Dr. Steingraber’s story is one of crisis, survival, realization and action.  A story that revolves around cancer.  Her cancer.  A story that involves her taking her knowledge of science and using it to enlighten us as to why so many – so very many – of us are getting it.

She told us of growing right next to the Illinois River, and never fishing because the fish were too toxic to eat.  She told a tale of going to Sudan to study the environmental and human crisis along their rivers, only to be asked by a Sudanese man why she was worried about their river and not her own back home.

She talked about research into the causes of cancer, and explained that, although genetics play a role, our genes can’t really be changed.  However, the environment plays an equal or even greater role in the likelihood of our getting cancer, and that we CAN change.

As though to punctuate her speech, and remind us that the earth can still be healed, nature provided a stunning rainbow.  Happily, the rain that followed was considerate, and waited for her to finish before chasing us to our cars.

I left the lecture feeling an intense mixture of anger, frustration, hope and inspiration.  As I sit here next to my 8 year old son, typing away on this post, I wonder what his future will be, and if I can save him from the consequences of previous generations destructive, if often unwitting, mistakes.

To learn more about Dr. Steingraber’s amazing story, as well as everything you probably didn’t want to know about how badly we are soiling our own nest, you should read her book, “Living Downstream“, and see the beautiful, haunting documentary of the same name.

I was killing time, wandering around while my son tried to convince a very overstuffed koi fish to take one more piece of fish chow, when I ran across a lovely sight…

A loom!  Now, I’m not a weaver, but I did once take a class, and I find the whole process fascinating.  As I stood in front of this loom and stared at the work in progress, I wondered what on earth the yarn was made of.  I couldn’t figure it out.  Was it jute?  No, not rough enough.  Was it wool?  No, no fibers sticking out.  Well, what the heck was it??

After dragging my family back over to the loom, textile artist Susan Lei, whose lovely work this is, was kind enough to ease my curiosity.  This strange, mysterious yarn was,… mulberry paper!

Through an painstaking process of carefully cutting rolls of Japanese mulberry paper into long strips, winding them up into a cotton thread wrapped yarn, and then hand dyeing them in tea to attain a warm, aged color, she was able to make a beautiful, natural fiber for her latest work.

As we stood and talked, my son became completely fascinated with the working of the loom, including the foot peddles Susan Lei used to lift and lower the warp threads.  He had a barrage of questions for her about how everything worked, and in the end, I had to practically drag him away.  That loom might as well have been a Wii game system.

It got me to thinking about how distanced we have all become from the way everyday things are made, much less works of textile art such as this.  Many people, perhaps most in fact, don’t even know what the terms warp and weft (woof) mean, even though without weaving, we would all still be running around in animal skins.Musings on our cultural disconnects aside, I wanted to take a moment to show you just how lovely Susan Lei’s work is.  The piece on her loom is the very beginning of a kimono she is creating for a show at CSULB.  The kimono takes its motif from a tree, hence the beautiful knotholes and leaves.  I hope I get an opportunity to see the finished piece, as I’m sure it will be breathtaking.

Susan herself is also lovely, but I’m afraid the one image I took of her managed to be one of those “oops you blinked” moments, and if she’s like me, she would probably not appreciate it being made public. So you’ll just have to imagine a tall, slender, talented woman in a beautiful blue kimono, standing by her loom, enticing adults and children alike into learning the warp and woof of life.

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I went for a hike the other day, and saw all sorts of beautiful wildflowers….

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And some lichen too…

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And I got to thinking that one of these images would be perfect for a inspirations post similar to one I did months ago with persimmons…

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I would take the colors in the image and try to translate them into a powder room scheme, using only sustainable materials…

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Only problem?

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I can’t decide which image to use!

So, I thought I would leave it up to you, our wonderful and wise readers, to decide which image I should work with.  Based on your votes for the next 3 days, I will take the winning image, develop the scheme, and show you the results next week!

