Monday, August 22, 2011

Love, Love, Love: Surprises in the Mail

Last spring, I was set up next to Karen and Steve of Little Birch Farm at Twist in Northampton, MA. They offer a great line of skin care products with unique birch bark packaging, and on top of that they were super friendly neighbors who were a joy to hang out with. When Karen noticed that I used thimbles in my thimbilism necklaces she mentioned that she had a box of sewing notions at home that she could pass on to me. Recently, when a mysterious package arrived in the mail, I ripped it open and jumped for joy. Here's what I saw when I opened the box:

Little Birch Farms sent a BIG surprise!
A sweet note on birch bark paper and a smiling straw kitty face greeted me. As I dug deeper into the box, more treasures revealed themselves: wooden spools of old thread, cloth tape measures, bobbins, a strand of decorative pearls, fasteners, needles, a beaded necklace, tiny plastic clothes pins, silver sequins, vintage buttons & buckles, and of course the coveted thimble! 

I've got the notion(s)!
One of the biggest questions I get as a person who upcycles is, "Where do you get all your materials?" The best way to answer that is "everywhere" and that's what makes the process so much fun. Whether I discover things on treasure hunts or pull items out of the recycling bin I can find ideas practically anywhere. Though I have to say, the most inspiring thing to me is the kindness and generosity of others. I can't wait to dig into my new materials!

You can visit Little Birch Farm and Twitch & Whiskers again at Twist this November. See below for info. More show dates to follow.

November 11 & 12 -  Twist 7 - Holiday Fair - Northampton, MA

November 19 - The Wellesley Marketplace - Holiday Craft Festival - Wellesley, MA

1 comment: