Folktale Week and Abandoned House Inspiration
Folktale Week 2021, an Instagram Art Challenge, is here!
Grab your crystal ball – the official @folktaleweek prompts are ready! This year we’re guided by the natural and supernatural world of folktales, and as always, let the prompts inspire you to interpret and create in any way you want! Folktale Week is open to creators from all skill levels and disciplines, from artist-illustrators and quilters to poets and puppeteers!
How to join: Follow the prompts, one per day, for each day of Folktale Week, November 15–21, 2021. Use hashtags #folktaleweek and #folktaleweek2021 to show your work. During Folktale Week, hosts will pull work from the hashtag to promote in our stories and in the official @folktaleweek account!
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As for me, I was going to sit this year out, but was inspired by an old house I’ve had my eye on in the neighborhood. And too, taking the pressure off always seems to make a thing happen. I shall see where it takes me…
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I walked without Pearl this time, to see the house Pearl and I often see on our walk. The house that has been nestled betwixt creek and trees for nearly 300 years. An unexpected snowball of a woman fell out of a car, and proceeded to tell me details about the family, the land, and added frivolity to my morning. “People don’t understand old houses,” she said. “That’s why I’m here.”
Who was this woman? Someone who spent 15 Christmases in a very brown room with what she called a ‘walk in’ fireplace which, though big, could not fit one of my ghost children sitting down with a mask on.
People try to sell you their memories. Their misunderstandings. I am reminded of the endowment effect. Emotional biases.
“Over here,” she said, “You can build a building for animals. But you can’t build a building for people.” Smiling, she begins to share the story of her last horse and the moldy hay her mom had fed him…
But that isn’t a story from this house. This house that housed the same family (not hers) since 1962. My mom was 12 then. My dad, 19. Memom was 51 already. More than half of her life had been lived. Sometimes time feels like a trick. Memom, 51 ever? Wasn’t she always just my grandmother?
This house, perpetually lived in for so long, is now too caverness, too dark, and too small to be lived in by most modern folk. I sift through dot matrix printouts of the home’s history – for something. Through the Silas’s and the Amos’s and the John’s that lived here. And the women – wives only – with first names anyway: Estella, Sarah, Gladys, Emma, Marion, and Viola.
Some of us will always be inspired by what remains, but Folktale Week especially inspires a backwards glance!
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As a family, we tend to go against a lot of currents in our world, and are fortunate to have built our own business, which gives us the freedom to do so. We’ve shared fragments of our recent decision to smallen Peg and Awl and move from a massive city building on an acre of land to our barn in Chester County, but I haven’t yet articulated on paper or screen, the whole of it – if there is a whole of it. My exhaustion of the words efficiency and busy certainly played a role. But here, the new-to-me word salutogenesis comes to mind.
Back to School!“I will draw in class!”
Søren and Silas have always been draw-ers, and that they draw has always felt like a good thing to us. But when they went to public school, (and me before them), the message was different: drawing is distracting, or it shows you aren’t listening, or, just don’t draw because I said so!*
My guys actually had a relatively good public school experience, but this message persisted. When six year old Søren came home one day and told us that he was punished for drawing, we decided to do a little Back to School campaign with our recently launched desk caddies, chalk tablets, pouches, and journals. Søren partook in a magical alternative version of the punishment writing lines with “I will draw in class.”
I still love this.
That was then, this is now. We have been homeschooling for five years, which means that our creatures have a lot of free time to do what they love, as homeschool is very rarely (if at all) all of us at a table with textbooks and lined paper. Søren, 15, is now dual enrolled in our local community college. Dual enrollment is open to most high-schoolers in America and very common for Homeschoolers. His first class is drawing!
As a family, we tend to go against a lot of currents in our world, and are fortunate to have built our own business, which gives us the freedom to do so. We’ve shared fragments of our recent decision to smallen Peg and Awl and move from a massive city building on an acre of land to our barn in Chester County, but I haven’t yet articulated on paper or screen, the whole of it – if there is a whole of it. My exhaustion of the words efficiency and busy certainly played a role. But here, the new-to-me word salutogenesis comes to mind.
