Montanye Makers

This time last year I was able to come down for a lot of the farmers' markets my daughter was in. Pictured is my daugher on the left, her mother in law in the middle, and her sister in law on the right. It was remarkable all the beautiful things they had made. Kaylyn paints. By the end of last summer she made prints, greeting cards, canvas bags and pouches from her paintings. Her mother in law, Kathy is a ceramic artist or potter. I treasure three of the pieces she made. She paints on ceramic and I love her blue and whites and lavender painted pottery the most. Her berry bowls are the best sellers. Her sister in law, Kat makes resin earrings with dried flowers. Kaylyn and her, also are drying wedding bouquets, and making them into keepsake wall hangings for brides. It is always a pleasure to come down here to spend time with my grandson. But, very inspiring to be around everyone's creativity. The family also owns a silk screen and embroidery business. So, my son in law is screen printing t-shirts every day, also. I have been in Maryland these last few days, and Kaylyn was picked to paint a mural in the town they live in. I am so proud of her, and how she is able to do all this while working full time for the Baltimore Museum of Art. And, raising my sweet, beautiful grandson. You can find more about the Montanye Makers here.

Empathy and me

I would say since I closed my store in 2016 I have been still wondering a lot about life and myself. That last year 2015 I looked back on last night in all of my pictures. And, I spent it working full time commuting back and forth to Woodbridge. No vacations, and with my children close by working in the Asbury Park and Philadelphia area. I went to New York City for the stationery show and wandered around looking at greeting card companies to buy cards from. Emily McDowell's was one of them. Because, her cards said so much to me. Her fight cancer card was the best on the market. Her cards made me look at myself, and what I would want to tell someone. Her cards are called awkward etc. And, most of the time socially and even relationships, I feel awkward. It is something I have spent a lifetime trying not to feel like. And, as i get older, I am feeling more comfortable. But, life as it has been played out, has left me vulnerable to all those feelings again. I do feel time is the ultimate healer. And, just giving myself top priority for the last year has really helped me. I also realized how I would put myself in a more vulnerable position to feel more powerful. And, I am still not sure if that is a good thing or not. So, the work continues. But, most of all I feel I can't just stand in hope alone. I have to get out of my comfort zone to feel the power of making things happen for myself. But, most of all, I feel like digging deep (like this post) is going to get me where I want AND need to be. And, in time I can just rest in who I am, and enjoy life to the fullest. That is my ultimate goal.

Calgo Farms

A great place to visit this time of year is Calgo Farms. It is a mixture of a nursery, vintage and artwork. Last year I went to see Gail McFadden who had just filled this little building with her vintage wares. Good News! This year she has a bigger space! I was able to catch up with her, as she was at Robin's house for the Art walk. As we were talking, I realized I had first met her more then twenty years ago. When Brielle Galleries had closed, I had the time to rent a little space at Country By the Sea in Avon, NJ. That was one of my favorite places on earth. We had monthly meetings and it was so nice to get know some kindred spirits. Gail has a great eye and I always loved how she would display everything. She was the first person I saw who would use old doors as a backdrop. The great thing is we plan to meet up at the end of July. I am so lucky to have so many talented friends. I love following Gail on instagram.

Ocean Grove Garden and Art Tour

It was an absolutely perfect day for a walk through Ocean Grove on Friday, June 25, 2022. It was a pretty dreary and cool week for the start of summer. But, then the sun came out and flowers were bursting with color. The scent of flowers were in air. Chamber of Commerce of Ocean Grove planned the perfect day to start a new tradition of a Garden and Art tour. There were people everywhere. Couples buying art for their homes. And, every woman seemed to have a straw hat on. I met some lovely people. And, got to spend time with some of my favorite people. One of them is Robin Dabler, who was the host at the house pictured. We met through April Cornell. I did my first walk with her for Mary's Place by the Sea in Ocean Grove. I am not too sure, but I think Mary's Place really inspired her creative side. She has been painting, making fairy tails (she calls strings beads and hangs them from trees), pins sewn from fabric including just one word of inspiration, and junk birds. Her porch was full of all her work. I will be making stories on my instagram @greetingsfromgeralyn. I will be featuring what I purchased and how it is inspiring me! We planned a crafternoon at the end of July during my vacation. I can NOT wait!!!

