Bats

We were very surprised to have a bat in the studio today!

I enjoy seeing the bats circle the tops of the pine trees at night but really didn't know how to handle this scared, little creature inside....especially as my daughter turned white because she was petrified.

After an animal control agent (I kid you not!) took care of the situation I had a jolt of a memory of a pastor in our church many years ago. Reverend was very tall and wore a black robe while preaching. He pronounced the benediction each Sunday by raising only one arm. We came to learn that when the pastor was young he first delivered a benediction with his wife-to-be in the pews whom immediately erupted in fits of silent laughter. It turns out that between the man's stature and the big black robe all his betrothed could think of, while he raised both arms at the end of worship, was that he just looked like a big old bat. Hence the forty year tradition with this wonderful man of only using one arm to deliver a benediction!

At Carrot Top Studio we work at and blog about the visual in the church today. Visual components such as banners and stoles certainly aren't created to make the congregation laugh. But, recalling our former pastor's story does make me sensitive to the fact that the visual can appear differently from different perspectives! How about you...any visuals that didn't work despite your good intentions in your church? I hope the reaction was laughter and nothing much worse. I'll sign off so I can make sure the screens and doors are secure so there will be no more unexpected guests in the studio today!

Beauty and Art at the Glen Workshop

Do you know about the Image and the Glen Workshop? They were featured this past weekend on a broadcast of Religion and Ethics Newsweekly, a national public television program produced by WNET Television in New York. The segment was recorded at the recent Glen Workshop, which was centered on the theme—“God of the Desert: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam through the Prism of Art.” Its purpose was to challenge Christian artists to discover how beauty and art might enable a better understanding of other religious traditions that trace their lineage back to Abraham.

The Religion and Ethics Newsweekly a national television program saw Image's mission and program as newsworthy and aired a segment about the Glen Workshop this past weekend.
The program will remain up on the RENW home page all week. To go to the Religion and Ethics Newsweekly home page, click here.

Inspiration From the Gee's Bend Quilts

Last weekend found the Carrot Top Studio staff in Baltimore to see the Gee’s Bend quilt exhibit at the lovely Walters Art Museum. The exhibition explored the impact of environment and traditional quilting techniques, and examined the structural patterns that appear to form the foundation of Gee's Bend quilt making. The quilts, whose patterns have been handed down through generations, display bold colors and an improvisational style that is reminiscent of 20th-century minimalist art.



Artistically, the distinctive and bold quilting style reminded me that simple is often better. The power and beauty of these quilts often comes from basic shapes in solid planes and subtle color choices. The quilts can be appreciated without the distractions of composition, theme and other elements of traditional quilting. The work has been stripped to what is essential.



The powerful American artistic quilting tradition of the women from Gee's Bend has been passed down through at least six generations to the present. The faith traditions of this community are just as strong. I don’t know how they have passed on their faith traditions but, I wonder if some of the following has been part of the families lives at Gee's Bend:

• bringing faith into the family's daily life...noticing God's fingerprint throughout the day.
  

• letting children experience the richness of worship...the sights, the smells, the sounds, the rhythm of the liturgy.

• teaching children the language of faith...the symbols, images, stories and songs.

The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice is important. Today I am thankful for my family and others like the women of Gee's Bend who have gone before me.

We hope you’re inspired by the photo which is of “Housetop Variations” by Loretta Pettway, 2003.

Mystery Stole Giveaway

Carrot Top Studio has the best clients! We appreciate all of the comments you made when entering the Mystery Stole giveaway. Some of your thoughts included--

You desire:

• stoles that tell stories
• more Celtic knot work designs on stoles
• additional nature designs
• a design with reformation symbols
• stoles with symbols depicting a labyrinth
• the healing hand of God depicted on stoles (we actually have had several limited editions of healing stoles and they always sell out--you'll see more of this theme!)
• a line of lower priced stoles (if you don’t know about it you should check out our eBay items for weekly bargains.

You like:

• our price points



• our commitment to ship within 24 hrs.



• the new line of stoles with the hand dyed silk from the small business in Haiti. We now have four designs in this series and we’re enjoying giving 50% of each sale back to the LaCroix Mission in Haiti.
  

Several clients suggested we expand our advertising. This is where we could use your help. If you have a publication, webring or other network that we could advertise in we’d love to hear your suggestion. Please email jenny.gallo@carrottopstudio.com or make comment to this post.

And now, the drum roll please….the winner of the MYSTERY STOLE is a pastor in Massachusetts and she has been notified via email. We have shipped this stole (as seen below). It was designed with the universal message of peace. Ironically the winner has the word “peace” in her email address!

Coffee Rituals

Do you have rituals or passions that help you move through your day? Like many of you, a cup of coffee is included in our routine at Carrot Top Studio. We tend to like a robust, full bodied brew. Something so full of flavor that we sit back and take a few cleansing deep breathes while enjoying it. Good for the mind, body and soul.

As one of the most heavily traded commodities in the world, coffee is a direct link between our community and farming communities in Latin America, Africa and Asia. We love purchasing our coffee from Equal Exchange (http://www.equalexchange.com/). By paying a fair price, working with democratic cooperatives, offering affordable credit and supporting sustainable agriculture, Equal Exchange helps farmers to build better lives for themselves and their families.

It’s finely hot and humid outside the studio. About 3:00 in the afternoon you can find us recharging for the rest of the day with a decaf Vietnamese Iced Coffee. We hope you’ll enjoy our version as follows.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

2-3 teaspoons sweetened condensed milk
1 c. bold (such as French roast) coffee
Ice cubes, as needed

Put the condensed milk into a coffee cup. Stir to dissolve milk. Pour this mixture over ice in a beautiful glass and stir briskly with a long handled spoon, making an agreeable clatter with the ice cubes to chill the coffee.

Now go pour yourself a refreshing drink and if you haven’t entered the contest to win the Mystery Stole do it now! The clock is ticking! The winning entry will be drawn on August 10th and will be announced on the Carrot Top Studio blog! Go to

www.CarrotTopStudio.com and follow the directions under the “specials” page.