Button Boxes & Epigenetics

My friend Gale posted a status update on Facebook the other day that has had me thinking.  She commented that she is turning into her grandma because she cuts the buttons off clothes before discarding them.  This led to delightful conversation about grandmas and button boxes.

Today, I offer a photo essay:

Welcome into my sewing room.  This shelf is a combination of new and old.  So much history and beauty and love and inspiration in one photo!  (Note the Precious Moments Bible; it was a gift from my paternal grandmother.)

The cigar box belonged originally to my maternal grandfather and later was one of my mom's button boxes.  Her buttons are still inside!  The tobacco tin to the left belonged to my maternal grandfather also.  The tin with the image of the girl is a vintage reproduction; it was a gift from my young friend Abby.

This round tin came to me from my maternal grandmother.  Many of her buttons still reside inside; those numbers are from my oldest uncle's Boy Scout uniform!

  

I'm delighted to share this lovely handcrafted container with you!  It was gifted to me by my Great Aunt Marg, R. A. Anderson's sister.  It belonged to my Great Grandma Anderson and was one of the family heirlooms that came to America from Europe.  Notice the writing on the exterior and interior of the lid.  Aunt Marg wrote the note inside the box and said Great Grandma had those rocks inside the bubble wrap when she gave it to Marg.

These live on a shelf in my living room.  The front jar belonged to Great Grandma Anderson too and holds her thimbles.  The jar in the back is a jar that once lived on the fabric cutting table at my grandparents' Ben Franklin store in Durand, Michigan.  (I have never removed anything from this jar; it was a catch all and remains a time capsule for me.  Notice the old Ben Franklin price tag on the front of the jar.)  The gold jar holds some of my acquired trinkets.

Finally, I give you yet another shelf in my sewing room.  The button jar in the foreground is an oddity that I bought at a Salvation Army store.  It came filled with buttons.  I felt sad for the jar when I bought it; a jar without a granddaughter to inherit it and love it.  It's my adopted head.


I've showed you mine; will you show me yours?  Please . . .


Oh, and if you are curious about epigenetics or wonder what the word means, read this article:
http://discovermagazine.com/2013/may/13-grandmas-experiences-leave-epigenetic-mark-on-your-genes#.U0bdJNpS0vg.facebook

On the Kind & Brave Revolution

I met Glennon last year at TedX in Traverse City, Michigan.  Immediately after, I devoured her book.  Laughing & crying in equal portions.  I am drawn to her authenticity and willingness to speak her truth.

She does this despite the fact that, in this world driven by social media, people will disagree with her truth.  Publicly.  Loudly.  (She also knows that there is a community of Monkees *visit her website for a description* who will applaud her truth telling.  Publicly.  Loudly.)

I am a Monkee.  Proudly.  Some days Glennon's words save me . . . and I'm not a mom.
Doesn't matter.  At Momastery everyone is in.  And love wins.

Several weeks ago she shared the story of her son's teacher's approach to creating an inclusive environment:  http://momastery.com/blog/2014/01/30/share-schools/

This post went viral.  Huge.  Tons of my friends shared it:  teachers, retired teachers, parents, non-parents, pastors, nonprofit leaders, politicians.  An unmarried childless businessman printed it and brought it to my friend who is a teacher at church.  It touched everyone who cares at all about kids and schools and our future as a society.

Yesterday there was an update on her blog:  http://momastery.com/blog/2014/03/04/kind-brave-revolution/

This morning, I watched the piece on the Today Show.  Yes, I loved it.  Yes, I felt teary and grateful.  Yes, I adore Glennon's son's teacher.  But the part I watched the news for was still missing:  then what?  

After the teacher identifies who needs some extra attention, some extra inclusion, what strategies does she use?  If the first blog post touched so much of us with Truth, the strategies need to be shared too!

Read these two articles.  Watch the Today Show clip.  
(The link isn't up as of 9 am.)  

Then talk to me about this.  What are your thoughts about What's Next?

Oh, and not just for teachers.  What's next for administrators?  What's next for community members?  What's next for YOU?

Inspiration...

Having just watered the flowerbeds the other morning, I doodled vines and journaled text on this prayer flag in the hot sunshine.  I couldn't read my journaling it was so bright and the oil pastels felt the heat a bit too!

This flag was a project that spanned several days.  Before adding photos to the flag, I captured the words I had written:

"I love my flowers and plants!  The colors, heights, textures, and layers.  I am happy to see them when I get home from work or a weekend away.  It's amazing to see how they have grown in my absence . . . who has blossomed without my watchful eye . . . who has wilted with sadness at my absence.  I feel blessed to have a bit of dirt to cultivate and care for."

This morning's musings led me to ponder how much inspiration comes from working with my plants . . . which led me to think about the role inspiration plays in my life . . . what and who inspires me . . .

Here are both flags from the reverse: 

Recently, I asked a friend what she thought my DREAM is.  

She said, "You dream of travel and of inspiring others every day."  

More on this to come . . . 

The Process:

As I said in my last post, there is rarely anything simple about "simply beginning" a project.  My intention of quickly printing some photos of my flowers and transferring them onto the flag, did not play out as expected.  I had some TAP (Lesley Riley's Transfer Artist Paper) onhand from a workshop I did with Lesley a little over a year ago.  Apparently my first package is "expired" as several attempts with different fabrics and FOUR different irons led to a sad girl with no transfers.

Luckily, I had a second package I had never opened.  The next day, I reprinted a sheet and had instantly fabulous results.  The bottom image is transferred directly onto the drop cloth fabric allowing some text to show through the transfer.  The top image was transferred onto a sheer fabric creating a whimsical daisy to flutter on the flag.  I machine stitched the casing closed creating some doodle lines with green bobbin thread and took the opportunity to stitch a trial transfer onto the back of the flag . . . and added a quick little Staz-On green "dream" stamp on the backside.

I think the suggestion of a shelf life on the TAP product is a good one; although, living on a lake may lead to extraordinary moisture levels so I'm going to be more careful to keep future sheets sealed.  Thanks, Lesley, for a truly versatile and amazing transfer product!

Breathe...

I'm wanting to embrace every day of summer, every hour of sunshine, and every moment of these too short months. It's hard to slow my brain down enough to create lately. I'm too focused on the outside to do lists and spending little time with the creative force that is ME.

Inspired by an article about prayer flags in Cloth, Paper, Scissors recently, I decided to ... Simply Begin. (I return to this mantra time and time again...to find that there is often nothing simple about it.)

Thus, the first prayer flag in what I hope will become a series. Meant to capture a wish or desire for, not just me, but the greater world around me. The intent of this first flag is to empower us all to focus on the breath for a moment...often...and refocus on that which is truly important.

It was a joy to journal on fabric...an old drop cloth with its own stains and flaws...and to add color with oil pastels...creating a focal point of light amidst gentle colors reflective of air. A bit of hand stitching sealed the cuff of this flag and was used to attach a commercially printed sheer to the reverse.

It is fluttering now, as I write in the sunshine, in my little flower bed...sending out love to you, the reader, and the sincere gift of a pause in your day.