CraftSanity with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood

Here's a sneak preview of the craft column I wrote for this Sunday's edition of the Grand Rapids Press. These whimsical polka-dot pillows are by a Holland, Michigan fiber artist who's not afraid to bust out with color. Stop back here Sunday to find out who this talented artist is, and click the links to read my column online and download directions to make your own fantastic polka-dot coasters.

On the apron front, the wait is over. I ordered a copy of Meg's rockin' "Emmeline Apron" pattern as soon as it became available and was so HAPPY when it arrived in yesterday's mail. What a great V-day present!

I cut all the pieces this afternoon and hope to sneak some sewing time into the schedule in the next couple days. The pattern doesn't call for pockets, but I do. I frequently wear aprons out and about and I like to have pockets to stash my money, I.D. business cards and notebook. I don't want to ruin Meg's awesome design, but I doubt I'll be able to resist the urge to add at least one little pocket. Hopefully, my apron will settle in that beautiful place where fashion and function meet. I'll let you know how all this shakes out. Wish me luck.



Did you see the Spring Issue of Interweave Knits yet? I just got my hands on a copy today and was very pleased to see a fantastic scarf pattern by West Michigan designer and knit shop owner. Lorilee Beltman. Lorilee is the owner of City Knitting right here in Grand Rapids, Mich. "Chameleon Scarf" (p. 102) is the first of Lorilee's patterns to be published by Interweave. I sampled this pattern last summer and think it's fantastic. It works up quickly and is really fun to knit with those super fun self-striping yarns.

On my last trip to City Knitting, I asked Lorilee to model her scarf design and pose with a copy of the magaine. (Congrats, Lorilee!) Y ou may remember her from the knitting video we made together depicting the difference between throwing and contential knitting. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out.



P.S. I fell asleep at least four five times during the writing of this post.

This is Juna, our 8-year-old Alaskan Malamute. She took a nap this morning outside in the wicked cold and looked right at home sleeping on a pile of snow. I'm amazed that she can curl up and get comfortable in less than 10-degree weather.

When I refilled her water, I noticed the heart shape in her bowl and couldn't resist snapping a picture. I'm a sucker for quirky stuff like this, so it will come as no surprise to you that I really dig watching the clouds roll by and looking for recognizable shapes.


I have more newspaper work to wrap up tonight, so I'll be posting the fabric postcard tutorial tomorrow instead.

This is the new CraftSanity headquarters. Just a couple months ago it was a baby nursery and now it's my home office, complete with a whole wall of lovely custom, wall-mounted bookshelves built by a friend. I never dreamed I'd ever have "custom" anything, so to look over and see all my books filling up the shelves in inspiring rows is a real treat.

And It's estetically quite pleasing to me to be able to look over the top of my computer screen at my latest sock knitting project waiting on the hand-me-down night stand I snagged from my parents house (they know) and look out the window adorned with the bold curtians I made out of four yards of Amy Butler fabric.

However, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit conflicted about the conversion of this space and the effort I've been making recently to give away most of my baby supplies. (I'm keeping the comfy glider rocker in the photo above because it's the most comfortable seat in the house and the place where I spent hours nursing my girls. I plan to spend the next phase of my life knitting and reading in that chair.)

It's a sad thing for a woman to realize she probably won't have any more babies. Those of you who have reached this point can certainly relate. There's the relief that there won't be any more dirty diapers to change and the realization of what that really means. No more babies.

Since my path to motherhood wasn't a smooth, straight road, I've decided not to push my luck. I'm extremely grateful to have two healthy girls who sometimes challenge me with their mischievious ways. Wednesday was one of those challenging days when Abby was moved by her creative spirit to give herself an impromptu makeover. Jeff was making dinner and I was on my way home from work, when Little Miss Abby went to town on her hair with a pair of safety scissors. Apparently she decided she'd had enough practice cutting paper and was ready take it to the next level.

Snip. Snip. Snip.

The results were heartbreaking. I mean, my gosh, she gave herself a half mullet. (No offense to any mullet enthusiasts out there. I sported this look in 6th grade and have regretted it ever since. But if you craft, we'd likely hit it off no matter what your hair looks like.)

I considered posting photos of Abby's extreme hair makeover which I carefully documented (like I do most everything else that happens in our house), but decided to reserve the numerous photos of her and the piles of brown hair I found around the house for her private scrapbook. If she wants to release the photos to the world when she's older that will be her call. The beauty of the situation is that she knows cutting her hair was a bad thing, but thankfully she doesn't feel bad about how silly her hair looks. I'm so glad. The last thing I'd want is for her to feel bad about her appareance. I wish there was a way to bottle up that oblivious joy.


So even though I'm feeling conflicted, I'm happy to have a cozy home office with walls painted a vibrant blue. I'm exited to have all my books in one place and the possibility this room represents for a more organized future.

