Mabel and The Cat in the Hat
Many people live near their extended relatives while growing up. I was not one of those people. I lived near none of my extended family and traveled to see them about twice a year. What I did have was a next–door neighbor named Mabel Mattingly, who was a pretty darn crafty lady. She was in many ways my stand-in grandmother and gave me a deep appreciation for things done by hand.
Mabel made me my first quilt, which I will show you all sometime. Should I have children, that quilt and its matching pillow is my daughter’s. Mabel also made awesome apple turnovers, the like of which I’ve never had again. She provided our house with various jellies and jams for all the years I was growing up in that house. She used to go to Louisiana to visit her family and pick mayhaws and come back and make ‘em into jelly. Mmmmm. She also had a big garden and taught me how to garden as well. I had a postage-sized plot out back that gave me great joy. She canned a lot of vegetables- she is the reason I adore pickled okra today.
One of the major things that Mabel did was make ceramics. She was not a wheel potter, she was a ceramicist; she used molds. She had hundreds of molds on shelves in the garage, all tied up or wrapped with giant rubber bands. She had a big, deep kiln by the door to the kitchen, so deep that my small self couldn’t reach the bottom. She made me various things over the years, and I have 2 of them - a little turtle to put plants in, and a black witch hat. I also have a very pathetic vase she made with me - it’s the paint job that’s mostly pathetic. Mabel was an excellent painter - her colors were even and her finishes glossy. My witch hat isn’t very complicated, but some of the paint jobs she did were really intricate.
Hope you enjoy the little show that my kitten Callie put on with the hat that Mabel made me. Although I don’t know what happened to Mabel after she moved away, I always feel big warm fuzzies for her whenever I get out her handicrafts and remember the things she taught me to love.
@ the Market
If you’ve ever been to a craft fair, purchased a craft or piece of art, or sold at a fair, you’ll want to read the following two posts and the comments on them. This is the sort of post to inspire a new appreciation of artisans and handmade items - a great deal goes into the production of these items and what goes into being the person producing them.
I was really sorry to hear about Margaux’s experience at the Crafty Bastards fair in DC. As a regular Barbie-defacer when I was young, I am quite taken with Margaux’s work and the statements she makes with it. I really wish she made something with Barbie hair, as that was my favorite aspect to deface.
I am really disappointed in the show attendees. I am a former DC resident, and although it’s not probably the artsiest place around, it’s not a void, either, so why the unfriendlies? Plus,I’m sure the show attracted plenty of non-residents as well. So why so many people who came to a craft fair and made stupid, insensitive comments. Were they not expecting artisans? And for pete’s sake - the artist is right there and you’re being rude about her art to her face? Hello basic politeness? Plus, what’s up with people telling an artist what she “should” and “should not” be creative about? I think Margaux (and the other artists who put up with this crap) had tremendous restraint.
I have quite a few more thoughts about all this, and hey! I have a blog, so I can sit down and tell all of you all about them. If you want to read (and I am somewhat garrulous), then the rest is after the jump.
Blog Action Day: Crafts, Environmentalism, Swapping, Etc.
Today, October 15, is what they call Blog Action Day - a day during which bloggers are encouraged to make posts about the same thing - in this case environmentalism. Count me in.
What shall I post, thought I? I’ve already posted about crafts made from recycled stuff. It’s fairly obvious, if you read my blog at all regularly, that I approve of being environmentally conscious, and try to be environmentally friendly myself.
The main way that I try to be environmentally friendly, craft-wise, is by reusing things. For example, I shall soon be going on a hunt for wool sweaters and thrift and vintage stores that I can felt and turn into other shapes. Plus I tend to read Treehugger. Sometimes I feel like an environmentalist just for reading it. Is it totally cliche to like the Sierra Club these days? I still do, and I find myself envying their fundraising budget whenever I go to work, too.
SWAP STUFF:
Participating in swaps also helps with the re-using things. For example, there’s SwapDex, which posts swaps you can participate in. You can also check out the Swap Area on Craftster or log onto Get Crafty and check out the Swap Forum. On this coming Saturday you can participate in the Swap-O-Rama at the Maker Faire Austin or check out the Swap-O-Rama website for other swaps they do. Plus a lot of blogs/websites do swaps periodically, you just have to keep your eyes pieeled.
RECYCLED ART/CRAFT:
Your trash is truly someone else’s treasure. My friend Paula was halfway sure earlier today that a glittery top she gave away found its way into a costume store.
I live in a city that’s fairly environmentally conscious - for example the Keep Austin Beautiful campaign. This city is a place where I’m completely not surprised to see a Cathedral of Junk (and particularly unsurprised to see it on the south side) or have you ever heard of the “Enchanted Forest” work/live space here? I used to read articles about the “forest” back when it was a living place for the homeless. Interesting repurposing. Plus, I swear, Austin has the largest number of resale, consignment, thrift, junk, trash and/or secondhand stores on Earth.
Outside of Austin, the recycle/reuse thing is huge in the Craft world in general. Have you heard of Trashion? It’s a group of Etsy artists that make their art from what others throw away. They even have fashion (trashion, ’scuse) shows! And you can always find some kind of recycled art/craft being featured on the Craft zine. Re-made plastic shopping bags are completely chic at the moment no matter what they’re turned into.
Plus there’s lots of places to find/get/use vintage, but I’ll get into that on another date!
