calling artists

calling artists who use their art to feed their spirit and the spirits of others to feature work in an upcoming feast art gallery.  the feast festival on may 1st will have a "feast" themed art gallery in which liturgical works & works related to feast texts in scripture will be displayed.  If you have an image that relates to this event, please let me know!  i need to see an image or have a description and a piece of sampled work and the show will be juried during the event.  three prizes will be awarded. 

if you would like to participate, do so!  email me at slsvinson [at] mac [dot] com with your submissions and/or questions.  we ask to receive entries and inquiries by april 10th and you'll be notified by april 17th.  if you want a list of possible scriptures, i have that as well.  one of my tree of life will be an entry in the show, to give you an idea.  we'll accept many art forms:  liturgical stoles, fine art, photography, related quilts or hangings, paraments, banners, etc.  We ask that it's handmade and original.  

check out information related to the feast here!  Register today!  

kid craft jamboree

We are ready for spring.  Getting our hands dirty in the garden, gathering sticks and string to make bird nests, and enjoying the brief moments of warmth.  If you're into spring, check Kiddio for spring & easter related crafts on April 9th OR to upload your own entry by April 2nd.  I fully expect some wonderfully creative projects to be compiled by these talented ladies.  

nature lacing cards

nature lacing cards, originally uploaded by silvertreeart.

a sweet set of hand drawn lacing cards for your downloading pleasure to go along with the spring lacing cards. enjoy these as much as jo has! the "squiggly wormy" as jo calls it can be anything your child sees: worm, snake, caterpillar...  these cards will follow us indoors and out as we work together on our sewing projects.  we love the signs and sounds of spring!  jo enjoyed digging up lots of his own squiggly worms this weekend after all the wonderful rain.  enjoy!

as i create games and activities for jo, i'll be sharing them here. let me know if the process through flickr goes well for you!

spring lacing cards

spring lacing cards, originally uploaded by silvertreeart.

lacing cards for spring. these are hand drawn images for my son, which are now shared with you. the directions on my suggested us are on the flickr page that you will be directed to by clicking on the above image. feel free to print these and use them with the young or young in spirit. jo wants to be a part of my sewing adventures, so this has been good practice.

you can find the nature lacing cards for downloading also!  check back for additional lacing card fun!

a taste of home

success on a plate.  simply put.  one of the first restaurants in richmond that i enjoyed was strawberry street cafe.  soon they became a favorite!  i love their broccoli cheese quiche.  so good.  they also have a delicious chicken pot pie that is sooo good and comforting!  truly good. when the shop next door no longer sold the pot pie on behalf of the cafe, i was motivated to make my own.  (i bet you can order them from the cafe still.)  finally i've made a chicken pot pie that almost resembles their own.  i took the first bite and thought it could have been theirs. oh...i just had to.  it's so wonderfully good thanks to the crust recipe that i'll now forever use.  i may have to tweak it a little. when i do, i'll share.  until then, i'll bake. 

and bake i must.  when you have fresh crust on hand you must have a little taste of mississippi pecan pie (pecans from ms, too).  delightful!  success on a plate.  serious goodness.  it's rich, yet not so sweet that you can't eat more than 2 bites.  it's smooth and packs a lot of pecans in each slice.  there's nothing like a good day of cooking!

thanks goes to the grand cookbook of the junior league of jackson, ms for the crust recipe.  mom found this copy recently and sent it to me in a box of goodies from home.  i used the pecan pie recipe as an influence with tweaking to fit my granny's recipe with a touch of freshly grated nutmeg-- influence of another friend thrown in.  i know!  i tempt without recipes!

my grandmother, an avid quilter, had pieces of her work  in various stages that i have inherited.  this runner i made over the weekend sewing excursion using part of an old cover that was among her quilting possessions.  when it's flipped, i'll show the handiwork on the back.  i can only guess that she made it, too.  hard to say.  could have been my great-grandmother's handiwork.  either way, i love it.  it's great on our buffet, as you see here.  i'll be incorporating more of her work into our home as i complete some of those long-ago started projects.  there's so much meaning for my spirit in this process.  i look forward to sharing.

