Studio Spring De-Stash

My friend Kris and I doing some serious Spring Cleaning…

Textile / Craft Sale

Equipment, books, materials
Spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing, basketry, beading, stamping, dyeing
Cash, Venmo, and PayPal

May 3-4 : 9am to 4pm

4630 Wentworth Avenue South – Minneapolis ( access by alley )

In conjunction with the Tangletown Annual Garage Sale
includes : drum carder, wool combs, sewing machines, small looms, needles,
yarn, threads, fabric, beads and more

NO EARLY SALES

Long Neglected but Not Forgotten...

Greetings
It’s a wee bit embarrassing…it’s been so long since I posted here! 2023 has flown by, lot’s of traveling to teach at some great venues!
Now with that behind me, I’m making the effort to be a little more “social” here. I was having a conversation the other day with a younger artist about the relevancy of “blogs”…with all the other online options, I thought perhaps they were a thing of the past…but she disagreed, and nudged me to “get on with it”…so here I am…
with a quick post to see if I remember how to do this…☺

The web shop has been loaded with this year’s harvest of plant dyed wools. The gardens were pathetic this year. Drought, heat and backyard critters prevailed, I accepted defeat early…but then there were the marigolds…they were glorious!

I’m also adding my available work to the “Handmade” section, with more to come in the next week. I invite you to take a look, perhaps you will find a gift or two to give this holiday season

Many blessings to you and yours, Laurie

Happy New Year ~ * ~

Here I go again with an attempt to resurrect this blog!

2022 is starting off on a weather roller coaster here on the northern edge of the prairie. We are currently in the deep freeze, and oh the winds…but tomorrow’s forecast is for above 30 degrees F.
Looking forward to trying out the new snowshoes my guys gave me!

It’s paperwork season…my least favorite. I’ve made great progress these past few months with culling out STUFF…mine…my families…my parents…but mostly mine. Feels good to let go and to get organized…and the bonus is there are only a FEW things I can’t find…You know, I put them in “that” logical place;)

One project that keeps getting put off is a pictorial journal of last year’s gardens. It was a hard, dry year. And of course last year’s backyard dyepots…I’m MISSING my flip-flops and cooking up some plants for glorious colors in the back yard.

A big shout of thanks to those who shopped “Arts of the Holidays”, at Minnetonka Center for the Arts this season. It was so good to be able to offer my work in a physical space again! I hope everyone who purchased my mats is enjoying them and feeling good when they use or see them:)

Thanks for visiting, leave a comment if you wish.
Be Well, be kind and I’ll be back soon ~ L

Finally some rain and this is growing in my strawberry bed...

Happy New Year…New Hope…New Work…

Hearts are common motifs on early works in textiles, clay, paper, wood, metal and stone.
A frequent element in my work, I pleased to offer some new pieces for sale.

Timely for Valentine’s Day gift giving, to me hearts symbolize so much more than love & friendship.
I see empathy, gratitude, kindness, self-care, sympathy, unity…all good qualities to cultivate in these tumultuous times ♥

I’ve got some larger scale work in progress, but I seem to be favoring smaller pieces these days. Find these and more here Many Thanks for taking time to read my little note!

Wishing you and yours all the best in 2021 ♥

Be Well, Be Kind ~ Laurie

A lovely surprise…

A few days ago I was tidying up the bottom shelf on the potting bench were I do my backyard dyeing. My nest of old enamel pans needed a good scrubbing…

Now, I admit to being so consumed these past many years with caring for may Mom & Dad that many things just were left untouched…and my memory is a bit foggy…but I don’t think I’ve touched these in a couple years! 

What a delightful surprise in the bottom pan… 

5+ ounces of lovely dried marigolds! 

I do remember dropping a handful in the pan after a walk thru the garden and dead-heading. But usually I have a basket or handful of mixed blooms… zinnia, marigold, coreopsis and rudbeckia 

  and that is what I’d toss in the old hen basket! 

Again, I have no idea how long this mess has been accumulating… 

So it was definitely time to stew it up! 

Oh so lovely… 

  Today I’m firing up the pots to stew up the old marigolds… 

Hope you will visit again to see the results…

Be well, be safe, be kind, be creative ~L

Another Tuesday from the backyard…

Hello Everyone…
We’ve had lovely…almost “fallish” weather here on the northern prairie…
A delightful break from the hot and humid!

I’ve spent many days in the backyard…dyeing, gardening, hooking, reading…
our winters are so long, I like to take advantage of every moment outdoors…
to store it up…to savor it.

I was responding to an email form my friend Kris
(many of you have met her…she’s my right-hand at many events)
She’s not on social media, but I think occasionally pops in here to see what I’m up to;)

Usually by this time of year we would have had many coffees, lunches, garden tours, road trips and a few dye sessions together…
But, then, these are not USUAL times.

Anyway…as I typed my note to Kris, I realized it would be a great recap to share with you on the blog!

“Yes, I’ve been playing in the pots. My friend Karen sold her house. I was helping her pack and move. I’ve become the foster yard for her eclectic statuary and odd garden art. While hauling it out of her yard, I step on a walnut…then I saw them all over the ground! Isn’t this WAY EARLY?? I took half of a 13 gal kitchen size plastic bag…hoping the bag wouldn’t rip. Interesting shades from these. I’ve done both no mordant and alum/cot…then…
decided to cut down the stinging nettles I planted in the older washer. They were starting to flower and didn’t want to risk missing it and letting them go to seed. Enough for a tiny skein of super fine merino (alum/cot)…then did an iron after dip…on a tiny black walnut too…”

“I finally got around to stewing up the Tansy you gave me…gosh I don’t remember how long ago…”

Am I the only one who loves the smell of Tansy?
…it’s delightful.

"And the Japanese Knotweed is waiting…When can you come over to play?
This is one pot that I couldn’t find room for in the beds!"

I’ll be listing plant-dyed wools in the Etsy Shop soon…I working on some sweet bundles!

Stay well, stay safe, be kind, be creative
~L