Simply put, we smallened Peg and Awl for our mental and physical well being. We started Peg and Awl as a way to adventure and bring objects to life, and we ended up becoming managers of a business much bigger than expected. In smallening, we are gaining our freedom to make and explore once again.
Let us remember The Lorax:
“I went right on biggering… selling more Thneeds. And I biggered my money, which everyone needs.”
–Dr. Seuss
If you have any questions, I’d love to try to answer them. Perhaps here is where I open a Q+A. I think our story is an interesting one, unfamiliar, but also the kind of story that is gaining confusing and wondrous commonality these days, so I’d love to share!
*after sharing this on IG, some delightful souls came forth telling their stories of how they encouraged drawing in their classes. Absolutely not to be missed – there are always exceptions!Shop Our Shop!
I will draw in class. I will too. 
Our Pouch Collection
A Poem by 7 year old Søren. Anselm Bookbinding Kits 
Our Desk Caddies
The Sendak Artist Roll
Everywhere, Astonishments!99% Invisible Podcast: Roman talks with Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine, about the Luddites – a story that I, along with so much of the world – have misunderstood! PS: I first learned about them a little over a decade ago at a museum in Philadelphia that also had the story all wrong. I am on a wildly swinging pendulum around the conversation of AI, and this was the most compelling connection for me yet.
The Doctor’s Farmacy Podcast about Function Health: the other side of the efficiency conundrum! What is wrong with our healthcare system, and how we cannot seem to abandon the stuck channels for costs and fear of the unknown, and how Function Health is aiming to redirect our understanding of ourselves as impacted by the common standards of living, eating, &c. into a healthier future!
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones: We all enjoyed the first episode, as Dan Beuttner, a familiar name in our house, visited Okinawa and some of their many centenarian inhabitants.As always, if you have any questions, just comment below!–Margaux“I Will Draw in Class!” Back to School | Biggering and Smallening!
Back to School! “I will draw in class!”Søren and Silas have always been dra...
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“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” –Tanzanian Proverb
My friend Katie and I started writing a poem a day on the 25th April of this year. I’ve been filling my Orra notebook with them. We have well over 200 poems between us! Each day I put an envelope in my mailbox and lift the flag, feels like a solidly good start. As always, there is so much magic in the little things!
On My Desk, Potatoes!A little On My Desk for this weekend! I usually use an Almond Mini Sendak, but today I borrowed spice – a new one – crispy clean and on my messy desk.
“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” –Tanzanian Proverb
My friend Katie and I started writing a poem a day on the 25th April of this year. I’ve been filling my Orra notebook with them. We have well over 200 poems between us! Each day I put an envelope in my mailbox and lift the flag, feels like a solidly good start. As always, there is so much magic in the little things!Potato Dreams
In my dream,
there were potatoes.
Not in my dream, too.
Potatoes.
I moved the dirt,
and found a potato.
Red. Red. Dirt. Potato.
Red. Yellow. Dirt. Potato.
Abundance, from old,
forgotten potatoes.
Under the horseradish,
potatoes.
In the sea of dirt,
and slugs,
and roots,
potatoes.
Red. Red. Dirt. Potato.
An endless abundance
moves into dreams,
like Tetris.
Potatoes.
I wanted to write about
death,
grief,
illness,
but instead,
I write about potatoes.
Sometimes we must follow the current is all.
We can’t always make waves.18 August 2023
Shop Our Shop!
Solvitur Ambulando Ring The Saver Pouch 
Iris Painter’s Palette Orra Sketchbooks 
Keep your notebook next to your bed for midnight scribbles!
Autumn Colors: What Remains!
