...recycks...

this little division of akcollections has been a welcomed change! don't get me wrong...i still work with ALOT of felted wool but sometimes a girl just has to mix it up a bit!


it is crazy how seriously strong 5-8 layers of fused plastic bags become! i now have friends and family bringing me their used bags! hey, at least it is keeping some of them out of the landfill! these things stay around forever....



my girls help me out by cutting the 'confetti'...this we love! i don't really like seeing the corporate logos and names. the confetti takes care of that and i think gives it the 'recycled' look!

BUT it is amazing how much static this method produces! we get it stuck all over everywhere! generates some good giggles so all is great!


after some muscle power with an iron set just right and the great creation of parchament paper you end up with a fantastic fabric of sorts that goes right through the sewing machine and can be manipulated into wonderfully useful items! my favorite?



baby bibs! they are super wonderful...rinse them under the tap to wash off! lay out to dry! great for those messy meals and snacks! trimmed out in soft bias tape and have a handy dandy snap closure!!! also fun to make are strong and durable storage boxes, brooches with the little leftover pieces and pouches! it's a good thing! hmmmm...i'm a 4H mom wonder what my girls will be taking to the fair this summer??? ;)

the living room....

recently i set up my goods at a fantastic coffeehouse in valley junction (west des moines). "the living room" is an eclectic fun place to spend an afternoon! i had the cream of the crop when i came to set up spots! akcollections & recycks showed beautifully in the white bookcase.

i am constantly amazed at the fantastically talented people there are out there! this new venture of mine has put me in touch with many good hearted, hard working genuine people! one more reason to buy local...support the arts and enjoy the quality and uniqueness of handmade!

my hat is off to the supportive businesses that share their spaces to allow us to show our work. for myself i have made great friends at the living room coffee house, prairieland herbs; woodward and mary rose; perry. akcollections also has pieces available at ephemera (located in the east village, DM), friedrichs coffeehouse (university & 42nd, DM), the copper cup (cherokee) and the matchbox (arts district of minneapolis)! i have appointments with 2 other shop owners in mid-march and have already decided to continue attending at prairieland herbs and the living room! perhaps other shows will follow!?! and with those new friends to make and new talents to discover! ...bring it on...

big beautiful tissue flowers...

remember making flowers out of colored tissue paper? usually your hands would end up stained the color of the flower. i remember making them sometime during my elementary years in school...can't pinpoint if it was in a classroom or the art room. but i have always loved them.

when visiting arizona a few years back we purchased some at a 'junk shop' and they are perched along the top of amanda's bedroom windows.

we stayed at a cabin over easter weekend one year and i purchased numerous colors of paper and i taught melanie and amanda how to create these lovlies.

something so simple brings such joy!

so i was thinking about them again the other day...i had no pretty colored tissue in pink, green, yellow, blue or purple but i did have some old sewing patterns...i knew i would not be using them again so i went to it! they are just as lovely...and part of the 'recycks' line now!

life is grand when you get to play with the things that rekindle such wonderful memories...
now if i could only make crayola candles...(my mother knows what i'm talking about!)!

here i am!

okie doke! we are going to give this blogging a try!

i enjoy others so why not! i can do this! 41 is not to old for new ventures!!!

my hope is that this site may become a place to share my work, my loves, my recipes & my life as a self-employed farm wife & mom!

let's hope for some laughs...