New Creative Works by Mamma Winger

 Here are some pictures I took of Mamma Winger's newest works at one of our recent art festivals.  Enjoy!

I think this first one is my favorite! 

Her work just makes a person smile!

Pay no attention to the goofball in the mirror.

boxes for things and stuff:

another fav:

here's something new (for us): elephants!

bird made from scrap pieces of trim:

Love this sunburst:

We're Blown Away.

 We are!  We're blown away by God's goodness.  We're blown away that we get to do this job.  We're blown away that God would choose to give us - ordinary, messed up us - even a glimpse of what He's doing. We're blown away by the bravery, the beautiful vitality, the sweet blessings and the giving spirits of all of you.   We don't even know what all you're going through.  Sometimes you tell us why a message speaks to you. You've got your story and we've got ours.  You see, the very fact that a piece of art came to be is because we need to hear that message where we are in our own lives.  We also create as an act of worship to our most Creative God.  We create for others whether we ever get to realize it or not.  This really kind of miraculous thing happens: the art speaks to someone else too, right where they are.  Our situations may be totally different on the surface, but going deeper, our hearts are both needing the same reminders.  That's something so precious and humbling to be a witness to. That you would share even a tiny spark of what makes you "you" with us by sharing your story, and that the thing that we have in common is the art?  Well we feel tremendously honored and humbled and connected to you in a way that's hard to describe.  Suddenly strangers aren't strangers anymore.

The first story we'd like to share with you is about a woman who found 3 flowers of similar size to hang together as a tryptich.  Here are 2 of them (we don't have a picture of the 3rd):

The reason?  There is a brand new mental health clinic that just opened in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. The walls have just been painted; they are blank slates - no artwork - until now!  Three of our pieces are now hanging in this new facility, and who knows how or when someone may be encouraged!  What an honor - it blows us away!

The next story is about the woman who bought this piece:

She quietly purchased this "Be Brave" piece while moving one arm gingerly due to the PICC line in her forearm.  She probably never would have said more, except that she was with her friend who leaned over to tell us why she was buying it.  The following Monday - 2 days from then (now over a week ago!) she was having a heart transplant.  Yes.  A heart transplant.  The brave woman joked around about how she needed something encouraging to look at in her 'suite' because she was going to be staring at the same hospital walls for quite awhile.   God has brought this nameless woman to mind many times this past week: wondering where she is, how she's doing, hoping she's being loved and cared for well by those around her.  We are praying for God's healing hand to be upon her and that she'd be comforted through God's people and His peace.

***UPDATE!!!  Emily, the woman mentioned above, e-mailed us with an update when she saw this blogpost!  In my ignorance, I just thought you go in, you have your transplant.  duh.  I don't think sometimes!  Emily explained that she's met all of the criteria to get moved up to the top level of the waiting list for her heart and lungs transplants. And now she is waiting.  She is not allowed to leave the unit because of the monitoring. There are 4 patients in her unit awaiting transplants.  One has been waiting 7.5 MONTHS for a liver and heart.  Another's been waiting a month.   So they all wait, trying to avoid getting sick or anything that would set them back.  She says,

"so that is what I am doing.  Waiting...I so appreciate the kinds things you wrote, that was just so neat.  I have been told through out my life I have been an inspiration and touched other people's lives but until I read your post I hadn’t quite felt/believed it.  If there is anything I can ask for besides prayers is that we help people understand the need for organ donation, that in the event of a death, what a miraculous way to honor the deceased life by giving new life to another.  Up to 7 people actually."  

Sometimes it's the waiting that takes the most courage.   Thank you so much for the update, Emily.  Our prayers are definitely with you as you be brave in your waiting.   

Then there's the story of this woman named Sarah who bought a different "Be Brave" this past weekend.  Here she is:

She heard that we were gathering stories to share and so sent us this email to share with all of you.  Read on in her own words:

My husband and I purchased a few of your pieces a couple years ago when we
were decorating our daughter's nursery.  They're my favorites out of the
artwork in her room.  One of them has a line from my favorite Wordsworth
poem - they're so special.
 
