My Etsy shop, A Sailor Woman Sews, is officially open! My Nautical Map Clutch is already a "favorite."
You can visit my shop here.
21 April 2011
17 April 2011
My First Craft Show
Earth Day 2011 was wildly successful! Not only did we have so many sweet customers, we made connections with local businesses, blogs, and photographers that were interested in our work. I heard "Do you have an Etsy shop?" about fifty times...so I guess I need one (stay posted). Customers spread the word about our booth and brought their friends back to us. It was crazy to see people walking around wearing my bags and pins. I thought this festival was my end goal but I'm realizing it's just the beginning...
If you didn't make it out to the festival, here are a few photos from the sunny day (we couldn't have asked for more perfect weather!)
Just after we finished setting up
My class was singing at Peace Park with their music teacher, Violet. So I had to leave my post for a bit to help them and cheer them on. They were awesome! Here they are practicing before the performance.
Back at our booth...some lovely customers (who also happend to be Stephens ladies)
Back at our booth...some lovely customers (who also happend to be Stephens ladies)
I'm already excited for my next craft show. When it will be, I'm not yet sure. But for now I'm happy to relax :)
16 April 2011
Sewing Up a Storm!
This weekend has been a whirlwind of thread, needles, stuffing, trips to the fabric store, and late nights sewing. All in preparation for the Earth Day Festival TOMORROW! 
Clutches will be on sale for $10 - $12...normally they are $20!
Hair accessories and pins!
Just in time for Easter....flannel polka-dotted rabbits...
Clutches will be on sale for $10 - $12...normally they are $20!
Hair accessories and pins! 
Just in time for Easter....flannel polka-dotted rabbits...with scarves (it's still a bit chilly in Spring)
Come see us tomorrow starting at 11:30 am! We'll be at 8th and Locust.
Hope to see you there :)
13 April 2011
Earth Day Fest this weekend!
Thanks to my awesome boyfriend, Trevor (of eldete productions) for this amazing flyer!
02 April 2011
Sunny Spring Break Findings
I'm currently spending my long-awaited Spring break vacation at my future home in RI. The weather has been gorgeous (minus that random snow yesterday). During the week I've come across some goodies to bring home with me...
Trevor and I took a trip to New Jersey to visit with family and do some work. Trevor is currently filming a documentary on musician Ace Enders. Ace and his family live in Hammonton, NJ so it worked out nicely for the weekend. Check out Trev's production company and Ace Enders! Both are talented artists :)
Anyhow, Ace's recording studio is located above an antique shop. While Trevor was busy filming I browsed every nook and cranny of the shop and ended up finding a couple souvenirs for my collection.
Trevor and I took a trip to New Jersey to visit with family and do some work. Trevor is currently filming a documentary on musician Ace Enders. Ace and his family live in Hammonton, NJ so it worked out nicely for the weekend. Check out Trev's production company and Ace Enders! Both are talented artists :)
Anyhow, Ace's recording studio is located above an antique shop. While Trevor was busy filming I browsed every nook and cranny of the shop and ended up finding a couple souvenirs for my collection.
Vintage Florida post cards
Vintage compact
Back in RI Trevor had an itch for art and we were on a search for a large canvas. We made a stop at Joann's (which is much larger than the Columbia store) and I found a couple fabrics for upcoming projects. I have a lot of sewing to do to prepare for the Earth Day Festival on April 17th!
Then, at Michael's I found these fantastic circus-themed note cards and journal...
I return to Missouri tomorrow afternoon. Back to reality. I reallllly need to start sewing like crazy if I'm going to be ready for the festival!
09 March 2011
Hello blog, I've missed you.
I've had a hustle and bustle past couple of weeks, hence my absence from this blog. With student evaluations due, final assignments for a grad. course to complete, and endless studying for the MTEL (Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure), I haven't been in my sewing room. However, I have been productive in other parts of my life...
* I'm on the path to becoming a teacher in New England. This weekend I flew up to Rhode Island to visit my boyfriend and take the MTEL (that was the primary purpose of the trip, I suppose). Seeing Trev was great. Spending an entire day in a frigid high school classroom taking a standardized test...not so great.
* I made my first official sale! This week my boss hosted a get-together at her house for a friend who makes and sells jewelry and she invited me to bring my crafts. I sold one of my clutches and racked up a few custom orders as well :)
* My research is coming right along. I'm at the point where all these ideas are flooding in and I'm feeling like there's not enough time to try them all. I guess that's what the rest of my teaching career is for!
Speaking of my research, I wanted to share what I've been working on with my students this week. I've been interested in the link between art and literacy and how art can be used as a catalyst for writing and descriptive language. I'm experimenting with a model created by Beth Olshansky, the director of the Center for the Advancement of Art-Based Literacy at the University of New Hampshire, called the "artists/writers workshop." During this workshop, students study literature, create art, and compose writing inspired by their artwork.
Olshansky explains, "Young children intuitively understand the meaning of pictures long before they are taught how to read words on paper. Whether or not a well-meaning adult can "read" the pictures a child creates, the young artist can explain with confidence exactly what a particular drawing means. Children can also look at pictures created by others and read those pictures for meaning." (The Power of Pictures, 2008)
She makes another great point as she says, "I have noticed that when the language of pictures is offered as the first language for thinking and developing ideas, students who then write have already experienced a tremendous amount of rich visual thinking. The language of pictures provides a very concrete and dynamic core language for thinking as they engage in the process of decoding and encoding meaning in both languages." (The Power of Pictures, 2008)
Needless to say, I've been inspired by this concept.
On Monday we studied the artwork and descriptive language in several books. We discussed how the illustrator created a mood with their use of color and light. Tuesday my students created landscapes and seascapes using a crayon-resist watercolor painting technique. Tomorrow they'll brainstorm descriptions of elements in their painting and compose a piece of writing to accompany their art. Here are a few photos from our artists/writers workshop...
* I'm on the path to becoming a teacher in New England. This weekend I flew up to Rhode Island to visit my boyfriend and take the MTEL (that was the primary purpose of the trip, I suppose). Seeing Trev was great. Spending an entire day in a frigid high school classroom taking a standardized test...not so great.
* I made my first official sale! This week my boss hosted a get-together at her house for a friend who makes and sells jewelry and she invited me to bring my crafts. I sold one of my clutches and racked up a few custom orders as well :)
* My research is coming right along. I'm at the point where all these ideas are flooding in and I'm feeling like there's not enough time to try them all. I guess that's what the rest of my teaching career is for!
Speaking of my research, I wanted to share what I've been working on with my students this week. I've been interested in the link between art and literacy and how art can be used as a catalyst for writing and descriptive language. I'm experimenting with a model created by Beth Olshansky, the director of the Center for the Advancement of Art-Based Literacy at the University of New Hampshire, called the "artists/writers workshop." During this workshop, students study literature, create art, and compose writing inspired by their artwork.
Olshansky explains, "Young children intuitively understand the meaning of pictures long before they are taught how to read words on paper. Whether or not a well-meaning adult can "read" the pictures a child creates, the young artist can explain with confidence exactly what a particular drawing means. Children can also look at pictures created by others and read those pictures for meaning." (The Power of Pictures, 2008)
She makes another great point as she says, "I have noticed that when the language of pictures is offered as the first language for thinking and developing ideas, students who then write have already experienced a tremendous amount of rich visual thinking. The language of pictures provides a very concrete and dynamic core language for thinking as they engage in the process of decoding and encoding meaning in both languages." (The Power of Pictures, 2008)
Needless to say, I've been inspired by this concept.
On Monday we studied the artwork and descriptive language in several books. We discussed how the illustrator created a mood with their use of color and light. Tuesday my students created landscapes and seascapes using a crayon-resist watercolor painting technique. Tomorrow they'll brainstorm descriptions of elements in their painting and compose a piece of writing to accompany their art. Here are a few photos from our artists/writers workshop...
So although these past couple weeks haven't been filled with crafts, they have certainly been filled with art and inspiration!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)