluffy, soft, feathery, sink-up-to-your-knees-with-every-step-powder kind of snow. (Actually, we're sinking to our thighs now as it's still coming down) Yesterday we played in our own yard, hanging our leftover Christmas tree popcorn strings out for the birds and squirrels, and romping with the neighbor's puppy, but today we ventured out with cousins to the park down the street to sled. And sled. And build a snow fort. And sled some more.

::what snow tastes like. Like water, you say? Au contraire. Snow tastes like the coldest warm and the purest white. Like frozen anticipation and long-ago memories and cloudy sky.

::the way an abundance of snow can bring people together. We live on a somewhat busy street with the majority of the houses being rental duplexes (duplexi?). It's not the most neighborly kind of neighborhood. But snow is magic. It gets neighbors talking to each other as they shovel their driveways, help one another dig out their cars, and keep the sidewalks clear. Cars become few and the middle of the street transforms into a crossroads of children pulling sleds in ecstatic-school's-cancelled-celebration, families on cross-country skis, and friendly dogs jumping in and out of drifts.

Snow changes attitudes from "I just live here" to "We're all in this together."

:: the flush that comes to my cheeks when I come in from a day in the snow...heat that radiates my ears and face and the tingle in my legs and toes that tells me my body has worked hard and breathed deep and is tired but happy.

So (snow) happy.

Book Love, Again

2012-01-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

I've been working recently on preparing a class for our church's women's organization on helping parents find good literature for their kids.

"Good literature" being, by my definition, books that not only foster a love of reading and inspire imagination, but also help kids to develop attributes like empathy, understanding, and kindness, a sense of justice and fairness, hope and courage, and an awareness of worlds outside their own sphere of existence. Books that are not overtly commercial (dumbed-down versions of children's movies on paper) or blatantly sententious. Books that teach subtle life lessons by drawing readers into the experiences of the characters and letting us feel their happiness and sadness and joy and pain. Basically, books that speak to and uplift the soul, in a very small, or sometimes, a very big way. And that's how I define good literature for myself as well.

I've been happily using this class as an excuse to do an abundance of reading...re-reading some of my childhood favorites, reading for the first time some classics I either never got to as a kid or just don't remember, and having lots and lots of read-aloud story time with the kiddos. (Yay!)

Today, I fell in love with a book again.

This happens to me every now and then. Whereas my usual lit-loves tend to happen at first sight, however, this one took a little time. I was open and had high expectations (for pete's sake, it's Arnold Lobel- it can't stink). But it took me a couple of pages before the beauty of this simple story hooked me.

The tale is about a young elephant who goes to stay with his very old uncle when his mother and father are lost at sea. Okay. Simple enough. But the depth of emotion with which the story is told...the surprising level of humanity and compassion to be found in Uncle Elephant's actions in caring for his nephew quite honestly moved me to tears.

Here, my friends, is good literature for kids.

A story that shows without telling, teaches without preaching, touches hearts and plants seeds of compassion and kindness while engaging young minds in the infinite possibilities of what might happen next.

It's the kind of literature I hope I'm writing.

There will be a book list. Possibly a very long and absolutely not all-inclusive one. But I will share it for sure, as well as a plethora of helpful links and information on children's books for those who are interested.

Now go read some good books with your family (and share your recommendations in the comments please!).

p.s. If you happen to click the 'Arnold Lobel' link and Wikipedia (I love me some Wiki) comes up as a black screen, here's why: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/sopa-blackout-internet-censorship_n_1211905.html I've written to my congressman. Have you contacted yours?

My Bow Tie Boy

2012-01-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

My handsome little guy, who was so sick over Christmas,

was finally feeling up to some photos yesterday after church.

Every Christmas, I make a vest and (sometimes) a tie for Riley to coordinate with the dress I make for Laurelei.

This year, I tried my hand at a bow tie for the first time, using a brilliant and super -simple tutorial from A Lemon Squeezy Home (thanks to Liesel for the tip!)

I paired it with a vest upcycled from an old cashmere cardigan, and what might be one of my favorite thrifty-goodness finds of all time, this a-dor-a-ble vintage red corduroy blazer.

Yup, that's my handsome boy.

I'm so happy with how it turned out. Sewing for boys can be tough. Last year Riley took one look at his vest/tie combo and said, "Are you sure this isn't for Laurelei? It's kinda girly."

So here's hoping this last one kicks off a long run of non-girly sewing. For Riles anyway.

p.s. Daddy took the photos this time. You can see more of his portrait work here.

Paper Blossoms, Among Other Things...

2012-01-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty dang excited about this folks.

If you're a regular reader here, you've probably picked up on my love of old books.

I read them, use them as home decor, build stuff out of them, and use the pages for all kinds of art-type ventures.

So after Christmas, when I was left with the inner workings of about a billion (okay, eleven) books after my whole recycled-cover-journal project, I wanted to make use of those lovely yellowed pages in a new way.

And Paper Blossoms, a whole new division of my shop and aspect of my craft-tacular repertoire was born.

I love them. They are time-consuming to make and I poked my thumb with a milliner's needle more than once in the process, but still, I love them.

So what do you think?

Both the bouquets, the wreath and a variety of the hair pins will be available in my shop sometime this weekend. As will at least one of the Other Things (as promised in this post's title) that my abundant supply of book pages inspired:

This Is the House That Jack Built

Nursery Decor Set

The frame tells the entire story, from the malt to the maiden to the farmer who sowed the corn, and the bunting banner coordinates with black-and-white illustrations from the same vintage book.

Not to toot my own crafty horn or anything, but this set seriously makes me want to have another baby, just so I can use it to decorate the nursery.

Toot.Toot

And the ideas keep coming, so keep checking in. I'd love to share more.

One Book...

2012-01-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

I think everyone has one book...the one that you read over and over again as a child... the one with the character that you wished you were, or even, if the author had done their job well, sometimes believed you were.

I think I was eight when I discovered my book.

I may have been nine. But I remember it was summer, and I remember my mom coming into my bedroom saying things like Don't You Want to Play Outside and Aren't You Hungry Yet, but I didn't. And I wasn't.

I pulled the blanket over my head and made a tent that shut out the real world and in my mind

I was Karana, alone on my beautiful island. Even in all her sadness and loneliness I still wanted to be her. She told her story so well.

I read my book three times that summer and it never got old.

For the past two weeks, the kids and I have been homebodies...with Riley so sick last week and Laurelei this week... we haven't done much but just be home. Quiet. Resting. Occasionally checking fevers and sipping herb teas. But on Tuesday, when I realized Laurelei was probably in for the long-haul version of this virus just like Riley had been the week before, I went to the bookshelf and pulled out one book. My book.

And sat down with my little ones to read out loud.

I knew Laurelei would love it. She's a seven-and-a-half-year-old girl.

(I don't know of any official research on this topic, but I'm pretty sure the Dolphins Are So Pretty Stage is an actual developmental phase for young girls. And while Island of the Blue Dolphins really has very little to do with porpoises, it's a good hook for the right crowd.)

So I knew Laurelei would love it. I didn't expect Riley to even want to listen.

But I was underestimating the power of a story well-told. It is the power that brings a noisy, busy five-year old-boy to his Mamma's lap asking for just one more chapter, pleeease. It is the power that takes me, all these years later, back to the Karana's island of my mind and still, even though I know what's going to happen, gets me to hold my breath, laugh out loud, and even cry.

We have two chapters left. Tomorrow we'll be done, though I think Laurelei will want to read it again on her own. But this week has given me a new memory to go with my book. Now, when I think of Island of the Blue Dolphins I'll remember the blanket-covered solitude of the eight or nine-year-old bookworm, but I'll also remember the week when I held my fevered little girl in my arms, her brother on the arm of the couch behind me, and, little by little, read them the story of a brave girl alone on an island. A story that, in some way, is now theirs as well as mine.

At the Mo'...

2012-01-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

(I have a weakness for British slang).

With the New Year, a flurry of happenings has entered into our home, tempered only by sickness (now that Riley's well, it's Laurelei's turn for the week-long fever/nausea/sore throat virus).

I was looking at what's on my camera card from the past few weeks and discovered most of what I'd been snapping was projects I wanted to share with you and didn't get to in the Christmas bustle, and, more recently, the moments of beauty I have been seeing in the everyday. So here you go. What's on my mind and in our home and, consequently on my camera at the mo'.

(even taking down the Christmas decorations results in prettiness)

(new year, new table legs. pink. because I can.)

(Christmas presents I had sooo much fun making and now that the recipients have them...I can share. Thinking about making the recycled book journals a regular item in my shop...)

That's all. Just pretties to share.

On Not Giving Up...

2012-01-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

I needed this clip for encouragement today. Thanks to KindnessGirl for leading me to it.

I thought maybe someone else might need it too, so I'll share.
Sharing is nice.

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

xo

Sunday Drives

2012-01-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

We have a few traditions in our family, a few routines.

Some stick with us for a season or a year then fade away.

Others seem to hang on for the long run, because they are the ones we love the most.

Bedtime stories. Family prayer. And Sunday drives.

We pick a direction, or a highway, but no destination. We always bring cameras. Sometimes a snack.

Often, the kids fall asleep. But when we decide we are where we're going, everyone gets out to walk a little and explore. In the warmer months of the year we walk a lot. Maybe even follow a trail. In the winter (and on days like yesterday when our little guy who's getting over sickness was still in jammies),

we stick closer to the car.

But the beauty of the Sunday drive is that we are together and there is no rush to do anything but look at the world and wonder.

Yesterday, our drive took us up the Blackfoot river corridor to the Potomac Valley,

where there sits a little white farm house Brian and I have dreamed of living in for years.

I think we've come to realize that it's not the place for us--we've formed so many connections in the community we live in now that it truly feels like home-- but still, it's nice to drive by your once-upon-a-dreams now and then.

And then to go home together, grateful for the beautiful life we have now,

and wonder where our next Sunday drive will lead us.

