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hey hey I’m back from Boston — what a fun time! We really enjoyed Design Hive (Kari and Sarah joined me for the day, and Jaclyn, Vanessa and some other great friends stopped by!) — thanks everyone for buying my goodies and all the smiles and great feedback. It’s so fun to see people’s reactions to my work. And I’m happy to say that two of my new needle-felted birdies found a good home, which really makes it all worth while. 
Also a few of my Peace Cranes made it to the Design Hive blog — thanks Val!
We also had a fantastic time shopping the Bazaar Bizarre, which was so inspiring to me. I brought home a few handmade holiday gifts as well as maybe a few things for myself (I only have so much willpower, really). There were some wonderful vendors there, including some of my favorites:
Ranunculae silkscreen cards and fabric goodies
Swallowfield Intricate art and fantastic-ness
1Girl1Boy Hand block-printed fabric goodness
Argyle Whale little illustrations of hedgehogs and goats and things
Campfire Goods T-shirts a-plenty for the type/geography/pop culture nerd in all of us
Egg-a-go-go Illustrationy crafty goodness {we all love the Button Collecting Bird!!!]
Family Dinner for One super star cliparty T’s
Fern Animals tiny soft sculptures
Mean & Wroughten welded art pieces (he was set up across from me at Design Hive, too!)
Miaow wonderful whimsical softies, so huggable!
Sewing Stars adorable plushies
Soto Softies more adorable plushies (sensing a theme?)
Traveling Rhinos Yarn and fiber goodies
Twigs and Heather gorgeous silver jewelry — my favorites are the maple seeds, I don’t think I’d ever take off a necklace so beautiful!
I also got some gorgeous earrings and a necklace at Design Hive from Erica Walker at Walker Silverworks, who was set up right near me — I’m wishing I had picked up a few of her star ornaments, since we’re about to decorate our tree tonight or tomorrow — they’d be so fantastically sparkly with the lights reflecting on them!
oh joy of joys — delicious Kale from our CSA, Farm Girl Farm, and some loverly cherry tomatoes from our very own veggie patch! (the avocados were from Trader Joe’s and just right ripeness) I first tasted this recipe at Kari’s — and then found some variations of the recipe online, the best one so far from The Happy Foodie. This one included a pinch cayenne which added a delicious kick! Seriously, try it yourself — you won’t be disappointed, even if you think you don’t like kale. Oh, I also added a whole avocado, with half of it mushed up and half as bigger chunks, cuz I swoon for avo chunks, srsly.
I will probably (should, anyway) not be writing much in these next few weeks and even months, as I hunker down and really get going on my schoolwork, for this little MFA of mine at the Academy of Art University. I must admit I’m having quite a bit of trouble really getting to work, having that elusive disipline everyone asks me about every time they hear I’m doing this work online. So I’m looking for it, asking the heavens and the muses to allow me to eek out a bit more inspiration from my homework, lectures and projects — but to also allow me not to forget all the inspiration I have gathered from my time at Squam, my summer in the Berkshires and beyond, and the joy of having some “time off”.
What do I want to be doing instead of schoolwork, you ask? Well, posting here, for one. Creating crafty things, crafting the prints, cards, sculptures, calendars, ornaments and such swirling around my little creative noggin, and maybe playing with the dogs some more. But, this is the life I have chosen for myself, for now.
So, it begins, here I go. I should actually be doing work right now. My projects are due on Mondays, and today is no different. I have until midnight PST, though, so that gives me until 3am my time, but hopefully I won’t have to stay up that late to get it done… though who knows. When a project is done, it’s done, right?
**Edit: to see these pics all big and pretty, click my flickr page on the left over there!**
Those lovely ladies in the first few photos are Jen Gray and Jonatha Brooke. who were assisting the wonderful Andrea Sher in the amazing “Superhero Life” workshop. That was one fine day of traipsing around in the rain, photographing, modeling and posing, laughing, smiling, maybe a little crying and some thoughtful introspection. Fantastic. Jonatha played us a BEAUTIFUL little song at the end of our class that she has recorded for a new Disney movie coming out about Peter Pan — it’s written from the perspective of Wendy’s daughter Jane, and it’s all about believing in the unbelievable, including pixie dust. Yeah, I think after that I believe in pixie dust, too. Thanks Jonatha — you’re a gorgeous person, and so inspiring and talented. It was such an honor to spend a day with you!
