Mountain Art & Craft Sale at The Banff Centre

Memories #1 

Encaustic Collage by Tiffany Teske

I have been gearing up all week for the 2011 Mountain Art & Craft Sale, this weekend, Saturday, October 29th, & Sunday, October 30th. This will be the second year I sell my work at this sale, which is in conjunction with the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival. A great place to find unique Christmas items made by mountain artists from Alberta & British Columbia, the sale takes place in the RBC Lobby of the Eric Harvey Theatre. With close to 30 artists, you can find blown glass, paintings, fibre art, photography, clothing items and more, all made by hand. Come see me this weekend, if you can, and meet all the wonderful people who make this show a place that locals look forward to shopping year after year. Hours on Saturday are 11 AM - 7:30 PM and on Sunday from 11 AM - 5:30 PM. I will have encaustic collage, Polaroid transfers, silver spoon assemblages, bird nest & glass tile pendants, and magnets, available.

Glass Tile Ring by Tiffany Teske 

Ferns

Polaroid Transfer by Tiffany Teske

Bird Nest Pendant 
by Tiffany Teske 

Abundance

Spoon Assemblage by Tiffany Teske 

The Best Little Sweater Ever There Was... it Zips Up the BACK!

My friend Dominique has a lovely grandmother, Rachel, whom I got to know because I would occasionally taught crafts at the senior center she spends time at. I miss those seniors. Due to budget cuts, I have not seen them this year... anyway, for quite sometime I have been coveting the sweaters that Rachel has made for Dom's kids, as well as many, many other new babes in the area. They are ingenious, brilliant, and completely unique to me. I come from Minneapolis, the land of cold, so I thought I had seen everything known to man when it comes to winter wear. These sweaters have a zipper IN THE BACK, so instead of trying to put them over the head of your infant, you can just slip their arms in the sleeves, zip them up, and away you go (or "Bob's your uncle" as they would say in Maine).




It is basically a reverse hoodie but so much cooler somehow. I wish I could knit. Not being afraid to try new things, I have tried. But, I never got past the point of having really loose and really tight stitches. I decided that I would leave knitting to the many talented friends that I have who do it so well and who kindly shower us regularly with hand knitted items. Leave it to the pros. Well, Rachel is a pro, a legend even. When Dom came over with several sweaters for me to chose from, and then quoted me an really generous price, I was ecstatic. I chose a beautiful brown, green, and blue one that looks adorable on Emmanuelle but would look good on a boy as well so I am sure it will make the rounds of all the family kiddos.



I wish I knew how to write about knits, it has some beautiful detailing I would explain if I knew the right words. I think the detailing down the middle front of the sweater is called cable lattice. And I LOVE the peaked, elfin style hood! I have not been able to hang it in the closet, I have just been admiring it hanging on the back of a dining room chair. So, anyway, wanted to write about out lovely new handmade sweater, and to maybe inspire those of you who knit to figure out how to make one as your next baby gift. If you do, or if you know more about this style of sweater, let me know... Here is a link to a free pattern as well as to a blog post that has great photos of this style of sweater.

Back to School (Or Actually FIRST DAY EVER at School)

Quin went to her preschool for the first time today! It is a day she has been looking forward to since last winter. It must be so difficult when you are young and your parents keep telling you that you can do something "someday". And then closer to the time they start saying "soon". But with very little concept of time, it must be confusing... anyway, the day FINALLY arrived. We were sorry to miss the corn husk potluck where all the families got together and the trial day of class because we were away for my grandfather's funeral. Quin is an independent little girl so she basically had no reservations about just jumping right in today. I, on the other hand, wondered about what I have gotten myself into since we now go from getting up at 9 AM, to getting up at 7 AM two days a week. I know, I know, I have been sleeping in long enough. Andre made the morning better by making crepes for breakfast. Yummy! He was also able to come with us to school, thanks to being able to attend a meeting via phone while Quin was in class. What we would we all do without laptops and cell phones? It meant so much to her to have all of us there to drop her off and to pick her up.


Quin is attending a French preschool in another town. We are bummed that we don't have this option in our town, but since Andre is French, and since I know what a gift it is to know another language, since I have been struggling as an adult to try to learn French, it was important to us. We don't do a lot of driving in our daily lives, and walking to school would be amazing, but this is the way it goes. Emmanuelle and I have two hours to kill while Q is at school AND THE LIBRARY IS NOT EVEN OPEN!! It opens at 11AM! And you thought I slept in! I guess we will be spending time visiting friends, going to the thrift shop, and maybe getting crafty with some fellow crafty divas. It will work itself out but I am bummed about no library. The good news is that although Q is not fluent in French, she had a great first day, understood her teacher, and can't wait to go back! She is a sponge waiting to soak it all up.