Shiny and New

2011-12-30T09:00:00.001-07:00

I have always loved the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. In my childhood it was a week spent immersed in the newness of whatever my Christmas gifts had been; exploring to the fullest the possibilities of each new toy, the pages of every book, the hue of each crayon or marker or paint. When I was a little older, with the limited and misplaced priorities of the average middle schooler, the post-Christmas pre-New Year's week seemed to be a time to determine how my new possessions redefined me.Because it was, after all, all about me. And as a teenager it became a full seven days to make plans for New Year's Eve, or, more specifically, what to wear on New Year's Eve. Something shiny and new, without question.

Even now, as a (sometime) grownup, a sense of newness fills this week. I'd like to think my priorities are slightly better ordered at this point in my life, and I can say with certainty that I have come to understand that I am defined by my actions rather than my possessions, (though I will readily admit to still wondering what to wear on New Year's Eve) but still that sense of newness lingers...Even in the quiet, restful week we're having in our home (much quieter than usual with Riley being sick) I see the signs all around.

New Lincoln Logs and Legos to mix with the old = a million new things to be built. While staying in new Batman jammies all day, of course.

New purple polka-dot ribbon tutu that Mamma is amazed to have spotted not on the body of a certain little girl.

New project ideas forming...new 'inspiration' stacks and piles appearing all through the house.

New habits and goals to reach for.

(This alarm clock was Laurelei's favorite Christmas gift- isn't it funny the things we become attached to?)

And in my mind, a whirl of thoughts that include both old and new. Memories of the year that has passed and hopes and dreams for the year to come. An appreciation for what's used and loved, and an anticipation for moments shiny and new.

I hope to share them with you.

Christmas Past

2011-12-27T21:09:00.000-07:00

This Christmas:

::I finished most of the things I wanted to make (Laurelei's dress, for example) and didn't let myself feel guilty about cutting from my list the things there just wasn't time for.

:: We immersed ourselves in this beautiful place we live in and let our spirits and our bodies be renewed by the magic of a forest in winter. (I wish Brian was in this photo, but he's always the one taking the pictures).

:: I tried to remember what Christmas felt like when I was a child, and looked for that same wonder in my children's eyes, listened for it in their whispers and anxious sighs.

:: I thought of my mother as I chopped walnuts in the kitchen on Christmas Eve, and I wished, for just a moment to be there in my parents' house, in the kitchen with her...the windows steamed over and the Kitchenaid whirring and the steady chop chop chop of walnuts on the cutting board.

:: We went caroling (with Brian on guitar) and sang to the firefighters at our neighborhood station who couldn't be with their families because they were there for us. Just in case.

:: I did something I haven't done since childhood Christmases and lost myself completely in one of my presents -a book, of course- for most of the evening Sunday and as much of Monday as possible.

:: Riley developed a fever and spent Sunday evening and most of Monday sleeping in my arms (which didn't hurt my sit-on-the-couch-and-read plan one bit).

:: But most of all this Christmas, I tried to live each moment fully- tasting and breathing it all in. Making memories and bearing in mind that all too soon, this Christmas would be another Christmas Past. And unlike a certain Dickensian protagonist, whose tale I also found time to revisit this Christmas, I'd like to be able to welcome the ghosts of my Christmases, when they come upon me in the night.

"I will honour Christmas in my heart and keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me.

I will not shut out the lessons that they teach."

-Ebeneezer Scrooge

How was your Christmas, blogland?

I hope as beautiful as mine.

p.s. Thanks to my hubby Brian for the photos in this post. When Riley's feeling up to it, I'll share some photos of his Christmas outfit as well.

From Me to You

2011-12-24T10:06:00.001-07:00

A free Christmas printable designed by me for you, gentle readers.

Happy Christmas.

Today List

2011-12-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today I'm grateful for

:: waking to a world that has gone, overnight, from patchy spots of snow on brown grass to a white Christmas winter wonderland. Like magic.

:: children who can't wait until after breakfast, who can't even be bothered to put a coat over their pajamas, before opening the door and touching their suddenly changed world.

:: late brunches of pancakes and cocoa, followed by the noise of snow pants sliding over jeans, boots clunking on the stairs, and muffled giggles from within coats zipped up over the chin.

::my own warm coat and fleece-lined boots. Off I go...

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-20T08:58:00.001-07:00

When Brian and I decided, about a month ago, that we would not be able to make the trip to get our things (including all our Christmas decorations) from storage in Idaho before the end of the year, I saw a kind-of crazy opportunity in the midst of my disappointment.

We had an excuse-- no, more than an excuse- a very good reason, to make everything this year-- to have a homemade Christmas in ~~Kentucky.~~ Montana. Sorry, childhood flashback involving Kenny Rogers caught me by surprise there.

The point is: look at our tree!

(Hard to get a full-length shot in our small space!)

I knew from the outset that this undertaking-- making everything handmade for Christmas-- could go

two ways:

1: Mamma, the artist, the designer, the visionary, could take control of everything, adorning the tree with hand-painted blown eggs and hand-embroidered felt birds, miniature glass mosaics and dozens of other delicate pretties, stressing herself out in the process, and ending up with something that, while pleasing to the eye, was not our family's Christmas tree, but Mamma's. A don't touch tree!

2: Mamma could let go and step back, quietly introducing the tools and the methods and watching as the little ones, and even Dad (who is not so crafty, most of the time) discover the beautiful things they can make. Mamma could say 'yes' to more paint and glitter and 'why not?' to another color and know, really truly know that the making of the ornaments was the making of so many memories for our family. And our tree would truly be ours. A hands-on, we-made-it, please touch tree!

I think you can guess which way things went.

This may well be my favorite of all our Christmas trees. Ever.

If you're curious as to the specifics of what's hung on the evergreen boughs, here's the rundown:

1. Salt flour dough snowmen, letters (each of our names spelled out with cookie cutters), trees, etc.
2. Applesauce-cinnamon dough stars, gingerbread boys and girls, and free-form shapes.
3.Borax crystal snowflakes and icicles (both art project and science experiment in one!).
4.Cut paper snowflakes (pinned on with worn old wooden clothespins).
5. Popcorn (popped the old-fashioned way) and gumdrop garland.
6. Puzzle-piece ornaments made at the Missoula Art Museum holiday workshop.
7. Felt matryoshkas made at Selvedge Studio.
8. Gussied -up pine cones via the Christmas craft kit from Sandi.
9. Fabric strip garland also made from the aforementioned kit.
10. Little paper birds (this one was totally Laurelei's idea-and I LOVE it) cut from a roll of wrapping paper (Target) and strung on random ribbons and rick-rack.
11. Glittery birds and apples made one fun crafty afternoon with the Hendersons.
12. A few vintage keys I had laying around, on pink and red ribbons (okay, so that one doesn't count as handmade, exactly...but, still...resourceful).

And that's our tree.
We love it and we loved every evening, every hot-cocoa- and- Bing- Crosby family craft session spent making it.
Merry Handmade Christmas!

xo

Christmas Giveaway!

2011-12-17T09:04:00.002-07:00

Update: And the winner* is...
Malisa!
Congratulations! Please email me for all the details!
*chosen by the purely scientific method of numbering all your comments, writing the numbers on little slips of paper and drawing one out of a bowl. I wish everyone could win. But I'm not Oprah.
Thanks for entering!
---------------------------------------

Okay, blogland beauties, Ms.Sandi's 12 Days of Christmas is over. Winner takes all.

Time to have a little fun right here on the farm* with a

GIVEAWAY

of our very own!

I'm thinking...

...a $50.00 gift certificate to the Amber June Studios shop!

What think ye?

To enter, become a follower of Amber June Studios (see that little box in the sidebar that says Join this Site?) and leave a comment on this post letting me know. That's it!

Pretty simple right? I'll keep the comments open until Monday evening-ish and notify the lucky (if I do say so myself) winner on Tuesday.

So spread the word and the giveway maaadness Christmas cheer!

*I don't actually live on a farm. I just get excited sometimes.

Comments are now closed.

12 Days of Christmas Winner!

2011-12-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

The winner of a Handmade Hobby Horse from Amber June Studios has been announced on

portabellopixie.typepad.com!

Go take a look and see if you're the one, then come back here tomorrow for our own giveaway!

Bwahahaha! It's giveaway madness!

(Okay, did that come off as joyful-Christmas-crazy or maniacal spokesperson for deals-on-wheels? Oh well. Either way...it's maaaadness!)

In the Hopes That St. Nicholas...

2011-12-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Quest for a Handmade Christmas progress report: the stockings are hung!

(do you love little miss's milk mustache?)

They are without perfection, but not without perfect beauty.

Because we made them. Our family. Together.

Without spending a dime.

More reports to come...

Five Years Ago

2011-12-12T10:59:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, we met you.

Our little boy.

I think, at about this time that morning, Daddy and I were huddled together on the bathroom floor of our hospital room in Ketchum, Idaho, cradling you and kissing you and filling the bathtub because already we'd discovered you liked the sound of running water.

You were colicky- that means you cried for the first six months of your life, everyday for about nine hours.

And then, all of a sudden, you were tired of crying. You stopped and seemed to decide it was time to

laugh instead. You made us all laugh with you, too.

You bring us joy with your smiles and silly songs and made-up jokes and dances.

You soften our hearts with your tender sweetness.

We are blessed to have you in our family, Riley.

I am so grateful to be your mamma.

Happy Birthday my boy.

I love you.

Giveaway!

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

It's Amber June Studios' turn on

Sandi Henderson's

12 Days of Christmas

today!

Click on over to portabellopixie.typepad.com and leave a comment for a chance to win a

Handmade Hobby Horse

from my shop!

And look for two more horses to join the herd today: Zinnia and Pudge!

Today List

2011-12-09T08:47:00.000-07:00

Today I'm stitching:

:: felt hand puppets to go with the puppet theater the kids are getting for Christmas

:: stockings with the kids- burlap and raw-edged vintage fabric- two eager little stitchers taking turns pushing the pedal and cutting the threads

:: popcorn and gumdrop strings for our handmade Christmas tree. Does that count as stiching? I think it does. Stitching and a snack all in one.

:: most importantly, I'm stitching memories for our family.

