More from the Reading Pile

Still working through my pile of books, so here's another update:

I waited for a copy of this book since I saw it  was being published. Like many others, I appreciated the original stories, and the Netflix series Anne with an E, renewed my interest in it and it refreshed the story with new faces and some additional storylines that put the classic in a modern context. Brenna Thummler's bright illustrations match the romantic whims and optimism that characterize our favorite red headed heroine.

Katie Green's illustrated portrayal of her struggles with anxiety, obsessive thoughts, an eating disorder and recovered memories of sexual abuse is well rendered in the stark black and white drawings. The way that she depicts the weight of these issues is a simple, yet fitting, scribble of black ink that floats above her head and follows her throughout the story. 

I probably wouldn't purchase this for a middle school, but I think teens and adults would find value in reading about these types of mental health and emotional struggles.

My son just turned three, so it's been a while since I was pregnant or in the post-partum period (generally seen as six weeks after birth). But I recently talked to one of my friends, who is training to become a post-partum doula, and as we shared what our experiences had been with pregnancy and birth and adjusting to life with an infant, I realized that there is a whole kaleidoscope of possibilities, and even the ones that are not typical are not "abnormal." If my experience was abnormal, then I wouldn't be able to read and hear similar stories. I just wish this book had been available a couple years ago.

I've been gifted a number of doll-making pieces in the past year. I thought it would be fun to try making some assemblage art pieces with them, so I found this book to inspire me a bit. I haven't had the time to try much yet, so I'm still perusing the pages.

 

I've checked Mixed Media Dollhouses out before, and I did experiment with making some mixed-media dollhouses, but I just wanted to check it out again to refresh myself on some of the concepts, techniques and tips. We just added DIY Dollhouse into our collection at school, so of course I had to be the first one to check it out. Everything in the book can be constructed with everyday materials and recyclable containers, so it's great for the maker mindset.

Current Reading Pile

I haven't written in over a week because I've been too busy reading. Here's a look at a couple of the books in my current reading pile.

In the spirit of the New Year and self-improvement and all that, I decided to check this book out. I've been hearing the buzz around it for a month or so, and I wanted to see if the interior of the book was as confidence-inspiring as the title.

I approach self-help types of books pretty much the same way I approach religion; I take what I can from it to enhance my beliefs, values and purpose in life. The ideas may be helpful and guiding, but the text is not dogma. There are some places where the author's suggestions seem too simple or irresponsible, like quitting your job in order to fulfill a dream. I think that's everyone's ideal, but most of us wouldn't be able to afford to eat or put a roof over our heads without aforementioned job. But there are a couple chapters that I found more value in.

The next book in my pile is one that I requested over a month ago. Its publication prompted every single fan of Little House on the Prairie to rush out to their libraries and order it. Since I received my copy a couple days ago, there are ten people in line behind me, waiting for it.

I can understand who so many of us are eager to read Caroline Fraser's new biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her books are beloved by generations of readers, and even though we know that she is painting a softer portrait of pioneer life than the historical record shows, her descriptions of simple pleasures like wildflowers and wading in creeks on hot summer days remind us that we should take time to connect with nature and appreciate the world around us. 

Since the biography is an intimidating tome of information, some of it  quite dense and relating to aspects of history I am not particularly well-versed in, I am double dipping and listening to it on audiobook in my car, and reading the print book at other times. 

I'm really enjoying Fraser's book because it provides readers (and listeners) with a much more developed picture of the struggles of the Ingalls family, and the characters that we love from the books are presented as round, three dimensional people rather. For example, Fraser broaches the topic of the Civil War, and questions why Charles Ingalls never served. He would have been in his twenties during the war, so he was obviously at a preferred age (rather than too young or too old). He did not enlist in the army, even though his younger brothers ran away to join the cause, and his brother-in-law also served. There is no record of where he lived during those years, so one theory is that he spent that time moving from place to place, in order to avoid the draft. Fraser is able to question our popular perceptions of these saintly characters without slandering them.

The last book is the one I've been able to read the quickest. The Trouble with Angels is one of my favorite movies, but I only recently learned that the 1966 film is based on Jane Trahey's account of her high-school education at St. Mark's school, a Catholic all-girls boarding school. Only one library in our ILL network had the book, and it arrived lacking its dust cover. I assume that since it's a first edition hardcover that its dust cover would have been this version:

I like this artwork on this cover because it is clearly the inspiration for the playful animation that opens up the film:

While I was searching around online, I also found a couple other covers for Trahey's book:

The first one is a paperback, and the cover shows the little characters that grace the beginning of each chapter. The second book is clearly a paperback that was released simultaneously with the film based on it.

