The Green Squirrel

About twice a month I contribute an article to the HandmadeMN blog featuring the HandmadeMN members' shops on Etsy. I thought it would be nice to have those articles on my blog too, as I really like the artists and shops I feature, and their wares might add a bit of class to my little corner of the blogosphere.

Lately I've been remembering times when, as little girls, my sister and I would go through Dad's collection of sea shells from Hawaii. We would sort them according to shape, size, and color. For me, it was fun for about fifteen minutes. For Charlotte, it was something she would want to do for the rest of her life. She thrives on order and finds much joy in categorizing and organizing things. One of her favorite things to do is sorting buttons.

Collecting and sorting buttons could very well be a fun activity, but then what do you do once everything is categorized? The Green Squirrel knows...

Look, Charlotte! Buttons, button covers, and other tiny trinkets used to make the cutest pendants you've ever seen! They range from about 1"-1 1/2" in diameter.

Below is Pearly Pink. I love the shimmer of the pink button, and of course a built-in jewel never hurts.



The Green Squirrel collects all sorts of vintage pieces for her pendants too. So not only does she know how to mix and match colors well, she recycles. She really is a Green Squirrel. Check out this dainty item - Carrots:

Along with vintage pieces I saw this lovely item, Orange & Green Flower, combining two classic vintage colors. What a great combination!

Charlotte would give her left arm to see the collection of buttons in the studio of The Green Squirrel. But if you're like me, you'll let her do the sorting and you can gather up the charming finished products.

Fojo, Radio Celebrity

I just have to give a shout out to my most talented nephew, Fojo, who is now a certified radio celebrity.

Fojo has been calling into the talk radio show Bear Facts and Fish Tails for a few years now. He has become known as their junior correspondent on fishing. Fojo has been fishing for thirteen of his fifteen years, and enjoys listening to Bear Facts and Fish Tails on 1500 AM, KSTP radio. When he's had an especially good weekend of fishing or has an interesting and relevant story to tell, he calls his radio friends and they put him on the air.

Fojo just celebrated his fifteenth birthday, and for a special surprise his grandparents (my parents) arranged to take him, his parents, and his brother, Paenney, to the radio studio in person. Fojo had no idea this was happening until thirty minutes before they left. He not only got to meet his radio friends, he actually got to be on the air! On. The. Air. He was a natural. The on-air personalities were so thrilled to finally meet their junior correspondent too.

As the loving and dutiful auntie I taped the entire program for Fojo's keepsake. Yes, taped it, as in a cassette tape in a 25-year-old boom box. Does anyone know how to work those old things anymore? If I were more with it I would have downloaded the stream off the computer onto my MP3 player or whatever the kids are using these days.

But this isn't about how old and outdated I am. I'm so excited about Fojo and his birthday surprise, and am glad he called me right when he got home to tell me all about how much fun it was. Fishing is a passion for Fojo, and Bear Facts and Fish Tails is a show where he can share his knowledge, tell fun stories, and have a great time in front of thousands of listeners. Yikes. How did he do it? I would have wet my pants.

Congratulations Fojo, and I'm glad you have a hobby you can really get excited about. Don't forget us little people when you make your way to the top of the radio game. You did a great job and I'm glad you got to meet your radio friends face to face!