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!

"Do not worry about your originality. You could not get rid of it even if you wanted to."

- Robert Henri.

 

Valentines Day…A Few Fun Facts

“I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.” -Elizabeth Barrett Browning

You all know I couldn’t let Valentines Day go by without some Valentine Fun Facts! So here are a few sweet treats for you this Valentines Day:

Saint Valentine’s Day was established in 496 AD by Pope Gelasius to honor  the Christian martyr Saint Valentine.

 

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, when lovers said or sang their Valentines. Written Valentines began to appear after 1400.

 

Symbols associated with Valentine's Day include: love knots; hearts, cupids.

Cupid, that sweet mischievous little guy is the most famous valentine symbol. Who doesn’t love a chubby little winged child with a bow and arrow!

In ancient Greece he was known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. To the Roman's he was Cupid, and his mother was Venus.

The symbol of the heart is an ancient one, and difficult for historians to trace.

Perhaps the first known use of the heart shape comes from the 7th

century BC, in Cyrene. In that city, at that time, Silphium was a

plant so highly prized for it's use as birth control that it became

extinct. The seeds of Silphium were shaped like hearts, however,

making historians believe that the heart shape we know today was based

upon this early form of birth control. ….Hummmm

  The Love Knot is a stylized knot regarded as a symbol of the constancy of two lovers. Also called lovers' knot, modern western knotting literature has the name for these related knots deriving from stories or legends in which the knots symbolize the connection between a couple in love.

 

Enjoy Valentines Day….eat some chocolate  and watch out for Cupids Arrow!

Happy Birthday…. February!

A little birthstone history, fact, lore and legend.

February, known in Welsh as “y mis bach” – the little month, is also known by the Anglo Saxons as “Sol-monath”, the cake –month because cakes were offered to the Gods during this month.

Along with Valentines Day, I’d say February is pretty “sweet!”

…..Anyway,

February’s  traditional birthstone is the amethyst.

Amethyst, the gemstone believed by ancient Greeks and Romans to ward off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus, also is said to keep the wearer clear-headed and quick-witted. Very handy if you’re  spending a bit to much time with Bacchus!

  Throughout history, the gemstone has been associated with many myths, legends, religions, and numerous cultures.  English regalia were even decorated with amethysts during the Middle Ages to symbolize royalty.

Amethyst is purple quartz, a beautiful blend of violet and red that can found in every corner of the earth. Historically, the finest amethysts were found in Russia and were featured in much royal European jewelry.

 

And if you remember from January’s Birthday post, most months have more than one birthstone, the modern and traditional, and the mystical. 

February’s modern birthstone is also amethyst. Alternate birthstones are onyx, and moonstone.

The mystical birthstone for the month is bloodstone. Bloodstone is a variety of dark green chalcedony spotted with red is also known as Heliotrope 

Bloodstone was once used as an amulet in the belief that it could stop bleeding. It was also said to be able to turn the sun red and to make thunder and lightning occur. It was supposed to give the wearer clairvoyance while preserving his faculties and health.

Enjoy "y mis bach" , Happy Valentines Day...and Happy Birthday February!

Stay tuned, next month for Happy Birthday… March!

 

“All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much.”

- George Harrison

 

 

Nostalgic Summer Catch Up

After a very mild start, winter has finally reared it's ugly head here in Minnesota! I feel I'm getting soft though, as I remember thinking January temps in the mid 30's were a heat wave!

Anyway....I have been busy. Working on some new pieces, getting ready for a boutique and valentines day.

I had the pleasure of meeting with my HandmadeMN Etsy group in person last week at Glueks Restaurant in Minneapolis. We had a great time, meet so many fantastic artists, and learned lots!

After participating in my first boutique last fall, I have been bitten by the boutique/market bug. Look for more to come this year!

The first one will be on February 9th. It's the Material Girls Boutique...And I hope everyone in the Mpls area will come out. There will be lots of great vendors, appetizers, wine (first glass is FREE*) and giveaways!

Here's the link to the Material Girls Boutique Facebook page: MGB

And here's a sneak peek at some of the new pieces Nostalgic Summer will be selling exclusively at this boutique.

Have a great week..and I hope to see you at the Material Girls Boutique!

Jewelry Trends 2012

So… you all know how I love to research. Well I’ve been checking out the jewelry trends for 2012. And I am happy to say Nostalgic Summer is very comfortable with what’s hitting the runways this year. Reused, recycled, vintage, pearls, crosses - 2012’s jewelry trends sound very familiar to me. Here are the top ten trends we will be seeing this year 1. Handmade jewelry. Got this one in the bag! 2. Antique and classic jewelry. What more can I say, I’m a vintage jewelry junkie.

