Search results (tags) for: "grandmother"

Gift Ideas: Goodies for Grandma

2008-12-16T16:00:00-05:00

Grandmothers know how to welcome kids into their homes for the holidays. My grandmother always filled the cookie jar! She had a child-size rocking chair for me (the older sister) and my doll, while Nana rocked the my new baby sister in hers. I have many fond memories of staying with her and my grandfather in New Hampshire.

Many of our grandmothers were the ones to teach us how to make things — and so these ladies appreciate a well-crafted item as a holiday gift. My great-grandmother, Josephine, made rugs and other needlecraft. My great-grandmother secretly saved the money she earned from selling these items on the sly and stashed the money away for my grandmother's college fund. Her husband (my great-grandfather) didn't want my nana Virginia to go to school, but Josephine had other ideas.

Post in the comments below to let us know what types of gifts your grandma would like. Perhaps the members of the WWWG Team (Wild, Wise, Witty Grandmamas) can add their expertise! If you're a grandmother yourself, let us know what other kinds of grandmas are out there! This list represents mine.

To see gifts for Grandpa, check out this post!

See more Grandmother-related Posts | More Holiday Shopping Posts | Mom Gift Guide

Featured Etsy Team: Wild, Wise, Witty Grandmamas

2008-09-03T14:00:00-05:00

Grandparent's Day is this Sunday, September 7, 2008, and we're celebrating by giving a shout out to a remarkable Team of wild, wise and witty women! This week's Featured Etsy Team is the WWWG Team (Wild, Wise, Witty Grandmamas)! This supportive and active group of Etsy sellers are always working on a new project! You can find them active in the Etsy Forums and on their Yahoo and Flickr groups. Thanks for being part of the Etsy Teams program, WWWG, and for supporting each other and Etsy in your efforts! Here's what the WWWG's have to say about their team.

[Above (left to right) are the grandbabies of: Laura4ca | happygrandma40290 | grannyscloset ]

Can you tell us a bit about your Etsy Team (what's the glue that holds your team together — location, craft, etc.)?

"The glue that holds our team together are our adorable and precious grandchildren ... we must have grandchildren to be members of WWWG. We are grandmamas of all ages ... some in their 40s some in their 80s, and all have active Etsy shops." — elenamary

"I joined the Wild, Wise, Witty Grandmamas team to be with women I could connect to. I hoped to find women who might be more advanced in age but still have an active imagination and have Etsy as an outlet for creativity! Even though we didn't grow up with the electronic age, we are embracing it and using it to our advantage — we have online stores! Who would have thought this would be our future, back when we were in school, eh? We might not know everything, but we sure know a lot; and what we don't know, we aren't afraid to ask." — ennadoolf

"We love our children and we adore our grandchildren, those sweet little peas of ours. Seeing your child’s face in your grandchildren is one of life’s greatest gifts. We all share these special bonds: our children, our grandchildren and of course crafting — that‘s a given." — gardenjewels

What does your Team do to help each other?

"I joined WWWG team about a month ago. In that month I have received help on how to get around with my computer and a lot of support. When I joined Etsy, I was lost! My son helped me with pictures, but it was the team that gave me encouragement to succeed. I haven't sold any thing yet, but I know my day is coming. I have the feeling of belonging and read all the e-mails that are sent to all members. Everyday I look forward to see what's going on with the team." — Laura4ca

How does your team connect with each other?

"The WWWG team promotes each other by creating Treasuries and by commenting on each other's shops and new items in the team forum. We have started creating a new forum thread each week recently. We connect through two team forum threads and also have a Yahoo Group and a brand new Flickr Group."
— elenamary

Do you have any suggestions for new teams or sellers who might be interested in creating their own team?

"My suggestion for starting a new team is to have a common goal and vision and to get some of the team involved in leadership positions. In my case as membership has grown I have put out the call for co-leaders who came forth in a very effective way and started the weekly forum threads and the Flickr group. I am very appreciative of their efforts. We grandmamas have paid our dues in life and this is the very best time for us, being blessed with wonderful new lives to inspire and nurture. We can have the outlet of our own online Etsy shop, which brings us all some income. We are a wonderful group who seem to really care for each other. I am so glad I have a granddaughter named Lyla who inspired me to start this team!" — elenamary

Does your team have an exciting promotion, event or announcement to share?