I tape all my podcast interviews in this room sitting at a big clunker Steelcase desk that my father-in-law rescued from the trash. (I don't think he has any idea how much I LOVE this gray metal desk.) I love that desk even though there are plenty of reasons not to love it. First off, it's gray. It's kinda banged up and it's really loud. I open drawers to the sound of scraping metal and if I happen to kick the desk or bump it with my chair when I sit down, it responds with a vibrating boom.

So it's not the best desk for a mother with two darlings sleeping down hall, but there's something charming about the clunkiness of it. I love the fact that it was free and that it's not rusting in a landfill somewhere. But the best part of owning this desk is that it has a history. Someone else sat at this desk and probably had grand ideas like mine. (We all think our ideas are grand, right?) I want to write books and letters at this desk. I want to sit here and interview famous artists and crafters. I want to sit here and day dream about all the fabulous possiblities I can imagine... but not before I make sure all the scissors in the house are locked away.

Do you have a room or creative space of your own? I'd love to see it. Post a photo on your blog and leave the link in the comments section below.

Montana weaver Kathy Wishnie sent me this picture of a doll she made her friend for Christmas. I like the way she combined weaving and crochet techniques to achieve a whimsical finished piece. (I love the dress and little felt shoes.) I weave and crochet, but this is a combination I have never attempted. It kind of got me thinking about other techniques that could be combined. Frankly, I don't think people mix mediums enough. I know I don't.

Wishnie spends most of her time weaving tapestries and landscapes, but changed it up a bit with this doll that she embellished with many clear glass beads intended to represent dew drops. This piece was inspired by a summer trip Wishnie spent hiking in the Seattle area. I hope it inspires you to mix it up a bit.

Today my family celebrated the life of Donald Haywood, my husband's larger-than-life grandfather who died Jan. 6.

In a lovely tribute to him my sister-in-law said he reminded her of a large oak tree with arms like strong branches stretched wide to embrace people. The description is perfect and beautiful as he was always giving big bear hugs and hearty handshakes to those of us who were privileged to have known him.

This man was cool for many reasons. He was an excellent storyteller and skilled maker of lovely cement bird baths and garden ornaments. He built several homes and businesses from scratch, but his greatest legacy will be the love he had for his family. Grandpa Haywood never missed a chance to tell the people in his family how proud he was of each of them.

"It's good to be family," he would say every time we assembled for family meals, back yard cook-outs and the annual July birthday and Christmas-in-October celebrations. And it was.

The sweetest part is that he loved his wife, Joan, dearly for 58 years. They rode a long journey together sharing their lives in good times and bad. Together they raised a family, owned several small businesses and traveled the globe. They also survived the death of their oldest son without letting bitterness steal their joy. Together they were a fantastic team.

And even though our hearts ache for the void Grandpa Haywood left behind, we're grateful for the time we had with him. He had a good run and lived a great life in his 80 years. He was a giant of a man who loved us like a giant oak.

* The painting at the top of this post is "Incised Tree" by Tom Casaletto. You can read more about him here.

Okay, so tonight's "20/20" sucked me in. I had the TV on for background noise, but within minutes I moved to the recliner from the kitchen table (where I was preparing to resume editing the podcast I will be posting this weekend). I wanted a clear view of the TV for this one.

It was about happiness. And we all want to be happy, right?

It was great to hear that scientific research backs the theory that happiness is a choice. Now, I've had my share of unhappy moments. Heck, I basically spent a good part of my 20s spinning my wheels, trying to figure out my purpose in life. You know pondering those big, massive questions that can keep an impatient woman up at night, tossing and turning and stressing out about the meaning of life. Some call it a "Quarter LIfe Crisis." Mine lasted 8.5 years.

After life kicked a little dust in my eyes, I finally decided it was time to pick myself up and surrender to the universe. I threw my big cradle to grave life plan in the air and decided to trust that things would work out if I just chilled out a bit and made a point to actively seek joy every day no matter what.

So I dusted off my list of pie-in-the-sky and every day things I want to do before I kick off and started to check things off. I figured if I started heading in the direction I wanted go, I'd be closer to my dreams than if I continued to swim laps in a pool of frustration for another 8.5 years.

And wouldn't you know, "Operation Get Happy" actually worked.

CraftSanity, my long-winded, homemade podcast, was conceived during this particularly creative time in my life. I was on maternity leave from my reporting gig and feeling inspired, exhausted and totally conflicted about my future. My husband, a super geek, suggested that I start a craft podcast. He helped me post the first show in January 2006. (Thankfully, I've improved a bit since then.) At the time I wasn't sure there would be a second show. Then a funny thing happened. I started getting supportive e-mails from people around the globe. Immediately, I felt like my world had expanded. At long last I had found a way to blend two things I love: talking and crafting.

Fast forward to the present and I'm still podcasting. I don't benefit financially from the podcast, but what I get in return is better than money. I don't know if this happens to Barbara when she interviews celebrities, but I actually feel high on life after most CraftSanity interviews. Ask my husband. He's probably lost count of how many times I've wrapped up a super long interview and rejoined the family downstairs only to throw both hands over my head and declare: "That rocked!"