Yesterday FELT magical

I had the most magical day yesterday. Ocean Grove had a garden and art tour. I have been meaning to see Robin Dabler, since I moved into Ocean Grove. And, yesterday I finally was able to see her, her beautiful home, gardens and artwork. I was in heaven! She sews these adorable pins. Some were felting and some were sewn. I have a lot of fabric I moved with me, so I brought her some. I also started the morning putting greeting cards in the free little library by me. And, I couldn't believe my eyes when I found stickers, embroidery floss and colored pencils for the taking. I left it there, not having the thought of giving it to Robin. But, I went back and it was still there, so I brought it to her. I hope this is going to keep happening. Because, it was such a surprise and thoughtful of whoever left it. I will be featuring more of Robin, her artwork, and her home tomorrow in a post. I just wanted to end this week with the last felt post. She is also makes birds with felting materials. We set a date to make some birds together, YAY!!!! She has her artwork for sale here!

April Cornell's Felting Crafternoons

I miss working for April Cornell SO much! I had a customer come by the store the other day, and told me how much she missed it, too. One of the best things we did was to host crafternoons. And most of them involved felting. April Cornell is an actual person. A very lovely person I might add. She introduced us to felting. The picture of the ladies at our store was even featured on the packaging! When I would go to Vermont for training we would all get a felting project to work on. It was always so nice to make something, and sit and chat. It is a very relaxing craft, which also can get frustrations out the way the felting is done. You push the wool into a piece of felt with a needle. It is very simple. A video of April Cornell felting is here. Also, if you would like to give it a try, April Cornell's felting kits are available to buy here.

I met the Queen of Felt

Lucy Sparrow is the ultimate. I was lucky enough to attend her Pop Up in 2017 in New York City. It was a convenience store filled with felt creations. Amaaaazing. I did buy four pieces for fun and as an investment. Lately she made a complete high tea table for the Queen's Jubilee. With many pictures of her with Prince Charles as looks at scones, cookies, tea cups, and a huge tiered cake all made to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee this year. I sold one thing I bought last year for twice what I paid for it. I just checked out her Ebay site and most of what I bought tripled in value. I had to buy a Rolling Stones Album cover. It looks cool with my records. I couldn't make up my mind on the 50 licks or the Sticky fingers (Originally designed by Andy Warhol) and I went with 50 licks, I really don't know why. There must have been a price difference. But, I celebrate Lucy and all of her accomplishments. She did a month long show in Tampa, FLA this year I would have love to have visited. It is a big deal for her to come to USA, since she is based in England. Part of her market was an installation and I did see a site where the items that were under Plexi are selling for over $10,000. Cheers to Lucy Sparrow the Felt Queen!!!

Felt Creative at Work

Working at Paper Source in Princeton was the most creative job I ever had. It was great to work with so many creatives, as well. Denise Porretto pictured here, lives in Princeton. She is part of the new Princeton Makes . I hope to get out there and check it out soon. She makes greeting cards and felt cake boxes for celebrating. When I first opened the store, Greetings from Geralyn,she was one of the Artists I featured. In this picture she is wearing a felt flower corsage she creates, too. I have one, and it will decorate my Christmas tree this year. In this picture she is holding a butterfly wand we created in training. I made a book and took pictures of each of us holding our butterflies. PM me if you are reading this, and was part of the team, and you don't mind me sharing your picture. The book was put out on display for a year, also. I am so glad I found it, and now know where it is. This has been a huge challenge, but everything is starting to come together. It actually has been fun organizing and labeling all of my boxes of supplies and memories. I spent a lot of time scrapbooking and memory keeping and I want to treasure it. Her etsy shop can be found here.