What are you stitching today?

p.s. Look for a giveaway from the Amber June Studios shop tomorrow on Ms.Sandi's blog- portabellopixie.typepad.com!

Christmas Magic

2011-12-06T23:35:00.002-07:00

We live in a magical place.

Saturday was Missoula's annual Christmas kick-off celebration, and, though we hesitated when we found out that Brian would have to be working that day, Laurelei, Riley and I decided to go as a threesome anyway. I love our downtown neighborhood and all the businesses, both quaint and quirky, that fill it (whenever we're going there the kids and I sing a rather raucous rendition of 'Downtown' by Petula Clark on the way), so I was excited to have an excuse to spend the better part of the day wandering the city sidewalks (which, by the way, were dressed in holiday style).

We stopped here and there, at the organizations participating in the day's festivities: making ornaments at the Missoula Art Museum, eating lunch at a yummy sandwich shop, petting ponies at the ambrosial local ice creamery, Big Dipper, riding the carousel, making another ornament at Selvedge Studio (the hippest little fabric store in town), getting hot cocoa at our favorite cafe, watching the annual parade of lights and then joining the throng of merry-makers gathered for the lighting of the town Christmas tree.

Which seems like a lot. It was a lot.

When I think about it, the day could have easily turned into one of those forced family fun outings, during which the parents drag the children from one activity to the next as the children grow ever more overwhelmed and weary and the parents keep repeating, "Isn't this fun?" with a manic look in their twitching eyes, but, for some reason, it wasn't.

It was a slow, moment-by-moment, magic day. Maybe it was the break we took after lunch to attend the baptism of a friend; the quiet and renewal of that small hour.

Maybe it was that we came home for a few minutes mid-afternoon to change into warmer clothes for the parade, thereby avoiding the crankiness that inevitably comes with cold toes.

Maybe it was that we all just really wanted to be there, in our community, doing things that we felt a part of.

Celebrating Christmas.

Whatever it was, as the Christmas tree lights went on, silvery-white snowflakes began to fall.

We each caught our breath for a moment in the night air, tilted our faces to the sky and smiled.

Magic.

Today Lists

2011-12-01T22:43:00.000-07:00

There is not one specific moment for me when the Christmas season begins.

The feeling of Christmas-- and here I'm not talking about the Christmas Spirit, which I hope is with me always-- but the almost-palpable, memory-made feeling of Christmas can sneak up on me at any time throughout the year. Late at night, when the house is quiet and the lights are all out but one, I'll glance out the window and see it. Christmas.

If I happen to wake one morning, early, and open the door while everyone is still in bed, the cold air will bring it to me and I'll breathe it. Christmas.

I can hear it in the silence of the first starlit snow fall and touch it when I walk through the forest and my fingers graze a pine bough... and taste it in anything covered in powdered sugar or walnuts.

And as the year goes on and Autumn fades away the feeling surprises me more and more often until suddenly it's December 1st, and what was memory has become real, not only for me but for all the world.

I love Christmas.

I was thinking today (I have a yucky head cold so I didn't do much else) about a journal I filled this past year by using the writing prompt of 'Today List' (rather than to-do list- get it? I'm so clever. Ha ha).

Each day that I wrote, instead of essaying or storytelling in the traditional way, I simply made a list. Today I felt. Today I did. Today I thought about. And I have to tell you, it's the first time I've filled a journal in years. So I thought the idea is something I'd like to apply here, once a week or so. And I thought today would be a good day to start.

So, Today Begins:

:: our family's quest for a homemade Christmas. With our ornaments and decorations all in storage in Idaho (long story), and our difficult decision to not stretch the budget and go get the stuff before Christmas, we have an opportunity to make everything. Together. I mean, the majority of our gifts are always handmade, but to do the decorations too...I'm actually really excited about it.

:: one of my favorite months of the year, not only because of Christmas, but also because my little boy was born this month...can it really have been five years ago?

:: the time when the songs I'm singing (and I'm pretty much always singing) switch to Christmas carols and Christmas pop hits and even Christmas commercial jingles from my childhood...everything from "O Come O Come Emmanuel" to "Blue Christmas" to "Who's That Kid With the Oreo Cookie" (the Christmas version of course). And I don't get tired of any of them. Well, most of them.

:: the itching in my fingers to play my violin. It really doesn't get me at any other time of year- I confess, that fiddle has pretty much been in its case since last New Year's- but at Christmas I want to make music, and I find I am annually grateful for the eight years' worth of lessons I muddled through.

What does December first begin for you? Share in the comments.

Oh, and, of course,

Have a Merry Christmas.

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer Part 4

2011-11-29T19:55:00.001-07:00

I still have four interviews from Quilt Market that I haven't posted yet! I think I'll get one more in before delving completely into posts on Christmas goodness, craftiness, and general yuletide merrymaking cheer.

How about Mark Cesarik?

Part of an ever-increasing presence of talented men in the traditionally female-dominated sewing/craft and design industry, Mr. Mark Cesarik was showing his second fabric line at fall QM, and was, quite frankly, a refreshingly real person to talk to. (Wait, that sounded like a dis on the other people at QM. It wasn't meant to be, just a compliment to Mark.)
Anyway...

Mark's first line with Free Spirit Fabrics was Calypso Swing (which he used to decorate for his wedding- so pretty!) and his latest, Morning Tides is a collection of Zenned-out blues and cheery yellow-oranges with a beachy feel. He and his wife, Cara (also super cool), run a design operative called Sew Bettie over at Spoonflower, and Cara, I hear, is the talented stitcher behind Mark's samples, including this rad (did I just say rad?) embroidery:

Love it.

So, once again, let's enter a world wherein I pretend to be a journalist who has done her research (ha!) and nice people pretend not to notice and talk to me anyway.
Ladies and gents, Five Minutes with Mark Cesarik.

Me: Okay, so I'm talking with Mark Cesarik (am I saying it right?)

Mark: Yup. Says-uh-rick.

Me: Oh good. Okay and his collection is called Morning Tides with Free Spirit Fabrics and your first collection was...

Mark: Calypso Swing. A lot of grays and pinks and that was my first at Spring Market in Salt Lake.

Me: Oh, yeah! I know Calypso Swing. And how was it received?

Mark: Pretty well. I was pretty green...and I'd never done Quilt Market...I didn't know yet a lot of the designers...even the sales reps for Free Spirit didn't even know who I was, so it was just a really good learning experience, but this second time around has been a much better experience, you know...I know people, people know me. I've had a lot more traffic in my booth, it's just...like anything else, I'm getting better at it. I was real green the first time around.

Me: I've noticed there are a lot more men coming into the design industry...

Mark: There are.Yes, me and David Butler and we've got Jay [McCarroll] and, obviously Kaffe [Fasset], who's like a champion of the industry...yeah it does seem that, you know, when I tell some of my friends that I grew up with who don't have any idea about anything to do with this industry, I tell them I design fabrics and they're like, "Oh...hmmm...well, we're gonna go watch the football game." And, you know, I like that stuff too. But I think that there's a really growing market, not only for women who like to buy more masculine fabrics for men- and I'm not saying that my fabrics are overtly masculine because they're really not-

Me: No, I think they're really universal...

Mark: Yeah, they're kind of androgynous... but I do feel, well, I don't see why there wouldn't be a market for it. Especially when fabric is not just for quilts, but also for apparel and things like that.

Me: Yeah, I feel like the stereotype of this being a women's industry is starting to fall...

Mark: Yeah, and more than that- the stereotype of it being an older women's industry...there really are some really hip people...and that's the thing about Free Spirit too is I think they're right on the cutting edge with the designs they're putting out...because it's really, well I look at it as art.

Me: Yeah. Now your wife said your background is in fine art.

Mark: Yep.

Me: Do you think fine artists are finding more of a...utilitarian outlet through fabric design? Is that what led you here? A more accessible format?

Mark: Ummm, well I went to the Art Institute of Chicago, I studied painting and drawing, but I found my way...sort of accidentally into this through design- my day job is as a graphic designer. And, yeah I guess it is a really good outlet...for me, it was really natural because of my design background and because, frankly, I'm good at using the kind of software where I can create digital designs- that's my bread and butter. So it was a really natural transition and frankly, the freedom that it allows you is something that's been really rewarding, I mean I literally -when I go into a new collection- I have no restraints...I have nobody telling me what they'd like to see, they just say give me something that we haven't seen.

Me: They want you-

Mark: Exactly-

Me: -all over your designs.

Mark: So that's the beauty about it. I mean I literally feel like I get to doodle for a living.

Me: That's awesome.

Mark: It's really an incredibly rewarding experience. I just start from scratch and I doodle and I see what I come up with- and, even as a graphic designer it's not the same, I mean I'm working under constraints...certain guidelines...and this- I just get to do whatever the heck I want to do. So it's incredibly rewarding...especially when I get the sample yardage. It's really nice.

Me: Okay, so I like to close up with a couple of non-generic questions...so what is your favorite kind of ice cream?

Mark: Ohhh, hmmm...

Me: Or do you even like ice cream?

Mark: Oh, are you kidding? You know, it's hard for me to say a favorite everything, but if I had to choose my favorite...it would be Ben and Jerry's Milk and Cookies.

Me: Oh, yeeeeah. Yeah that's good stuff.

Mark: Yeah, it's quality...I'm a traditional vanilla and chocolate guy... I like chocolate chip cookie dough...but the Milk and Cookies Ben and Jerry's...it butters my bread.

Me: Awesome. And last one- what is your favorite movie?

Mark: My favorite movie...hmmm...I can give you...

Me: Or book- we can go movie or book.

Mark: Well, again I have a hard time naming one thing, but I'll say...my three favorite. Empire Strikes Back, because not only is it a great movie, but it just takes me to a place...when I was a kid...uh, gotta put Ghostbusters on there...because who doesn't like Ghostbusters?

Me: Yeah, well, who you gonna call?

Mark: Who are you going to call? Ghostbusters, right? That's the answer. And then...let's see...third favorite- I'm gonna go ahead and put True Romance on there.

Me: True Romance. Okay.

Mark: Because it's a great story and...