The third cover I found for this book is bizarre, though:

 It's a photograph, but it doesn't feature any of the actresses that are in the film adaptation. And for some reason she's sucking on a candy stick? Perhaps they were trying to cash in on the Lolita phenomenon?

Though obviously, the movie starring Hayley Mills and Rosaline Russell is not scandalous like the Stanley Kubrick movie.

Anyways, I am pleasantly surprised at how closely the film follows Trahey's writing. The name of the school was changed, along with some of the character names, but many of the other details remained intact.

I have a number of other books in my pile, so I'll be writing another post  like this soon.

Christmas Windchime

Since I recently stocked up on some crafting supplies following the 90% holiday clearance sales, I decided to start yet another windchime. I am using an old plant hanger (from Goodwill Buy the Pound outlet) as the frame, and the in the center is a champagne bottle that I received as a gift this Christmas (I already took care of the champagne it contained.) The bottle is too pretty to get tossed in the recycling bin.

It's also a good way to use some of the things I grabbed at the 90% clearance. The ornaments and jewelry bits were nice, and I knew I'd use them, but I didn't have a purpose in mind when I bought them.

It was also a good opportunity to upgrade my Christmas tree ornaments. I cleared out a few of the cheap ones that don't have any sentimental value to me so that I can add more meaningful ones to our tree in future years. This little Santa ornament is cute, and he's plastic so he won't break easily. I think he'll get more attention on a windchime than buried in the branches of our tree.

Here's a photo of what it looks like so far. 

Obviously, I am going to keep adding to it as I collect little cheapie ornaments and continue to scoop things up at clearance sales and at thrift stores. I am thinking that instead of the usual type of wind chime, I will just use jingle bells.

I've had to do alot of crafting lately because the books I am waiting on from inter-library loan keep getting delayed due to the weather. 

Hidden Meaning

My last post was about my first Etsy sale. I liked that piece so I was a little sad to see it go, but I was also pretty happy to see that people are willing to pay for the things I spend time creating.

I couldn't help but be curious. To me, all my works mean something, tell a story, or represent an idea. But I assume that they mean more to me than other people, and I fear that others just see a bunch of junk. So I sent a message to the seller, and I asked him if he wouldn't mind telling me his reason for purchasing this piece.

To me,  this little upcycled jewelry box drawer told a story of urban renewal. An old industrial building that was kind of an eyesore, has received some love and attention. Flowers were planted, some cheerful decorations put up. I'm a native of Rochester, NY and the Western portion of New York is home to Rust Belt cities which are long past their prime. It's sad to drive through them and see the huge industrial buildings that are empty and neglected because they once were symbols of prosperity. The worst is seeing the buildings that represent icons of our history and culture such as Kodak, which was a top employer in that region for generations. Fulton, NY was home to the original Nestle candy factory; the factory was closed in 2003 and the building sat for thirteen years, an empty eyesore. It was demolished in 2016. Fortunately, some other industrial buildings get new lives; the Beechnut baby food factory in Canajoharie, NY is currently part of a restoration effort to preserve the facade of the building, and surround it with a park.

That was a tangent, but that's what that little vignette signified to me.

When the buyer responded to my message, he said that he liked the piece because it depicts a contrast, like the work of Cornell and Magritte. I never thought of any of my stuff as examples of 'real' art, like the Surrealist movement before. But I did a little bit of research, and sure enough the artist Joseph Cornell is a pioneer of assemblage art, and he was known for creating little boxes of found items like springs, clippings, coins, etc. and arranging them together so the past could "make itself vividly present".

Furthermore,  some of his works were intended as tributes to specific actresses and ballerinas. Huh. That's interesting because I have another piece I have been thinking about listing on Etsy that uses an old cabinet door, a print of an Edgar Degas painting, a piece of driftwood, and a broken ballerina Christmas ornament:

I like the way this turned out, and I guess it kind of tells a story; a young ballerina performing in a historic theater, imagining the generations of dancers who preceded her.  .  .

I don't always have a story or idea in my head when I start  a project, but it will often develop as I continue working on it. I like the stories that I create, but I know that these creations might mean something else to other people.

My First Etsy Sale

So I'm adding another chapter to my Awkward Artist series. As I wrote a few days ago, one of my resolutions this year is to take credit for my creations. For a long time, my husband has been encouraging me to sell my things, but I wasn't sure how to go about it. Showing art at craft fairs and art shows requires time and money, and I wasn't sure it'd be worth it. But I figured I could at least list a couple things on Etsy as a test.

