Florence Green

Yesterday, the last WW1 veteran died,  a few weeks before her 111th birthday. Florence Green was a British woman who joined the WRAF at 17 to work as a waitress in the Royal Air Force canteens. She never saw combat,  never flew in a plane and was in fact frightened of flying, but she tirelessly dished up meals and support as long as she was needed. Her long life would seem modest and unremarkable, with marriage, children, a long time job in a hotel, volunteer work with the British Legion, knitting and cooking... An ordinary life, long lived and well lived.

possible fashion reality for Florence Green:

These years of the Edwardian Era, also known as the Gilded Era,  has a hold on our collective imaginations that doesn't seem to wane.  Recently Downton Abbey, before that Brideshead Revisited, the Titanic Movie and even Mary Poppins via  Broadway and reissued Disney movies has kept the captivation going.  We covet the opulent lifestyles of the fortunate few with their fabulous fashions and jewelry, the never ending social events in abbeys and mansions with servants in every corner. The contrast with the political climate, approaching war, social changes coming into their own with the suffragette movement and the labor unions adds reality and balance, and we can also see some disturbing parallels to our current era.  So, here's hoping to keep on a path to improvement in our times, and in the meantime we can enjoy some of the eye candy from these other days.

an art deco dress: 

layers of lace, amazing jewelry: 



"... Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved..."

--John McCrae

Watching the Clock

"...but at my back I always hear, time's winged chariot hurrying near"                                                 --Andrew Marvell  

 

... some melodramatic words, but moving into another month of another year, and also noting that we are now less than 300 days until Handmade Parade 2012, (and therefore 2013! and so on!) brings the passage of time under the microscope, again. Whether we are goal oriented-- the clock watcher and list making type--  or are blessed to be able to live in the moment, we still need to pay attention to the hours of our day.  Here are some fun and fabulous clocks and time peices to make our observations more pleasant:

Upcycling-- this takes just a clock mechanism and approximately 20 old CD'S!

from Instructables

Below is the handmade version of the very expensive "Qlocktwo", which lights up the appropriate word at the right time.  Clearly for the techie crafter to try, but so great looking!


from Instructables

 and here, from sonodesign, a simple color wheel: 

 

and finally, a stunning clock made from an antique plate:

  

from Gates of Wisdom

so, happy clock watching to us all.

Any snowflake...

Wilson Bentley was a self educated scientist and photographer who achieved his greatest fame 100 years ago by perfecting the method of photography snowflakes to prove once an for all that each snowflake was indeed unique. Today there is a "Snowflake Bentley Museum" in Vermont displaying his many photographs, and a few years ago, a charming children's book by Jacqueline Briggs won the Caldecott award by documenting his story in stunning woodblock prints by Mary Azarian. Even if his photographs had no scientific value, they are amazing to view, a fascinating, humbling  and grounding reminder of a simple beauty in nature which we take for granted.

Below, are a few permanent snowflakes, and first, a tasty and pretty macaroon:

 check out the snowflake Converse!

a pretty  paper snowflake ornament:

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand--and melting like a snowflake...”
...Francis Bacon

Treasures on Parade

A recent thrift store visit was fun as always, with some satisfying purchases... cheap paperbacks, interesting china and even some brand new clothes.  Also noted amongst the clothes were the usual homemade garments.  Many, of course, are quite awful-- outdated, ill concieved and probably destined for the rag barge we've been told takes away the things that never sell.  But sometimes there are treasures that deserve better, and a little recognition of the hours of work, and the care and thought that went into the hand knit sweater, delicate little dress or woven basket.

Here are several charming ways to honor an heirloom or special item:

Above, this delicate embroidered handmade baptismal gown was worn by 150 years of babies before it was too fragile for use.  It was placed on archival paper inside a special frame and now has a place of honor in a local living room. A fascimile gown was procurred for the family babies to wear in its stead.

 Above, this is a portion of a crazy quilt, lovingly stitched by a mother for her young son, and many years later divided among family members.  This is elegantly framed and hangs on a hallway wall.

Below, a charming little handmade dress made by a mother for her year- old daughter long ago and recently worn by that daughters' daughter on her first birthday.

Sometimes around the Hen House table we get very critical of our projects and think they aren't good enough and even get rid of them before ever using them!  Happily these needle women shared their talents and can inspire us to do the same.

A website or two

So, just in case you weren't spending enough time on the computer, we present a few extra fun ways to enjoy the internet!

first, a fabulously self indulgent new(ish) site:

This is a wonderful combination of bulletin board, inspiration board, and scrapbook, where people share things that interest and inspire them, like decorating, fashion or craft ideas, books or movies to see, places to visit, things to aspire towards, funny thoughts or pictures.   However, it is also a social networking site, because one can "follow" and "like" others and the things that they post ("pin" in pinterest lingo), which makes for a virtually infinite array of browse-worthy items.

An older but still wonderful site is  

which now has over a million members.  Originally intended as a forum for fiber artists to share tips, it now has huge pattern archives, a marketplace, social networking and a very impressive system for users to catalog their stashes.

Lesser known and appealing blogs:  

www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com/   this fun blog, created by a graphic designer,  features craft project how-tos, decorating ideas, printable downloads, design resources, and inspiration.
www.alittlehut.blogspot.com   stunning, inspiring paper art with some tutorials and videos.

www.pizzazzerie.com/ this is a fun and fabulous party/entertaining/home style blog.

www.craftfail.com/  sometimes things don't turn out the way you want them to!

And finally,  some great food related reading:  www.authenticsuburbangourmet.com/,  

http://www.alwaysorderdessertfirst.com/, http://www.chocolateandzucchini.com/.

and the gift basket winner is.....

and the winner is ....

MARY LAWLOR!

...just a few of the goodies in this basket included a paisley pillow from Sweet by Stefanie,  a fabulous leaf from Kathy Beerbohm, charming hat from Ingrid's Creations, a colorful tote bag, earrings from Charming Life Jewelry and Carol Schmauder, knitted cap, Evelyn's Famous Almond Roca, pottery from Red Panda Pottery, cards from Daris Judd, lovely tile from Oana Barac-Matei, marzipan from Beate Christoph,  and so much more!

retreat with knitting needles

Retreat: Two definitions:

a. A period of seclusion, retirement, or solitude/A place affording peace, quiet, privacy, or security.

b. The process of withdrawing,  especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable.  (and one would hope, arriving somewhere safe and comfortable.)

Only a few minutes from the city is a place built nearly fifty years ago which meets both criteria.  It is usually used for spiritual retreats, meetings and events, but when space permits it is open to other retreatants.  There are trails to walk outside, chairs for reading, knitting or napping, and space to spread out projects, books, and snacks.  This uninterrupted recess from regular life offers much, and no one leaves feeling quite the same as when they arrived.  Occasionally the Hen House members have the great pleasure of spending quiet weekends in this cosy building in the Palouse valley and several weeks ago, we were there again.

On the Saturday, a gravely ill family member was carefully brought by to visit,and perhaps be distracted through socializing, maybe even tempted by the different food.  The conversation wasn't sad, despite her frail appearance, and the randomness of the chatting was  distracting and entertaining.  The painted clothing from the 70's was remembered, recipes described and shared, the current political scene causes incredulity... and also weighed were the relative merits of crocheted versus knitted flowers to embellish a hat for a cancer patient.

These hats are without flowers, but are still warm and soft: