Blast from the past pillow...

For the first time in a long time, I'm living in a place with a front porch.  So I've been adding elements that make it a comfortable place to spend time.  The cushions on my bent willow chair badly needed recovering, so I've recently tackled that project.  It was a small project, and a good way to ease back into my sewing machine's good graces.

I re-use the same pillows for a very long time.  How long?  Well, when I took off the outer layer of one, I found this:

Humble beginnings!  This is a pillow I made in Home Economics class in Grade 7.  The felt has pulled as it's worn under a layer of covering fabric, but it's in relatively good shape.  Ugly, but in good shape!  lol

So it's not got a new cover (the fabric is from an old Ikea bedspread).  And I'll soon forget what's inside, until I get another pleasant (if humbling) surprise.

Not quite a post card...

While waiting for the postcards to arrive, I realized that I still had a stash of those mini cards from MOO.com. Whipped up some note cards, tucked in some extra mini-moos... and all but one are sent out. And (!) I've received a letter already, so Round 2 will start shortly. :)

Wish You Were Here...

summer
Originally uploaded by Erin Wilson (wilsonian)

I'm doing a little photo project thanks to a little magic happening over at Shutter Sisters. Real live snail-mail penpals, incorporating our photography.

I'm going to make some post cards of the places that are meaningful to me, and then send them out to my Shutter Sister matches.

Since I'm making up some cards, I thought I might open the pool a little. Anyone want to exchange real mail? Yours doesn't have to involve photography, if that's not your thing. But something personal included with a note would be amazing.

Leave a message here if you're interested, and we'll sort out the postal details off-blog.

Neighbourhood Camp of a different sort...

"Master weaver Babajan of the Los Angeles weaving shop, Pets With Fez, wove his first rug at the age of six, a lovely tapestry sampler populated by frogs and turtles. He grew up in San Francisco, the son of a Kurdish shepherd who fought in World War I as a teenager before emigrating to the States. Baba’s father worried that in America there were no programs where his sons could learn the cultural traditions of his homeland. So the extended family came together to run an after-school program modeled on their villages. Aunts, uncles — whomever knew a technique — would give lessons in traditional weaving, music, and languages. Baba and his brothers all studied weaving but it became clear that it was only a calling for Baba." -via Etsy's The Storque. (worth clicking through to see the brilliant photos by Faythe Levine)

Yes, a theme developing here. What are your skills? Who are you passing them on to?

Neighbourhood Camp

"A few summers ago, the granddad of one of Emma's classmates invited a few kids to a week long summer "cribbage camp". It was held every morning for a couple of hours. The kids would meet, pair up, and learn all the components of cribbage from the granddad. It was extremely cute and quite serious, and we would often come in at pick up time to a completely quiet house, a roomful of kids completely absorbed in their games." -Blair, at Wise Craft.

What a brilliant idea this is. Someone's granddad got to share a skill. Kids got to learn a skill. Kids were happy. Parents were happy. It didn't cost a lot of money, and knit the neighbourhood a little tighter. Does it get any better than this?!

I wonder what kind of skills are exist in your neighbourhood? There are so many amazing possibilities for those who are open.

And you know... I'm thinking that a grown-up version of this would be pretty much divine.

I Am Peerless

"It's so hard to stand out. It will always be hard. But it's absolutely necessary if you want to survive and thrive. Uncommon and unparalleled vision cannot be easily imitated. That's your goal. Don't bet the farm on a passing technique or technology that may or may not be here tomorrow, nor may it stand the test of time. Instead, bet the farm on unmatched, unequalled, unsurpassed vision. That which is solely inward. And all about you. Not your tools and techniques." -Jack Hollingsworth

Writer, painter, designer... or photographer? This is such a great read, regardless of your medium.

Feeling like a little summer camp...?

Think your summer camp days are behind you? They don't have to be.



I had such a good time with the Mondo Beyondo experience, I did the class twice. And the brilliant gals behind MB have baked up a summer camp for grown-ups called Mondo Beyondo Dream Lab. The best stuff from summer camp, except that you get to sleep in your own bed and there are no mosquitos.

*I'm stepping out a bit with this post. The links provided in this post are affiliate links. That means that if you sign up for the Dream Lab through this post, I get a commission. If you know me at all, you might find this a departure for me. It's more in my nature to simply send you to the site. I'll tell you why I chose a different route: I tend to be a cheerleader about things I like. I will, from time to time, include a post like this promoting something that I've experienced and loved. If I've signed on as an affiliate, and attached my name to something, you know that I'm serious. Whenever I post an affiliate link, I will include a disclaimer like this, just so we're all clear.

Some quick plant tags for my container garden...

Old silver forks I can't seem to part with + plastic cut from litter container + black permanent marker

Easy peasy, and prettier than the plastic alone.

Sari Maker

Photographer Matt Brandon has posted a great multi-media piece from his recent workshop in India. Wasim: The Sari Maker of Varanasi is beautiful. I also found it to be powerful. It's hard not to be moved when you see the humanity of someone who works long hours creating beauty for others by embellishing textiles... yet receives such a small amount of compensation.

Oh yeah, I'm posting this on every blog I have! lol. Can I tell you about the very neat thing that happened to me today? The super cool Sabrina Henry interviewed me on her photography blog!

I'm obviously a fan of Sabrina's, and love her blog. She has a way of writing posts and asking questions that are thought-provoking and community-building. And her photographs, particularly from her recent African safari, are gorgeous. Sabrina is a generous soul, and it was such a great experience to work through the questions she posed!

I have to admit that it's also a little weird though, putting myself out there like this. I feel a like I'm standing against the wall at a Grade 7 dance. If only Ladies Night would come on the radio... I'd know exactly what to do. ;)