Felt Inspired part 2

This is a work by Mary Louisa Stanick-Klawetter. It is the Ocean Grove tent houses made from felt. I was amazed seeing the work of a felt artist. At the time I saw it, I was working for April Cornell in Ocean Grove. I reached out to her and she came a couple of times and taught a workshop in felting for us. One of the pictures taken at class was actually used for the packaging of our felt kits at April Cornell. I have so much felt supplies, but so little time. I would love to have a small gathering and felt together. I miss doing things like that since covid has been so isolating. I only have a table for two in my studio apartment, but hopefully I can figure something out. Living here in Ocean Grove is very inspiring walking by all the houses, obviously built with so much love. They are like three dimensional Valentines with the lace made out of wood. Mary is an amazing Artist and captured the romance of the tents so well. I love facebook, because I can follow along to see your stories. Mary's garden is a sight to see, especially when she captures some visitors like a frog. It is starting to come alive this year! Happy First Day of Summer!

I FELT inspired

After leaving my writing class, I walked around the craft show in Ocean Grove, NJ. I was left with the challenge of writing for thirty days. I have decided to write about Artists and friends who inspire me. I am going to start with Artists who use felt as their primary medium. I was blown away by this Artist I saw on Saturday. I was amazed at the amount of work she created. And, her prices were very good for the amount of work that goes into each item. We chatted for quite awhile. She said she has been doing this, since the age of thirteen. I loved to hear this. She also has owned stores, and even had a store in a mall. The store was mostly handpainted furniture that she would personalize. I was comparing her to an Artist from London, but I was so happy she is a fellow jersey girl. What I liked most about her booth was how she captured the comfy feeling of felt. The way she displayed her creations made it feel very welcoming. I especially loved how colorful it was. I have decided to decorate my Christmas tree with felt this year, because of how light they are. And, it was very windy that day, and one of the fixtures fell down. No worries, there! I love handmade, but I hate when I chip or break anything that was made for me. And, especially at Christmas, I would hate unwrapping another broken ornament each year. So, I can't wait to visit her etsy shop to find some ornaments for my tree. You can check out her shop here: Kidknee bean etsy shop

The Shell Seeker

The picture above was my dad in 1977. It was the year I graduated high school and the year he retired at the age of 55. He enjoyed 25 years of retirement. And, was a wonderful example of how to enjoy life to the fullest. He worked hard as an electical engineer at Fort Monmouth. He was very consistent. When he was working he got off from work at 4:30 and he was home at 4:50 every night. He had a family car which was a station wagon that my mom would drive. And, he always had a convertible he drove to work. My favorite days were a hot summer day when he would arrive home from work with the top down. That meant if he wasn't too tired he would take us to pier beach in Spring Lake for an evening swim. Our family didn't have beach badges, so after 5 the beaches were free. My dad was a good swimmer and he taught us how to swim and dive. When we were in the ocean together, he was like a dolpin diving in and out of the water. He taught me how to dive under the waves. He also taught me how to ride a wave. And, he did this like a dolphin, also. I would ride on his back when I was really little. He also loved to walk the beach and look for shells, shark teeth and cape may diamonds. I would say those were the happiest memories with my dad. But, he loved the movies, Radio City Music Hall and the Garden State Arts Center. We would go to these places frequently. If we went to the movies in Manasquan, it usually meant we would be having pizza at Squan Tavern. If we went to Bradley Beach we had pizza at Vic's. Vesuvio's in Belmar was the most frequented for pizza. We as a family spent most Easters at the boardwalk in Asbury Park or Point Pleasant. So, when I see the most recent picture of Bruce Springsteen leaning on that light blue convertible Camaro, it makes me think of my dad. My dad drove the exact model of that car for years. And, we went to all the best places a Jersey girl could imagine in that car. And, I can remember a few trips down to Zaberer's with a walk on Atlantic City boardwalk after. I really appreciate everything in my life, my dad made possible for me. Most of all, I love being a Jersey girl and living near the sea. Quote of the day: "Don't let the waves of others drown out your own ocean song. Hold your heart as though it was a seashell. And listen to it. Listen to its music. To the whispers of your ocean within. And then swim." - S. C. Lourie. Song of the Day: Jersey Girl Bruce Springsteen

