Category: blog

Patreon

Are you interested in spending a little time learning and creating together? I am working on this new project and I have decided that Patreon is the best forum to use. Social media can move too quickly to really engage with my followers and the website is a good homebase but Patreon allows for all of the things that I was looking for.

It will house my Tips and Tutorials in nice categories and it allows for you to chose the level of your participation.

I upload content in three main areas of my work. Pottery, Watercolor and Fiber Art. Chose one or all three to follow and get reminders when I go live by signing up below!

Watercolor Wednesdays

Join me for some fun watercolor practice. I post new content every Wednesday. You can follow along with me and create something beautiful while sharing our creative inspiration.

The tutorials are found on Patreon and membership tiers vary depending on your interests.

I hope to see you there!

Felted Hats

Felt Like Making Hats with Alpaca Fiber from Our Spring Harvest! ( see what I did there?)

This spring, we took on the fluffy mission of harvesting alpaca and sheep fiber, transforming our farm into a scene straight out of a Pixar movie. Think Cloudy with a Chance of Woolballs. Now, it’s time to put that fiber to good use: making fabulous, one-of-a-kind felt hats!

Picture this: You’ve just spent a solid hour shearing an alpaca who—let’s be real—is giving you some serious side-eye and yes, some of them do spit.🤢 Their fleece falls in tufts, and you suddenly wonder if there’s enough coffee in the world to get through this. But then, magic happens! You look down at the fiber—soft, luxurious, and you see all the possibilities.

Here’s how we’re turning fluff into fashion, and I promise it’s easier than talking an alpaca into a haircut:

  1. Prep the Fiber – After collecting this year’s fiber, we clean it (this means less hay in your hair), comb it out, and get it all fluffed up. Yes, there’s something so satisfying about fiber prep—like untangling holiday lights, but softer.
  2. Wet Felting – Grab your soapy water and prepare to get messy! Felting is all about coaxing those fibers to shrink and lock together. It’s like giving your wool a spa day, with a little elbow grease. Who knew? Spa days for fiber are a thing.
  3. Shape the Hat – As the fiber turns into felt, we shape it into hats that could rival a royal wedding. Whether you want a classic cloche or something with a bit more flair, you’re only limited by your imagination—and your ability to keep your pets from destroying your project mid-felt. (Don’t ask how I know that.)
  4. The Finishing Touches – Every great hat needs its final flourish. Whether it’s a flower, feather, or something wild like a yarn pompom, you can customize it to fit your style. Need to blend in at the next fiber fest? Or make a statement? I’ve got you covered.
Here’s a short video with a look at the process.

Want to learn how you can create your own felted fun projects with fiber? Join me on Patreon for behind-the-scenes videos, tutorials, and insider access to special deals on all our creations. Plus, keep up with sales and new fiber-related shenanigans by following me on Instagram.

So, whether you’re into DIY fashion or just want to stay cozy this winter, grab your fluff, follow along, and let’s get felting! 🎩

Don’t forget to sign up for updates and exclusive offers on our upcoming sales! You won’t want to miss our next trunk show or fiber drop!

Turquoise Reflections

Turquoise Reflection Timelapse Painting

Watercolor Wednesday

Hello! Hope you are enjoying this wonderful day! I am glad to be sharing this quick view of my latest Patreon tutorial upload.

The scene is a beautiful reflective water near a shore and a distant crop of trees. It feels like just the place I would like to sit and relax for a bit.

I invite you to head on over to my Patreon to see the full tutorial. Whether you are a painter or not, I think the process is really fascinating to watch.

While you’re there, be sure to take a look at the other projects I’m working on. Fiber art, watercolor and pottery are the mediums I focus on but you will also find a variety of added benefits like how to organize a yarn stash, how to use old books to create sketch books and how up to make your own mats and frames. These are all the things that are waiting for you to discover at Patreon.

The Myth of Ceres and Persephone

SEPTEMBER- Autumn Equinox 

Also known as the Greek goddess Demeter, Ceres was the Goddess of the harvest and was credited with teaching humans how to grow, preserve, and prepare grain and corn. She was thought to be responsible for the fertility of the land.

One autumn day her daughter, Persephone, walked with friends among the bountiful fields.

When they reached a field of flowers, Persephone called to them.

“Come here quick and we can gather all the wildflowers we want. ”

They filled their baskets with herbs and clover each selecting among the variety of crocuses and lilies. 

Persephone wandered away from her companions and it was then that  Dis, Lord Hades of the Underworld abducted her. 

There was no place on earth that Ceres did not look for her daughter Persephone. 

Ceres wore a crown of grain on her head and wore white for “twice three months”. The time that Persephone would remain dormant in the underground. 

With the promise that her daughter would return again, she waited.

Persephone represents the seeds that fall in the Fall and the white worn by Ceres is the snow that will cover the ground until Persephone returns in the Spring. 

Separation and Loss Followed by Joy and Belief

Mourning/Searching, Joy, and Belief are the three phases of September. 

I find myself fully immersed in the Joy Phase as my mourning and searching have led me directly to my path of unbounded Joy. Relationships that were strained and dormant have reemerged as the fruitful seeds of hope.

I enter the final stage of this Equinox with the BELIEF in the powerful relationship and bond between a Mother and her Daughter. I celebrate us and you in this season and as we rest to rediscover ourselves again, I remain eager to see what we become when we bloom again in the Spring.

Celebrate the Equinox

Make an oak leaf crown or create a special table topper with two items that represent the mother and daughter relationship. You can also start a gratitude journal and include intentions (seeds) that you can focus on while the snow covers the ground and see how they develop after months of your belief.

