Make the Medicine

Just as the last of the transplants are placed in the earth, other plants come full with a demanding shout, "Harvest! Harvest!"

There's motherwort, mullein leaf, and catnip hanging to dry, and cleavers, violet leaf, and red clover blossoms taking turns in the dehydrator.

Every day there's something to harvest.

And yet every day there's moments to sit, be, and b.r.e.a.t.h.e. as I witness the evolution and miracles around me, within me, and those yet to imagine and be witness to.

It's these moments of stillness in which the greatest Medicine is extracted.

Make a moment. Extract the Medicine.

Peace.

Studio Play

Today is a studio day, which means both apothecary play and paint play. But first, I'll have to finish tidying up from Thursday evening's Renal System class. Once the ol' workbench is cleared I can tend to some measuring and packaging for clients, and continue some tweaks and taste testing for a couple beverage blends with which I've been toying.

I have several finished Nature inspired collage pieces to make ready to hang, and available to potential buyers. And I'm looking forward to adding another layer or two to add to this canvas. 

I'm sure to be adding to this large canvas as well, continuing to work with peace amid chaos... in a tangible, colorful, meditative way. As we all should be. Right?

Peace.

Plans for Shifting with the Season

Yesterday was a pretty typical Sunday at the studio. I puttered in my art journal, worked on some new mini journals and managed my modest inventory of items-for-sale. I enjoyed a few visits and visitors too. But what was less than typical was visiting this space you see here. I wandered quietly around the room, hearing the echoes bounce around the naked room, I held the space to feel the vacant vibration... and to feel the verve that I will soon be making manifest there.

Yes, I'm moving. I'll still be at the fab, historic building that is Whiting Mills in my little town of sunny Winsted, Connecticut, but I'll be moving from one studio space to another this month.

This new space affords me, my students, clients and visitors some added wiggle room for classes, workshops, consultations, healing work, creating, as well as comfy spaces for sitting, sipping, strategizing and assorted heart-to-hearts. It offers wiggle room that inspires consideration to enhancing my retail offerings as well, which is certainly a motivating consideration!

Plus, I'll be easier (much easier) to find in this beautiful puzzle of a building. And I'm sure my fellow tenants who have had to explain countless times to visitors over the past two years how to find me will appreciate this shift as well.

So my plan is to get all moved out of 336 and and settled into 310 after our 3rd Sunday event in October, during the early part of the week of the 19th. But, ya know, plans are fluid things and if it can happen faster, it will.

But for today I continue my garden, kitchen and preserving tasks. And that is where my focus is rooted this week.

Peace.

Ready for Whiting Mills' Open Studios and Block Party Event

Today I'm making myself busy at the studio. Tomorrow too. Because this weekend is the June Open Studios & Block Party at Whiting Mills in Sunny Winsted, Connecticut.

I'll have fresh herbs available, limited edition elixirs and soaps, tinctures, balm samples, smudge sticks, artful creations and more. I'll be serving herbal tea, herbed water and kombucha. I'm hosting a Plant Swap, a studio Door Prize, and two nature-inspired visiting artists: Art Barker Photography and Garden Art by Claudia.

If you're anywhere around the lovely June hills of northwest Connecticut this weekend, please stop by for a visit ~ and to partake of the talents, inspirations and festivities going on at Whiting Mills this weekend!

Gotta giddy-up!

Peace.

Final Preps for the Holiday Open Studios & Guest Artist Event

It's hard to believe that this is the weekend of our Holiday Open Studios & Guest Artists Event at Whiting Mills in Winsted, Connecticut. Once again, tempus fugit!

Now, I know many of you loyal visitors here at the blog are out of my region, yet I am excited for this weekend event, so I beg your forgiveness if this post is of no interest to you. Then again, you may be wishing to transport yourself to my little corner of the world by the end of this entry.

I feel blessed to have studio space within the walls of this historic building ... home to gifted and inspired artists, craftspeople, photographers, woodworkers, unique studios and shops ~ makers and doers of every kind! And this weekend is one of two weekends a year we all join forces to swing our doors wide and open our hearts in unison to our community ~ near and far.

You can learn more about Whiting Mills and "visit" many of the studios here.

As for me, I'll be having a PWYW (Pay What You Wish) weekend in my studio. All my creations ~ craft, art and herbal ~ are priced by the buyer, according to the value they place on the item and in a way that fits into their budget. In other words, make an offer and I'll accept it. This is a fun experiment for me. I've done this with various services over the years, but not with product. I'm looking forward to it!