My husband died a few months ago - a very young 36 years old - after a long
struggle with a traumatic brain injury.  We spent 6-7 months in and out of
numerous hospitals and rehabilitation hospitals - and finally spent our last
week together back in the Quad Cities at a hospice facility.  This idea of
"home" expanded in our lives.  We made home wherever we were.  A few weeks
ago I realized that I had mentioned this concept of home to my husband in
our wedding vows - and had the latin word for home, "domus", tattooed on the
inside of my wrist as a reminder.  So I was bowled over when I saw a piece
of yours that mentioned home being wherever we are (I'm paraphrasing and
butchering it, I apologize).  While I couldn't bring myself to buy that one,

(we're guessing that this is the piece that Sarah saw.)

I did find another one that I love, "Be Brave".  I started a
blog http://www.mrsbsbrain.com/1/post/2011/09/a-fall-approaching.html in
the aftermath of my husband's death and have a picture of me holding
it.
 

So just in the two nights since buying it, my 2 1/2 year old daughter is
talking to me about being brave and what that means.
 
Thank you so much for the pieces you create - they're lovely and touching
beyond what you can imagine.

Our situations may be different than Sarah's on the surface, but going deeper, our hearts are all needing the same reminders to be brave.  It's precious and humbling to be a witness to the way art is connecting us.  It's hard to describe, but blows us away.  We are praying that Sarah would have much peace and bravery as she and her sweet baby girl begin to find their new normal.

The last sweet story we have to share with you is about a cute little elderly woman (probably in her 70s) who bought a piece with this message on it:

She and her husband are NEWLYWEDS!  Yes, really!  Been married 7 months!  Again: blown away!  They purchased this piece for their home.  Who knows what kind of journey they've been on all these years and what events led them to finally finding each other.  Our guess is that it was anything BUT boring!!!  How sweet that they now have each other!  This message is perfect for them, and we wish them much joy and happiness together!!!!

We don't know why, but lately it seems like more stories than usual are coming our way:  people are going through all kinds of hard, crazy and fabulous things.  It just feels like we're supposed to share them with you - so you can be blown away too by how God is working!  Many of you reading this are going through some major stuff too.  Do you know that you are not alone?!  Sometimes we get a glimpse into your stories, often we don't.  Either way, we are going to keep on this path that God's got us on, while giving Him the glory.  

New Way to Purchase our Work

We're trying something new.  Lots of you ask if you can see the items we've got available for sale right now.  We've got a TON of items, but don't have the time or patience to get it all up on etsy!  So we thought we'd try to gather some items all in one spot for you to look at.  We have a new section up there on our blog menu bar, called "TWW For Purchase!"   We'll be updating it periodically with one of a kind items that we currently have available for you to purchase!  We'll give a shout via facebook when new items are added.   Go check it out!

Join Us for Riverssance 2011!

We'll be at Riverssance in Davenport this weekend!


24th Annual Riverssance Festival of Fine Art
Date: September 17 & 18
Where: Lindsay Park, Village of East Davenport, IA
Time: Saturday 10 am – 5 pm & Sunday 10 am – 4 pm
Admission: $4

This beautiful outdoor festival takes place on a scenic bluff overlooking the Mississippi River!  Over 100 artists from around the Midwest, live music and entertainment, wine tastings, a free children's art tent with make-and-take projects and a delicious variety of food vendors make this festival a great family event!

Our booth is #7  we've got a great spot! - come say hi!

ARTapalooza 2011

ARTapalooza in Cedar Falls this past weekend was a blast!  We loved the atmosphere, the weather and all of the great people that we got to visit with!

Here are some highlights of our booth:

This show was our first experience using our new Square device to process credit cards.  Although we were a bit nervous about the whole thing, it worked really well, was very easy and fast to use and it's going to be a great benefit to our totals!  

Last year we were thrilled to win the Merchant's Award - which was our first time at this show.  This year look at what we won:  "Best of Show!"  A group of about 10 members from the ARTapalooza committee came to our booth, made a little speech, took our picture, and presented us with a ribbon and check!  Then they all clapped!  It was quite the little moment!  So we hung our ribbon next to this cool name sign that they made for all the artists to hang in their booths. 

A reporter from the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier interviewed us for this article about the event. 

This is a show that really takes good care of all of their artists.  They provided us with a sack breakfast, sack lunch, bottles of water and a trail mix snack.  We've got to keep up our strength you know!  We truly appreciated the thoughtfulness and care.