Me: Is it visually inspiring to you?
(why do I love that question so much?)

Mark: Uhhhh...viscerally I would say because it's kind of a violent, fast paced movie, but at the heart of it is a love story and just great acting...have you seen True Romance?

Me: (Drat! Found out!) No, I have not.

Mark: Oh, okay, it's actually sort of a remake of a movie called Badlands with Martin Sheen and Cissy Spacek...it was written by Quentin Tarantino and it's got an amazing cast... you got Gary Oldman, Christopher Walken, Christian Slater is the main character...

Me: Oh, I'm a Christian Slater fan.

Mark: Well, who isn't? Slater. He could've been the modern day Jack Nicholson if he hadn't made bad decisions...movie wise. But yeah, I'd put those three on there and on any given day it might be different...but Empire Strikes Back would be on there for sure because it just takes me back to when I was a little kid.

Me: Yeah, you and my husband would get along.

Mark: Well, we're probably...your husband and I are probably around the same age. I used to dress up as Luke Skywalker, although, as I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate Han Solo more...as you get older you'd rather be Han Solo.

Me: Well, yeah. Because he's the cool one.

Mark: The super cool one. He gets the girls and all that.

Thanks Mark, for taking the time to interview with me- I had a lot of fun. You, dear readers, can learn more about Mr. Cesarik by visiting his website, markces.com (check out his mixed media gallery- I like the elephant) or his blog, markcesarik.blogspot.com.
You know, for some strange reason, I'm craving bread and butter.

xo

Make Stuff Together

2011-11-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

I love getting packages in the mail. Even when I know what's in them, it's still a thrill to open a newly arrived box and say "Yay! It's here!"

Which was the case last week when this came to my door:

(in a box, obviously. this is after I opened it.)

It was a heap of crafty goodness sent to me by the lovely Colleen at Wiley Publishing as a prize I won at their book launch party in Houston during QM, but couldn't fit in my suitcase (did that sentence make sense?).

Anyway, I won it. She mailed it. It arrived. I squealed.

Let's break it down:

Included in my pretty little heap was a signed copy of Make Stuff Together by Bernadette Noll and Kathie Sever,

a kit of all the needed materials to make a Hope Wish Prayer flag banner (a project featured on Future Craft Collective- Bernadette and Kathie's website),

and a stack of burlap coffee sacks to use in making projects from the book. Now, we haven't gotten to the book project yet, though I've picked out the one I want to do first- the Blessing and Sharing Pouch- but we did make our Hope Wish Prayer flag banner today and I wanted to share.

But first, I'm going to ramble a little. That's the risk you take when you read this blog.

Can I just say that I love this concept? I do.

This idea of families coming together and making things out of...whatever from around the house...things that sometimes have meaning and sometimes really don't. Sometimes it is the experience of creating that has the most meaning. You, my dear readers, know how strongly I feel about children learning through doing, and making 'stuff' together is one of the best vehicles I know of to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge that is both practical and necessary, yet deeply character-shaping and nurturing at the same time. ie: they may learn how to sew on a button or how to cut along an outline or how to use a hammer and nails, but they're also learning how to envision something and follow through with their creation....how to wonder 'what if' and find out...and, if Mamma and Dad are paying attention, staying patient, and truly listening, little ones will learn how to share their ideas and how to give and receive acceptance and encouragement and love.

So here's our flag banner:

With tomorrow being Thanksgiving, it turned into more of a Gratitude Hope Prayer banner than anything else, but that's also part of the beauty of making stuff together- you see what's on each other's minds, and your creations reflect that.

This weekend definitely holds more making of stuff for our little clan.

I don't know that we'll ever get enough.

Happy Thanksgiving

p.s. What do we think of free shipping for Hobby Horse orders placed on Black Friday? Yeah, I think it sounds good...let's do a code: BF2011. Spread the word :)

Jan Brett Book Love

2011-11-21T23:29:00.001-07:00

Maybe it's the snow.

But it can't be the snow. Because, really there's never a time when we, the dwellers in this little downstairs house don't feel the need to surround ourselves with books. Illustrated books in particular.

But there has definitely been an increase in snuggle-storytime-cat-nap sessions lately...

It must be the snow.

And I find we come back to the illustrators we love again and again: M.Sarah Klise, Maurice Sendak, Holly Hobbie and Lillian Hobban... and always, always, always...Jan Brett.

The Mitten, The Hat, Trouble with Trolls...

...Annie and The Wild Animals, and my faaavorite:

And last Friday night, thanks to my lovely friend Liesel (amazing aspiring illustrator herself), without whom I never would have even heard about the event, the kids and I got to meet her. Not Liesel...well, I mean Liesel was there...but Jan Brett. We got to meet Jan Brett, who was here in Missoula on her Home For Christmas 2011 tour.

Look at us!

As always seems to be the case with me when I meet celebrity-type figures whom I admire (ahem, the Alison Krauss incident of '02), I stood there with nothing more intelligent to say than "We are such big fans," and every question I ever wanted to ask her stuck in the back of my throat. Which, I suppose, was not a bad thing for the hundred or so people standing in line behind us, waiting to get their books signed and very politely not rolling their eyes or groaning while the kids and I took more than our fair share of Ms. Brett's time with our little photo session.

So rather than pepper her with questions like "When did you discover your artistic voice?" or "What made you decide to write and illustrate rather than work with other authors?" or "Why a hedgehog?" I opted to get our signature, mumble my insipid, generic compliment, and then stand off to the side ogling and taking pictures like a mom-blogger-paparazzi.

And then head outside with Liesel and her kids to grab a shot of the whole crew in front of the Jan Brett tour bus.

Yup, those are signed posters in the kids' hands and Jan Brett buttons on their shirt fronts. We're our own little fan club. And our little club thanks you for stopping in Missoula, Ms. Brett. And for the beautiful, snowy day, snuggle-up stories you've given to us all.

Give Thanks

2011-11-18T10:03:00.007-07:00

Let's break from interviews for a bit and make something.

I have so many reasons to be thankful. And I truly, truly am.

To make the Give Thanks banner, click over to my Make page and scroll waaay down to the bottom. You'll find the free printable template and tutorial for this simple no-sew paper project.
Make away!
And Give Thanks, as I do, for the beauty in everyday.

xo

p.s. I shared this link on Homestories A to Z's Tutorials and Tips Link Party- check out the other projects.

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer Part 3

2011-11-15T08:32:00.001-07:00

...with the lovely ladies of Pillow and Maxfield!

Val is the Pillow, Anne is the Maxfield and it only took me three days of QM to keep that straight. I kept wanting to call them Valanne or Anneval just to be on the safe side. And I hope that doesn't sound apathetic because, on the contrary I'd have to say that of all the people I met at market, these were two of my favorite. They both exude a sincere warmth and infectious cheeriness that made me want to stick them in my pockets and take them home with me. I'd keep them in a cookie jar and call them Auntie Val and Auntie Anne and they would make pretty things for me.

But, fortunately, I resisted the temptation and Mesdemoisselles Pillow and Maxfield remain free to create beauty for all. Such beauty as is found in their fabric collections: Whimsy, Pretty Bird, Gypsy Bandana, and the latest, Ooh La La!

Now I know I started this interview series committed ( in a non-committal sort of way) to not ask standard, generic questions like, "What is the inspiration for this line?" But I realized that sometimes, a question that people expect and are mentally prepared to answer is the best way to loosen their tongues and get 'em talking. (It definitely worked here). And it's a good way for me, as an interviewer, to get a better perspective on who they are as artists. Because, as my track record has shown, I typically went into these interviews knowing all or, more often, nothing.

So, here we go. 5 minutes (okay, technically we took more than 5, but there are two of them) with Pillow and Maxfield.

Me: Alright, I'm talking with Val Pillow and Anne Maxfield and your new line is called Ooh La La.

Both: (with fake French accents) Ooh La la!

Me: Hahaha! And it's a very happy line. Tell me about the inspiration behind this collection.

Val: That's kind of what our passion is- we like happy, bright colors, with a little energy and a little touch of whimsy and then we also tried to do a line that's easy to coordinate. So that's kind of our...our mantra is Happy. And that's what we go after. And then we found as we were going along with this group that some of it had a little French Provincial look, so that's why we named it Ooh La La. And it comes in three colorways, Citrus and Spice and Sky, and we wanted to continue with something we started with our Gypsy Bandana line- we call them bandana squares, but you can actually do so much more with the squares. We have on our website six free, downloadable tutorials on everything you can do with the squares- everything from a little patio tablecloth to matching dinner napkins...it's really easy to make a quilt out of it by alternating the squares...a tote bag, a little travel cosmetic bag, surfer shorts, a little pillowcase dress...

Me: Cute! And what a fun, easy way to make a quilt if you're not an advanced quilter too.

Val: And we've also continued with our border prints, which make great lounge pants... they just have the border on one end, so you can use the rest of the fabric however you want it...great for curtains, dust ruffles for beds, little girls' skirts or dresses... We try to make it fun and easy for the customer to use.

Me: I love it. And I love the Spice colorway...the Spice to me is, and I hope you take this as a compliment because to me it's a compliment...it feels kind of vintage 70's and I love it.

Both: Thank you!

(Thanks, Fat Quarter Shop, for the image!)

Anne: We'll take that as a compliment!

Me: Oh good! Some people think "70's?" (nose scrunched in negative connotation sort of way) But I love 70's.

Anne: We hear that a lot, and we hear...people think it's very 70's, but even the styles before that...ummm....

Me: Like, Boho?

Anne: Something like that.

Me: Well, as far as fashion goes, 70's is the big trend so, good job ladies!

(laughing)

Me: Okay, I wanted to ask you some questions you maybe don't get all the time...so what is your favorite kind of ice cream?

Anne: I love that...Bunny Tracks stuff... is it Bunny Tracks? No- Moose Tracks. A little chocolate in it, a little peanut...that's the favorite.

Val: Well, I have several, but actually...this is boring...but vanilla bean because I like to pour a lot of chocolate on top of it and dress it up.

Me: That's what Sandi said too, she likes vanilla because you can dress it up.