Time in a Bottle

Going through boxes and boxes of photos. As Father's day is tomorrow, I decided to honor my grandfather. Today I celebrated him by bringing the book he wrote to my writing class. It felt good to share his accomplishments. I am so lucky to have such good memories of the father figures in my life. When I think of one word that helps with memories of people in my family, I think pride is one of them. My grandfather had style and I really appreciated watching him retire and live the life of an american dreamer. They had two houses during the time I remember them the most. One in Surfside, Florida and the other in Spring Lake. They sold thier Spring lake home in 1967, when I was around 8. I really think our family dynamic changed after they didn't come up as much. I found a picture of thier last visit and that was when I graduated grammar school and my brother graduated high school. I always knew him as working even though he was retired. He started as a cart boy for Grand Union and retired as vice president. He continued working as a owner of a trade newspaper published once a week called the Florida Grocer. I would like to think he would be proud of who I have become, also. I think that is where the writing comes in. I think of him as a business man first, but I really admired that he wrote through his retirement. I am on a new writing journey, but to get back in the habit I will be writing every day for the next 30 days. I have an idea of how to tell my story in a new creative way, and I am really excited about it. But, it is not as easy as it was before to write as much. It doesn't come as naturally. So, I am up to the challenge to write every day, again. And then I might be writing in my new style by hand. Not, too sure yet. Quote of the day: "I give you this to take with you: Nothing remains as it was. If you know this, you can begin again, with pure joy in the uprooting." – Judith Minty Song of the day: Jim Croce Time in a Bottle

Seeing With Clarity

So, this song I will share reminds me of my dad. As we are approaching a greeting card day (father's day), I am thinking of him more often. I am also thinking of what I am thankful I have saved. But, I can't keep all the greeting cards I have through the years. Because, most of them don't matter to anyone else but myself. So, sorting all through these things is heartwrenching. But, I am giving myself the time to read and go through it all. And, then in a backwards way, use it to make new greeting cards. If I made a greeting card inspired by my dad, it would probably include some lines that are written to me in this high school graduation card. My favorite at the moment is my quote of the day. Quote of the Day: " Peanut Butter is hard to beat, but try more of what life has to offer" Donald Randolph Stelle Song of the Day: Clarity by Vance Joy

Follow Your Heart

Last year I felt like an archeologist of my own life. After I would make some decisions, I would wonder what makes me want to be so vulnerable? After a year of digging through all of my belongings and what I am keeping and discarding. I am learning what I value. And, all at once I expect myself to know how I am going to approach life in the future. I know I don't need or want to buy anything new. That is probably the hardest, but most neccessary to get to the future lighter and brighter. Retail therapy was my drug of choice. But, now I realize I just need to have the time to enjoy the things I have already accumulated. I am also trying not to buy or use as many paper products. I have beautiful dish towels and fabric napkins, and would like to use them on a daily basis. And, unexpectantly I would like to be happy in the right now and not feel like I have to jump in my car to feel better. I just finished my vacation, and was surprised I needed to drive somewhere to relax. With the price of gas, I need to just relax where I am. So, this is what I do, I call it beating myself up. But, it is what I do to move forward. I should be glad I am moving forward, and not backwards. But, that was pretty hard going through 39 years of accumulation. But, now here I am, and looking forward to getting into a rythym. Just, going with the flow. Quote of the day: “Make sure that you always follow your heart and your gut, and let yourself be who you want to be, and who you know you are. And don’t let anyone steal your joy.” Jonathan Groff Song of the day: Follow Your Heart Michel Franti