Looking back…1 year in the making

Happy May Day and (almost) first Monday in May! It’s finally starting to feel like spring in Ohio, which I call the heart of the Midwest. I am so excited to launch my new site and blog where I will highlight holidays, recipes and special happenings along the road to Making The Midwest. I also invite you to listen to my very first podcast with Life Concierge when I joined my friend and host, Sarah Hider, to discuss one of the most anticipated nights of the year, the Met Gala. 

A year ago on this day I joined my friend, artist and creator, Joanne, at her home in Granville, Ohio to learn the aft of a special craft. Danish paper cut-outs, made of colored lampshade paper, are intricately cut, assembled and displayed in the style of a mobile. Picture a hanging silhouette telling a story in that of a vignette or scene. When I joined Joanne in her home, an old barn atop of Mount Parnassus, I was given a crash course in making my very own Valentine. Joanne has been meticulously crafting these tiny pieces of art for over 30 years…so I had a lot of learning to do! My fondest memories of this Danish craft are growing up and receiving a yearly Santa that Joanne had crafted. There was a different theme every year for 25 years! I wish I could hand deliver one to each and every one of you to see in person the detail that goes into them. But don’t fret, with practice anything is possible. I’ll highlight this special craft with step-by-step instructions and starting patterns in Making The Midwest. My hope is for you to appreciate a one-of-a-kind art form that is a unique handmade gift and tradition for holidays in the years to come. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy these photos from my afternoon “back in art school” and can’t wait for you to try your hand at a tiny pair of Fiskars!