Nostalgic Summer: Handmade…. For all Generations

This post is about honoring art and craft, a celebration of creative people of all generations.

I think the creative gene is well established in me. My mom is a quilter and seamstress extraordinaire. My dad was a wood worker and a crafter. He was a master with the table saw. I have very artistic brothers, nieces, nephews and cousins…Well the list could go on, but my point is the idea of handmade is well ingrained in me.

This is a butterfly I embroidered when I was about 13-14. I already had the creative bug then and I embroidered and embellished all my denim jackets and jeans.

My dad loved wood, and the more exotic the better. He had a vast knowledge and collection of wonderful rare and exotic veneers he used for all his projects. He loved to make toys, tables, knife holders, baby cradles, etc. If you brought him a picture of something you wanted, within a few days he would have five of them lined up in various stages of production!
Here are some of the pieces he made that we cherish today.

A cute barn he made for my son when he was little, it includes all the wooden animals but I didn't unpack them. Notice the little gate peeking from inside...it opens and closes!

A cedar box he made when I was a child.

I remember my very colorful grandmother collecting driftwood at our lake cabin in the summer, bringing it back to her home in Chicago and creating fantastic pieces of art with her florist friend.

Unfortunately we don't have any of her wonderful creations, but if my grandmother were alive today she would be creating something with this!

And as you all know my mom is 91 and still going strong. Her quilts are all beautiful treasures. Everyone in our family can’t wait to receive on of these coveted prizes!

This is a quilt she made for me.

...And these are two twin size quilts she made for my son when he was little. We drew the design with colored pencils. They are really amazing and I hope someday my son has enough wall space to hang them. They are really pieces of art!

I recently spoke with a woman whose 94 years young mother still crochets for all her friends.

I think that generation knew the value of handmade. And by the looks of Etsy, Artfire and all the online venues for selling crafts and handmade goods there is a new generation who know the value of handmade.

So I encourage you to know the value of handmade, support an artist, buy handmade, or maybe stretch your creative wings and start a craft of your own!