Haystack Postcard....

Oh Haystack....what can I say?  My Grandma always said that coast of  Lake Michigan was the most beautiful place she ever visited, but that the Oregon coast was a close second.  That's how I feel about Maine.  It is my happy place.  Here I am in my Lake Michigan birthday shirt, blissed out in a cabin overlooking the Penobscot Bay last weekend.  It was 39 degrees that night, and I loved every minute of it.

Haystack Postcard

Waking up each morning to this view of the lobster boats heading out to sea from my cabin window sure started out my days on the right feet last weekend.  It was cold, that's for sure, but not as cold as I thought it would be.  Being surrounded by Mainers helped me put my own feelings about temperature in perspective.  Or, maybe it forced me to loose some of my street-cred.  I'm always the one in the room who is hot. Throwing off blankets in the night, and sleeping with the windows open all winter long. 

Armed with the weather forecast that predicted rain and nights with temperatures in the low 40's, I packed wool and hats and my down vest.  I brought hot hand warmers and long underwear and thick legwarmers, and I showed up that first morning with extra hot hand warmers for my students, happy to be bundled up.  I had, the hour before seen my own breath when I woke up.  Sliding open the classroom door, I expected to see everyone dressed similarly, as there is no heat or insulation at Haystack, but what did I see?  A group of Maine residents, sitting quietly embroidering in their shirts and jeans, laughing at me.  "Where are you going, skiing?"  

We had so much fun!  Thanks to everyone who came, and who gave in, to drawing and embroidering as fast as possible, all weekend long.  I'm so glad I got to meet you.

PS- This weekend is the LAST CHANCE to enter Creativebug's Pinterest Giveaway.  Please enter here.  Good Luck!  Also- check out my ever-growing embroidery Pinterest board here.

Love letter to embroidery.......

Meet a Few of Our Makers on Creativebug from Creativebug on Vimeo.

I literally just got back from teaching a long weekend Drawing/Embroidery workshop at Haystack and found this Creativebug collage in my inbox.  In it, I'm talking about loving teaching people how to draw and embroider.  It's true.  I had such a great weekend.  Thanks to everyone who came to Deer Isle to draw and stitch and eat Rosie's cookies.  I had my last chocolate walnut dream cookie on the plane ride home and enjoyed every single bite.

New Works.....

I don't have a lot to tell you about New Works, except to say that I had an amazing time.  You can click the link to see some of us at work, including yours truly.   If you've never been to Haystack, I can tell you that it is a place that always fills up my battery.  This year's poetry workshops, led by Naomi Shihab Nye were spectacular.   I swam in the icy cold water every afternoon as the tides came in, and bobbed like an ice cube cork in the buoyant water.  I love it there, so very much.    I made a lot of drawings, and wrote down a lot of ideas.  I'll show you more later, and leave you today with the morning view from my cabin.

A Trip to Liberty Tool.....

No trip to Haystack is complete for me without a crab roll and a visit to Liberty Tool.  Happily, I went to Liberty on my way there, and had a crab roll yesterday on my way home, prepared perfectly in a gazebo outside Perry's Nut House in Belfast.  I took some pictures at Liberty to hold me over until the next time.  I'm headed back to Maine in October to teach at Haystack's Open Door, but I'll be travelling by air and won't have time for a field trip.  Please enjoy the view, and for a more in depth tour, check out this video posted by Etsy last year.  I promise, if you're travelling the wild roads of Maine, this detour is worth your while.

Mainely Drawing....

At the beginning of the summer, when the invitation to apply for New Works arrived in my mailbox, my initial reaction was to let it go.  I had so many other teaching trips on the books, and the idea of adding another trip even though it wasn't for teaching was overwhelming.

However.......I'm so glad I pushed past that and mailed in my entry, because tomorrow, I'm getting in the car and driving to Haystack for a week of making my own work.  No teaching, no classes, no deadlines, just a week to draw and write on the beautiful campus and get to know a bunch of other artists.  I attended New Works two years ago and had one of the most productive artistic weeks ever, so I am pretty stoked to get there tomorrow and unload my sketchbooks and paintbrushes.

It will be quiet around here until next week.  I'll be back with a recap and a few announcements of what's in store for the fall next week.  See you on the flipside!

Rummaging....

It's no secret that I love Maine.  Since I was a kid, it has been one of those places that feels just right.  In my dreams I live there in a house with a wood burning stove and a garden full of kale, warm boots by the back door and a cozy studio with windows looking out onto the ocean.   Teaching at Haystack sealed the deal for me; Maine is my favorite state.   Last fall, when I was at Haystack for New Works, my friend Crystal and I stopped at Liberty Tool on the way back.  A perennial favorite at Haystack, and a popular discussion topic at the dinner tables, I couldn't wait to see for myself.   It's one of those places that far exceeded its reputation. I don't use most of the stuff that is contained in this three story treasure trove of a house, but I sure do love to look at it.  So, imagine my delight to find this video last night; a sweet portrait of this magical place.    Enjoy

There's No Place Like Here: Liberty Tool from Etsy on Vimeo.