Val: And I actually like the vanilla bean because it has a little extra oomph to it...

Me: Yeah. Super-vanilla flavor. Okay. Is there a collection that has come out by another designer that you wish you would have thought of?

Anne:Well...hmmm...they're all so cool, but...no...

Val: Nope.

Me: That's good. You're confident and comfortable in your own art.

Val: Yeah, we kinda got our own style going....

Anne: Yeah, we do and we love, love, love-

Val: And admire-

Anne: Yeah- many of the designers and we kinda see how everybody has their own thing

and there's something wonderful about that, but you know there are a couple of things that, walking around, I saw today and I thought- I'm ordering that fabric. I want that. But not really any that I wish we would have...I feel really proud that we were the ones that came out with the bandana squares...we kind of feel that that's a part of our signature thing. We're thrilled that we did it. So far it's gone really. really well.

Me: Good good good. Okay, last question. If you could go on vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Val: That's a hard one...

Anne: I would go to the Island of Mystique.

Me: The Island of Mystique? I don't even know where that is.

Anne: I've been there once and I'd like to go back. It's way down by the Grenadines...

Me: Oookay (nodding as if I know where the Grenadines are)...

Anne: I went on bareboating sail trip there and I thought it was the coolest place I had ever been in my entire life and I am dying to go back. So...I'd be going to the Island of Mystique.

Me: Wow. It almost sounds made up. You know, magical.

Anne: Hahaha, yeah. It's where- and this has nothing to do with why I like it- I love it for the island people and it's so simple and tiny, but full of little castles and when we got there and stayed there for a couple of nights on our sailboat we found that is where Mick Jagger has a house, David Bowie has a house...Tommy Hilfiger has a house...when they were building it the construction workers just let us go in...so it has fun things like that, but to me it's just a total paradise.

Me: Cool. Okay, and Val, where would you go?

Val: Well if this is a total relaxation vacation I'd want to go somewhere tropical too like Fiji or something like that, but actually I really want to go back to Paris because it's so inspiring and I love sitting in the little cafes and I find it so romantic. I've only been there once and it was only for -it was part of a European tour- we were only there for a day and a half and it was just enough of a tease...so I'd really like to go back. And, oh, the Paris Flea Market. Oh! I would want to do that. So if it was a vacation where I had energy to do stuff, I'd want to do that, but if not, tropical.

Me: Yeah, I only had three days in Paris and it wasn't enough.

Val: Just enough to tease you.

Me. Yup. Well thank you ladies!

Both: You're welcome!

Val: Did we talk too much?

Me: Of course not.

Of course not, Anneval and Valanne. You can learn more about Pillow and Maxfield (and see all their fun free tutorials) by visiting their website: pillowandmaxfield.com.

The Ooh La La line of fabric is now available through Michael Miller Fabrics and if anyone knows where I can get a really big, comfy cookie jar, please drop me a line.

In-Between Thoughts

2011-11-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

In-between designer interviews, in-between moments of writer and artist and homeschooler, and all throughout them too, my true identity is Mamma. So in-between planning a science lesson and sketching a sewing project, in-between making granola bars and sending emails, I needed to take a Mamma moment here today, with one little one curled up on each side of me, looking at pictures and talking about what we have loved about this fall.

There. That's better.

xo

p.s. I have to give my amazing husband Brian credit for the Halloween costumes this year. He cut, stitched and hot glued our little Hedwig the Owl and Jedi Knight all on his own while I was in Houston. Not bad, Dad. Not bad.

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer 2

2011-11-09T10:57:00.002-07:00

How is it that every picture I took of David Butler is out of focus?

Okay, let's do some image borrowing (with proper credit given, of course).

Ah, there he is! Thanks City Craft.

I do have a semi-decent shot of one side of his QM booth though.

And, of course, his official QM award:

So, on to the words of the man himself. Please be assured that this 5 minute interview was punctuated with far more sycophantic "yeah"s and "oh right"s and "uh-huh"s from my side of the microphone (cell phone) than I decided to transliterate. Background info (in case you didn't already know): David is the husband of the fabulous Amy Butler, design extraordinaire, and has recently launched his own design line under the pseudonym brand of "Parson Gray." His debut fabric collection is called Curious Nature and is in tones of grays, gray-blues and mossy greens... Aaaand I was basically ignorant of all this information when I approached him for an interview. 'Cause I do stuff like that.

Actually, if you want to know my little secret...and Mr. Butler, if you're reading, you should totally take this as a compliment...I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that I was talking to Amy Butler's husband, but until he said it in the interview, I completely forgot. He was just David Butler, designer guy to me. Which means that this whole Curious Nature/ Parson Gray thing stands on its own. Yeah. That's why it's a good thing.

Okay, here we go.

Me: So, I'm talking with David Butler, and your line is called Parson Gray?
(see the extent of my research?)

David: It is. Well, the actual line is called Curious Nature-

Me: Oh, I'm sorry-

David: No, that's cool. Parson Gray is my new brand I'm just starting.. Because I didn't want to just come out as David Butler- I wanted to have kind of a different identity-because people know me as Mr. Amy Butler.

Me: Right. (I so knew that).

David: I kind of wanted to develop my own brand that I might take, you know, if I wanted to expand and do other things down the road, paper or something, it would have a life of its own.

Me: Well I love it. It's very manly but sleek and sophisticated at the same time.

David: Thank you.

Me: Well, I like to ask what I hope are some non-generic questions that you don't get asked all the time.
(I say, referring to my vast journalistic experience)

David: Mmmhmm... (slightly wary).

Me: So, can I ask, when did you first realize you were an artist?

David: (look of relief on his face) When I first realized I was an artist was probably...when I was about five years old. I was always obsessively drawing as a child and I think I had an actual self-realization when I was at that age that this was something I really loved and I was passionate about and I was good at, I could actually do it. So, probably at a very young age.

Me: And did you continually do art from that point?
(Do art? What kind of grammar is that?)

David: Perpetually. Yeah, from that point. I continued to do it and I continued to be...you know when you're an adolescent it becomes part of your identity. 'Oh, that's Dave Butler- he can draw,' you know, 'Have him draw you something- have him draw you a shark. He's really good at drawing sharks.' And that becomes part of who you are.

Me: Was that your thing? Sharks?

David: Well, Jaws came out. Every kid was drawing sharks, and then we were all drawing the Milenium Falcon, you know. So you develop this thing that becomes inherent to who you are and then you just kind of, keep building on it and building on it and for some kids it becomes a passion, other kids kind of grow out of it, but for me it just kept going and going and by the time I was in high school I knew I was going to go to art school. I just set a path for that and followed it all the way through.

Me: What is your favorite movie?

David: My favorite movie is Raging Bull.

Me: Do you find it visually inspiring?

David: Yeah. Very much so. It's funny, my two favorite movies are probably The Elephant Man, you know, David Lynch, and Raging Bull and they're both black and white movies...

Me:Oh, and your collection is a lot of grays...

David: Yeah, here we are. Parson Gray.

Me: Okay, if you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? You probably have traveled quite a bit.

David: Umm...I've traveled a lot, yeah. Umm (thinking)... it used to be Bali, but I've been to Bali, and it's fantastic, but I would probably say... Iceland, now is a place I really want to go because I've heard so many great things about it. And Croatia, also. I've heard great things about Croatia.They seem like kind of weird, fun, fascinating places to go.

Me: Very cool. Okay, last question. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

David: My favorite flavor of ice cream is called Salty Caramel, and it's by Jeni's Ice Cream from Columbus, Ohio.

Me: I love salted caramel...

David: I know Jeni, she's very cool. I helped her with her logo and she's very, very cool.

Me: Well thanks for taking 5 minutes with me, and good luck with your line- it's absolutely gorgeous.

David: Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks.

Aaaand, there you have it once more, blogland. Like I said before, pure journalism.
Curious Nature will be available from Westminster Fibers/ Freespirit Fabrics this winter. You can learn more about David by visiting his website: Art of The Midwest.
Parts 3 & 4 next week: The lovely ladies of Pillow & Maxfield, and the very entertaining Mark Cesarik.

xo

5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer

2011-11-07T12:25:00.002-07:00

Part One

Okay, kicking off the week with the first in my little series of interviews, we have a woman who makes a killer key lime curd, is often mistaken for my sister, and whose fabric is loved by stitchers everywhere. She also happens to be my dearest friend, Sandi Henderson.

This is her Secret Garden QM booth. Isn't it pretty?

And here's the two of us doing our little school house thing...do you see the sister thing? I guess I do from this far away...

And here are the two of us amongst a few lovely market attendees... (thanks to April on the far left for the photo-check out her cute blog).

Now on to the words of the woman herself... heeeeere's Sandi:

Me: Hey.

Sandi: Hey.

Me: Sooo...I want to interview you for my blog.

Sandi: Okay.

Me: But I already know you really well.

Sandi: You should ask questions that people don't typically ask. Like everyone always asks "What was the inspiration for this line of fabric?" Don't ask that.

Me: Yeah. That's a good idea. Non-generic questions. I can do that. And these are only five minute interviews, so I'm not going super in-depth.

You ready?

Sandi: Yup.

Me: Okay. (Assuming official interviewer mode).

So, Sandi, please tell us...what is your favorite book?

Sandi: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Me: Do you find it visually inspiring?

Sandi: Yes. It's the book that I have...hmmm (pensive pause)...the ending of that book is, I think, the most wonderfully written ending of any book that I have ever read.

Me: Awesome. When did you first realize you were an artist?

Sandi: Creative or an artist?

Me: An artist.

Sandi: An artist? This year. I don't know if you should say that...

Me: No, that's an honest answer. That's good. What is your favorite ice cream?

Sandi: Probably..vanilla.

Me: Me too!

Sandi: Because I like to put stuff on it.

Me: Yeah, you can dress it up. Ok, if you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?

Sandi: Portabello Road.

Me: I love Portabello Road!

Sandi: (sad) It doesn't exist anymore.

Me: (emphatic indignation) I know.

Sandi: I named my business after it and it doesn't exist anymore, I never got to see it.