Don’t forget to sip on a warm honey tea as you acknowledge the end of a season and prepare for rest.

To see what my Equinox table scape will look like, visit my Patreon channel.

Summer Days

Make me feel fine…ish.

I am working on completing preparation for the Annual Downtown Art Fair in Grand Rapids, MN.

Like most things I do, it’s been a whirlwind of crazed activity following weeks of procrastination.

The watercolor is still wet and I’m hustling to learn how to make my own frames with a skill saw that my father gave me after a visit to see him in Texas last month.

I also just learned that he and all of my sisters will be visiting our farm at the end of July so Jim and I have been frantically preparing for their arrival. Hint: if you want stuff done around the house, ask your family to come over!

We added steps to the lake, a fresh new cedar deck and will be building a ramp to help him get in and out of our house safely. You may be wondering why I’m sharing this here…

The answer is simple, I am preparing my speech as to why my work is not cohesive or why the collection is rather limited. The thing about in person shows is you have a ton of time to interact with the community and it’s more than your art that is on full display.

I will be showcasing my complete ADHD repertoire. The results can be a brilliant display of mostly half finished ideas started when I was sure that the months ahead would be orderly and controlled. I was going to get it together for this show. I didn’t.

At any rate, I will be there and I invite you to come hear about all the things I was gonna do.

https://macrostieartcenter.org/artfair

The Watercolor Painting that kept me sane

This winter scene was one of my first attempts at winter landscapes in watercolor. We visited a beautiful farm in Northern MN during the pandemic in 2020. Our hope to relocate was solidified when we saw this beautiful scene. I captured it on my iPhone and returned to Texas. I longed to be in this place and the only way I could return, at that time, was in my imagination.

It is so beautiful a view and I never tire of it. While we didn’t buy that farm we did find a place that has a similar tree line visible from our living room.

It’s hard to see the poor quality of the artwork from my new vantage point and not cringe a little, but I can’t completely dismiss the importance that it holds for me. It kept me looking forward and excited for change when the whole world was locked down and longing for anything different.

Mural Commission

My collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (Grand Rapids, MN) and Grand Itasca Hospital brings a fresh look to an emergency intake room.

My First Public Work Commission:

NAMI Mural at the Grand Itasca Emergency Room 

Mid-September is as close to perfect as I can imagine.  The trees are a stunning array of colors; striking burgundy, yellows, and ruby reds.  The breeze bristles the leaves and if I close my eyes it sounds like a waterfall just outside of my window.  Time seems to slow down and I can sit and deeply appreciate the wonderful place that I get to call home. 

In addition to the spectacular lake view and autumn breeze, I am deeply grateful to have been entrusted by NAMI and the Grand Itasca Hospital to create my artistic expression of serenity and healing in one of the emergency intake rooms

After meeting with board members, I found that the care that they take to create an atmosphere of healing and renewal was in line with my artistic vision and ethos. 

The Clinical Setting

During my freshman year of college, I found myself on the inside of a clinical setting. I needed help and I was desperate to find anything that would keep the room from spinning. At the time, anxiety was not something that was discussed openly. I had witnessed a murder at an off-campus event. I was away from home for the first time and I had no support. The memory of the event played over and over in my mind. My grades plummeted. I was put on academic probation and ultimately lost my full scholarship.  This included my dorm room and my work study source of income.

I couldn’t go home a failure. I found a job and tried to power through it alone.  I managed to work and save enough money to re-enroll and eventually found work at a mall. I was better. 

Until, during the busy Christmas season, I heard what I thought was a gunshot. I froze. I forgot where I was and was riddled with the worst ringing in my ears and fear beyond description.  The screaming got louder as the children poured into the store shouting and crying over the balloon that had been popped.  It was just a balloon.  It didn’t matter.  Several of my co-workers looked at me and all I felt was shame. I couldn’t pull myself together. I walked out and never went back. I never collected my belongings and I’m not entirely sure how I got home.  What I do remember was the intake nurse as they took my insurance information.  

Depression. That was the diagnosis.  I sat in a sterile bright room under flicking fluorescent lights while I saw the nurses come around with little dixie cups filled with medication.  I stayed and took my medication and hoped that it would help.  The cold floors and the hospital noises were a reminder of how “sick” I was. 

As a necessity, there are monitors and other medical equipment in a setting like this, of course, but I longed to be well and out of that environment. 

Welcome Home

It’s amazing to know that the girl I was would be writing about the beautiful autumn leaves and the lake view in the pristine Northwoods of Minnesota, but here I sit. 

I imagine that my anxiety might have been eased with a little time in the woods. I wish I could have told my young self that I would overcome many depressions and losses throughout the years and still find joy and peace.  I think that would have been valuable to know. 

It is in this vein that I directed my choices for this Mural.  I will be painting a lovely cabin interior with a crackling fire and cozy hearth.  The view outside of the “window” will be a lake view similar to what I enjoy today.  

I hope that anyone in a situation similar to mine will find the comfort of home while being treated by caring medical professionals and that it will bring peace to others as it has to me. 

P.S. 
For Mari

As a final nod to mental health and awareness, I will add a small canoe with a single person seated peacefully inside.  I lost my oldest and dearest friend to suicide six years ago.  There isn’t a day that I don’t miss her.  I’ve hung a wooden bird from the window of my office that overlooks the lake.  I imagine that she watches me while I play and she is happy for me.  I wish she could have seen the lake for herself. 

Update: As I was painting the mural I got a sense that the red canoe would not work as I had hoped. I was left with an uneasiness about a lone canoe, so I added two white Adirondack chairs on the shore instead.