music that makes us smile

Dan Zanes + Amazon = smiles.  A fun free music sampler (from one of our family favorites) to any or all who like good music for all ages.  i've written on his great music before, as family friends introduced us to his music last year and we have expanded our collection + love since then.  the big "three" celebration included a trip to his local show.  what a fun treat.  that's how good music is shared, right? one telling another and suggesting a listen.  so read on about this special act of sharing from this month's Dan Zanes Newsletter: 

the good people at amazon.com are taking a break from selling things and have decided, along with the good people at festival five records, to give you some music for free - in this case a digital sampler with many of our greatest hits called smile smile smile. the sampler includes catch that train, house party, colas, hello, pay me my money down, jump up, down in the valley, and smile smile smile. wander on over to amazon.com for your copy now. here's a wild coincidence: they also have our full cd catalog on sale from march 24th - april 21st. 

creating a terrarium

i've wanted to make a terrarium for some time.  while visiting a new friend recently, i was moved beyond dreaming to resolution:  time to create.  her terrariums were so lovely scattered around her bright home.  as i happened upon a sale at a local craft shop, i found this container marked down well.  another sale for members at the botanical garden shop (for the 2 ferns below), a trip to maymont for moss and another fern, purchased dirt (i know, but i need to start some plants!), and rocks collected from the backyard collection results in success.  the spun mushroom is from gift wrapping from the small object.  the terrarium now sits on our buffet.  jo and i have plans for others, as he really enjoyed assisting in layering the elements. 

To make:  assemble rocks or stones, (optional: crushed charcoal, sphagnum moss), dirt, plants and possibly stones or other decorative items, and your container(s).

In your clean container, layer the rocks, charcoal*, sphagnum moss*, dirt. (Here we used drainage rocks, smooth stones from our collecting, and dirt.)  Create space in the dirt for your plants, noting your arrangement ahead of placing them in the container.  Layer rocks, moss, and decor on top.  Spray lightly with water, depending on how wet the roots of the plants are ahead of time.  You'll see that the moisture begins forming droplets on the container within a day, really.  There's a measure of "moist, too moist, and too dry" that you must pay attention to.  If it's too moist, you leave the lid off to allow some water to evaporate.  If too dry, you spray a little more water into the container. As I'm a learner, I'm not able to say when those times are.  Knowing plants fairly well, I will leave it to daily judgement as to if this is the right blend for our container.  

From what I've read thus far, the charcoal acts as a filter for the water.  The sphagnum moss acts as a barrier between the dirt and the charcoal/rocks to keep the base "clean" and allow the water to filter well and keep your terrarium "clean" as a whole.  For more reading, see more at terrarium man's site.  I found his site helpful, as he speaks to specific plants.  Next up will be a large pickle jar terrarium less the pickles and a vintage ball glass jar terrarium.  We'll just be terrarium happy!  cheers.

all in a few creative days

a library trip brought a real treat.  a book i've been waiting to preview ~ and what great ideas!  

i love books that inspire and also help usher creativity.    

among the sewing endeavors ~ these shoes!  adapted from the slippers in weekend sewing.

another library find... love the author and what a great illustrator! 

a must have in the children's lit collection.