But even more amazing were all of the stories that we had the privilege to hear from customers about why they were buying a particular piece.  Humbling and exciting to be a small part of what God is doing in others' lives!  Those special stories will be coming up next, plus a look at some of Mamma Winger's newest pieces.

In the meantime, we're getting ready for Riverssance, this weekend in Davenport!

Custom Orders

This first custom piece was for a late wedding gift and of course I had to be sure to include their yellow lab! 

This second one was a family rules that the family wrote up themselves.  It's the biggest piece I've ever mailed!  Some of you may remember that I posted a sneak peek on facebook of the Hug square, and another of this baby all wrapped up, ready to ship, but never did show you the whole thing.  I'm such a tease...

Well here it is!!!  It was a doozy!  2ft x 4ft!

This last one is very special (but they're ALL really special- because they're made WITH love and to SHOW love!  :-)  But this one is special because it is for a young military couple:

They've only been married a few months, got married quickly and were then relocated.  They are just starting out their lives together and have already made a lot of sacrifices for one another.  The wife wanted to give her husband something that conveyed how much she appreciates him and also demonstrates how close the Marines are to their hearts and lives.  It was important that the piece included the Marine icon of the eagle, globe and anchor.   A bit out of my comfort zone, which is always good!  I think I pulled it off....

The Marine Corps' motto is "Semper Fidelis" which means Always Faithful.  LOVE that. Very powerful statement for such few words.  It encompasses both their military and marital relationship, don't you think?!
 

Here was the Marine wife's response upon seeing pictures I emailed her to let her know her artwork was done:

"OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I almost cried when I saw it!!  It's absolutely perfect.  Thank you so much for the thought and effort you put in to making this for us.  It truly depicts exactly what I was looking for; that the Marine Corps is as close to my heart as he is.  :)

You did PHENOMENAL!!  I can't wait to see it in person."

Aww, sweet words!  Thanks Ashley!  Can you see why we love this job?!  This was such a pleasure to do, as we have the utmost respect and pride for those serving our country!

Go Hawks!

Here's something I've never done before:  a family tree in Hawkeye colors:  Black and Gold!  

My piece is toned down a bit from the bright gold usually associated with the emblem, but still!

Sorry, you won't find any hidden tigerhawks.

This piece was commissioned by the children to give to their parents on their 40th wedding anniversary!

Trippin' down Memory Lane!

Aah, yes! Good old memory lane. Mama Winger here and sometimes my memory lane comes to a dead end! if you know what I mean! But I did think of a couple things I use to make to add to Jill's list. You did REALLY good, by the way, Jill! I also made art using nails pounded into a board and a thin wire wrapped around from nail to nail to form a picture. And I might have done a macrame project or two. No wonder I'm so tired these days! But what I decided to tell you about today is that people use to call me "The Angel Lady" not because I was so holy or beautiful or anything, but because I painted nothing but angels for a number of years. These were done on wood, metal, matboard, paper, you name it, whatever I could get my hands on. I even used one of those old wooden pineapple shaped dishes upside down to make an angel out of it. Sorry no photo . . . just as well - trust me on that one! I have a few angel photos to show you from my past. They won't be great, cause my photo-taking skills are lacking, but you can get the idea anyway. Whoops! I guess the first one is above us. See, this is why I don't post on here very often - I obviously don't know what I'm doing and my other Wingers get frustrated with me. Can you blame them? Anyhow, the fairy one with striped tights is probably at least 16 or 17 years old. Going to add another one now. Yeah, ok, the purple one with the pointy hat is equally as old and she hangs in my purple kitchen! Thanks for hanging in there with me, but I am going to quit here while the quitting's good. My phone will be ringing soon and I can just hear it now, "Mother!........."

Will You Take a Trip Down Memory Lane With Us?

The other day, Just Something I Made was asking her facebook readers what crafts they liked to do when they were kids.  It got me thinking and remembering some of our favorites.

(My sisters are going to be totally impressed with me because I'm sort of known as the sister who blocked out our entire childhood.  Not because anything traumatic happened, but just because I have a horrible memory!)

Will you take a trip down memory lane with me?

