Dear Reader,
The sun is out and oooh baby does my window-filled studio face West.
I'm basking.
Since deciding to no longer sell on Etsy yesterday, my mind has been buzzing. Flushed with this new available bandwidth to put towards ToolBoxEarth directly.
Every Friday, I will release a 'Friday Roundup' blog post recounting happenings within the studio from Monday-Roundup Day.
Help me stay a little more organized.
Help you be a more active participant in the journey.
Keep us both more engaged.
Like- participatory reflections.
So you have a better idea of what to expect as we truck on dear Reader, my intention is to write one blog post each week in addition to the Friday Roundup.
02/05-09/2024 Developments
THE FIRST WEAVING OF THE SEVEN VEILS COLLECTION COMPLETED woohoo- very excited to see how this one progresses. I'm not going to share which of the seven veils this 20" original round weaving represents. But all will be revealed in time. The seven veils, in order, are listed down below*
2. COMPLETED THE FIRST TWO COILED SCRAP WALL HANGINGS Coiled scrap, whaaa? After just shy of three years working full time as a fiber artist, I've got scraps. Especially from when I first got started and had no wherewithal for proper lengths. Please know, the scraps haven't been completely abandoned. Nor have they uncontrollably mountained. We just have three t-shirt bags standing between me and a cupboard. So here are a couple artsy shots of the first two coiled scrap wall hangings. There's something really playful about this process and, for me, the end result. Their new life and excitement. Like when a kid adorably over poses for a photo.
3. CRANIAL MORPHING
After about a year of letting my hair naturally dread, and living in a hat for the last four-ish months, I gotta say, this past week, they've really been coming, together. Five comma sentence- nailed it. When I decided to shift ToolBoxEarth from a lot of smaller items like crocheted goods and macrame plant hangers to focusing solely on weaving, I wanted an identifying way to tell time. Put a pin down. Mark a moment and watch it morph. And in this past week, it's really been coming together.
4. FABRIC MACRAME PLANT HANGERS
Yeah, how I was just talking about slashing my items offered to focus on weaving, not as lucrative. So, we're bringing back a fan favorite with a new twist. These fabric plant hangers are the exact same design as our other tassel-free plant hangers, the only difference is that they're made with strips of fabric instead of the tradition cotton macrame cord.
Nothin like totally unique chunky boho vibes.
Coming soon.
And eeeeesh does it feel nice. My mind has been dancing to every pattern of possibility. Steps. Fresh focus. Attention is being turned to this space and www.toolboxearth.com, and to supporting our local economy throughout New York state. Due to rising costs in shipping and a horrid case of conventional marketing skills, ToolBoxEarth is confidently laying a pair of 'A'nomaly cards.
6. WHOOPSY DAISY
Remember me blabbing about how you should expect to see dried flowers in pressed glass available soon? Well that ship is docked. Because sometimes I might get ideas and feel no need to do any real research into the process. Seem stupid? Some of those times, it is. More often than not though, I can quietly trudge ignorantly forward with just my best judgment on my back and relish in watching the process unfold. Excited for mistakes. Watching daily changes.
I created five dried pressed flower arrangements in glass this week and three of them molded.
ew. molded?
Yeah- the dried flowers and things used within the arrangement weren't dry enough. The sneaky lingering moisture got locked in and- I don't mean to spore you.
Needless to say, lessons have been learned. Take Two: A Pedal's Tale coming soon to a fiber art shop near you.
6. NEW BORDER FOR AN OLD FRIEND
This is actually how I started my week. Revisiting an old friend. AMYGDALA is one of the oldest weavings amongst the 'still available' works dating back to April 2023. We've been hangin' out. Almost luckily. This weaving was created to explore the evolution of our instincts, specifically this lil almond we all have called the AMYGDALA. Our 'emotional control panel' that also dabbles in memory.
This revamped original woven wall hanging is an exploration of puffing our chests out. Bristling of the fur on our backs. Digging our he(e/a)ls down.
First the deconstructed neck ties were unwrapped from the weaving. Spent climbing rope was then stitched around the edge of the weaving, widening it. The dress ties were then re-wrapped around the new, bolder border.
AMYGDALA is something to spend time with.
And that concludes our inaugural Friday Roundup.
Please stay tuned for more.
A new pal sent along this article in response to the blog post from yesterday.
Seems to be it for now, dear Reader.
Until we meet again- let's do it better than we knew we could.
In the market for a new fiber art, identifying way to mark a moment?
With a sunny face,
*in order, the seven veils dropped by Salome during her last dance were:
-DREAM
-REASON
-PASSION
-BLISS
-COURAGE
-COMPASSION
-KNOWLEDGE
ToolBoxEarth's next collection will feature a woven representation of each.