Hoping that you're having a Happy Halloween celebration! From our little extra life mushroom to yours!
Sponsor Highlight: Twice Creations
Today we're highlighting A Life Sustained sponsor Twice Creations!
Stefania transforms recyclables into ethereal, elegant, sustainable pieces of wearable art. In her words...
"I am a minimalist jewelry designer. I try to transform waste material in ethereal, elegant, sustainable pieces of wearable art. Other than that, I have a PhD in Psychology and I currently teach to undergraduate college students. After reading, lecturing, or grading the whole day I often feel the need to do some manual work: either some gardening or some baking (I love to make bread), knitting or crocheting. I have been making jewelry on and off for my entire life, but only recently I had the inspiration for designing an entire line and find my style; my unique vision."
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| At a small craft fair that I organized in Italy. |
Tell us about your journey to becoming an artist/maker of things.
As far back as I remember, I’ve always been involved in some sort of craft or art. I was considered a talented drawer, even though I have not pursued that route. I've knit since I was 15, and now I also crochet, but I started working with metal when I was a teenager. I started making jewelry for my friends and myself.
At some point I started focusing a lot on my studies. A few years after getting my PhD I started feeling trapped in a career that I probably did not want and started doubting whether I could live my life without art and creativity. One day, while I was sipping my morning cup of coffee with milk, I had an idea: to use that milk jug to make jewelry.
I had a clear vision of what I wanted to make, I just needed to try if that was going to work. That item became the most popular item in my store.
What inspires you?
Regularity and geometrical forms, especially if they are abstract and ethereal, provide a constant source of inspiration. Elements of nature also inspire me. I am a big fan of snow. I love when snow is bright and fresh, and I love picking snowflakes to see what they look like. I remember one day with my dad, when he showed me a snowflake with a magnifying lens. I was so amazed by that marvelous shape and I could not believe that nature could be so complex and beautiful.
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| The beautiful foliage around my house in Connecticut. |
Why is important to you to use recycled materials in your work?
Recycling is a big part of my life. I hate waste and I am always striving for frugality. With garbage submerging our environment and resources running low, I feel that each of us has the moral responsibility of doing something about it. I also feel like most of the things that we spoil ourselves with are unnecessary, especially when it comes to fashion. Fashion has traditionally being the kingdom of waste and splurge, but I am committed to reverse this trend.
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| My cat. |
Tell us about your favorite item in your shop and describe your process in making it.
My favorite item is the one I almost dreamed about. It is the first vision I have had and I was so excited to see it realized. It must have something, given that it is also a favorite of visitors of my shop.
I remember running to find a piece of paper to draw on before the vision disappeared. That’s what I still usually do with my creations. As soon as I have an idea, I leave whatever I am doing and I run to draw my vision, hoping that the simple act of drawing does not interfere with the vision.
When I have a sketch, I am ready to start finding the right material and cutting my beads. Each of my creations is carefully assembled after cutting all the pieces by hand. Sometimes, if they feel a little rough on the skin, I make sure to round the corners of my plastic beads with heat; sometimes I don’t. I have been asked if that takes forever, and the answer is ‘yes’, it does!
Stefania is generously giving away to one lucky A Life Sustained reader the elegant pair of upcycled circular dangle earrings pictured above! To enter the random drawing to win, just leave a comment on this post.
Get two additional entries! First, you can Follow A Life Sustained through Google Friend Connect and second, you can add Twice to your favorites on Etsy.
Be sure to leave a comment for each "extra" so that they can be counted. Comments will be closed and a winner will be chosen in the evening of November 5.
And the lucky winner is...
Hofken
"I love the unique look of her jewelry"
And the lucky winner is...
Hofken
"I love the unique look of her jewelry"
Thank you Twice Creations!
