Whimsy and Soul

I celebrated a belated birthday with dear friends this week.  We laughed--a lot--and I received many wonderful vintage and handmade gifts.  To me, this is the most beautiful kind of gift giving.  Something handmade must include a part of the creator.  Most of what we touch each day, including our food, is mass-produced, but to look at an object and see in your mind's eye the hands which made it, that is a thing of beauty.

In honor of my blog, Amy made me this necklace.  Every time I wear it I think of a dear little boy named Suubi who is "joy as it flies.”  I like to hold the charm and pray for his sweet person.  

the watch I wanted                                              the  watch Jeanie made

I had teased a few friends about buying me a really expensive watch I found on-line.  Jeannie took an old red belt and a watch face from Wal-mart and made me an even better one.  You can find some of her pieces at Eco chic Boutique in Fargo.

This lovely gift is a jade pendent that Michelle wore for a very long time.  It was the first piece of jewelry her mother ever made for her.  She asked her mom’s permission before she gave it to me.   She held this jade close to her heart, and in friendship she gave it to me.  I will treasure it always.

I love the patina of vintage jewelry.  I love the stories I will never know that are a part of each piece. Do you know that people in love with beauty and life once owned all my vintage finds?  It is so.  Thank you, Tara.

Amanda is in graduate school and just adopted two children.  Thankfully, she did not make me a thing, but she bought me one of my favorite splurges: a hat crotched by Heidi Bear.  If you want to buy something made by a beautiful person, buy a hat or a cowl from Heidi Bear's Etsy Shop.

Food is always a practical and beautiful gift.  My neighbor and friend Carla gave me Indian coffee that her husband roasted, and Amber made me a cheesecake.  I don’t have a picture of it, but Erin, a passionate gardener, made a quart of salsa filled with vegetables and herbs from her garden and gave it to me.  Warm sunlight, the sweat from summer weeding, careful planning, and children running through the garden: All of it was in that jar.  You could hold it up to the light and almost see it.

Christmas shopping is upon us, and we each have the opportunity to make gift giving a thing of beauty.  Making homemade gifts is not a new concept, but it's a good one.  Learn a skill, and make it your signature gift.  A loaf of homemade bread wrapped in a vintage tea towel is my go-to gift.   A living thing--like a plant--is the perfect gift of whimsy.  Buy your loved ones journals or art supplies.  Buy an experience like a date to coffee or tickets to a play.  Find a local artist and support her craft.  At the very least, watch this interview with potter Warren MacKenzie before you begin shopping this year. If I didn't challenge you to give handmade gifts, he will.

“How do you know a good pot?  Well, the pots that you like are the good ones for you because they communicate something.”

“We (potters) are trying to make more than just a soup bowl.  We want a soup bowl that you enjoy touching, you enjoy picking up, and you enjoy washing it after you eat your soup.”

Kiss Joy as it Flies is about celebrating beauty through poetry and images.  I will never—NEVER-- search for a poem to match a theme.  Good poetry comes from honest discovery not in proof texting one’s life.  Sadly, I have no poem to share.  I am not, however, above finding a quote from Good Reads.  And although I was outside today in bare feet, I know that if I close my eyes for one long second, winter will be at my door. 

“So when you're cold

From the inside out

And don't know what to do,

Remember love and friendship,

And warmth will come to you.”

            -Stephen Cosgrove, children’s author 
             (Ok, so that was sort of a poem.)