We were totally obsessed with our Fashion Plates.  You could mix and match tops and bottoms, then create a rubbing off of the raised plates.  The reverse side had different textures so that you could make your fabrics have different patterns to them!  This picture shows the exact set we had.  MAN, do I wish we'd hung on to these!  Why don't they make anything like this anymore?  When googling for these images, I discovered that there was a New Kids On the Block version of fashion plates!  Why did I never know this?!

We had a set of Childcraft Encyclopedias exactly like these.  Can you guess which book was our favorite?

Yep, it was the one entitled "Make and Do."  We did tie dye projects with food coloring and paper towels from this book.  I think we also attempted some sock puppets.  Anybody remember what else was in the Make and Do book?

Another big hit in our house were latch hook rugs.  Mamma Winger made a big wall hanging in rusts and browns that she designed herself and so we thought we'd like to do it too.  I don't remember what we ended up making but when I googled it a lot of Care Bears, rainbows and unicorns showed up, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was something like that!

  Then of course there there was the potholder phase.  Everybody had one of those stages, right?!

Man, it was frustrating to get those stretchy loops pulled long enough to hook on the loom, especially near the end, but the results were oh so worth it!  I mean isn't that what every relative wanted from us? 

Mamma Winger has been crafting for a loooong time.  She's gone through some phases of her own.  When country crafts were really popular, there was a tin punching phase.  I SO wanted to do it too!  She'd buy big rolls of tin flashing (super sharp!) and use her tin snips to cut out shapes for ornaments.  Then she'd use an awl and hammer to punch out a design.  One year she came to my elementary school and taught a group of us how to do this craft with tinfoil pie plates. 

We also spent lots of time making paper snowflakes and fortune tellers, playing paper dolls, and coloring in our barbie coloring books.  We would also ask to help our mom with her artwork so she'd give us backgrounds or other areas that didn't require a lot of detail to paint.

One thing we wish we'd learned how to do when we were growing up was sew.  Mamma Winger is a GREAT sewer - she even went to school for fashion design!  There's some difference of opinion on why exactly we never learned to sew.  Something about trying to teach us, and us not being interested, or it not going very well due to the frustration factor....  I can't imagine ME being difficult! :-)  All I know, is now I really wish I knew more than I do! 

Mom made us lots of barbie doll clothes including a tuxedo for Ken!

 ....or I mean Michael Jackson!  Pay no attention to the fact that he's pantless.  A few years back we got out the ol' box of barbie stuff (THAT stuff we did hang on to!) thinking it was time to pass the torch to the only girl child of the family - Laura's daughter.  Here's a funny post I wrote about it at the time.  

Green Girl and I often wore matching outfits in different colors that Mom had made us, which prompted people to ask if we were twins although there is 15 months between us.  She also made all of our prom dresses and my bridesmaid's dresses!  Now I'm going to show you something that will really take your breath away, or mine at least.  Are you ready for this?  I can't believe I'm doing this...

Let me start by prefacing this picture with these facts: One, it was 1997.  Two, we all thought we looked good in short hair.  Some of us were right, some of us were wrong.  Three, our dad passed away completely unexpectedly 2 1/2 months before this, leaving us devastated, pale and walking around like zombies.       

L to R: Sis-in-law Shelly, Youngest sis Emily, Me the Blushing, ok extremely pale Bride(Jill), and sister (aka Green Girl) Laura

We celebrated our 14 year wedding anniversary earlier this week and my husband's aunt wrote me that our wedding had been beautiful and it was the first time she'd ever heard of the color "eggplant!"  So see, even back then we were 'somethin' else!'  (You can interpret that phrase however you want!)  That purple fabric was shinier on one side than the other, so we used both sides to make the "vests" and skirts. 

Anyway, this post sure has gone in a different direction than I thought it was going to!

Looking back, I'd have to say we had pretty crafty childhoods.  It definitely has led us to where we are today. 

I would love if the other Thing With Wingers would add their own input, memories, or corrections to my faulty memories at the bottom of this post.  If each of my family members writes in a different color and signs their name, then it'll be easier for you readers to come back to this post later and see what's been added!

How about you, readers?  What was your favorite thing to make, create, or craft as you were growing up?  Share your memories in the comments!

*And come back later on this weekend or next week to see what my other family members have added to the discussion below!