Weekend Review: EcoChi by Debra Duneier
Although they range from the ancient to the very modern, these three concepts actually complement each other quite well and it's surprising that no one has thought to join them before. Feng shui, the practice of purposefully arranging elements within a space to balance energy flows, is an ancient Chinese art. To this, Duneier adds the modern concepts of sustainable design planning that she mastered as a LEED green associate. Finally, she uses environmental psychology, the study of how people are affected by the spaces around them, to assess and adjust in order to achieve maximum harmony. Together, they are EcoChi, a way of thoughtfully planning the spaces we inhabit that is sensitive to both our own well-being as well as that of the natural world.
Each lesson is told through the experiences of one of her clients. Doing so gives concrete examples for the reader on how these somewhat abstract ideas can be and have been implemented in real life. And for some, the transformation has been life-altering. She includes advice on decluttering, space clearing rituals, avoiding toxins, and welcoming prosperity. Not limited to use in the domestic sphere, Duneier demonstrates how her principles can be employed in offices, public spaces, as well as second homes. You won't find a complete manual to overhauling your own space within these pages, but you will find a place to start and a variety of easy tips that you can use today to bring a little bit of peace and calm to your home sanctuary.
This review was first published on Blogcritics.
My review copy was provided courtesy of New Voices Press.
This Moment
Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
TWO giveaways to enter this week!
Medea
I'd like to introduce you to my dear "little" girl, Medea. Also know as MoMo, DeeDee, and DeeDeeMo. Quite awhile ago I told you about how we acquired our dog, Nikita, but I've never shared about our three feline companions. So, here we go. Here's number one.
Steve and I adopted Medea almost immediately after we got our first apartment together back in 2005. We took an afternoon trip to the animal shelter to meet the kitties. We spent about an hour there trying, in that little time, to get to know them and to discern if there was one who was a good fit for us. My heart dropped as we didn't click with any of them. There were adorable kitties that we wanted to snuggle and sad kitties that we wanted to rescue, but none that was our kitty. We were resigned to coming back the following week to try again when we saw a tiny gray kitten in a large cage in the front lobby. She was adorable and lying in a hammock. That was the clincher.
Neither Steve nor I had ever had a cat before and I don't think either of us really knew what was involved with raising a kitten. She was incredibly spastic. She would climb up the window screens and not know how to get down. Anytime anyone would open the door to our apartment she ran full speed out into the hallway and we had to chase her down. Twice she crawled into the refrigerator without our realizing it and hung out there for awhile when we didn't see her before we closed her in.
She's mellowed since then. Now she's kind-of like a big gray carpet that doesn't move very often. We have to have her shaved every spring to tame her wild Maine Coon fur. She's "my" cat, preferring me over Steve (it's okay...Steve has "his" kitty too) and the mother of the bunch. Although she tried our patience often in those early days, Steve and I agree that we're glad she was the first. She was enough of a trouble-maker to keep us on our toes and just sweet enough to make it impossible not to forgive that fact. I have a feeling that children might work the same way.
Things We Do After Nap :: Playing with Rice
I've been following Meg's words over at Sew Liberated for as long as I can remember. She has the most creative, gentle, and inspiring things to share about her days with her two lovely little boys, Finn and Lachlan. This week, she is doing a series of posts called "Things we do after nap" in which she shares some of the open-ended, sensorial, Montessori-inspired activities they are exploring to fill those waking hours. This came at a perfect time for us. My mommy friends and I often comment that we think our little ones are getting bored with the same old things that we do over and over again. We were in need of new ideas...and...here they are!
For our contribution, I thought we'd share our newest adventure...rice play!
Silas spends most of his time these days perfecting his pincer grasp. From much close examination and study he has become an expert on carpet fuzz and he insists on picking kitty hair off of everything...one...hair...at...a...time. So to help him get a little more practice, I've been giving him some uncooked rice to play with, either in a bowl so that he can sink his whole hand into it, or a handful spread out on his high chair try so that he can practice picking up each individual grain.
See that look of concentration? He can keep that up for quite awhile. I think it's adorable.
Check out all the suggestions at Sew Liberated. They really are inspiring!