The cabin is where I lived those four nights — a gorgeous little home, just 6 feet from the lake’s edge, and an adorable dock. We were lucky enough to have inherited 2 nice folding chairs from previous occupants sitting right out on the end of the dock, a perfect place to absorb the gorgeosity (yeah, that’s my new word I just made up) of the lake and the White Mountains beyond. I even went swimming at lunch on Saturday! Yes, it was very cold. Of course it was! But it was quite shallow, I even stood up with water only to my shoulders about 15 feet out from the end of the dock!
The restaurant shot is from the Corner House Inn, our last dinner of the week up in adorable Sandwich, NH after the wonderful Sqam Art Fair. So cozy!
I’m so thankful for this experience. Thankful for the people in my life (my darling Hubby and my awesome Mom) who encouraged me to go — including the amazing Kari Chapin, without whom I wouldn’t have even HEARD of it… thank you lady — you are the best! And so thankful for the new people I met and connected with, including Andrea Scher and Penelope Dullaghan who led the fantastic workshops I took — rounding out the whole experience with so much info and insight, not to mention their friendly smiles. The wonderful Thea Coughlin was there as our even photographer; I have yet to see her photos from the event, but I am so happy to have met her and I have to say she has the best energy and makes even the most shy and timid come alive in front of her lens. Plus the wonderful Mati Rose McDonough and Kelly Rae Roberts, who led an engaging panel discussion on Thursday and who were selling some wonderful artwork at the fair — I came home with a postcard from Kelly and this print from Mati.
I also had an amazing and talented group of ladies in my cabin, who made the experience so much fun and so comfortable and welcoming, which included Noel, Gretchen, Melissa and the fantastic (how many adjectives can I use in one post?) Christine Mason Miller! She was pretty busy so we didn’t see her much at the cabin, but it was wonderful to have her there and get a chance to chat with her without the hordes of adoring fans. teehee, ok, maybe hordes is the wrong word… but… everyone was happy to have her there and get to hear her read from her compelling, honest and beautiful new book “Ordinary Sparkling Moments“. I am thankful, too, for Elizabeth who organized and thought up the whole thing. She is tireless, amazing, fantastic and so fun to be around — I know I keep saying this about everyone, but what an inspiration she is!
Thank you, everyone. Thanks for reading this, too! You, too, are the BEST!
***for some reason I am not getting how to show the photos in order… if anyone has wordpress suggestions, I’d be grateful. I created a “gallery” and can’t change the order!***
I am still trying to wrap my head around the experience of Sqam, but I know you are waiting for a report, so what follows is my best try, using some excerpts from writing I did during the week and this morning, reflecting on what I’m taking away from it. I’ve never been the most touchy-feely girl (well, save for some time when I was deeply entrenched in the Theatrical arts… ) and I hope you can forgive and accept some flowery prose to follow…
I didn’t come home with any great masterpieces, or even all that much art at all, which is the opposite of what I was expecting. Instead, I have come home with a rejuvenated spirit, a revved up creative mind and a sense of balance that has been lacking in my life for some time.
It was a joyful time, filled with smiles, laughing, shared joys and connection, as well as a bumpy, emotional and introspective ride that was at times hard to handle. I’m still processing all that I experienced, imagined and dreamed while at Squam, so I am not sure how to quantify “how it was,” except to say that it was wonderful and amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Days were full of natural beauty, delicious food, engrossing conversation, new friends, a little bit of tripping over stones in the path (yes, literally and metaphorically), and lots of quiet time alone with myself and my creativity, without the usual distractions and demands of everyday life.
I accidentally left my cellphone in Portsmouth, NH where we stopped on our way to SAW (at the wonderful restaurant The Friendly Toast, but that’s for another post altogether), so I wasn’t connected in that sense to the outside world, and I chose to leave my computer turned off for all but one 10 minute stretch where I found a message thread from some of my dearest friends, which served to remind me of my connections out in the “real world,” and how lucky I am to have myself an amazing “tribe” of wonderful women around me.
Even if we are all a little far flung for the time being, these woman have shared so much and so many profound and joyful experiences with me… all the women in (and some now sadly out of) my life have watched and helped me grow up, go to college far far from home, move across the country two more times, buy a house, meet the man of my dreams and get married, and finally find myself crafting a future for myself that involves creative expression and maybe a few farm animals here in my small Shire city. Many of these woman have stood by me and laughed and cried with me along the way, taking me into their worlds when I need to, and returning to me here when they feel the pull of our hills and trees. Many live life here in the woods along with me, sharing the rural life and all it has to offer, striving to keep a community connection in a place where you could go weeks without seeing another person if you wanted to.
