crispina

Scarf and Blanket Making Workshop 2/19-21, 2010

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:35:19 +0000

Route 20 Wisdom?

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:13:06 +0000

Not sure which issues but like the freedom of speech aspect. Hard to support without specifics tho.

American Folk Art

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:09:17 +0000

As seen on Rte 20 somewhere between Pittsfield and Albany, NY

Scenery

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 03:42:00 +0000

This was the scenery in my yard this morning. A truck full of refuse for the dump and struggling laundry looking for some sunshine.

We are getting settled back into our digs on Melville Street after a couple months hiatus. It feels great to unpack and reorganize. Looking forward to putting some finishing touches on the apartment. As the fluffy flakes flew this morning, dancing across and landing on the freshly hung laundry I wondered about drying time.

Scarf and Blanket Making Workshop Feb 19, 20, & 21

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 03:02:23 +0000

My Blanket and Scarf making class is a popular one that has been enjoyed by a full house on a few occasions. This time I am changing up the payment structure in the hope of appealing to the more frugal among us.
Pay what you can to attend this workshop. It runs three days and is open to students for any one of the three days, any two days or for those with time on their hands, you can stay for all three days. Tuition begins at $50 per day and is ‘Pay What You Can’. The use of all tools is free. Organic vegan lunch will be served and costs $10. Materials will be affordably priced and available for purchase to all workshop attendees. Feel free to bring your own material (machine washed and dried wool sweaters and hand sewing yarn) if you would like.
Hours are from 11-5 each day. Pre-Registration and a $50 deposit are a must. Classes are limited to 10 students. )

Chapter’s End

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:43:49 +0000

It has been a long blog silence. For those of you who know me, you know that my husband and kids have been staying in my childhood home, in Stockbridge, MA since shortly before Thanksgiving when my dear friend and father got really sick with cancer. Sadly . . . . or beautifully, he passed over to the next plane of consciousness on January 22 at home with love all around. He had chosen to be home while he ailed. We filled his days with music, company, poetry, good food and lots of love. The whole process was more than magical to experience. I would not trade the time we spent together for anything! While sadness adds weight to my heart in fleeting moments of the day, mostly I feel blessed to have had my dad as a dad. He did a great job of parenting through all the stages of my life. We had adventures, got up to mischief and experienced a bond and connection held by few it seems.
Chris, the kids, and I are preparing to head home to Pittsfield this weekend. It is only 12 miles away and I am excited to get back into a routine of walking for transportation and healthy eating.
Stay tuned for more frequent entries here and thank you for all the prayers, cards, kind words, and heartfelt hugs through what could have been a terrible transition but is actually a graceful passing without much suffering. The blessings are notable in my everyday. The universe provides.

Fresh Start Blue Moon New Year

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 02:44:37 +0000

I am not crazy about new year’s celebrations but do like the idea of a fresh start and evaluation of what direction to choose for the coming year. Retro/intro/inspection leads me to focus on my family first and secondly continue my work with Alchemy Initiative, Teaching and Making. The fact that my dad is very sick helped me clarify my focus and see this as the beginning of a journey into successful handling of inevitable changes. May I see the inevitable changes with a clear focus and positive acceptance that flows over to the changes I choose, and guide me to choose well.

So far I like the sweatshirts.

Getting Ready for The Handmade Holiday Festival

admin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:07:45 +0000

Festivities begin on Friday December 4th at 5pm when we open the doors, on both floors of the church, for the Handmade Holiday Festival Preview Party. It is a fundraiser so a $25 door charge supports Alchemy Initiative. Traveling minstrels are on deck for the whole weekend! There are really GOOD goody bags for the first 50 guests, taste treats provided by a handful of our best downtown eating establishments (and a few further flung – like The Dream Away Lodge). Merriment is a promise with mulled wine, hot cider, eggnog with or without a nice shot rum from of our ‘hometown’ Berkshire Mountain Distillers, Inc.

The festival continues on Saturday December 5th 10-6pm and Sunday 12-4. Admission $2
There are nearly 40 of us vendors hocking wares from fine jewelry, pottery, leather work, and lovely clothing to holiday cookies, trees and wreaths. Have lunch and take a horse drawn carriage ride!

Now is crunch time to get ready for the event. You should see the studio! A huge jumble of overflowing bins of sweaters, scraps flying. If it doesn’t get finished today it won’t be for sale at the event. Next week the studio will be tidied and cleaned from top to bottom

Shared History

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:45:46 +0000

George Bona and I went to school together. Remember him as far back as third grade where he had spent a year before I got there and then became one of us the year I was there. Mrs. Angelini was our teacher. She ranked high in my favorites for years and the history she and I share will be a story for another day.

Since then George has spent time in and out of jail and has 10 months left before he gets his driver’s license back after a 10 year hiatus due to one or another illicit behavior pattern. In light of all his unsavory past and seemingly rough present there is something endearing about Georgie. He always asks about my parents and sends kind regards along. He is surely a folk hero of sorts.

I picked up George hitchhiking on Friday. He was chilled to the bone and heading to Stockbridge where I was going to pick my dad up for a doctor’s appointment. We cranked up the heat and chatted. My girls were with me and very intrigued with the conversation around the goings-ons with our mutual acquaintances. Surgery here, cancer there, this one does bad things so we don’t talk, etc. (His sister got my sister kicked out of a nursing home for smoking pot – another good story for another day.) As we drove, roofs were pointed out that had been repaired by George. Here are his hands to prove it. Real hard work, knocks, and a few other interesting stories have passed through these ones.

A Day in The Life

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:56:39 +0000

One of the things I have been doing to ‘walk my talk’ is just that – walking, instead of driving. My car did not warrant expensive repairs back around labor day and ever since I have been either riding my bicycle, walking, or taking the bus for transportation. My husband has a truck and we really don’t need two vehicles, they are expensive in so many ways!

Here is the billboard I pass on my way back from dropping off my girls at their babysitter’s farm. My life has been all about Handmade Holiday Festival preparations for more than a month. The Festival has grown and become a lot more organized this year. I hope you can come! December 4 is our fundraiser preview party from 5-8pm. $25 at door to support The Alchemy Initiative. Email me, or leave a comment here if you are interested in sponsorship opportunities – we will be eternally grateful for any amount of support.

The Handmade Holiday Festival continues on December 5 from 10-6pm and Sunday the 6 from 12-4. In addition to Christmas Trees, Wreaths, Roping, amazing baked goods, lunch, and our regions best and most interesting crafters, there will be horse drawn carriage rides from 12-4 on both Saturday and Sunday. Admission to the sale on the weekend is $2 – kids under full grown are free. Horse drawn carriage rides are $3 per person.

Please come visit!