Poetry
Like every young girl, I fancied myself a poet from the ages of twelve through sixteen. I filled notebook upon notebook with angsty couplets about boys on whom I had crushes and my (mostly) self-imposed alienation from my peers. It took a college poetry writing class for me to discover how truly difficult it is to write phrases that are moving without being trite. It is work best left to those far more talented than I!
I didn't really read any poetry in my younger years. My only exposure was the half a unit that we did every semester in high school English classes. It wasn't until I got to college and took my first literature class that I was introduced to writers of words the really shook me to my core.
The first was Edna St. Vincent Millay. We read Fatal Interview for class and I found myself repeating the sonnets over and over again, whispered under my breath. The first poem that she ever wrote, "Renascence" became a meditative mantra. Any time that I found myself in a season of my life where confusion and desperation reigned, I found solace in her words:
All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked the other way,
And saw three islands in a bay.
So with my eyes I traced the line
Of the horizon, thin and fine,
Straight around till I was come
Back to where I'd started from;
And all I saw from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood.
Over these things I could not see:
These were the things that bounded me...
Can you believe she was only 18 when she wrote that? I always wanted to memorize the entire poem (it's a long one!), but never quite got around to it.
Ranier Maria Rilke was next, first reading him in a translation class. I had the following words piped onto our wedding cake in both English and the original German:
Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you.
Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you.
And without feet I can make my way to you,
without a mouth I can swear your name.
Break off my arms, I'll take hold of you
with my heart as with a hand.
Stop my heart, and my brain will start to beat.
And if you consume my brain with fire,
I'll feel you burn in every drop of my blood.
A bit melodramatic? Perhaps. But then again, so am I, so it seemed fitting.
Tracey over at Clover always opens her blog posts with the most thoughtfully chosen poems and quotes. I love it. I love how those words set the tone and mood for what is to follow. I love how the cadence lingers with me throughout the day after reading them. I love slowing down and pausing to really (I mean really) think about what words mean when we string them together. I love that she takes the time to include them. Poetry is so absent from our daily lives and I think that's a tragedy.
I would like to inject a little more poetry into my everyday. I have a very small collection of poetry books that are housed in a cabinet by the front door. I think that when I opened it to take these photos, it was the first time they'd seen the light of day in three years. So, that's the place to start. Even though National Poetry Month isn't until April, I'm going to select a volume that calls out to me and leave it out where it is accessible. Trying to set aside a quiet moment to read and ponder a single poem each day. Hopefully, Silas is amenable, because, really, it's for him too. I want him to grow up with a love of language and literature and he won't develop that spontaneously.
Do you have any suggestions for good, quality children's books of poetry? Or even just poetry suggestions in general. I always love sharing in the favorites of others.
Falling Behind
Oh dear! Silas is almost nine months old (!), but to look at his baby journal, he hasn't passed five yet. I thought that mamas weren't supposed to lose their steam on keeping detailed baby books until the second or third kid and here I am having a hard time keeping up with number one. For the first four months I have beautifully written journal entries that note all sorts of touching moments. Even at this point, where they are still in the very recent past, I love reading back over them and remembering the little details that are so easily forgotten. I really need to take an afternoon, brew some tea, and just write everything that I remember from those four lost months right now.
Priority for the week: catching up!
Sponsor Highlight: Celina Mancurti
Today we are highlighting A Life Sustained sponsor Celina Mancurti!
Celina designs and sews upscale eco-friendly linens for the home, for sale in her Etsy shop. You can read more about her at her website. In her words:
I am an Argentine textile designer living in the U.S.A. I have worked in the textile and fashion industry for more than 10 years. I left the industry world to follow my passion for textiles and to work on my own home collection that reflects my lifestyle. My story is told with my beloved screen printing, the unique designs and eco-friendly fabrics and notions I use.
Tell me about your journey to becoming an artist. What inspires you?
On my last trip to my native Buenos Aires I felt the need to preserve the traditions and memories that represent who I am. While visiting my grandma's house, I found her old can with vintage buttons and a bag with papers of all types and colors containing handwritten recipes. These items made me realize that memories from old moments and traditions are what keep families together. When I was a child, my family got together at my grandma's home every Sunday to share dinner. My grandpa made the spaghetti, and my grandma made the ice-cream. She "dressed" the table with a white tablecloth, which was used just on Sundays. And it was around that tablecloth where the party started!