Me: I did. Ha ha.

(laughing)

Me: It was cool, but it had kind of gone...

Sandi: Kind of shady I heard.

Me: Yeah, it was sort of shady but it still had a lot of cool vintage/ antiques stuff going on, but then there were also all these like, cheap importers.

Sandi: So maybe it's good that I never got to see it.

Me: Yeah, because then you can keep the romanticized version in your mind.

Sandi: (singing) Portabello Road, Portabello Road...

Me: Okay, that's going on the blog.

(laughing)

Alright, last question. Is there a line that another designer has come out with that you wish you had thought of?

Sandi: Between you and me? Yeah.

Me: Well, not between you and me. Between you and blogland.

Sandi: Ummm. Okay. Amy Butler's Charm.. And actually that is probably my favorite fabric collection. Ever.

Me: Well thanks. (Assuming official friend mode again).

Sandi: Yup.

So, there you have it blogland. Pure journalism right there. You can learn more about Sandi by visiting her blog, portabellopixie.typepad.com or her website, sandihendersondesign.com.

Tune in on Wednesday for 5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer, Part 2, featuring David Butler.

Embroidery Patterns #2 and #3

2011-11-05T19:49:00.001-06:00

I am so excited to be sharing two new FREE printable embroidery patterns, designed by me!

(Um, did she just say free? Yes. Yes she did.)

If any of you lovely readers were at Quilt Market and happened to attend the school house Sandi and I did together, you will know that these are embroidered on Michael Miller's new solid colors which they are calling Cotton Coutoure. Swanky right? But fitting. These are definitely the nicest solids I have ever worked with- high density, so no need to face for embroidery, but soft and smooth at the same time. And super forgiving. If you have to pick out a stitch, you aren't going to have a hole in your fabric.

(And, no, I am not being paid by anyone at Michael Miller to write this. I don't yet have the blogging clout to generate cash. It's just plain true.)

But I digress. Let's get back to me and my embroidery patterns.

"Play is the work of children" is a quote that has most often been attributed to Maria Montessori, and it is the motto of our little free-learning style homeschooling family. My children, as do all children, learn and discover sooooo much through the exercise of their own imaginations and the experiments of their own hands. They teach me so much as well. I was tickled to have an excuse to make this for our home and hope you don't need one to make it for yours.

And "Umbrella (ella) (ella)." Some of you might catch the song reference... it was in my head the whole time I was stitching this one (and it's not done yet- it will be a pillow top). But, while I like Rhianna and her powerhouse vocal cords, I actually hear Marie Digby in my head when I think of that song.

Anyway...I love umbrellas and thought this simple design would make a fun accent on a pillow, a bag, a wall hanging above an umbrella stand...whatever you want to make of it.

Just click on the 'make' tab at the top of this page, or either of the pictures to get to the printable patterns and suggested stitch guides. Did I mention they're FREE?

Home Again, Home Again

2011-11-04T07:00:00.002-06:00

Hello blogland. I'm home.

True to my word, and despite temptation to do otherwise, I have not written a post in over three weeks. It's been enough to send me into a serious non-blogger mindset (and by non-blogger I mean someone who doesn't photograph everything she makes, does, eats, reads, etc...all while thinking up quirky and clever titles for posts and hearing the content sentences form in her mind). But I'm about to get over that. I might, in the next few weeks, have to backtrack and share a couple of the things I was tempted to blog during my hiatus, like a beautiful Fall Festival with my little ones, but for now, I have soooo much to say about my trip to Houston for Quilt Market.

Ahhh, Quilt Market...with your hustle and bustle and schmancy hotel stays...your seriously huge convention center show floor that is really not friendly on backs and feet... and most of all, your rows and rows of crafty eye candy.

Behold:

(Lark by Amy Butler)

(Seriuosly cute embroidery patterns by Penguin and Fish)

(A Dia de los Muertos themed booth by Alexander Henry)

(Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi now in flannels and velveteen- hullo? To die for.)

And there's more. Soooo much more. But one thing I actually did in the blogger mindset while at market was interview a half-dozen or so designers. Like, in person. (I know, right?) So I'm holding back those photos for when I post the interview series (which I'm calling 5 Minutes With a Fabric Designer) starting next Monday. Yay!

Now on to the eye candy outside the convention center.

The thing about going to a conference or a trade show like Quilt Market is that if you have any interest at all in the city that you're going to, don't get your hopes up to see any of it. Unless you extend your trip and plan ahead, you're really only going to see a hotel room, a couple of restaurants and a convention center floor. That's just not why you're there. But Saturday in Houston, I had a rough day.

Raw honesty time.

I mentioned in my pre-market post that I was going to Houston to teach a school house (mini workshop) with Sandi. What I didn't reveal was that my reasons for attending were actually threefold.

1.) The school house.

2.) A chance to hob-knob a little with the awesome peeps who will (hopefully) someday soon want to publish a project book I've proposed.

3.)I was also going to QM to show a portfolio of my own artwork to fabric manufacturers, with the hopes of one day becoming a fabric designer myself.

Items one and two on the list went well. Really well. Item three...As any artist/ writer/ photographer/creator-of-anything can tell you, this takes guts. I'm not tooting my own horn here, it's just a fact. Putting yourself on a piece of paper and asking a stranger to tell you how you've fallen short, in the hopes of improving and growing, is an emotionally draining process. And being a thousand (ish) miles away from my husband and children- my true comforts and strengths- while doing it, quite frankly sucked.

I felt weakened and beaten down, even though I know in reality it made me stronger.

Anyway...point. What was my point? Oh, right. Saturday was a rough day. And after a party and a dinner where I had to keep a smile on my face, and a cab ride back to the hotel to save my aching feet, I just needed to be alone for awhile and do something creative. So I changed into jeans and flat shoes (hallelujah for flat shoes) grabbed my camera and set out into the night. I didn't go far (don't worry Mom and Dad). Actually, I mostly stayed inside. The Hilton we (by 'we' I mean Sandi and I and Sandi's mom Jodi and the adorable Sarah Jane) were in had these amazing blown glass sculptural light fixtures that I really wanted to photograph...

I did go out a little...

...to take in the calming night air.

It's amazing to me, having had my creations under the microscope all day long, how the thing that healed me most was to create more. Even if it was a different medium. Even if the end product was nothing to write home about. The process of seeing and capturing something visual from my own point of view is always transforming. As is writing about it here.

Thanks for reading my ramblings, blogland.

Oh, and if you were one of the attendees at our school house and you heard me mention the free embroidery patterns, they are coming. I promise. They should both be on my 'make' page by Saturday, so keep checking back.

Fabric designer interviews start next week. I think we'll kick it off with Sandi Henderson (c'mon, you knew that was coming) and the one and only David Butler.

Crazy Mad Bliss

2011-10-10T23:14:00.001-06:00

Hello blogland. It's been awhile.

I've been in this state of overdrive lately...this manic zone of crazy mad bliss.

Between my husband (who has been working in another state for over a year) getting ready to come home (that's the bliss part) and the finalization of the decision that the kids and I will not be moving to town-that-shall-remain-nameless-where-I-really-didn't-want-to-live to join him (more bliss), the madness of getting ready to attend Quilt Market at the end of this month, and the craziness of everyday, homeschooling-Mamma life, I feel like I've hardly had a second to breathe.

whew!

So I'm taking it now. Fingers on the type keys. Words calming like a favorite blanket and a cup of tea.

Okay. That was good. Moving on to the multiple purposes of this post.

1. Amber June Studios on Etsy. I have a few fun new things in the shop that I wanted to share. Like:

All upcyled materials. All handmade vintage pretty (if I do say so myself).

2. Books. I have come into some a*maz*ing* vintage books lately and I am itching to get them photographed and listed in my shop, but it probably won't happen until after QM. But it will happen, so keep your eye on the shop...

3. Quilt Market! I am so excited to be attending the ol' International QM in Houston at the end of this month. Now you may be asking, what is Quilt Market? And, some of you who know me may be adding, And why are you going because you don't really quilt? Well, you can click here for a very nice 'what is quilt market' definition from Miss Sarah Jane if you like, or you can just keep reading and fumble through my awkward explanation. It's basically a tradeshow for all things fabric and sewing. I am going to be co-teaching (alongside my bestie) what they call a School House. Which is just a catchy name for what any other tradeshow that is not run by crafty-creative types would call a 'work shop.' Our 'School House' session will be on incorporating solid color fabrics into your sewing projects, with my particular emphasis on embroidery. So...long way 'round to a short point... I would love to meet any and all of you who might be attending! We could get some lunch. Chit-chat. That sort of thing. Send me an email and let me know if our paths might cross.

And... item number 4. Because of all the Crazy-Mad-Bliss going on around here, this is probably my sign-off for the rest of the month. Most likely. But I will be back in early November with all the news. And pics. And handmade-vintage-pretty goodness. So stay tuned, blogland. And enjoy all your own moments of bliss.

A Blustery Day

2011-10-05T09:29:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was the first truly blustery day we've had this fall. As Laurelei and Riley and I were sitting down to breakfast, we suddenly all got very quiet...our ears perked up (as much as non-canine ears can) and two seconds later we were all running to the open window with a joyous shout of Rain!

The sparse, heavy raindrops fell from a pewter sky while swirling winds blew the top leaves off the trees and those on the lower branches considered turning early just to get down to safer ground. In other words, it was the perfect day to stay inside, don sweaters, and put up Halloween decorations (after, of course, a warm lunch of Chicken Soup with Rice).

Now, for the most part, my decorating tastes run along the lines of vintage eclectic... I also love things that are handmade and homemade and have a story. But when it comes to Halloween,

I like me a little glitter.

A little glitzy glam.

A little over-the-top color...

and a little dollar-store-level kitsch.

It is a glitzy- glam holiday after all.

The kiddos and I had so much fun sipping hot cocoa and hanging skeletons, making an October calendar and marking the days for the full moon, the Fall Festival we are going to, and, of course, All Hallow's E'en. The whole day felt to me like a kick-off to my favorite time of year: October, November, December...three months of holidays, all with their own decorations and foods and traditions, culminating with Christmas, my favorite holiday of all.

Yup. I'm rarely sad to see a blustery day. And yesterday was a good one. Hope it was for you too, blustery or not.

Winner

2011-10-03T08:30:00.006-06:00

Mornin'.

Thanks to everyone (all 7 of you) who entered my first ever blog giveaway. I would love to do more of these types of things in the future (and if only the 7 of you entered again I would be happy).

And now (drumroll please)... the lucky winner of the handmade (by me) burlap Halloween banner/bunting flag thing is:

Ashley!

whose comment reminded me so much of how I feel toward the end of summer- pulling on sweaters and knee-socks in the morning and pulling them off in exasperation by the end of breakfast. She said:

I am sooo excited for Fall! It's going to be 90 today, but I put on a Fall outfit this morn' because I am in denial and trying to force the chilly weather to get here sooner. I think I will give up and go change into my swimsuit in about an hour:) Pumpkins are my favorite!! I am making pumpkin bread later as well. and I twittle-de-tweet @wollypollyphoto. BOO!!!

Congratulations!

Let's do this again sometime, blogland.

p.s. What do you think of the new blog design? I kind of love it.

Grimm With a Chance of Giveaway

2011-09-30T07:14:00.007-06:00

A few weeks ago my big sis texted me to ask if I wanted to create a piece for another group show at Cella Gallery, the art gallery just down the street from where she and her husband live in North Hollywood. I hemmed and hawed a little...I've just got so much on my plate at the mo' (including finding random opportunities to slip British slang into my everyday dialogue)...but when she told me what the show was, I knew I wanted in: artwork inspired by, and actually created on the surface of copies of Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales.

Each artist chose a specific tale to use as their theme and went to work in his or her own style. I chose "The Goose Girl"...

...admittedly less out of devotion to the brief tale woven by Grimm 1 and Grimm 2 than to the much more expansive tale with Grimm roots as told by Shannon Hale, YA author extraordinaire ( I hope that's not cheating).

The show opens October 8th so I need to get my finished tome mailed off tomorrow, but I wanted to share first. If any of you happen to be in the LA area, oh blogland beauties, I'm sure the show would be well worth attending, as any event at the Cella always is.

Aaand speaking of Grimm Brothers and their curiously grotesque charm, Halloween is fast approaching. Can you believe tomorrow is October 1st? It's almost time to start pulling the box of All Hallow's Eve decorations out of the garage. But first, I think we will have a little giveaway- a handmade Halloween decoration for you:

One lucky reader is going to win this hand-stenciled burlap flag bunting made by me (out of recycled materials, by the way- that burlap used to be sandbags).

Here's how to enter:

1. Follow me on twitter (@amberjunek) and send out this tweet to your tweeps:

Giveaway! Cute Halloween banner on @amberjunek's blog- http://amberjunestudios.blogspot.com!

2. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite thing is about fall. Be sure to include the link to your twitter account so I can see your tweet.

That's it!

I will keep the comments open until Sunday evening at about 9pm (MST). Then I'll go through your comments, choose my favorite, and announce the winner here on Monday morning.

See you soon!

xo
-------------------------------
COMMENTS NOW CLOSED
THANKS!

Knowing

2011-09-26T09:02:00.001-06:00

I love to count my blessings. I am a woman of faith and often, when I feel like this...

"She was so tired her legs felt burnt out from under her, but she believed she could get through this if she did one thing at a time and thought of the remaining things left to be done as sequential, not cumulative."

-Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain

...as so many of us often do, listing the many many beautiful blessings in my life is what gives me strength to get through. It reminds me that my Father in Heaven knows me and knows what I need, and it is the knowing between us that forms the shape of my days and the path of my life. Lately, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the people He has put in my life. My family, of course, but particularly on my mind have been my friends...two new friends...women I have known as acquaintances for some time but who I can now, because of time spent together in the last several weeks, truly call friends. And they are just who I needed. And the place we go together is just what we all needed.

We've been meeting with all our children on Thursday afternoons at this magical wilderness place...

...a gully thick with brambles for secret forts and paths to explore...

...a giant, overgrown weeping willow tree (truly Bridge to Terabithea worthy) for climbing...

...scented by the earth and painted in the colors of fall.

The children run and climb and learn about the world and each other through play while we moms sit in the dry grass and talk and look on, our hearts bound together in the wonder of mamma-hood and our spirits kindred in the knowing who we are.

I count my blessings. And I count those Thursday afternoons among them.

Now, for the purposes of literary mood and fluidity, I'd like to end this post here. But I did promise you, oh blogland, that I'd be starting a sale in my shop today. So here once again is the coupon code, good for 30%--ah, heck, let's say 40% off-- any item in my Etsy shop now through Saturday October 1st:

Shop away!

xo (again)

Junk! (and I mean that in the best possible way)

2011-09-23T07:55:00.002-06:00

So a few weeks ago Sandi called me up and said she was going to have a booth at this junk show type thing at our local fairgrounds and would I like to help man (woman) the booth and maybe sell a few of my own handmade -vintage-pretties. I said sure! What's a junk show?

Oh, honey, I learned what a junk show is.

Hello, junk. You re-purposed, up-cycled, found beauties, you.

I guess I've always known and loved you...

...I'm a thrift-store scrounger, yard-sale hopper, dumpster-diver through and through...

...I just didn't know junk is what the kids are calling you these days, old friend.

And I didn't know you had your own parties. I would have been there much sooner if I'd known.

Here's a shot of the booth Sandi and I shared (please ignore my awkward stiffness- this was toward the end of the day and I was wearing down, but I swear, I had so much fun.)

Most of the colorful, beautiful, fabric goodness in this shot belongs to the fabulous Mrs. H, but see that chalkboard? and those hand-stenciled burlap pillows? the stick horses and that beautiful (if I do say so myself) vintage map mounted in the old window? Those are me.

Oh, blogland. I would so do this again. I have never done a show at all before and this one was right up my alley. In the moments that I had for my own thoughts that day (which were few and far between as the turnout was very nice) I kept going over all the vintage wonder-lovelies I'd passed on in the last year or so because, although I could completely envision what I would do to make them beautiful and new again, I just kept asking myself, but then what? Where will I put them? I don't have the space. But now I know. I would save them from the landfill, save them from being forgotten, save them up for next year's junk show, and have

unspeakable amounts of fun along the way with all that

JUNK.

p.s. Thanks to Marianne Wiest, the official event photographer, for all these gorgeous shots.

Sale Time part 2

2011-09-22T08:43:00.001-06:00

It's time for a sale again! Starting Monday September 26th through Friday September 30th

enter the coupon code:

at checkout and get 30% off anything in my Etsy shop.

Aaaaand....

Keep checking back here on the blog all next week for the low-down on my very first giveaway.

Forget-Me-Not

2011-09-20T09:07:00.001-06:00

Whew! I am still catching my breath from this last weekend, which saw me and my bestie doing our first ever vintage market/ junk show together- the first of any kind of exhibiting of my crafty goods I have ever done at all. I will have photos and a full report (I learned so much) soon, but first, I wanted to share with you, oh bloglanders, a really beautiful day my kiddos and I spent together last week; our one last summer hurrah.

I am never particularly enthusiastic about summer's arrival. Fall is my season of choice by far. But there is something magically enticing about that in-between time of year...when the days call for a steaming cup of tea and a sweater in the mornings, but strawberries and bare feet by afternoon.

We had let the smoke from the forest fires keep us indoors for several days, and I just couldn't take it anymore. We needed to get out and I kept thinking of this little spot by Lolo Creek, where the water is slow and clear and the trees on the banks are thick, blocking out the sounds and sights of the rest of the world.
There was a little smoke in the air, but we pretended it was a campfire smell and forged ahead.

The signs of autumn filled the forest: fat grey squirrels noisily warning us away from their winter stores, dried wildflower seed pods still on their stems, and leaves, half-turned, half- green landing in the water and floating away. But the day was also much warmer than we had expected it to be, and the water was not to be resisted. When rolling up pant legs and hiking up skirts proved to be insufficient, the kids simply took off the bottom half of their clothes and splashed in the water and squished in the mud in their shirts and undies to their hearts' content. And my heart's content.

I never cease to be amazed by my children's natural inclination to explore the world around them and learn from what they observe. The lessons I plan for these outings are almost always set aside and replaced by their own discoveries. And nature never fails to provide. On this day, it was caterpillars that captured our curiosity. We saw several kinds, but mostly, the creek banks were swarming with these little guys:

The Banded Wooly Bear

Which we discovered, to our amazement, can swim! Really, this is not a photo of a caterpillar drowning. We watched this little guy willfully work his way down the muddy bank and into the water, then propel himself out into the current with side-to-side motions, turning his body into a letter C in first one direction, then the other, again and again. The discovery has since sent us on a caterpillar information hunt and we're planning our own caterpillar house, so we can watch the metamorphosis at home.

The mornings this week have turned beyond cup-of-tea and sweater cold, and I find that I am increasingly glad that we took that day last week to bid summer farewell. Even though I never regret the coming of fall, the memories of summertime call out to me...

Words, or the lack thereof...

2011-09-14T09:28:00.001-06:00

Lately, I feel I have had so many different thoughts whirling through my mind that I can hardly choose words to describe them. I take to my blog, this blog, wanting to write something that has meaning, something that reaches someone else, something that is beautiful and true. But when I close my eyes and breathe, listening to what's in my heart and mind, I find I have only images...only raw ideas driven by my deepest desire: to never live a halfway, just fine life. Just fine is not enough. And, yes, some of the images have words because my heart beats in syntax, but the words are blood-warm and spare.

hope

work

endure

thankful

strong

I can

I will

together

Then there are the now images--the memory making, hold-them-close pictures of life in our family each day.

earth. our little bit.

black and cold and clean.

prepare. not long until the cold.

goodness. sustain.

bounty. blushing. sweet.

happiness.

