Let’s Have a Cup of Tea Brooch
Here is Joan Lester, the creator of Sunshine Cottage and the brooch that you picked in Miss Eileen’s Etsy Picks.
My name is Joan Lester. I live high on a hill in beautiful southern Vermont, the little town of Saxtons River to be exact. As anyone who lives here will tell you, despite only have 500+ residents, it is the center of the universe! I've been blessed with 4 sons - all grown now, ranging in age from 36 to 23. My oldest and my youngest have added to my blessings by giving me a grandson, Jack, and a grand-daughter, Iris, two more reasons to create! My very tolerant husband of 26 years, Ned, fully supports my endeavors, and turns a blind eye to the fact that I use the whole house as a studio. I design, write and research in the living room, do photo shoots (complete with light box, lights and props) in the kitchen. The computer room is just MINE!! The T.V. room is where I keep all of my yarn and crochet, and then I have a workroom upstairs where I bead, glue, work with papers, glitter etc... Ned can put up with a lot, but slipping around on errant beads is just too much, so I keep that confined to one room.
Japanese Lustreware Snack Set
As for my favorite materials - What day is it? What time is it? My favorite materials change daily, hourly, sometimes by the minute - like when I'm upstairs working at my gluing station and I turn around and spot some beads that have rolled together on my beading table, and suddenly I'm stringing a necklace - my creativity is very ADHD. I suppose if I had to narrow it down I'd say, romantic old graphics, colorful fabrics, soft yarns shiny beads and sparkly glitter - but that's just today.
My favorite color combinations also change frequently, but I would say I tend to stay on the pastel side. Even if I create something in a vibrant red, I tone it down with a soft shade of green. I do like romantic soft shades.
First Lesson Brooch
The first thing I made by hand was a pair of shoes for my doll 'Tommy' - in retrospect, it's interesting that all of my dolls were boys, and I had all boys in real life, go figure! We moved when I was about 4 or 5 and our new neighbor, Florrie, (who was a 'wise woman' in more ways than one), became my mentor and the most wonderful friend a little girl could have. Florrie taught me sew, to plant and use plants, how to milk a goat, how to make ice-cream, and so many other things that have influenced who I am today.
I am inspired by living every day - just looking outside, going for a walk, looking at magazines, shopping, cruising around on the computer. I see little snippets of things, maybe the way a group of colors go together, and the next thing you know I have a new idea forming, then I run up to my workroom and start playing with pieces, colors, beads - sometimes it all comes together quickly, sometimes it doesn't, then I just leave my little grouping sitting there and play with it from time to time. Sometimes what I end up with is totally different than what my original idea was.
Chinese Green Tea Earrings
Along with Florrie, I would say my mom and dad were great inspirations for me. I didn't realize it at the time, but my Mom could do anything. The ratty old chair in the living room needed a new slipcover - my Mom just made it (even using my seamstress, Grandmother's old Singer). Dad wanted a 'Fisherman's' sweater, my Mom just knitted it. She was fearless; she set her mind to something and would just do it! Dad was that way in the kitchen; he did all the cooking (which I guess was odd, but didn't seem it), a little bit of this, a little bit of that - never a recipe, just good old creativity. I still cook the same way. I developed a love of cooking from him, and I cook creatively. I have had a cafe and a bakery, and baked breads for local farmers’ markets for 5 years. It must be genetic as all of my sons love to cook, (2 of them do all the cooking in their households) and 1 of them is a professional chef.
I believe people should buy handmade because each item is unique - even if someone bought 5 of the same item to give as gifts, each one would be slightly different, plus there is an aura about a handmade item, a little piece of its creator, that can never be found in mass-produced, machine-made items. Each artist should create what they love. Even if it doesn't seem as though anyone else would want it the personal touch of the artist will be felt and the creation will appeal to someone. I equally believe that an artist shouldn't create something that doesn't have their whole heart, just because they believe it will make money for them - that lack of heart shows through.
The most valuable lessons I have learned are to be fearless, never give up, always keep growing and evolving, and age doesn't matter!
I approach everything I do from a creative angle. Whether it's cooking a meal, mending a blouse or even cleaning the house, creativity rules!
My work can be seen at sunshinecottage.etsy.com, sunshinecottagekids.etsy.com, and I also have a Facebook page for sunshinecottage, as well as a page on Artfire, and I am in the process of getting a blog together - teatimeatsunshinecottage.blogspot.com
For anyone mentioning this article, when making a purchase, I will happily send them a free 12 cup package of the tea of their choice; for anyone purchasing tea I will include a free refrigerator magnet.
Joan, thank you so much for the interview. I love your lessons; Be Fearless, Never Give Up, Keep Growing and Evolving, and Age Doesn’t Matter.