Why not preserve our traditions during these crazy--and lovely--times when technology and fast food are devouring us? I want my designs to move people to create special moments that would stay with them forever. I want my creations to inspire you to wear an apron and cook for your loved ones, to save your recipe journal, and to set the table with a lovely linen and cloth napkins. And the best part, to inspire you to share memories and stories after dinner, while finishing your wine or having coffee or tea. Let's create memories that will stay with us for generations to come!
Tell us why it's important to you to use sustainable materials in your work.
I treasure my simple, clear-cut linens for the satisfaction I get from working with my hands thinking about the future generations. I have been influenced by organic fibers and eco-friendly supplies turning my vision towards a more sustainable product. The offspring of this marriage is a line made with 100% linen hand-screen printed with water-based inks and sewed with organic cotton thread. This blend gives an original production in a limited edition that is fully green and handcrafted.
Tell us about your favorite piece in your shop.
My recipe journal is my favorite heirloom piece.
Celina is offering to one lucky A Life Sustained reader the Menu journal pictured above! Create memories that will stay with you for generations to come. After dinner, while finishing your wine or having coffee, share the menu journal with your guests and ask them to leave a note in the section MEMORIES FROM THE TABLE... Save the page to remember that celebration forever!
The hard covers are made of recycled wood sheltered with hand screen printed linen. A stuffed chicken, also made with hand screen linen, is sewn on top giving a 3D effect. They enclose 40 white-ivory pages of recycled paper.
Get two additional entries! First, you can Follow A Life Sustained through Google Friend Connect and second, you can add Celina Mancurti to your favorites on Etsy.
Be sure to leave a comment for each "extra" so that they can be counted. Comments will be closed and a winner will be chosen in the evening of October 29.
And the lucky winner is...
"I love your work"
Thank you Celina Mancurti!
Weekend Review & Giveaway: The Smartest Woman I Know by Ilene Beckerman
Pre-teen Gingy and her older sister Tootsie's lives change forever in 1947, when an unnamed "situation" befalls their family, sending them to live in New York with grandparents Ettie and Mr. Goldberg. Ilene Beckerman, the actual name of young Gingy, tells us how this turn of events exposed her to the daily wisdom of her grandmother in The Smartest Woman I Know (Algonquin Books, 2011). In it, Beckerman recalls Ettie's many opinions on a wide range of topics and her few reservations about sharing them.
In a style that echos a good story told by all grandmothers, these short recollections are simple, unadorned, and direct, yet they carry a poignancy and weight belied by their brevity. Ettie's advice to her young charges makes evident how much she cares for them, but also how wide the generation gap can be. Underneath the surface of these memories and quips about not eating so much, are such weighty topics as the changing roles of women, the evolving face of New York City, and shifts in popular culture. Although very specific to mid-century New York, these rememberances do retain a universal quality which allows them to speak to us all. We have all felt loss. We have all felt outside of the mainstream. We have all felt love.
Each page is accompanied by simple and cute line drawings that either stand alone or embellish actual photographs from the time. These serve to highlight the humor in these stories and seem to take the place of the hand gestures and facial expressions that you might experience should Beckerman be sitting next to you telling you the story directly. She finds the levity in the personality quirks and actions of her family members, but her treatment of them is one of respectful love.
You may recall Gingy and Tootsie from previous tales, as this is the fifth offering from Beckerman. This collection, nothing short of a love letter to a beloved grandmother, promises as much honest emotion and relatability. They say everyone needs a Jewish grandmother to make sure that you eat well and feel an appropriate amount of guilt about how much time you spend with your elders. We're fortunate that Beckerman is willing to share hers.
*****
Algonquin Books is generously offering three copies of The Smartest Woman I Know to three lucky A Life Sustained readers. Just leave a comment on this post to be entered in the random drawing to win. Comments will be closed and a winner will be chosen in the evening of October 29.
