Wood Lust To Wear

Let’s just say…moms like jewelry. All kinds. The glittery kind that sparkle in all its small solid rockness on a finger, and the kind that goes with the grain and celebrates the beauty of nature. Designer, Gustav Reyes creates these salvaged wood bracelets by repurposing wood from unusual sources: castoff baseball bats, and maple, walnut and rosewood pieces from abandoned instruments. Each bracelet is like a mini-sculpture. They are hand formed using a cold bend process, and finished with natural beeswax. Reyes' wooden pieces function as a reminder that the past, present, and future are intertwined.

Let’s just say…it’s almost Mother’s Day…

"The desire to create is the vehicle by which we, as humans, extend our minds and souls beyond the limits of our physical selves." ~ Jewelry Designer, Gustav Reyes

Credit: Artful Home via Materialicious

The "Fab 3": Photographers Make The Posts

I want to share the work of three amazing photographers that allow me to post their images on Econesting.

Did you know that Annie Leibovitz lives right near me? Well, she does, and I've had the privilege of gracing Annie's home a few years ago when I picked my daughter up from babysitting her kids. Annie is not one of the "Fab 3" photographers you'll find here. To be truthful, I didn't ask her. Do you think she would have said yes? I hate rejection, so instead I asked these equally talented photographers. I believe they capture moments in time with just the right perspective and composition. Here is an introduction to the "Fab 3" photographers of Econesting:

Ben Scott

Ben Scott is a multi-talented Boston-based graphic designer, photographer and mixed-media artist. I'm sure if you asked him what he would rather be doing more than anything else, he would answer "Fly Fishing". We're glad Ben really loves his camera too. You must check out Ben's images of his hometown, Martha's Vineyard. Ben is also my daughter's boyfriend, so I guess he couldn't say no when I asked him if I could use his photos. Website: Ben Ross Scott

Juliet Harrison

Juliet Harrison is a newish friend that seems like an oldish friend. We started meeting once a week with a few other unbelievably talented women for a "Creative Breakfast". Juliet and I discovered our husbands are colleagues, and now we are all bonded by friendship. When Juliet told me she was a black and white equine photographer, I had no idea what she was talking about. Was there really such a thing? Well, Juliet has many photography books to her credit, and now I know so much more about horses, as she shares their beauty through the eye of her lens. Website: Juliet Harrison Photography

Jen Kiaba

Jen Kiaba is another friend I met at our amped up caffeine and creativity-charged breakfast. Jen is young, beautiful and so, so talented. She's the ultimate portrait photographer. Already a professional at 26, Jen is going places. I had so much appreciation and trust in Jen's work after viewing her portfolio, that I convinced the editor of Where Women Create magazine to have Jen shoot my six-page spread. You all saw that, right? Jen's so good, that my portrait picture didn't even need a photoshopped facelift. Amazing. Website: Jen Kiaba Photography

Main image: Jen Kiaba Photography

Cabin Fever Dreams

I am told Cabin Fever is not a measurable or diagnosed affliction. It is getting capitalized here like any true disease because I believe it is real. I bet you know others who have been struck with this degenerative mood-altering ailment. What, with the snow, ice, rain, slush, mud, and the freezing, freezing temps this winter, it could strike anyone.

Here's my unofficial definition of Cabin Fever:

Cabin Fever is a type of hysteria brought on by spending too much time indoors during the winter of 2011. No matter how comfortable and beautifully designed the "cabin" is, in severe cases its inhabitants can see no end in sight.

So sad.

A Site

Designtripper is a dreamy website that's fueling a travel fantasy - Pack the bags, ditch the "cabin" and hit the road. What is Designtripper?

"Designtripper explores the intersection of travel and design with genuine curiosity and good taste."

Designtripper will not book a trip for you, but it will narrate bedtime stories with design eye-candy that will,

"…inspire you to see the world through someone else’s home."

Here is the first destination on Designtripper's itinerary I'm dreaming about…

A Place

Swedish fashion brand Elvine, has launched a new design hotel concept, Creators Inn in Stockholm, Sweden. They offer free accommodations for creative people. Yes, you read that right – It's totally free. No hidden fees. The mission of Creators Inn is to promote the local area and give something back to creative travelers who they feel will contribute to making their city more interesting.

To qualify for free accommodations, potential guests need to apply on the Creators Inn website, and write a reason why they deserve a free stay, and what creative activities they will be involved in during their stay. Then their wish may be granted. Hmm, I could think of…a zillion creative activities, none the least of which could be my role as an armchair creative.

Wait, it get's even better…

Creative Social Responsibility

Social responsibility is one of those buzzy eco-terms. It generally describes a company's business model of aspiring to have an impact on the lives of workers. Elvine takes this one step further and defines their model in creative terms:

"We tried to add some creativity to the equation, labeling what we do as CSR - Creative Social Responsibility. By offering visiting creators free accommodation, we hope to remind people of a lovely little thing called hospitality. And in addition to making the visiting creators happy and Gothenburg a more interesting city because of their presence, we hope this simple idea can be exported and implemented around the globe."

Travel, giving back, creative stimulation, design inspiration, feeling good – Just what the doctor ordered...

Cabin. Fever. Cured.

Credits: Creators Inn

Armchair Creative

Do you read your horoscope? You don't need to answer that. I believe many of us do and won’t admit it. I'll confess to reading those snippets of monthly predictions, and of course at the time of the reading, my horoscope (Gemini) always seems spot on. Then I forget all about it and get on with the month.

Today I clicked onto the February horoscope from The Sister’s Project, a companion blog to A Way To Garden…

"We live in very modern times and many of the old rules no longer apply. One of those changed rules is a very important one for you to remember—“it’s OK for an artist to be an intellectual and it’s OK for an intellectual to be an artist.” In other words, do acknowledge and nurture the many wonderful dimensions of yourself and allow your creative and intellectual energies to work together."

OK, knowing that my month will now be in sync, I deleted the post and headed down my long, snowy driveway to retrieve the mail. I grabbed a packing envelope that I immediately knew held the dimensions of my creative and intellectual energies.

A Twilight Zone moment? A celestial success story? An alignment of the stars? A serendipitous coincidence?

Whatever the reason, the Spring issue of Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces Of Extraordinary Women hit the newsstands (and my mailbox) today, and I am elated to be one of the profiled women that will "nourish your soul and inspire the creative process."

Now, you may ask…How did an environmental writer/blogger end up in a magazine about the work spaces of creative women?

The short answer is…A fateful phone conversation with the fabulously energetic and passionate editor, Jo Packham led to an invitation to submit my story of reinvention with pictures of my work spaces.

My thoughts about it at the time…No way this will happen. I may be creative, but I'm an "armchair creative." It's not that I sit and watch others work, my work takes place within the confines of a chair and a computer. Where Women Create profiles famous (and not so famous) artists and crafters.

An Armchair Creative's Story

Reinvention is a buzzy word that seems to coincide with life shifts. In my case, a bunch of eco "re" words like: reinvention, recreated, reworked, renovated, repurposed, reimagined, were playing out simultaneously in my life. I did not lose my job. I chose to leave it. That is what I wrote about.

Three photo shoots later with the talented Jen Kiaba, which included many images of my work spaces (dining room table, couches, one of my kid's repurposed bedrooms, comfy chairs, a window seat…), I can now share with you the humbling acknowledgement of the convergence of the creative and intellectual.

Thank you Jo, it is a true honor to be among the creative women profiled on the pages of Where Women Create.

It would make me so happy if my lovely readers picked up a copy of the magazine and read my story.

Photos: Jen Kiaba for Where Women Create