 

botanical garden find.  these remind me of our family trio.

our plum tree in bloom.  jo is using his skills with his new magnifying glass.  

we love walking out the front door to be greeted by this blooming plum tree.  anticipation of it's fruit is too much.  they're so good.  jo picks them and eats them immediately.  watching spring arrive is like taking in an amazing breath of awareness.  i am called to attend to the moment by honoring the blooming gifts, delighting in jo's find of a new creature, and discovering joy in the sounds of sweet boys playing outdoors.  we've started getting our hands dirty in the yard and it is good and rich and nourishing.  plans for the garden emerge from our dreams of home grown fresh veggies including heirloom cucumbers, butternut squash, a variety of peppers, sungold cherry tomatoes, herbs galore, and more.  we'll have flowers of many colors and hopefully draw more caterpillars than last year.  my soul is fed in our backyard.  it's dreamy getting ready for these planting days ahead!

food for your mind, body, and spirit

last year we participated in a Community Supported Agriculture program with our friend-farmers darbi & adam.  their CSA was great!  the food, which i blogged about here from time-to-time, gave us such inspiration for good food throughout the 20 weeks.  this year we will be canning more to carry even more of the good tastes into the fall and winter.  

you can view their site (which i am helping create) by visiting www.fertilecrescentfarm.com. they currently have space available for the 2009 growing season.  i'm spreading the word this week, because i'm getting excited for the beginning of that season in may!

if you aren't sure that you can use, can, or freeze the amount of food they describe per week, you can split your share with a friend or colleague.  

fertile crescent farm is giving some of their seasonal food toward our Feast: Festival of Word, Table, and Image.  Another YCW member and I have organized this celebration of women's voices through sermon, food, and art to take place on Friday, May 1, 2009 in Richmond, VA.  Take a gander at the amazing list of women that will "feed" us during this day!  www.vbwim.org  

We're gaining such support through sponsorships and excitement toward the day.  We have lots of space for the festival, so register today!  The first 60 who register will have an extra-special handmade "treat" in their participant bags.  

You have a taste of why I'm so excited!  and a busy bee!

shop update part 1

yay!  finally the first installment of my shop updates!  printed works including: tree of life (as pictured above), a hand-drawn flower framed work, and linocut prints.  check them out here!

simple beauty

a bloom that is a gift today.  

peace.

muffins make me happy

Banana Nut Muffins
(adapted from Bake or Break)

1 ¼ c. wheat flour
¾ c. all purpose flour (unbleached)
¼ c. wheat germ
2 t. soda
1 t. salt
¾ to 1 c. raw sugar (depending on sweetness of bananas)
½ t. cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed
½ c. applesauce
¼ c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
¼ c. milk (omit & add additional oil if non-dairy)
½ c. walnuts (omit if desired)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients - beginning with the bananas through the milk.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix, stirring from the outside of the bowl in.  Add walnuts (or other favorite nut--pecans work well, too).  Mix until incorporated.  Don’t over mix.

Fill your baking cups 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes (about 6 minutes longer for large muffins).  Enjoy!  Best warm with a hot cup of tea and a smidgen of butter.

yes.  muffins make me happy, especially when shared with someone! the latest batch featured a portion with chocolate chips.  yum!  be creative!  

 

tiller, anyone?

as a random approach, i thought i'd see if any of you readers might have a tiller in the richmond, va area that we could borrow, clean, and gratefully return to you.  IF so, please contact me!  we're looking for one of those more "i really mean to till" sized tillers, too.  we've used the cute small one, but our ground takes the larger, gutsy midtine tiller.  

while we will happily rent one again from home depot as we have the last few years, we'd much rather borrow and bake for you! 

here's hoping...

soap making class discount for the sharing

Amanda of primitive soaps has made a great offer for you blog readers.  if you sign up for her march 29th soap making class at artworks, you can receive 10% off registration.  simply mention SILVERTREE.  how wonderful!  artworks is a great space, too.  i've been planning to do some soap making with my friend and farmer darbi of fertilecrescent farm.  the materials are pricey, so this is a real deal for the workshop and number of bars.  think ahead:  soap gets better with time.  these would be great hostess gifts for all the summer parties + house guests! 