And the winners are:
"Sounds like a great book. Thanks for the giveaway!"
"this sounds so lovely, makes me want to write a book for my own children and grandchildren (and i'm not a writer). i would love to have a chance to win, i already feel attached to this book on several levels, being a mother, grandmother, having a child living in nyc, i'm really grateful to learn about this author and book.
thank you for the giveaway. :)"
I would love to read this book, thanks for the giveaway!
This review is part of a TLC Book tour. Check out the other stops to read their thoughts on the book and for additional chances to win a copy!
Monday, October 17th: Arriving at Your Own Door
Thursday, October 20th: Books Distilled
Saturday, October 22nd: A Life Sustained
Monday, October 24th: Sarah Reads Too Much
Tuesday, October 25th: Quinceberry
Wednesday, October 26th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Thursday, October 27th: Suko’s Notebook
Tuesday, November 1st: Overstuffed
Wednesday, November 2nd: The Indextrious Reader
Thursday, November 3rd: Evolution You
Friday, November 4th: Colloquium
Monday, November 7th: Life in Review
Tuesday, November 8th: Lesa’s Book Critiques
This review was first published on Blogcritics.
My review copy was provided courtesy of Algonquin Books.
This Moment
Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
CSA Day
In the CSA box this week: spaghetti squash, zucchini, potatoes, daikon, and napa cabbage. There was also some bok choy, but we ate it all up before I could photograph it!
The spaghetti squash we like to roast and eat, well, just like spaghetti, drenched in red sauce. This is one of the only squash meals that Steve will happily eat. He introduced me to it, actually. I had never heard of such a thing before we met. The zucchini will become fritters, the cabbage will go into a stir fry and I haven't decided how to use the daikon yet. Suggestions?
As our CSA winds down I've started buying produce from our co-op again. Part of me is really sad about this transition every year. I love opening up our box and letting its contents inspire that week's meals. It gives me the motivation to stretch the boundaries of my comfort zone and try new recipes. I feel more grounded. Practical. It makes me want to pull my hair back, put on an apron and use up what's in the pantry.
But, the other part of me breathes a sigh of relief at being able to put meals on our menu based on our whims. We still try to eat what's in season, of course, but opening ourselves up to some select non-local items is pretty great too. This is the part of me that likes to peruse French cookbooks and make desserts. More decadent. Indulgent. It makes me want to pour a glass of wine to drink with dinner.
I love both of these sides. One or the other has been dominant at various points in time, as such things ebb and flow. When we first started cooking all of our meals at home, the French-cookbook-side was in charge. She made themed meals and Boeuf Bourguignon every year to celebrate Bastille Day. Then as we started to simplify our lives and to be more mindful of where our food came from, the grounded-practical-side emerged in the extreme with strict rules about local and in-season produce and cutting out completely anything processed.
Then we found balance.
The pendulum swings and settles at a comfortable, and wonderful, place in the middle.
While Wandering
The Little Bug and I have gotten into the habit of taking walks whenever we go into town to run an errand, leading us to explore neighborhoods and streets and alleys that we never knew before. There are little notes of beauty in all of them and these are what we try to see...While Wandering.
Won't you join us? Feel free to leave a link to your own wanderings in the comments.
Please forgive me some more fall pictures. After a trip to the post office and then the grocery store, I snuggled Silas into the carrier and my babywearing-friendly jacket and took in the fall colors...
Season of Change
Seemingly, in one afternoon our black walnut trees transformed from green to gold. One afternoon more and they shamelessly dropped their dress completely.
Branches, their tips touching the ground for most of the summer, now free of their burden, snapped back to their position of rest feet above my head.
It was a flush year, our hands stained black from collecting up the harvest.
The squirrels will eat well this winter.
Tough shells to crack, these black walnuts. An impenetrable rocky-hard shield encased in pulpy green.
Combined with her juglone secretions, she keeps competitors at bay. She knows how to stake a claim in the forest.
The now denuded trees are the passage of time made visible. Green to gold to bare and back again.
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