Chatting about art and craft makes me that happy. No joke.

I know, my enthusiasm seems a bit over-the-top to some. And I recognize it's kind of weird to act like I just got offered a real craft talk show gig and an Oprah camera crew is at my door to catch my reaction to the fact that "O" herself wants me produce CraftSanity for her satellite radio network. (A girl can dream, can't she?!) But the truth is I really do enjoy what I do.

There are better, more professional podcasts out there produced by tech gods and other nice people who can correctly pronounce the word "Oregon" without stressing about it. But I can tell you that my little show is produced with some serious craft love. I enjoy discussing life and art and craft with people from all walks of life and I feel very blessed that Jeff, my husband and life partner, continues to provide the unconditional love and tech support I need to make that possible. (You rock, honey!! Thank you!)

Part of being happy is counting our blessings. So today I count all the wonderful people who have shared their stories with me and all the folks at home who listen in while crafting or washing dishes or riding the subway. Even though I don't know most of you, it means a great deal to me that you like the show enough to keep listening. Thanks for being such a wonderful audience. Just the thought of someone laughing out loud while listening to me laugh with a guest, makes me want to throw my hands up in the air and yell: "This rocks!" Because it totally does.

Thank you for two great years! (CraftSanity officially turns 2 on Jan. 23, but I'm thanking you now because I'm too impatient to wait until then.)

I'm about to start recording some new interviews, so email me to let me know who you'd like to hear from next.

So I put up an "inspiration wire" tonight in the nursery we just converted into an office. I used wire and clips I had around the house. It felt good to fashion something to clip interesting items to without having to go to the store. I LOVE when that happens. This idea comes from Amanda's new book. I wasn't planning to install the wire tonight, but got inspired after looking at this flickr pool.

The plan is to add a fabric covered bulletin next. In the meantime, it's going to be fun to clip bits of this and that to the wire and view them on the wall as opposed to piled in a disorganized and creativity-stifling heap on my desk. The wire is much longer than it looks in the bottom two photos, but this will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

This book came in the mail today and it's lovely. While I enjoyed reading a digital copy of Amanda Blake Soule's "The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections" before I interviewed her for CraftSanity episode 60, it was really great to flip through the print version this evening while sipping peppermint tea.

If you like Amanda's "Soule Mama" blog, you'll love this book because her voice comes through on every page. She has successfully written a wonderful guide for living the most creative life possible and experiencing creative time as a family. This book is important because the activities described in it have the power to enrich daily life experiences and elevate these seemingly fleeting moments from mundane to mini-celebrations.

The book is divided into four parts - gathering, playing, living, and connecting - and includes several projects to try with your kids. This book has given me added motivation to donate the abundant toys in my home, and really make and effort to simplify my life (a personal goal for 2008) and spend more time creating with my kids.

Just enough time has passed since I read the book on my computer screen for the content to seem new again. And now I have big plans to page through it with Abby and mark the projects we'd like to do together with sticky notes. (This is one of the creative routines we go through to prep for our mini craft sessions.)

If we lived in a world without consequences, I'd skip work tomorrow and put up an "inspiration wire" to clip found objects to along with fabric swatches and my daughters' artwork. And then I'd get out my embroidery floss because I've always wanted to stitch a child's drawing onto fabric like Amanda shows on page 86. (Is it Friday yet?)

Some of my Craft Club friends will be pleased when I show them the instructions for making stenciled T-shirts with freezer paper on page 74. Those instructions will come in very handy since we're planning to do that during an upcoming craft session.

"The Creative Family" will be available in bookstores this spring, but here is an excerpt from Amanda's introduction on p. 7 to tide you over:

"My great hope in writing this book is that something you read here will spark a project in your family--and that fun will be had, connections will be made, and creative spirits of all ages will soar. The most important lesson I think we can learn is simply to create. Let your children see you creating. Create for yourself and for them. And create with them. When you do this with love and intent, I promise you there will always be beautiful results."

Pretty inspiring stuff, eh? The whole book is like that. Seriously.

I'm glad to share the planet with people like Amanda and so grateful for the inspiration. This book gets five out of four stars from me.

Photo by Julie Ackerman Sarcona

There's nothing like a fresh, new baby to inspire some major crafting. So you can imagine the marathon craft binge that TWO new babies have inspired. My little sisters both had babies within the last two weeks, a boy and a girl, and I've been happily crafting little welcome packages to deck them out is homemade style. We're so blessed to have two more healthy and thriving members of our family. The bibs above were a gift for my newest niece, Penny. The pattern is from Amy Karol's "Bend the Rules Sewing" book. The bibs are fun and super easy to make.

I was inspired by yet another baby who's on the way. My friends are expecting their first child next month, so I made a quilt for their nursery. I didn't use a pattern so it was a bit of a mystery to see how it was going to turn out. If only I had more time to make stuff...