Transpositions Tidbits: Domestic Arts

Along the lines of the Domestic Arts posts that have been featured all this week on Transpositions, here’s this week’s Tidbits. It’s been a really fun week and I hope it’s given you as much food for thought as it has us!

By the way, if you haven’t already commented on a post this week, or subscribed to the blog (either by email or RSS feed (click on the links in the right sidebar), or Twitter), why not take the opportunity today – we’re really interested in the way posts take on lives of their own through the conversations and discussions developing in the comments and in posts on other blogs responding to our thoughts and ideas.

While, we’re on the topic…maybe there was something else you would have liked us to explore this week? Why not leave us a comment here and tell us about it.

Let’s recap the week:

Monday: Cossette Cornelius-Bates was both our featured artist and a contributor this week. Cosy considered the theological significance of making with wool in Monday’s guest post. Here is her blog and you can browse her work in her Etsy Shop

Tuesday: Anna called our attention to the delicious art of making preserves. This post was featured on WordPress.com’s Freshly Pressed which brought a number of new readers to Transpositions. Welcome! We hope you’ll come by often.

Wednesday: Jim offered some thoughts on the greatest cook book ever (!) as he explored what it means to Become Human Through Cooking!

Thursday: Jenn introduced us to the quilts of Gee’s Bend in her first person account of a visit with Mary Ann Pettaway and the Gee’s Bend Quilt Collective.

Friday: Emily Watkins reflected on radical homemaking and the Christian life. Emily has been a guest contributor on Transpositions a few times now and never fails to share something thoughtful, lovely, and creative with us. Her blog, Watkins Every Flavor Beans is filled with her creativity, and it’s well worth a deeper look, especially if you are interested in practical elements of Godly Play in the home.

In exploring this topic, here’s some links we thought you might find interesting, challenging, or provoking:

The Domestic Arts: For the preservation of the domestic arts, as a means of artistic self-expression, a commitment to the household, financial necessity, entertainment or pastime.

Art and Hunger: A blog that explores the art of, and in, cookbooks; including this post titled “Artist’s Cookbooks”.

101 Cookbooks: The photos on Heidi Swanson’s website are art enough, but her journeys through the recipes and food which intersects her life and travels is worth a little of your time. Her focus is on natural, whole foods and ingredients.

Meet the Radical Home makers: is an essay in Yes! Magazine, which was part of the inspiration for Emily Watkin’s guest post this week. Shannon Hayes’ book by the same name has been sparking controversy and a myriad of articles in response. We haven’t reviewed it yet here, but hopefully we will. The blurb includes the following description: Radical Homemakers uncovers a hidden revolution quietly taking hold across the United States.  It is the story of pioneering men and women who are redefining feminism and the good life by adhering to simple principles of ecological sustainability, social justice, community engagement and family well-being.  It explores the values, skills, motivations, accomplishments, power, challenges, joy and creative fulfillment  of Americans who are endeavoring to change the world by first reclaiming control of home and hearth. If you’ve read it, let us know what you think. Madeline Holler’s “I am a Radical Homemaker failure” from Salon.com and this one by KJ Dell’Antonio offers an honest response. I have to say, that it was this essay, “Homespun Mom comes unraveled” by Shannon Hayes, along with Emily’s guest post, that prompted me to include these links this week.

Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts : a blog which explores homemaking in a humorous and creative way. Her tutorial for cloth napkins is what really prompted the link.

Letters from Home: Bethany writes about food, life, friendships, spinning, and making things with your own hands – this post titled “Making it Home: How does your Garden Grow?”  could well have been included as one of our Domestic Arts Week posts!

Michael and Lesley Stevens: Long time readers of Transpositions, Lesley represents Development in Gardening (DIG) which seeks to improve the health and well-being of HIV-positive individuals through creating sustainable community gardens and teaching proper nutrition. Her first garden was at a school in Kibera, and the second garden is nearly underway at a hospital just outside Nairobi.

In Search of Bees: a delightful blog from a teacher who looks at the world through creative eyes. Joy is a self-described Missouri farm girl living in Florida.
Image Credit: Author
Food Credit: Strawboffee Pie by Katharina Zeiner

Author

  • Anna M. Blanch is a regular contributor to Transpositions. She is Australian by birth, and inclination, Anna grew up surrounded by the Australian bush, a large extended family, bush poetry, and sport. Anna is currently writing her PhD in Theology and Literature. She finds photography, enjoying her environment and its fruits, and being in community bring her joy.

Written By
More from Anna Blanch
Introduction: Symposium on the King James Bible
As I looked around my cottage-by-the-sea this week, I counted no less...
Read More
Join the Conversation

2 Comments

  1. says: Jenny

    I wanted to thank you for linking to the tutorial on my blog! It took me awhile to figure out how your readers were getting to my blog, and was delighted to find this link.
    Have a blessed week!

Leave a comment
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

HTML tags are not allowed.

1,545,283 Spambots Blocked by Simple Comments