"Our exciting new team event is our Meals on Wheels (MOW) benefit running for the entire month of September 2008. WWWG shops will decide what percentage they will donate from shop sales for the month to MOW, and at the end of September will donate that percentage to either the national or local chapters of MOW. We decided to donate money to Meals on Wheels as it is an organization which helps seniors who are housebound by providing a good meal and friendship. We heard that MOW was having a difficult time now in light of the very high price of gasoline. The benefit is throughout the month of September in honor of Grandparents Day on September 7. We feel at this point in our very active and rewarding lives we can give back by helping other seniors." — elenamary

Find out more about WWWG's Meals on Wheels promotion in the Forums.

What's your favorite part of the Team program?

"My favorite part of the team is the support we give to each other with every day events in our lives as we all celebrate life together. Along my journey through Etsy I find myself among the sweetest friends, the WWWG!" — gardenjewels

Inspired by this group of fabulous sellers? Search WWWG Team for items they've created, or WWWGmowbenefit for Meals on Wheels Benefit items. Also, check out our past Featured Etsy Teams for more great stories!

Handmade Heirlooms: Grandma Imogene's Quilt

2008-01-15T19:30:00-05:00

Alison aka TeenAngster shares her Handmade Heirloom story. You can too! Upload your video to Youtube or blip.tv or vimeo and tag it with: etsy, handmade, and heirloom. Check out all the quilts Etsy has to offer!

Craft and Folk Art Museum

2007-11-20T13:06:00-05:00

Since this week is Thanksgiving, the Storque editors thought it would be timely to take a look back at the history of folk arts and crafts in the United States. What follows here is Etsy seller sheridesthelion's personal story about her grandmother Edith Wyle, who founded the Craft and Folk Art Museum in Los Angeles. This museum exhibits contemporary crafts and traditional folk arts from around the world.

My grandmother was a painter and art enthusiast in the 1960's, who became disenchanted with the art trends of her day, including abstract expressionism and minimalism. She channeled her love of folk art from around the world into an innovative café and gallery called the Egg and the Eye, which served over 50 exotic omelets recipes from around the word.

This stimulating space attracted artists and patrons alike, and soon the time was ripe to open an educational museum, which would highlight, preserve and celebrate craft-based art from around the world. In 1973, the Craft and Folk Art Museum was born.

I grew up surrounded by the arts and my family's extensive folk art collections. The museum originally brought together my father, a Chicano painter and muralist from East Los Angeles, and my mother, an artist/designer from West Los Angeles. As you can imagine, this has had quite and impact on my imagination.

I have been drawing and painting since I was a small child, but did not realize the significance of folk art in my imagery until recently, when I created and exhibited a show based on the Tree of Life. This is a limited edition linocut/serigraph I created for the museum in 2006. It features a central tree decorated with "egg and the eye" fruit, and several other images inspired by folk art from around the world. This print is available at the museum.

My grandmother pioneered interest in the craft and folk arts at a time when they were looked down upon by the great institutions of the United States. She proved that there was a great interest in hand made objects, both functional and decorative, and that they were a gathering point for innovative people and discussions. Forty years later, times have changed and a resurgence of craft minded people has cropped up again, proving that the handmade is a crucial part of our culture.

The Craft and Folk art museum is an inspirational place, and I hope you someday have the chance to visit.

Early exhibitions at the museum were eclectic and diverse, featuring beautiful works such as Navajo rugs, Hopi Kachinas, furniture by Sam Maloof, Inuit art from Baffin Island, folk arts from Macedonia, Bolivia, Africa, Japan, Mexico and more. Apart from the interesting exhibitions, the museum offers workshops for children and adults, tours, and special events, as well as an eclectic and interesting museum shop.

Exhibitions which I have enjoyed in recent years are "Street Signs and Solar Ovens: Socialcraft in Los Angeles" and "Sovereign Threads: A History of Palestinian Embroidery." On view now is, "Zulu Fire: Ardmore Ceramics From Around the World." It runs October 21-January 27, 2008.

Further Resources:

The Craft and Folk Art Museum is located at 5814 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.
http://www.cafam.org/
http://www.soniaromero.com/

Gift Ideas: Traditional Grandmother

2007-11-09T08:58:00-05:00

This morning we sat down and brainstormed about the perfect gifts for a grandmother: specifically, our grandmothers. Then we tried to think about other people's grandmas, and what they'd like. It was hard at first, but got easier when we started to channel "grandma taste": delicate styles, patchwork quilts, lawn ornaments, stained glass and lace.

We chose items that reflect a more subdued, classic style, with a bit of country and shabby chic thrown in for good measure. Most grandmas that I know already have everything they need (like mine!), but these items would be nice as home accents and little luxuries for the older lady with everything.

Have more ideas? Suggest more gift ideas for grandmothers in the comments below!