Preschoolers need very few school supplies. A shirt for making art, which we had thanks to the Playground Pals Program in our neighborhood this summer; a change of clothes; two big glue sticks; indoor shoes that stay at school; a lunch bag and water bottle for snack; a scrapbook; a backpack; and a 3 ring binder. Makes me want to go to school, sounds like a lot of eating, and art making, and playing going on. I spiffed up Q's three ring binder with some sparkly, decorative paper and permanent ink and letter stamps. It doesn't take much to make a little one feel special. And Daddy pointed out how no one else will have a binder like hers. I hope she is happy being an individual for the rest of her life...


I had thought to send Q to school in pants but got nostalgic for my childhood and decided that the first day of school is a great day to wear a special dress. She wore one of my favorites of her handmade dresses. This sweet owl pinafore is from Humble Bea on Etsy. If you like it, here is the link. She is a great Etsy seller with over a thousand sales and 100% positive feedback. Super talented, too! (Oh geez, I just went to check out her shop and now I feel like shopping, so many cute things...).


Coincidentally, Emmanuelle also had a first today. Not to be out done by her sis, she rolled over, and laid on her tummy and held her head up like a champ while Quin proudly cheered her on. What a proud mommy I am!!

Handmade in Red Deer Alberta - The Prairie Chick

Polaroid Transfer Prints by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

I am back from a crazy road trip to Minneapolis for the funeral of my beloved grandfather, Poppa. There were many wonderful things that happened amongst the sadness of the trip. I will be posting about that this week but had wanted to write the following post just before we left so I decided to do it first thing upon our return...


Polaroid Transfer Image Magnet Sets by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

I love being part of Etsy, the amazing online community where artists, crafters, and artisans come together to sell their work. While it is fun to be able to sell my photography and art online, it is even more fun when non-Etsy opportunities come my way because of my Etsy shop. When I open my email and see I have a convo (like an email) via Etsy, I am always intrigued. Some are people telling me they have put me into a treasury, which is like an online favorites list complete with images and links to the items. Other are people asking questions about my work. And often, it is someone asking me to take part in an exhibit, interview, blog feature, or a print publication. One example of this is the day that Colette Bleakley contacted me to purchase some of my work for her new shop, The Prairie Chick, located in Red Deer, Alberta.


The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta
Image by Colette Bleakley

Colette, bless her heart, was looking for artists and artisans in Alberta because she wants her shop to carry locally made items. We started communicating, and I made some items for her in packaging I have not made for other outlets. It was a nice challenge to come up with and implement some new ideas. Since Colette (isn't that a beautiful name?) was gracious enough to put my work in her shop, I decided that I would like to write a blog feature on her and her shop. The following is an interview with her, some images from her shop, as well as images of my work that she is selling at The Prarie Chick.


Polaroid Transfer Prints by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

TT: What made you want to open this shop?
CB: I have always wanted to have my own boutique. I studied environmental science and have been working in that field for the past 6 years. I was looking for a change and a way to use my creative streak!



TT: What made you want to represent Alberta artists?
CB: I am a strong believer in shopping local. I noticed that it was hard to find locally made gift items and it was time to open a store that focused on Handmade in Alberta and Canada items.

TT: What kind of items are available in your shop?
CB: Clothing, Accessories, Handbags, Wallets
Bath and Body Products
Jewelry
House wares
Vintage Items
Photography and Stationary
Pottery


Bamboo Pendants featuring Piddix Collage Images made by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

TT: What has surprised you the most in your journey so far?
CB: I have been amazed by the vast amount and variety of talented artists right here in Alberta.

TT: Are you originally from Red Deer?
CB: I am originally from a small farming community in Saskatchewan. I now live on a farm near Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.


Bamboo Pendants featuring Piddix Collage Images made by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

TT: Are you an artist or craft person?
CB: I don’t consider myself an artist or crafts-person. However I do enjoy photography as a hobby.

TT: What do you plan to add to the shop in the future?
CB: I am constantly looking for new items and vendors. Check back often for new arrivals!

TT: Chocolate or vanilla?
CB: Both

TT: What inspires you?
CB: My Mom and Grandmothers were my inspiration for the boutique. They are all talented, hardworking, creative, strong women.


TT: Would you like to include anything else?
CB: http://theprairiechickboutique.blogspot.com

The Prairie Chick
5018 Ross St., Lower Level (Can-West Travel Company Bldg.)
Red Deer, Alberta
T4N 1Y3
403-348-2800
HOURS: Tues-Sat 10:00am-5:00pm


The Prairie Chick Boutique in Red Deer, Alberta

If you are in Red Deer, Alberta, stop by The Prairie Chick and say hello to Colette!


Polaroid Transfer Image Bamboo Necklaces by Tiffany Teske; available at The Prairie Chick in Red Deer, Alberta

Birthday Gifts You Can Make - Part Two - Crayon "Cakes"

Crayon "cakes" are the second craft we made for our friend Aven's third birthday. These are so simple and they help a child to reduce, reuse, and recycle because they can take all their crayon stumps and make them into a sort of super crayon.


These crayon cakes draw raves from both kids and adults a like. They do not roll so they are awesome for plane rides, car rides, going out to eat... And the top part of the cake ends up being wax that rises to the top and separates from the color in the wax, so when you put the cakes right side up the non color part of the cake is on the table, so they don't leave colored wax on whatever you set them on.


Sooooo, let's get started...
How To Make Crayon Cakes


You will need:
- Old crayons
I collect bags of crayons when I see them at the thrift store. I also take crayons home from restaurants that give each child a new package of three crayons when they come for dinner. Then, of course, there are the crayons we use at home. It is difficult to say how many you might need. It depends on how many finished cakes you want and the size of your crayon numbs. I would say you need about 18 one inch crayons pieces per muffin pan that makes 6 muffins, and maybe 12 one inch crayon pieces per muffin pan that makes 12 muffins. Just experiment the first time. Wax crayons are better than soy, and they say not to mix them, but I really don't pay any attention to what mine are made of and I have not had a problem.
- Silicon or metal muffin pans
My mother gave me a ton of silicon pans that are shaped (snowflakes, jack o lanterns, Christmas trees) and while I gave them a whirl for making muffins, they never cooked right and made the muffins taste like plastic... I was a bit leery of the thought of baking in silicon anyway. Since I like to find new uses for the things I own, I turned them into our crayon cake making pans. Metal pans work fine, too, and you can often find them in various shapes and sizes for a very reasonable prices at the thrift store. I would not use silicon pans for baking food after making crayon cakes in them, and I am not sure what to say about using metal ones for both purposes. I have a different set of metal pans I use for crayon cakes and non food molds. You do not need oil either type of pan. The cakes will pop right out when they have cooled and hardened.
- Baking sheet
- Cooling rack

Making the Cakes
1) Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.


2) Gather your crayons and put them in a water proof container along with warm water (if the water is too hot the crayons will start to melt). After a minute or two you can pour out the water. The paper around the crayon should now come off very quickly with little effort (I wish I would have thought of this step the first few times I made these. It would have saved my husband, child, and I, a lot of peeling time!). Remove all the paper from your crayons.


3) Do not oil your pans. Break crayons into approximately one inch pieces. There is a lot of leeway here, so find your own way you like to do things. I tend to put many shades of the same color into each tin, so maybe 5 kinds of green, from hunter to seafoam, all in the same tin. You can also do something like all the primary colors together like red, blue, and yellow. Some colors seem to mix together and get muddy while others stay apart. In theory, if you let them melt and don't stir them or jostle them, they should stay separate. Just have fun and experiment. If using many colors, try to mix them so that all the pieces of one color are not together. Do not over fill the tin. Stop filling when the pieces are just below the top. They will melt down to a thickness of about half of the pan.


4) Put the pan on a baking sheet, just in case anything melts over. Put the pan and sheet in the oven and turn the heat off. Leave the pans in the oven and check the progress of the cakes melting. You do not need to watch over them. Just do what you like and check them occasionally. Once they look completely melted remove them from the oven and put the sheet on a cooling rack or trivet. Once the cakes have hardened you can pop them out of the pan.


5) Stack three cakes or more together and tie with a ribbon, jute, raffia, whatever you like. I save all the ribbon and decorations we get on gifts for this purpose. You can attach a little tag or include a recipe card with the gift that tells the recipient how to make their own crayon cakes.


You can make a coloring book out of computer paper to go with the cakes. You can trace over the images in coloring books using carbon paper or by holding the page and paper on the window like using a light box. Or you can draw simple line drawing by hand. Gather together your pages and cut a front and back cover from decorative paper. Using a hole punch, punch two holes on the left side on the top half of the page and two holes on the bottom half. Pass ribbon through the holes and tie. Yes, coloring books are cheap, but this way you can tailor the drawings to the little one's interests. And who would not like a special coloring book made just for them?

One last post on making birthday gifts to come... stay tuned. For the first project, Play Dough, click here.

Hand Knit With Love

Sometimes I wonder if I am the only young person on earth who really loves the hand knit sweaters that grandmothers and great grandmothers knit for new babies. The reason that I wonder is that people would bring them to my friend's consignment shop and she would either not take them or when she did put them on the floor they never sold. In the end I would buy them because I just love how soft they are, they were often brand new, and I knew that they were made with love, and how could I let them be given back to the consignor who didn't want them or to the charity where my friend donates the unsold clothes that people don't want back. I really do like to dress my child in these cozy creations that the women in these families made for their loved ones. My husband did point to the fact that they are old fashioned when I asked him why most people don't seem to like these items. I agree, but of course, that is part of why I like them. And they always, always looks cute once they are on a baby, and often, someone will ask me where I got them or if I made them. So, why not give these little treasures a second look when you see them at thrift stores and consignment shops? You may decide you love them, too. Just think, you will be putting something to use while keeping the energy of handmade going...

