Handmade on the Streets of Maine

During my recent travels, I had the opportunity to observe a clever display of art on the streets of a little town in Maine. Skowhegan (skow-he-gahn) is a place I've known my whole life. It is where I began elementary school, where both my parents graduated high school, where I've spent many hours playing at the local parks, shopping in the stores, and making memories with friends. Skowhegan was settled in 1773, home to the first female U.S. senator, and rests charmingly in the Kennebec River Valley. I always look forward to returning to Skowhegan because not a whole lot changes and I know I can count on visiting my favorite stores such as Hill Top Antiques and From Nana to You. However, this summer's trip yielded some pleasant surprises. I've added two new favorite stops to my list: River Roads Artisans Gallery and The Bankery. The Bankery was pumping out sweet smells of deliciousness and I couldn't resist going inside. Charming is an understatement when describing this preserved bank transformed into an all-natural-from-scratch bakery! River Roads Artisans Gallery is a co-op artisan store that includes beautiful art and practical handmade items for all seasons. I purchased a few wood cooking tools from a local 14-year-old artisan, the son of Ray's Woodworking. And finally, this story leads me to my original focus, the art display on the streets of Skowhegan. When I first turned the corner of the famous rotary, I noticed colorful circular objects in the windows of the old brick buildings. I quickly realized these various looking objects were hanging in nearly every window! Over 20 artists have created sculptural globes as part of an art installation called "Worlds Seen & Foreseen." The project is intended to draw awareness on the fragility of our shared planet. I snapped the below picture while standing inside the River Roads Gallery, looking out onto the rotary of Skowhegan. If you're in the area, I highly suggest parking your car and taking a leisurely stroll around the area to observe for yourself!

Handmade Birthdays

It's probably no surprise that I like to make homemade things to celebrate birthdays. I've made it a tradition for my children to always get a homemade birthday cake. Even when we've needed those store bought sheet cakes for the big bashes, I've made a 2nd cake at home. When it comes to gifts, I like to reuse supplies. Gift bags and tissue paper are perfect for reusing. I know I'm not the only one who does this because I've seen the same bag come back to us before. This year I reused the tissue paper to wrap gifts instead of stuff inside bags. I paired the tissue paper along with a few fabric scraps and ribbon ends. It was really easy to do and it put a extra big smile on the birthday girl's face.

Building a Village

This summer, I am building a village with my kids. No, we're not working for Habitat for Humanity - although, I do love to volunteer for them - we're building with Popsicle sticks! I am having a lot of fun doing this with the kids. The three of us sit down with our piles of sticks and share a couple bottles of school glue. The rest is up to our imaginations! We plan to keep working on the project little by little. At the end of the summer, we'll get together with a few friends and share the creations (others are doing this too). It will be fun to see what each person built and how it will all work together to create one scene. I promise to post the pictures!

Handmade with Style: Edition 4

I have been wanting to work with used glass bottles for awhile now. This Handmade with Style Edition begins with jewelry that inspires me to finally have a go at it. Although I'm not planning on making jewelry, I am fascinated with the variety of objects we take for granted by throwing away! These little beauties are handmade and recycled - two of my favorite words! You can find other interesting pieces from the creator Kathleen Plate.
This shower curtain is pretty nifty! It is eco-friendly and completely customizable by YOU! Or, maybe you give it to the kids and let them decorate their own bathroom. Either way, I think this is a super-fun idea for anyone who likes to doodle. I really like how the examples show the viewer that it doesn't take an artist to make use of these either. Click here to see more or purchase: Shower Curtain

Lastly, I had to include these ties! I'm always scouting for handmade items for me, and these ties caught my attention. They come in iconic picnic table cloth patterns, and the best part is they are washable! My favorite is the red one, and it is officially called a Napkin Tie.

Up-cycle and Shine

A few years ago I rescued an old chandelier from heading to the dumpster. I was at the right place at the right time. When I got home, I completely dismantled it and sorted the crystal pieces. Beading has been one of my favorite hobbies since my teenage years. It didn't take long for me dream up these pretty little sun catchers, carefully up-cycling the crystal chandelier pieces! I created an assortment and began giving them away to each of my girlfriends on their birthdays. After I wrapped each one in matching tissue paper and placed them gently in a tiny little gift bag, I handed each one over with this simple poem I wrote for the occasion:

The Sun Catcher
By Christine Klein

Hanging in the window
Catching the sun's ray
A simple beauty
Casting glimmer all day

Still in the window
Reflecting at night
A wonder above
Gleaming moonlight

Fashioned by Indians
Call me a catcher of sun
I'm here every day
My work is never done

D-R-U-M-M-I-N D-A-D-D-Y D-A-V-E

Happy Fathers Day with a homemade poem for the love of my life and father of my two beautiful children! xoxo

Daddy Runs Unwavering Many Moons Idyllic Native
Dearly Adored Deeply Dashing Youthful
Dynamite All-Important Virtue Excellence

Making Digital Art

With a digital camera, the right computer program, and some spare time, you can create custom art for your home. For the examples in this blog post, I used a Nikon SLR camera and Adobe Photoshop to make my edits and both photos were taken in my backyard. This Oriole was flying around the yard and I managed to snap a photo of it while resting in the tree. Using the Poster filter in Photoshop, I quickly changed this average photo into an interesting cartoonish piece of art. Our quaint garden offers some beautiful cabbage heads and cucumbers at the moment. I snapped a closeup photo of the cabbage in full shade. The first example illustrates what can be accomplished with bold colors and the Sketch: Bas Relief filter in Photoshop. This is a fun touch for any contemporary or modernly decorated home. The second example transforms the image into black and white with strong contrast. I included an example of photoshop at the end to illustrate which tabs I selected to change the contrast on the black and white photo. Each of the examples can be printed at home with a decent photo printer, or sent off to a photo printing company such as Shutterfly. There are also options to order prints on canvas, turning your handmade creation into a true one-of-a-kind on your wall.