At My Sparrow we believe that design and décor are about the way that you bring items together in a space to make it feel comfortable, functional and enjoyable.   In your home you want to see a reflection of yourself – your hopes, dreams, travels and family. We also believe that buying quality furniture and one of a kind pieces will help you build an amazing collection of your life and its many stages.  It may also provide your family with wonderful things and memories to pass down.  Shopping at Flea Markets near your home and when you travel is a great way to bring unique and interesting objects into your home at great prices while saving them from the landfill.

There are so many possibilities it is amazing!  I like to collect unique cameras and vintage bottles.  I have different pieces from all over and they each take me back to the moment in time when I found them.   Flea markets are a great way to fill in with pieces that are unique in your home.  A good way to make sure you don’t come home with a white elephant is to make a list of spots you would like to fill or things you would like to purchase, pre measure spaces and do a little research online to check pricing and make sure you are getting what you pay for.  Always remember it is okay to bargain with a seller and it can actually be quite fun.  Just make sure that you are polite and you will get an appropriate answer.

Check online for a list of flea markets in your area.

Best of luck and happy shopping!

If I ever do build that home of my imagining, I will ask artist Laura Spector to make me a stairway as enchanting as this one she created for the Singer Home in Pound Ridge, New York.

Crafted of Oriental Bittersweet, a beautiful but invasive vine found in the neighboring woods, this stairway took over four months of on-site labor to create.  It’s fluid shape was born of the artist’s passion and willingness to work within the vine’s gnarled and twisted limitations.  Because she was using found material, there was no ability to plan, making the entire stair rail truly organic in form.

Working in the European Rustic tradition, Laura Spector brings the whimsical nature of the outside in, to stunning effect.  Self taught, she works intuitively with her materials, guiding them into shapes that provide sound structure, without changing their natural grace.

When asked about her work, she said…

“Nature is all about energy.
Its not about “capturing”
Its about “embracing”

So take a moment to embrace nature.  You never know when a squirrel might run down that tree you’re hugging to say hello!

All images from Fire Farm

When the First Unitarian Society of Madison, WI asked Fire Farm to create light fixtures for the new addition to their historic Frank Lloyd Wright Meeting House, they had an unusual request.  Would the designers at Fire Farm please find a way to recycle the old copper roofing from the original building into the new fixtures?

Over 50 years old, and weathered to a soft green, the original roof tiles had character to spare.  Turn them over though, and the beautiful warmth shown out like a new copper penny.

By carefully weaving strips of various widths together, Fire Farm was able to create a rich pattern of old and new, past and present.  And, because no two combination of strips were repeated, every sconce’s pattern was unique.

Now light filters through small gaps in the weave, as well as framing the sconce in a warm glow.  It’s hard to imagine a more beautiful and appropriate re-use of an on site material.

Pumpkins and Autumn leaves may signal the changing of the seasons for most people, but for me nothing says Fall like a bowlful of persimmons!  Their beautiful reddish orange glow with contrasting sage green leaves provides such a welcome dash of color when the sky is overcast, as it is so often this time of year.

Inspired by the rich color, I decided to quickly pull some samples from our library and see if I could replicate the feel using sustainable materials.  I thought I would share the results…

Clockwise from the top: Q Collection Satin Wool in Paprika, Tree Frog Veneer in Green Willow Crown, Lulan Sun Series Silk in Sunkissed Orange, Lumicor Celery Taipei, Lumicor Manderin Iridescent, Q Collection Dandy #1005 in Olive, Daltile Wausau Terrazo Tile in Driftwood, Hakatai Ashland-E Series Sterling Blend

So what did I learn from this little exercise?  Well, first off, it was fun and I think I will try to make this a regular series.  Second, there is an amazing array of color to be had in the world of sustainable interiors, if you just know where to look.  Lastly,… I am finally going to have to break down and buy a better close-up camera!  These images really don’t do justice to how lovely the materials are, not to mention those inspiring persimmons.