After a sweltering summer, we are feeling the cool of Autumn near – near you?Fog
What’s Left: Autumn Colors
The Classic Tote
The Keeper Pouch The Marlowe Carryall Red Maple
The Small Hunter Satchel
The Maker Pouch The Finch Satchel Birch
The Seaside Tote
The Hunter Satchel The Mini Tote
Everywhere, Astonishments!This Chestnut Delight was left in our Philadelphia building with other delicious pieces of old furniture in various states of over-use and decline. This one was missing her bottom rails, and the drawers drifted down, heavy with neglect. I scrubbed her clean and Bartram-Balmed her, whilst Walter chiseled out broken tenons and sistered antique oak and chestnut in place.
How I love Frankensteined objects, and how they live on! Hoorah!
And whilst celebrating potatoes, I am reminded of the chapter celebrating them in Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire.
As always, if you have any questions, just comment below!–MargauxOn My Desk, Potatoes! Little By Little, A Little Becomes a Lot.
On My Desk, Potatoes! A little On My Desk for this weekend! I usually use a...
Read The Post
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As a family, we tend to go against a lot of currents in our world, and are fortunate to have built our own business, which gives us the freedom to do so. We’ve shared fragments of our recent decision to smallen Peg and Awl and move from a massive city building on an acre of land to our barn in Chester County, but I haven’t yet articulated on paper or screen, the whole of it – if there is a whole of it. My exhaustion of the words efficiency and busy certainly played a role. But here, the new-to-me word salutogenesis comes to mind.
Back to School!
“I will draw in class!”
Søren and Silas have always been draw-ers, and that they draw has always felt like a good thing to us. But when they went to public school, (and me before them), the message was different: drawing is distracting, or it shows you aren’t listening, or, just don’t draw because I said so!*
My guys actually had a relatively good public school experience, but this message persisted. When six year old Søren came home one day and told us that he was punished for drawing, we decided to do a little Back to School campaign with our recently launched desk caddies, chalk tablets, pouches, and journals. Søren partook in a magical alternative version of the punishment writing lines with “I will draw in class.”
I still love this.
That was then, this is now. We have been homeschooling for five years, which means that our creatures have a lot of free time to do what they love, as homeschool is very rarely (if at all) all of us at a table with textbooks and lined paper. Søren, 15, is now dual enrolled in our local community college. Dual enrollment is open to most high-schoolers in America and very common for Homeschoolers. His first class is drawing!
As a family, we tend to go against a lot of currents in our world, and are fortunate to have built our own business, which gives us the freedom to do so. We’ve shared fragments of our recent decision to smallen Peg and Awl and move from a massive city building on an acre of land to our barn in Chester County, but I haven’t yet articulated on paper or screen, the whole of it – if there is a whole of it. My exhaustion of the words efficiency and busy certainly played a role. But here, the new-to-me word salutogenesis comes to mind.
Simply put, we smallened Peg and Awl for our mental and physical well being. We started Peg and Awl as a way to adventure and bring objects to life, and we ended up becoming managers of a business much bigger than expected. In smallening, we are gaining our freedom to make and explore once again.
Let us remember The Lorax:
“I went right on biggering… selling more Thneeds. And I biggered my money, which everyone needs.”
–Dr. Seuss
If you have any questions, I’d love to try to answer them. Perhaps here is where I open a Q+A. I think our story is an interesting one, unfamiliar, but also the kind of story that is gaining confusing and wondrous commonality these days, so I’d love to share!
*after sharing this on IG, some delightful souls came forth telling their stories of how they encouraged drawing in their classes. Absolutely not to be missed – there are always exceptions!
Shop Our Shop!
|
|
|
Our Pouch Collection
|
|
|
Our Desk Caddies
The Sendak Artist Roll
|
|
|
|
|
|
Everywhere, Astonishments!
99% Invisible Podcast: Roman talks with Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine, about the Luddites – a story that I, along with so much of the world – have misunderstood! PS: I first learned about them a little over a decade ago at a museum in Philadelphia that also had the story all wrong. I am on a wildly swinging pendulum around the conversation of AI, and this was the most compelling connection for me yet.