3. Natural jewelry with a flora & fauna inspiration. 4. Bright colored jewelry. Like the bright colors in our vintage advertising art pendants.

5. Bold, big and chunky. 6. Blues, turquoise, navy, aqua, dark blue and azure. I am in love with the blues!

7. Crosses. I guess by know you all know my love for vintage religious items.

8. Pendant necklaces. I've just introduced a line of big bold pendants.available soon on Etsy. Here's a sneak peek.

9. Gemstones and crystals. 10. Pearls and beads. For me, these last two are a given. You can never have enough gemstones, crystals, pearls or beads!

And it is good to see major designer getting on the green bandwagon. Here’s a quote from ThadFashion.com: “Green Eco Conscious” Movement It is actually sweet to witness eco-friendly things on the runways - this only means designers have learned (although forcefully) to be more resourceful and see beauty in other materials. Such as Mari & Lani Davis, Alex and Ani, and Tamra Gentry are concerned with “recycle and reuse” philosophies in their styles. Whether its plainly about recycling with plastic milk cartons, utilized newspapers, or whatever trash there is… fascinating and thrilling jewelry is literally popping up just about everywhere. And personally, it’s all about how things are put together, regardless of materials." I would say these great trends make it easy for everyone to find their style this year. Visit Nostalgic Summer’s Etsy shop for our interpretation of these trends. Read more about the trends here.

Hunt and Gather......

Since we have had such a mild winter (so far) here in Minnesota, John and I have spent the last two weekends exploring Minnesota. We usually spend winter weekends cross country skiing....no snow and temps in the 50's have put a hold on that.


Here's a little view into my last two "Hunt & Gather" weekends.

New Years Day found us out exploring Hopkins. They have several great antique shops, and I tried to hit them all. Our first stop was Blake Antiques. This shop has been around for as long as I can remember.

I love visiting this shop, but don't usually find much for re-purposing. I did well this time!

They had a few religious medals, that wonderful old brass box chain and the brass and red rhinestone pendant. I already know how I'm going to use that!
The next stop was this cute little red brick shop...The owners name was Red! So cute.

I did not find anything here, but I will be back. The shop is cute and the owner is so nice.
This next shop is new. People were still setting up their booths.It's Antiques On Mainstreet.

Again, I went out empty handed. But It is a great shop, and I'm sure I'll find some goodies next time.

Last weekend we visited Becker and Monticello. Pedal In Antiques in Becker is charming
I found some wonderful European type antique skeleton keys. Love the one with the square top!

We also visited a newer (they are celebrating one year) shop in Monticello. Antiques Monticello was fantastic. The vendors were super nice! I hit the jackpot there and just about cleaned them out. At least the rosaries!



And....I just received this package of goodies in the mail from my favorite online vintage supplier.

Don't you love the Mona Lisa locket? The grape cluster pendant charms are wonderful! I am so excited to work with them.

Gotta go for now.....it's finally SNOWING here. A perfect winter day to create with my new stash!
I'll post my creations soon! :-)

“Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.” — Albert Einstein

Guilty Pleasures….

guilty pleasure: noun 1: something pleasurable that induces a usually minor feeling of guilt

We all work so hard and spend so much time on others that we forget about ourselves.

Now I’m not into resolutions, but I am going to commit time this year to guilty pleasures…and to get all of you on the guilty pleasure bandwagon I’m starting a monthly feature “Guilty Pleasures”.

I hope you will enjoy this feature and will leave LOTS of comment on your guilty pleasures.

My January pleasures,

Pinterest…. I have had my Pinterest account for several months but never knew what to do with it. I spent some guilty pleasure time last night playing with it. I am in LOVE!



Candles are also a guilty pleasure (more like an obsession). These are a pin on my Family Room Board.

I think I’ll pin a Guilty Pleasure Board!

Ugh….These next few I can only dream about for the next few months. Can we say "Healthy Eating Plan" :-(
Byerly’s Killer Brownies


A glass of red wine

OH…and it can be cheap wine! *Love Trader Joe's
Those are my January Guilty Pleasure reveals. Let me know what some of yours are….. I promise I won’t tell ANYBODY!

Leave me a link to your Pinterest account, I enjoy following!
Here's my Pintrest account