I was pretty surprised last night to get an email notification that something had sold already. I always liked the way this little piece came out, so I will be a little sad to let it go:

To me it told a story of urban renewal. An old industrial building that was kind of an eyesore, has received some love and attention. Flowers were planted, some cheerful decorations put up.  .  .it just reflects my belief that we shouldn't dismiss things simply because they are old or outdated or in disrepair.

The little drawer was originally from a jewelry box that I found on the side of the road, and now it has a new purpose.

Snow Day Projects

'Tis the season for snow days, so it's a good thing I'm prepared with lots of supplies for making junk journals and dreamcatchers and assemblage art and other fun stuff.

When the Christmas stuff at Hobby Lobby went to 90% off, I raided the ornament selection. Most of these aren't quite my style when it comes to my Christmas tree, but they will be great for other projects:

I've been collecting crystals, prisms and little ceramic do-dads because I have an idea for a shabby chic, assemblage doll/windchime kind of project:

Last year I borrowed a book through ILL on making Mixed Media dollhouses. They're not usually the type of dollhouses with actualy dolls and moveable furniture; they are intended to be more a study of colors of themes, and the scale does not need to be consistent throughout the piece. I've been working on this one, off and on, for months. It's based on the Sofia Copolla film Marie Antoinette.

And I also made time to start a new altered book project yesterday. It's Christmas themed, and it was a great way to use up my bulging file folder stuffed with clips, vintage sheet music, and withdrawn book pages and old wrapping paper

This is the cover so far.

These are the beginnings of some pages. I still have more embellishing to do and details to add, but I started off using wrapping paper and scrapbook paper scraps, stickers and ribbon. I definitely think this book calls for some glitter.

And then today at work, I discovered a beautiful design under a torn old dustcover on a book that we withdrew from our collection:

Another art journal incoming!

It looks like I have plenty of projects to keep me busy in these sub-zero days.

A New Year

I always make resolutions for New Years. I won't write all of them here, but I want to be able to hold myself accountable for these one, and also hopefully this time next year I can look back on them and know I accomplished them:

I resolve to take credit for my creativity. My husband has been telling me for years now that I should try selling the things I create, and/or establish workshops/classes on creating the types of projects I do. I have never been comfortable with this idea before I felt like a fraud: someone who accepts payment for services/goods that are not real or of good quality. But a couple years ago I sold a couple things at an auction, and I was surprised at the money these people offered for the things I had created, which I didn't think were anything special. And about a year ago, I displayed some things at a local taco joint. I didn't post any prices because I genuinely didn't think I'd sell anything. But someone asked the store manager for my email address and wrote me, asking about a piece she wanted to purchase. I did end up selling it to her. I recently created my own Etsy store. If I don't sell anything then it's not a big loss, but by listing it for sale at least I'm acknowledging that my stuff is worth buying.

I will learn new things. I always resolve to try new things, and I do. But rather than just try a new food or a new type of exercise, I resolve to actually learn new things. For example, as a Secret Santa gift, I received a card/role-player game called Ultimate Werewolf. I enjoy playing games, but it's always because one of my friends already knows the game, and introduces me to it. So now rather than just the game away somewhere, I am trying to figure out all the regulations and variations so that I can learn the game, and introduce other people to it.

I will commit to doing good things. Last year one of my resolutions was to donate blood. I ended up donating three times last year, and I am planning to donate again later this month. Right before Christmas, I got an email notifying me that some of my blood had been sent to a patient in need in Massachusetts. I didn't know that I would be notified in the event of my donation being utilized, but I'm glad to know that I helped someone. Also, this past Christmas, I spent a couple weeks baking alot of cookies, and I delivered them to people whom I wanted to show appreciation to: daycare teachers, our family doctor, our dental office, our neighbor who plows our driveway and others. And since the holidays often bring out an urge to clean the house, and purge unwanted items, I ended up donating several boxes of stuffed animals to a local woman who puts together tote bags for homeless families. The stuffed animals were ones I had rescued from the roadside, and I laundered them. I was reluctant to just donate them to Goodwill because I wanted to make sure they would go to kids who would love them (it's that darn Velveteen Rabbit syndrome!), and I know now that these toys were given to kids who really need comfort and consistency, even if it's just a Beanie Baby toy they can bring with them all the time.

So there they are, at least, three of them.

My Favorite Gift

My husband managed to track down a promotional copy of the soundtrack to one of my favorite films The Trouble with Angels. 

I love the cover art.

This has been one of my favorite movies since I was a kid, and in more recent years I started to appreciate the score. It's really beautiful, and always complements the scenes without overpowering the dialogue. I think this track is the prettiest one:

I am hoping that next time we travel down to Delaware, we can take a little detour to Ambler, PA to see Lindenwold Castle, which is the building used in the exterior shots of the school: