“Fine craftsmanship — manifested in attention to details and the creation of small objects — and appreciation of beauty invariably go hand in hand in Japan.” writes Patricia Graham as she presents “beauty in miniaturization and detailed workmanship” as one of the ten key characteristics of design in Japanese culture in her book Japanese Design: Art, Aesthetics and Culture.
The other day, this unusual cloudscape over Lake Oconee sent me running for my camera.
Have you ever created a yarn bomb? Seen guerrilla knitting? Or heard of yarn storming? Yarn bombing seems to be the most prevalent term but, whatever you choose to call it, it’s a unique form of street art. Yarn bombers cover public objects or structures, such as fences, lampposts, bike racks, trees and statues, with colorful knitted or crocheted yarn. They do it for a variety of reasons such as raising awareness for a cause, making a political statement or simply making others smile. Most passersby are delighted by the unexpected touch of warmth and humanity yarn bombing brings to the urban environment.
Writing a blog post is something like putting a message in a bottle—you send it off into the world and hope someone will find it and take the time to read it.
Suppose you wanted to tell someone you were thinking of them. Nowadays, you would likely send a quick text message with a cute emoji. At one time, you might have written a note on a carefully chosen postcard and mailed it. And prior to that, back in Victorian times, you might have sent flowers—pansies specifically. Because pansies were known to mean “You Occupy my Thoughts”.
Looking forward to spring flowers? Here in the Southeast, the annual floral explosion that is spring has begun! But don’t be discouraged if you have to wait a little longer where you live because I have just the thing to tide you over—cut flowers that really last! Cut from glass and fused in a kiln, these pretty flowers don’t need water—they don’t fade and die—and they look great all year round!