The Doctor’s Farmacy Podcast about Function Health: the other side of the efficiency conundrum! What is wrong with our healthcare system, and how we cannot seem to abandon the stuck channels for costs and fear of the unknown, and how Function Health is aiming to redirect our understanding of ourselves as impacted by the common standards of living, eating, &c. into a healthier future!
Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones: We all enjoyed the first episode, as Dan Beuttner, a familiar name in our house, visited Okinawa and some of their many centenarian inhabitants.
“I Will Draw in Class!” Back to School | Biggering and Smallening!
Back to School! “I will draw in class!”Søren and Silas have always been dra...
Read The Post
“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” –Tanzanian Proverb
My friend Katie and I started writing a poem a day on the 25th April of this year. I’ve been filling my Orra notebook with them. We have well over 200 poems between us! Each day I put an envelope in my mailbox and lift the flag, feels like a solidly good start. As always, there is so much magic in the little things!
On My Desk, Potatoes!
A little On My Desk for this weekend! I usually use an Almond Mini Sendak, but today I borrowed spice – a new one – crispy clean and on my messy desk.
“Little by little, a little becomes a lot.” –Tanzanian Proverb
My friend Katie and I started writing a poem a day on the 25th April of this year. I’ve been filling my Orra notebook with them. We have well over 200 poems between us! Each day I put an envelope in my mailbox and lift the flag, feels like a solidly good start. As always, there is so much magic in the little things!
Potato Dreams
In my dream,
there were potatoes.
Not in my dream, too.
Potatoes.
I moved the dirt,
and found a potato.
Red. Red. Dirt. Potato.
Red. Yellow. Dirt. Potato.
Abundance, from old,
forgotten potatoes.
Under the horseradish,
potatoes.
In the sea of dirt,
and slugs,
and roots,
potatoes.
Red. Red. Dirt. Potato.
An endless abundance
moves into dreams,
like Tetris.
Potatoes.
I wanted to write about
death,
grief,
illness,
but instead,
I write about potatoes.
Sometimes we must follow the current is all.
We can’t always make waves.
18 August 2023
Shop Our Shop!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Keep your notebook next to your bed for midnight scribbles!
Autumn Colors: What Remains!
Fog
What’s Left: Autumn Colors
The Classic Tote
|
|
|
Red Maple
The Small Hunter Satchel
|
|
|
Birch
The Seaside Tote
|
|
|
Everywhere, Astonishments!
This Chestnut Delight was left in our Philadelphia building with other delicious pieces of old furniture in various states of over-use and decline. This one was missing her bottom rails, and the drawers drifted down, heavy with neglect. I scrubbed her clean and Bartram-Balmed her, whilst Walter chiseled out broken tenons and sistered antique oak and chestnut in place.
How I love Frankensteined objects, and how they live on! Hoorah!
And whilst celebrating potatoes, I am reminded of the chapter celebrating them in Michael Pollan's The Botany of Desire.
On My Desk, Potatoes! Little By Little, A Little Becomes a Lot.
On My Desk, Potatoes! A little On My Desk for this weekend! I usually use a...
Read The Post
Comments
Jill Brooks
January 21, 2022Margaux, you are a force!
Linden Wallis
October 30, 2021As I read your words I felt like I was reading a new memoir I picked up from my local bookstore. Maybe it’s my love of old houses, but your words have the most lovely cadence of an author’s voice.
Kaly Quarles
October 30, 2021^^Agreed! Your musings are so mystical and introspective – this made me pause and linger on your words instead of jumping to the next thing. And bonus points for using ‘betwixt!’
Jennifer M Potter
October 29, 2021No one sets a mood like you, Margaux! Your language delights as much as your art. And is it just me or does it not quite feel like fall until the Folktale Week prompts are released?