I'll be serving nettle leaf infusion shots and doing some mixed media "metallic" art demonstrations on Saturday ... and serving Holy Basil shots and opening my heART journals (for all to see) on Sunday.

Not only that, I have two inspired makers joining me in my studio! 

Doreen Breen of Soul Threads will be sharing space on both Saturday and Sunday. She's a maker of unique, one of a kind wearable art. She felts and dyes, and knits and sews, and often combines her many skills into a single piece. So, so, so cool! I have a few of her pieces and love them all! You can see some of her creations here.

Kim Elovirta of Raven's Edge, LLC will be joining us on Saturday to share her herbal-based lotions and potions for beautiful skin. You know I make my own such things, but I also make purchases from Kim. Her lotions are fantastic and her lavender lime soap supplements my own homemade soap coffers. In fact, it was Kim who taught me to make my own soap, so many years ago! You can follow her blog here and peruse and purchase her creations here!

Along with all the resident talents, there will be other visiting artists, crafters, authors and more throughout the studios and the building ... and I always encourage visitors to be sure to take a ride on the historic and delightfully decked-out freight elevator that is operated by the charming and talented Steven Silvester for these events.

Plus, there will be musical entertainment, including one of my favored musicians and storytellers, the inspired Joseph FireCrow, who will be with us both days. What a gift!

So yeah ... today I'm making all the final preparations for this wonderful event. An event that nurtures community, our local economy and so much more.

If you're anywhere near the northwest hills of Connecticut, join us! And if you're not, tell me how much you wish you were!

Peace.

Flavors of Creation and Gratitude

Every year, as the darkness of night grows longer and the days grow cooler, I'm drawn to fiber. So it's no surprise that I've been busy in the sacred act of creating my little Spirit Pouches. And Spirit Cords, too.

There's something about lighting a fire, brewing a pot of tea and settling into the act of this flavor of creation that settles me, grounds me, and offers me a stable space of peace.

It offers me a quiet time of inner-stillness to ponder the mysteries of life, not the least being consideration to this concept of linear time that we all bought into and share. I mean, it's mid-November. When did that happen?

And I realize that in three short weeks the community of Creatives at Whiting Mills in Winsted, Connecticut will be collectively celebrating our Holiday Open Studios and Guest Artists Event. I still have much to do to prepare for this, but I'm not stressing over it. I'm just looking forward to throwing my doors open that weekend to all who choose to explore some inspiration, empowerment, and more.

I feel blessed for the studio space I have there, for it supplements my home work-spaces, where my full dispensary is rooted, and offers perfect space for classes and workshops.

I'm grateful for the supportive community of creatives there, and for the intimate and extended community of creative, healing, botanical-loving folks that fill the well of Life to overflow.

I feel blessed for it all.

And I'm excited to have two inspired friends sharing my space during the Open Studios weekend, Kim of Raven's Edge, LLC and Doreen of Soul Threads. I'll be telling you more about them in the days ahead.

So if you're in the region of sunny Winsted, Connecticut, I hope you'll join us at Whiting Mills in December ... and I invite you to start your visit at Studio 336!

And if you're on Facebook, join us at our Open Studio Event page!

Peace.

Time to Art Journal

Next week I'll be teaching two journal-making workshops at my sweet little studio at Whiting Mills in Winsted, Connecticut, and I'm excited about them! We'll be learning a super-simple method of bookbinding to create our very own handmade journals. I have Effy Wild to thank for teaching me this method, and I'm so grateful to her for it. I've been rather addicted to the process since I learned it and use only my own handmade journals for my art journaling. I'm creating some others for writing and for sketching too. It's such a joy!

On my shelves you'll discover handmade journals created by others, as well as my old moleskins that I started with many years ago. I almost always have a journal with me, no matter where I am or where I go. Journals are just another bit of holistic Goodness in my Medicine bag. Know what I mean?

But it's art journaling that is my dedicated daily practice. I fill journal after journal with color, texture, symbols, forms, words, feeling, heart, and play! Again, Good Medicine.

As the pages fill, the journals line up on the shelves like loving sentries, colorful faeries, divine guides. And they are those things, and more.

So if you're anywhere near the northwest hills of Connecticut I'll hope you'll join us to learn this wonderful skill on either Thursday evening, January 9 or Sunday afternoon, January 12! 

As for now, I have a fire to tend, heArt journaling to do, and who knows what else? 

Peace.