Maybe, though, the spare words are the right ones. Like that game that is played by one person shouting out a word and everyone else responding, thoughtlessly, with the first thing that comes into their mind. Or like William Carlos Williams with This is Just to Say (one of my favorite pieces of poetry of all time). The words are hardly there, only slightly composed, but somehow tangible and true.

I hope the words in your mind now are true and beautiful for you.

Window Upcycle

2011-09-12T11:16:00.001-06:00

I have a thing for old windows. I've used them as picture frames, as art, as room dividers... Windows, to me, seem to let in light even when there is no light to be had. Just the physical presence of a something so fragile as a sheet of glass, encased in something so strong as a frame of solid wood is, to me, an influence of beauty and peace in a home.

Here is an old single pane lovely which I have hand painted. It will be available at my shared booth with Miss S this coming weekend at the Prairie Sisters shindig here in Missoula:

Hope to see you there.

Come on Autumn...

2011-09-11T15:00:00.001-06:00

Finding comfort today in the coming of fall...in both images and words.

748

Autumn—overlooked my Knitting—
Dyes—said He—have I—
Could disparage a Flamingo—
Show Me them—said I—

Cochineal—I chose—for deeming
It resemble Thee—
And the little Border—Dusker—
For resembling Me—

-emily dickinson

A Chalkboard

2011-09-09T09:49:00.001-06:00

It struck me a couple of days ago: We need a chalkboard.

The kids and I have been learning about bread; the history of bread, its significance as a universal food, different types of bread from cultures around the world...

(look at these beautiful loaves we made!)

...when it occurred to me that we'd come across the word 'culture' quite a bit in our recent reading. And I suddenly had an old-school urge to write it on the board and define it for the class.

But we had no board. So we set out to do something about that. A visit to my favorite source for perfectly good, usable junk, Home Resource, left us in possession of a wonderfully wide, shallow kitchen drawer,

a quart of creamy butter-yellow paint, aaaand...a few other things that we didn't exactly need, but let's just say they needed us to give them new life. Anyhow, a little elbow grease and a can of Krylon chalkboard paint later...

...voila!

I'm so excited. Didn't it turn out cute? And it's already been put to good use...

...with our inspirational vocabulary word o' the week.

*happy sigh* I love a good project well done. And I have been swimming in projects around here lately. If you are anywhere near the Missoula, MT area, you can come by the fairgrounds next Saturday, September 17th and see some of the fruits of my labor at the Prairie Sisters Party, where my bestie and I will be sharing a booth. There will be a couple more kitchen-drawer chalkboards, a whole herd of my signature stick horses, and a slew of vintage finds for your home. Including these lovelies...

And for those of you who can't make it to Montana for a junk/craft show weekend of prettiness, never fear. Starting next week, most of the aforementioned items will also be available in my Etsy shop.

Now I'm off to gather the kids in the kitchen and further explore bread and culture by making tortillas. Have a lovely fall day, blogland.

Back to School

2011-09-06T08:26:00.001-06:00

The phrase 'back-to-school', for our family, means something a little different. It comes at the end of summer, same as for the most other families, as the mornings cool and the air begins to smell of earth and change...

...but it has little to do with shopping at the mall. Or lists of supplies. Or bus routes or lunch menus or new backpacks and shoes. For us, 'back-to-school' time is simply a gentle, gradual shift in the rhythm of our home...

...until our activities become more planned and purposeful, perhaps our time spent more in pondering and asking questions and reading and talking about what we've read than it has been for two or three months.

This year, a part of that gradual change has been a physical change in our small living space, bringing things like art supplies, maps, science books, and math games out into our main living room area, so that those things are in sight and in mind when little hands reach for something to do.

To help us organize it all, and in the grand Missoula free-on-the-curb tradition of home furnishings, we found this awesome shelf/ commercial kitchen unit thing, in need of just a little clean up and a corner to call its own.

We washed it down with the garden hose (note to parents: work = fun when garden hose is involved)...

...gave the shelves a coat of paint we had on hand, and voila:

Like so many other pieces of our home, it may not be magazine-worthy, but it fills our need and cost us nothing. And there's something deeply satisfying in that.

So, how about all you homeschooling families out there? What does 'back-to-school' mean for you? Whatever it means, enjoy the moments it brings you and, if you're like me, the discovery of yourself you find in your children everyday.

Kindness

2011-09-01T09:21:00.001-06:00

It takes a lot to make my blogroll. If you look over there, on the right side bar, you'll notice there are only five names listed under Beauty in Blogland. Those aren't the only blogs I read, of course, and they are obviously not the only blogs I consider to be good. I read dozens of blogs each week that are fun, entertaining, stylish, pretty, inventive, unique...and other light, but generally positive adjectives. Those on my blogroll, however, are the blogs that speak to my soul. When I read posts (or see the images) from these women (they are all women at this point) I am moved and inspired to let go of things in my life that don't matter; to be a better, truer, deeper me. And I don't need long to know when I've found a blog worthy of the Beauty list or not. Usually, it's love at first click. Just like the books.

And yesterday I discovered a new one.

It happened like this: I was checkin' the tweets when I saw this from someone called @kindnessgirl:

"What will this day be like? I wonder..."

So of course, I had to jump in there and reply:

"What will my future be? I wonder..."

To which @kindnessgirl responded:

@amberjunek "You knew. We must be soul sisters."

I immediately had to read her blog. And, it turns out, Kindness Girl was exactly what my soul needed. A little less worrying, a little less stressing and scheduling, a little more thinking about someone other than me.

After reading through her last dozen posts or so, I called up my BF and we set out to the library to do this:

(these are photos from kindnessgirl.com. We could sneak around our small library with post-its, but I think a camera would have been noticed.)

The point was to leave notes of encouragement and, well, kindness for others to find. Notes that would, hopefully, be just what they needed. We included our kids in this, to their delight, and it was strange....as I wandered around looking for just the right book to put just the right message in, every now and then a book would sort-of jump out at me, and I knew that was the one. That the person who would find that book would be the person who needed the message I would put there. And it felt good.

So, I hope this post doesn't come off as too blog-stalkerish, but I want to thank you, Kindness Girl, for what you continually do, and for reminding everyone in blogland and beyond:

Book Love

2011-08-31T07:42:00.001-06:00

It's happened again. Meet my new love:

It was inevitable, I suppose, with the dream-team combination of Phyllis Root and Mary Grandpre.

But just look at it. It's beautiful.

And it doesn't hurt that the story is one with deep roots in folklore- some of my favorite stories are.

This one is a Nordic tale of a brave and witty girl who goes looking for the sun when it suddenly ceases to rise. The wording is simple but evocative, transforming nouns like light and dark to living things:

"Sunlight followed Lucia through the front door and poured across the floor,

as warm and as sweet as honey."

Love it.

I'm also really enjoying (though not on the same level of deep love, of course- that is reserved for picture books only) :

I have never seen the movie, and really picked this up by chance, but I decided I'd like to read a Civil War story in which I did not utterly despise all the characters.

I'm finding that Mr. Frazier writes beautifully, describing the land, the characters, the events with a telling poetic clarity that transcends their physical appearances.

But what I am loving most of all (and I'm really not very far into it) is watching Ada and Ruby

take control of Ada's farmland, wasting not an inch of space or an ounce of resource. The way we homesteaders-stuck-in-the-burbs would do it if we could.

(Can I get an amen, self-sufficient farm sisters?)

And for some more book love...

I am now officially bringing my passion for vintage books to you, dear readers and discerning shoppers, with

coordinated decorator sets of vintage books now available in my Etsy shop.

Aren't they pretty?

And, if you want, you can read them too.

Open the Door

2011-08-25T23:01:00.000-06:00

This time of year is always hard for me.The mornings hold the promise of autumn in their brisk chill, but (apply dramatic martyr voice here) how quickly the sun burns those hopes away! It's hot. It's dry. And by the end of August in Montana, the valleys all hold the swirling smoke of a half-dozen wildland fires; a sooty haze that only intensifies the heat.

Water has become our refuge.

Last week, before the smoke set in too heavily in our town, we spent two days at one of our favorite little mountain beaches; a spot on the Bitterroot river where a marsh-willow covered sometimes-island splits the current and, on one side, the water slows to a kid-friendly pace.

There's something about rivers that speaks of stillness and omni-presence to me, despite the constant motion of the water's flow and gradual change of it's path.

To quote Norman Maclean:

"Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters."

A couple of days later, we found ourselves hiking in the Bitterroot Mountains, alongside a body of water with a different kind of voice: a cold and rushing, change-is-coming voice.

The voice of a mountain creek.

We stripped our feet bare and washed the summer dust away, wading into the water deep enough to let the icy water redden our skin and nearly numb our legs with cold. Then we sat on the rocks in the sun for awhile, warming up just enough to want to do it again.

This week, however, the smoke arrived. Bringing with it itchy eyes and sore throats and leaving a much-anticipated-but-now-cancelled camping trip in its wake.

I can't wait for fall. I want an excuse to wear sweaters and boots, eat soup (lots of soup!), and every morning, wake up and open the door- if for no other reason than to breathe in the cooling earth and clean sky.

Until then, I suppose, we will just have to hunker down in our (thankfully) air-conditioned digs and make plans that involve knee-socks, leaf piles, and copious amounts of apple pie.

What part of fall are you most looking forward to?

I'm thinking...

2011-08-22T10:57:00.000-06:00

Last week I scored some vintage sheets and pillowcases (translation: fabric on the cheap) at my local Goodwill. I used my favorite one -a pretty, ruffly sham- to make myself a simple blouse:

and the rest I've just kind of had draped around my little studio corner, with the last (*gasp*) of my gray polka dots (one of may all-time favorite vintage fabric finds), waiting for the right idea.

I'm thinking...

a cowboy shirt for Riles, using this vintage pattern courtesy of Grandma.

Oooh! or the blue/mustard print for the cowboy shirt.

Save the floral for Laurelei.

This? The blue-pocket style one? Hmmm...maybe...

or something a little more like this:

Or both.

Yup. Perfect.

Now all I have to find is the time.

p.s. Would anyone be interested in a little tutorial on the sham shirt? Let me know in the comments and if there's enough interest I'll cook one up.