Soapmaking 101 Workshop: March 29, 1-3:30 p.m. at Artworks. $85. Learn to make homemade olive oil soap! Students will learn about techniques, safety and materials and make their own batch of soap (about 8-10 bars). All materials are included. Class limited to 10 participants. Register online at http://www.primitivesoaps.com.

pikapackage march + what's in the works

  let me just tell you, i'm exited to be included in the march pikapackage!  it's a great introduction to some really good work of artists + illustrators.  you'll see a small assortment of my lino-printed cards + images included in the first post installment (#7).   i've been a fan of the pikapackage site + concept for quite some time.  as a part of participating, i'll receive my own package!  i'll share picts when it's here.  in the meantime, salivate!  these works are awesome!  amy will post more march participants to her blog in further installments. 

i've been working on a shop update with a new block print + printables (downloadable pdf files that you can print on your own) featuring block prints + hand drawn images.  mine will include cards of different sizes, gift tags, sayings, and invites.  these make me happy.  what a fun way of sharing.  you can use recycled paper to print them on, cardstock, or colored papers.  you're in charge.  i've had a little glitch in releasing these as my printer is on the fritz and i must photograph samples.  will need to move to a plan B for printing and push to an april release for printables in my shop. 

sarah of the small object came out with a rockin' invite (see how cool?) also has some AWESOME printables in her shop.  i've purchased 2 of hers and love them!    sarah's rockin' invite is available here as a free download.  how fun!  you know i love sarah's work, and her free downloads are a must for any crafty soul. i always LOVE her creativity as expressed through her blog + art.  happy birthday, sarah!  

cheers!  

birthday week in review

stop and smell the roses...or the tulips and lilies. 

 

jo's actual birthday - birthday cake.  cake three.  birthday three.

cake two.  party two.  

[first cupcakes at school + birthday parade & song fun]

window decor.  sewn fabrics in a chain.  fish on the end.  

these make me happy.

all of jo's friends and our friends played well together, with excitement building for each in the days before his party.  we gathered at the house for some worm painting, "fishing" with felt fish & handmade pole, food, flowers, and good conversation.  party preparation takes time and energy, but i took my time each day or two making something for the party & casually thinking through what would be simple + meaningful to jo on his day.  we achieved success with a good party, no tears (that i remember) and a good day following.  

sometimes these events are overwhelming for our son.  he's so young and still plays so much alone or with an adult.  i want to nurture him in appropriate ways to be social but also to be his autonomous self.  i, we, are proud of our son for his growth, his learning, his bright smiles, and most especially his love for others.  

we have played slow in the snow each day since his birthday weekend.  we have traveled with friends.  jo befriended families in 2 of the 3 restaurants between baltimore and metro d.c.  it's been a full week.  not for rushing or worrying about details, but full for the space our friends & loved ones occupy in our lives, in our hearts.  thanks, friends. 

today...

my thoughts are with a friend who is beginning stages of labor.  love you, black betty!  

my thoughts are with many i left last night with the bereavement group.  peace to you.  

deep breath.  open eyes.  fresh day.  

soak in the sun streaming through the kitchen window. 

enjoy this moment.  enjoy this day. 

cheers.

snow day loveliness

winter scene from our back window.  

lights were out (no electricity through the night, but we were bundled). 

it was enchanting to see the glow of the snow.  

sweet jo in the snow.

oh, the slow days of a snow day.  as a middle school boys' teacher, my husband was happy to get the news of the cancelled school day.  first in 4 years!  we all were overjoyed.  we attempted a snowman, but couldn't get the snow to pack just right, so we settled for a snow sea turtle.  yes.  

saying goodbye to our snowy sea turtle, we found a make-shift sled and were off to the hill.  our sled made it through two runs.  so many adults, teens, and children were gliding and sliding.  what fun.  trudging back and forth through the snow made some fun new family memories.  as with each new activity spent together with our jo, we loved playing together in the snow.  richard measured 9 inches mid-day in our backyard.  most is still around.  lovely.  we love the slow days of snow days.