handmade holidays: milestones and memories

In January, my maternal grandmother turns 90. Ninety. Isn't that amazing? What an accomplishment. Unbeknownst to her (good thing she's not on the internet - er, that I know of!), a large contingent of us are gathering together on the 29th to surprise her and celebrate together. I'm bringing a couple of fruitcakes that I made and aged this year (my first attempt at following in my grandfather's footsteps), and this pin.

How my grandfather ended up living and gardening in New Mexico while my grandmother stayed in Oregon with us is a long story. Suffice to say, it happened. In the 1990s, my grandmother went down to visit him a number of times, and when she returned, she would always have a new set of beaded earrings or a new beaded necklace or something. I remember how much she loved this set of beaded earrings with garnets (her birthstone) in them. So, to honour her 90th birthday, I decided to make her a new beaded piece with that same Southwest feel. I couldn't find a good garnet cabochon, as I was limited (by time) to searching shops in town instead of hunting on the internet. This turquoise seemed a good substitute. The black seed beads are glass, but all the other beads are semi-precious stone: carnelian (orange), coral (pink and red), garnet (dark red - a bit hard to make out, but they lie inside the ring of pink coral) and amazonite (pale blue). I do hope she likes it; it was really fun to do some sewn beadwork and peyote work again - it's been so long, I'd forgotten how soothing and satisfying this work is to do.

In fact, it inspired another beaded present, that I'll have to show you once I finish getting the backing on! More to come! Happy holidays, everyone!

handmade holidays: lookin' sharp!

I saw a picture of a necklace like this this summer and it blew my mind. What a gorgeous idea! It's made of howlite spears, quartz points, and brass box chain. I love this; made one for a girlfriend and one for me (couldn't resist)!

handmade holidays: architectural tradition

Cass' annual arch t-shirt is done! I only managed to make one for him this year - but he likes it, so ok! The design is a motif from the sidelight window in the George Blossom House in Chicago (a Frank Lloyd Wright house). I made a paper stencil and affixed it using repositionable spray adhesive (it's meant for photo albums, but it's super for one-time paper stencils - it doesn't leave a residue on the shirt, and afterwards, I just tear the stencil away and heat-set the paint). I applied three good solid coats of paint over three days, just like I did last year (the red print on grey), because I've found that really holds up to repeated washings and wearings.

Cass says it looks like the logo for some kind of superhero organization ... from the 70s. But he's down with that.

handmade holidays 2012: the memory of a star

in one of the tests my friend underwent earlier this year, her full body scan "lit up like a star" at her throat, where she'd developed a malignant tumour on her thyroid. Pretty, but deadly. She had mentioned she'd like something starry to commemorate her survival, but it took me a long time to figure out what to make. I sent a trio of chokers earlier this year, to cover the scar while she gets used to it (I've always thought scars were interesting; they're like writing on the pages of our bodies - they tell a story of survival and endurance), and this is going to her for yuletide, for when she no longer feels she needs to cover it up. Made of faceted onyx and vintage West German glass beads, it features faceted solar quartz stones, a silver donut, and a large dyed agate stone with a fringe of amythests (with starry bead caps) and silvery star charms. A celebration of life, and the memory of that excised fatal star.

handmade holidays 2012: bullet casing and quartz necklaces

 

I really like the look of old bullet casings used as bezels or settings for pendants, especially when the pendant is a crystal or a bit of deer horn, natural materials. I like the smooth, industrial lines of the bullet casing and the old brass colour. 

 

 

When I came across these etched bullet casings at one of my local bead shops, my mind was really blown; they were so pretty, it was really hard to choose between patterns! They were a bit pricey, but I couldn't resist. I picked out one for a friend and one for myself. Fortunately, I still have a number of quartz points on hand (one of my bead stores sold me one strand, ONCE. It has been impossible to find drilled quartz points otherwise - there must be a real run on them in the craft world these past few years). I fiddled about until I found two that fit the bullet casings and then simply set them with epoxy and let them cure overnight. boom! done! =)

 

I hung hers from a nice brass chain, since it is a yuletide gift; I didn't have any other delicate chain around, so I strung my own on leather thong with a brass hook to close it.

 

My husband observed that this is a very "swords into ploughshares" aesthetic. I think I like it even more since he said that. I think I like these etched casings even more than the standard smooth ones.

more projects on the way - a bit late this year, but it's been a really hectic quarter. I'm juggling several projects right now, trading off nights stitching, beading, hammering metal. All my yule presents will be late this year - oh well! It's the love that counts, right?

harvest 2012: garlic dill pickles

I just realized how many things I haven't posted here. There's another jam, too ... I've got to find the pictures. I know I have them somewhere.

In September, my mother-in-law gave my husband a bag of HUGE cucumbers to give to me. They were a litle overblown, but I figured they'd make lovely pickles. Honestly, I'm not sure what recipe I used anymore. I think I modified it from this one. All I know is there's no dill seed in here. I packed the fresh cucumber slices with 1 dried chile de arbol, one or two whole cloves of garlic (peeled) and a few sprigs of dill. And then I poured vinegar over it. I must have put salt in the vinegar, too, though - right? Ugh, so hard to remember. I wish I did, though - I like to keep track of these things.

I did an initial batch with my first kilner jars, one of which didn't seal. I popped it in the fridge and started snacking on pickle slices after a few weeks. These are REALLY good. Like New-York-deli-good!

harvest 2012: tomato sauce

unbelievable! Last week, I turned our final tomato harvest (left) into four jars of sauce (right). This has been perhaps the best growing season so far. Such a bountiful year; I feel so grateful to these little plants that kept on truckin' long past the autumn equinox - and to the sun for lingering so late.

More projects in the works ... trying to finish my halloween costume before Wednesday - I think I can make it, but I'm being fussy about things like binding the seams of my dress. I've also begun some holiday preparations that I can't wait to share - more soon!