They have travelled with me, taking spontaneous roadtrips and well-planned vacations, to places like London, Big Sur, the Arizona desert, Vancouver and Victoria BC, Block Island, Florida, Squam Lake, Newport and the ever-wonderful Hillsdale, NY, getting soaked and muddy and loving every minutes of it and the joy of listening to our favorite artists play their music on a hillside.
Thank you, ladies, girls, women, for being my tribe, for sharing your journey with me, and for encouraging my creative path as far as it has taken me (and also for accepting with joy, gratitued and even maybe pretending to like all the handmande gifts that have come your way…). You are my soul sisters, you are my life. I wouldn’t be who I am without you.
With blessings and gratitude,
Laurie May Coyle 9.15.08
What an amazing thing to come home to, after an over-the-top inspiring and soulful weekend, I came home to see that my studio was featured on the Poppytalk Blog on Saturday! Thank you Jan and Earl for allowing me to show my studio and discuss a little bit of my process and work — what an honor to be featured on your wonderful blog.
I also wanted to say a big “Hello!” to anyone who might be visiting my blog here after seeing that feature on Poppytalk — I’m happy to have you, and hope you enjoy this peek at my life, work and the little farm!
I’m smiling big today, so if you see a dork walking around downtown Lee looking all sparkly and happy, that’s probably me. So stop and say hello, won’t you? :>
Starting tomorrow, I’m going to be away for a few days, at an even that promises to be wonderful and amazing, the Squam Art Workshops! I am totally excited! (bet you couldn’t guess that?) It starts tomorrow with an opening ceremony featuring Guest Speaker Grace Bonney of design*sponge and a bonfire with live music from Jonatha Brooke. wowzers. what a way to kick it off, eh?!
I’ll be driving up with Kari, and we’ll be sure to stop and take lots of photos along the way. The weather looks like it will cooperate, with temps from the mid 60s to low 70s and a little bit of sun all week! I will surly have lots to report when I get back on Sunday, plus hopefully some great photos and artwork, so stay tuned.
There is going to be what promises to be an amazing art fair up there on Friday night (that anyone and everyone is invited to) in the neighboring town of Sandwich, NH. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop on by! I think it’s going to be really fun.
I’ve been reading the blogs of some of the instructors and participants of the workshops for the past week or so, trying to get to know some of the people I’ll be spending the next few days with. I’ve collected a few quotes, and I hope they don’t mind if I post them here… I think they’re just right to describe what this week will be:
“This is a time to let go and let it flow. I am looking forward to opening myself up to mother nature with long walks, meditation, bonfires, sweet melodies, breathing deeply, connecting with old friends and meeting some damn cool soulful peeps.” –from Denise Lynnette Andrade bohemiangirldesigns
“I will be going to something like girl camp, complete with art classes and bonfires and music and lots of laughter. It is going to be the life-shifting, creative-sparking kind of fun… my favorite kind.” –from Andrea Scher of superherodesigns
and this photo of Squam Lake is from Christine Mason Miller, of Sparkletopia.
can’t wait!
I love the scene at Farm Girl Farm, our CSA (we’re sharing with friends who live nearby), and the bounty doesn’t hurt…
I brought one of my new Veg cookbooks with me, thinking I might want to pick up other ingredients depending on what we got from the farm, but this week everything was familiar: pick-your-own beans, flowers & cherry tomatoes, plus 5 lbs of Heirloom tomatoes (!), peppers, tomatillos (sp?), corn, squash, onion, garlic, braising greens, arugula (my favorite!), and probably a few other things I can’t remember at the moment. YUM. 
and then some scenes from our little farm… the goaties are always interested in what’s going on…
and HappyDog has been practicing her herding techniques, she’s getting pretty good (she even helped me herd back in an escaped goat last week! harrowing!)
I took this shot yesterday for an assignment for my summer class, it is entitled “The Fugitive Flower.”
I have to admit it was a bit difficult to shoot by myself, but also pretty fun and even a little bit exciting to know I could pull off my concept/idea…
{secret: there was no foot in that shoe!}
I have a couple of new photos for sale in my etsy shop. Hope you likey.
I think they’d make a nice series, maybe in a kitchen . They are listed as 5×7 prints, but I’d be happy to print them larger, even poster size for you. Veggies, veggies everywhere!
Ok, I’m finally off to plant my beet, bean, and pea seeds. Better late than never, right?