Another New Babe!!

I am pretty fond of new babies, as many of you know from reading all my new baby posts. One of my closest friends, Jeanne, just ended a recently not-so-fun pregnancy by welcoming her daughter, Celia Joy! Here is is in an ADORABLE HANDKNIT outfit that her talented Mommy made for her... Congrats, Jeanne, we love you!!

Handmade Gifts ARE THE BEST!

My lovely friend, Kirstin, sent a thoughtful AND handmade gift that I just have to share. They are burp cloths for the little girl I am expecting in June. Kirstin could not find what she was looking for when it came to burp clothes when she had her darling little boy, Wesley, so she did the sensible thing and decided to make her own. K comes for a family of talented people who sew. In fact, she and her sister Holly, gave me lessons years ago. Thanks, K, for the very nice and super handy gift. And for the wonderful hand written letter. Always so nice to get snail mail :)

PS The giraffe print fabric is so cute... did you know that giraffes and zebras are my favorite animals?

Handmade Vitamin E Face Scrub

Today I got around to making myself some new face scrub. I have been wanting to make the Vitamin E face scrub in the Big Ass Book of Crafts by Mark Montano. It is an AMAZING book that I blogged about here.

Making personal care products is super easy. And they are so much better for you than a lot of toxic items you can buy. I have started to make a lot of the products I use. And they make great gifts!

Vitamin E Face Scrub
by Mark Montano

What You Will Need:
~ 1 cup finely granulated salt (I buy sea salt in bulk at my local health food store and it is really cheap)
~ 15 drops vitamin E oil
~ 2 teaspoons olive oil
~ 1/4 bar unused glycerin facial soap (or your regular facial soap)
~ Large mixing bowl
~ Cheese grater
~ Moisture-proof container

1) Grate the bar of soap using the smallest holes on the cheese grater. Don't worry if the glycerin soap sticks together. When you start to mix it with the other ingredients it will come apart.
2) Pour your salt, vitamin E, and olive oil in the bowl and mix well.
3) Add grated soap and mix throughly.
4) Pour the mixture into your container.


I tried this tonight and its great. My skin is smooth from the exfoliation of the salt, and the oils are moisturizing. I won't use this everyday, especially since I live in a pretty dry culture. I will use it once every few days.

Gifts in the Mail

I have been meaning to blog about this for about a week... and yes, I know that still means it would have been two weeks since Valentine's Day, but come on, can you ever really have had enough of the day of love?

My lovely friend and fellow crafter from EveryDayCreate, Bri, who by the way posted a killer interview and follow up about me on her blog The Craft Begins, was chosen as my secret Valentine, by Stacy, who had the great idea. AND I was chosen for Bri! So, I mailed her a little collection of goodies, which I didn't want to blog about here, until she received them. And she sent me an equally cool box of things. Here they are, since pictures are worth a thousand words...

My box to Bri:


Ok, I am still talking, or typing, even though I was supposed to let the photo do it for me... Matted print, photo card, photo magnets, photo pendant, candy necklace, and chocolate!

Bri's box to me:


It should be noted that there were a couple more chocolates that were eaten before I could take a pic, LOL! And my daughter took off with the very cute heart bean bag that was also in this box... The heart with my initials hangs on a door knob and holds my valentines. So cute and so vintage. And the Love Mix is awesome! Nothing like a mixed CD. I truly love it when people send them to me. Thanks, Bri!


May it be noted that Bri lives in Arizona, near the Mexican border, and I live in the Canadian Rockies, so it took awhile for our packages to reach one another. So fun! Like having a pen pal when I was a kid...

Ultra Cuteness! Handmade...

Well, actually hand embellished would be more accurate. Quin's aunt, my little sister, Tillie, sent this adorable mitten, hat, and glove set early in the new year. They have fast become Q's favorites. She is able to get all of it on all by herself. My dad said they found the set at a craft fair. I have to say, I was proud he took my sis shopping at a craft fair, since every crafter and artisan I know says they had horrible sales over the holidays. From what I can see, this person bought the and with embroidery floss, added translucent tri beads all the way around each of the edges. The colors are really lovely, and they wash up like a charm. They sent Quin a pair of socks that are embellished the same way, and I had my doubts, but they washed up well and I hang them to dry. This would be a good craft for even an older child to try. They could use a blanket stitch through the beads. I found a site that sells 2,200 beads for $5.99!