All the Small Things

This month has been a busy one. July marked the first charity event I've ever led in my life. I've also been trying to play catch up with cleaning at my grandfather's house. He's been slowly loosing his vision for years and the outcome is that he stopped being able to clean well. Years of dirt and grease caked on everything takes more effort to remove than you could ever know. But he is a wonderful man with amazing stories and I don't mind it so much.

I'll be moving again in less than a week. The house I signed a lease for has a greenhouse and enough yard that I will be starting a chicken coup ASAP. If all goes according to my master plan (Mwahahahaha!) I will have 5 polts (teenage hens) before winter. I already picked out the names for them... Brittany, Miley, Christina, Salena, and Gaga. Yep, I'm naming my hens after female pop stars who's music I never listen to. I think it's somehow fitting.  :)

Handmade Cards for my Mother-in-law

One of my most recent projects was making cards for my mother-in-law in trade for composting worms. The theme I went with was shadows. I ended up making her one with flower shadows and the other was the shadow of two people holding hands on the swings. I left them fairly plain so she could scan them into her computer, add her own inspirational text to fit the occasion, and print. Sort of an everything card if you will, she can make it say whatever she wants.

Lacto-Fermented Veges

I've taken it upon myself to learn skills that would be useful in a Zombie Apocalypse situation. (The zombie part is really a generational thing. Many pointless hours of my youth were spent discussing the in-depth dynamics of zombie behavior.) I think self-sustaining practices are a golden way to survive though, zombies or not. This is why I made my first attempt at Lacto-Fermentation.  I had made a batch of farmer's cheese and was in need of ways to use my leftover whey. Part of it went to make bread (and it was AMAZING) while the last spoonfuls went into jars of chopped carrots, onions, and celery. I put some herbs and spices in the jars as well with the salt water and left them on my counter for 5 days. The taste test after the 5 days proved I had indeed succeeded. The jar on the left was a wild idea to add cinnamon... I don't recommend adding cinnamon to salt based preservation methods. That jar got tossed. This is something I plan to keep experimenting with though.

I have a million more projects in the making. Some of the posts you can look forward to include a Super Secret Summer Beverage Recipe, frugal ways to entertain a child in the shower, cloth book making, an upcyled shirt tutorial, and how I made my amazing Home and Meal organization binder. Keep watching and reading!

I'll leave you with the amazing photo I took of the baby praying mantas I found chilling above my front door. He only stayed for a day but his company was a refreshing change from all the wasps and ants. Check out those spiked forelegs!

Praying Mantas in Colorado

To keep up with all the new items and specials in my shop like me on Facebook or follow me on Pinterest. I also recently opened a Zibbet store. If you prefer to support the artist and not the middle man Zibbet is a great place to buy.

Confessions of a Crazy Crafter

     Sometimes I think Springs and Summer are my favorite months. I feel incredibly productive with so many hours of light! One of the things on my plate this summer is leading a charity event for an animal shelter. I chose the Teller County Regional Animal Shelter to help on behalf of Artist's Helping Hands for many reasons.
     - They are a no kill shelter meaning they do not put animals down if they don't find owners.
     - They aided many people that evacuated during the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado.
     - When our dog found his way to their shelter they called to let us know and took such good care of him while he waited for us.

Cassius the Great and my wonderful little man pose for me.

I'm excited to collect donations during the month of July 2012 for them and have already seen a great show of support from the charity group. I hope to hand out treats to some of the animals when I deliver the donations. If I am able to I will make sure to take pictures and post them.

     One of my personal projects this month is a cloth book of shapes for my son. Using an old pair of jeans and some colorful fabric scraps I've managed to cut out squares, diamonds, circles, rectangles, ovals, stars, and triangles. I am then sewing these onto large pieces of fabric which will become the pages. I can't wait to see the look on his face when I give it to him. Books are his favorite "toy."

     As I face moving in some 45 days I find myself hoping this next home will be a place I can stay for a while. With 3 bedrooms, a greenhouse, and an area inside large enough for me to start making full sized tipis it sounds like heaven to me. The yard is a decent size as well (though it needs a lot of work) and I hope to get permission from the landlord to keep chickens. It's a big move. The house needs a lot of work... cleaning, repairs, TLC, and such. The price is right though and despite all my nervousness I'm really excited to start on such a large project.

     As far as Tiny Tipis goes I must say it is well. I recently filed my LLC forms making it an official company. It's the first step in taking things to the next level. I've also been evaluating ways to expand and offer more choices. One way I plan to do this is by offering hand painted bags. These are fairly easy to do, don't take up extra space in my currently small home, and the end result is making my customers very happy. For each new design I keep a stencil that can be traced on the canvas and then paint each one by hand with acrylic paint. I could cut corners and iron on printed designs but I don't want to loose the personal touch the hand painting adds not to mention the higher quality end result. I plan to start a line of more modern ones as well that will feature graffiti style art.



     For my own closet I decided to go through it and start recycling and upcycling my old clothes. A work in process is this thin shirt. It had holes at the hip seams that needed fixing and I decided to start giving it a new life. As soon as I finish it I will post a step by step blog on exactly what I did to it. Of course I had to add some lace to it.  ;)

I love lace  <3 <3 <3

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The Start of Something Charitable

A disable dog in China is equipped with a cart to help him walk

There are many reasons people give to charity. Some people like to help others, some like to feel like they've done a good deed, and others do it to look impressive to those around them. I'm not sure there can be a good or bad reason to help a charity. As long as a person in need is being helped the purpose of giving that help is between the person giving it and the greater good they answer to.

Adopting a dog can save it from being euthanized

I like to help because I hope that should I ever fall on hard times someone would return the favor and give me a hand. We all hit low points at some time or another. It's impossible to get through life alone. This is why when I saw a discussion thread on Etsy about artist collaborating to donate art for a proposed charity auction I joined in. Even though this idea is in the beginning phases I see a spark there, a hope of helping others. I see an even better reason to make beautiful things than I previously had. I see hope for someone in need inside the creative genius of artists brought together for a cause.

The charity it goes to doesn't concern me much honestly. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see the money go to an animal rescue. Animals never try to be evil like people. Animals can't help themselves to the extent people can. The creatures of this earth that we have tamed and bred to be part of our families help us in our times of need. They give us love and friendship, never judge us, and sometimes they even save us when our life is on the line. How could man ever repay such a debt?

A Small Kitten in the Safe Hands of a Firefighter

Regardless though, I find the whole idea invigorating. Not only could multiple charities receive donations but local artist could be given an opportunity to gather together and create art in groups. I see the possibility of uniting people on so many levels! Is this not the first step toward the next phase of man kind? We all unite for a greater purpose, people come together to support each other and try to be better as a whole. There's always room for improvement! Let's never stop reaching for a better world.

Tiny Tipis thanks you for taking the time to read this article. We hope you have been inspired to help others. Contact us to see what other charity events we will be involved in.

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