Dream Catcher Card

This is kind of a fun way to make a dream catcher card, and it's a lot less time-consuming than making a real dreamcatcher.

Dream catchers are a craft originating with the Ojibway Native American tribe. They were often woven for newborns by grandparents, to protect the children from nightmares. When hung above one’s place of sleep, they are said to protect a person from bad dreams. While the traditional dream catcher is Native American, the concept of objects to protect a sleeper from nightmares is universal. Many cultures throughout the world have their own ways prevent bad dreams.

The Native American dream catcher consists of a hoop, within which is woven a “web,” and feathers dangling off the ends. This dream catcher is hung over one’s bed. Good dreams pass through the center hole in the web, trickling down the feathers into the sleeper’s head. Bad dreams get stuck in the web and disintegrate when they are touched by the first rays of the morning light.

Real dream catchers have a bead to represent the spider. This card utilizes a button. I'm not sure if a card protects from bad dreams, but as dream catchers are beautiful anyway, it works well for a card.

Don't Frack with my Water!

The debate about fracking in New York State is still ongoing, but hopefully they will rule against it. Back in December I wrote a piece here on why I believe the dangers greatly outweigh the benefits. If you want to get involved, here's a form below you can send in. Since money seems to be what makes the world go 'round, it is very important for lawmakers to hear from businesses who believe they will be adversely affected by fracking.

New Yorkers Against Fracking Form

How to Make a Super Easy Basket Liner

Basically this a tutiorial for how to use the hemmer foot attachment on a sewing machine, but since it's no fun if you're not actually making something, we'll be making a basket liner. Since it's just hemming straight lines with no corners, it's definitely one of the easiest things to make when you're first learning the hemmer foot. Once you got that down, you can use the hemmer foot for more difficult things. The hemmer foot is so much easier than turning the hem by hand and the hemmer foot gives it a much thinner, more precise hem. The machine and the hemmer foot do all the work. You just have the feed the material through the scroll on the hemmer foot.

A basket liner is nice because it always comes in handy. Anytime you want to spruce up what you're setting in a basket, a nicely hemmed peice of calico will do the trick. We use these in all our baskets on our produce stand and on our tables at the market. They really add a cute touch to everything.

Too Many Markets, Not Enough Flowers

So this is my first year doing more than one market, and I guess I picked a heck of a year to do it. It's still winter when you apply to the markets, so you have no idea what the weather will be later in the year. After applying to 3 markets, I'm now having what is probably my worst flower year ever. It started with the strange weather this spring when so much bloomed so early, meaning a lot of it was already past bloom when the farm market opened. The other side effect of the early bloom was that some things froze early on when the nice balmy weather turned icy-cold overnight. Compound that with 2 bouts of golf-ball sized hail, and you have flower beds with realtively few flowers. So right now, I'm just kind of scraping along with whatever I can get, and waiting for the flowers I planted later to catch up.

On the bright side, though, I picked my first sunflower Friday night and sunflowers are hardy little fellers, so hopefully with the upcoming hot spell, a patch of those will start popping and my tables at the markets with have many flowers once again. And I should definitely have some flowers blooming by the time the Cheshire market opens in July. So as my grandfather always said "next year..." I'll be planting on my new lot next year too, so I'll have more flowers to begin with. Then if some unforseeen atmospheric catastrophe such as hail, high wind, or an astroid falling from the the sky should occur, I'll have more flowers spread out a farther distance, raising the odds for more survival. Yup, next year will be better.

A Year of Simple Pleasures

Well, The Simple Pleasures Project has drawn to a close. Today I posted Simple Pleasure #365, making it an entire of year of simple pleasures. Even though the project is finished, however, I don't intend to overlook the daily simple pleasures of life. I still intend to notice the soft feeling of Ziah's wool beneath my fingers as I pet him, the snorting sound Sassie makes after she rolls in the garden's dirt, the vivid hues of an autumn sunset, the smell of the blooming wild roses, the taste of the season's first blackberries, and all the other simple pleasures that surround me. Being aware of those little riches of life are truly what brings happiness to a person. And for me The Simple Pleasures Project has just further reaffirmed the fact that I'm definitely not interested in a "normal" life. I'm not meant to miss out on all the simple pleasures of life in order to work a 40 hour a week job, "cooped up in some shabby little office," as George Baily would say. My heart lies with the farm, and with the arts, and with creative expression, and that is where I intend to stay. My grandfather (who taught us all about the love of the farm) always told us that if we made our living doing something we loved, we'd never have to work a day in our life, because it would never feel like work. That's the truth. Or to use my favorite quote from George Washington, "I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world." Ditto!

Simple Father's Day Card

Here's another father's day card.

Number 1 Dad Card

With Father's Day not far off, I figured I'd better do a few cards for Dad. So here's one for this week to remind dad that we think he's #1.