I live on an amazing 18th c. farm in beautiful Westford, Massachusetts. Everything has been painstakingly restored to beauty from the house to the barn to the cider shed to even the two seater outhouse, except for one rather decrepit, yet picturesque little building. The old schoolhouse. Meadowbrook Farm, LLC has been looking for just the right reason to restore this former schoolhouse, and I am happy to announce that the right reason is me!

Rumphius has found a home. The little schoolhouse, nestled in the backyard of the farm, behind the big old tree and next to the stone fence and garden, will become my classroom and office for my business. Once again its walls will hear the sound of children’s voices and its floors will feel the scuffle of little feet. However, my lessons will not be grammar and arithmetic, but instead, creative classes, workshops, camps and parties of all kinds from creative writing to art to puppetry to historical model-making and more!

And, in true Mrs. Junkbox style, we hope to restore it using recycled materials. If you have access to roofing, flooring, clapboard siding, perennials and more, please contact me at rumphius@creativityunhinged.com.

The work begins this Fall and will continue throughout the Winter and Spring. There is much to do! I will try to document its progress as best as I can. It is a dream come true for me and my business – and, I think for the little schoolhouse!

In August, my business celebrated its first anniversary. It was a year full of new experiences, projects, classes, workshops, tea parties and recycled art. I started the second year of my business with a big undertaking – and something entirely different from my other projects. Rumphius hosted the Antique Boutique at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA. My parents and their antique-loving friends brought up a trailer filled with antique and vintage treasures from Northwestern Pennsylvania, my home region. April’s Attic and 3Little Figshttp://www.3littlefigs.com/3LittleFigs-Tasty_Bakin/Tasty_Bakin.html joined us in the first-ever Antique Boutique at the PCA.

What a weekend! A few hundred people showed up to shop in our two-day store. We saw a myriad of wonderful items go out the door in the arms of happy customers . . . jewelry, furniture, hats, pocketbooks, flowers, baskets, scones and so much more. I was especially intrigued by an old blacksmithing manual which mentioned that one should never imbibe while on the job!

And, to top it all off, the vendors and volunteers packed up on Saturday night, and we transformed the PCA into a beautiful Go Local Cabaret. Broadway, jazz, classical, folk and even original works were presented by some of my favorite local performers. And, our finale, Jeff Cox, wowed the audience with his auctioneering skills and his fine voice and guitar playing. Gail Flannery of Sweet Visions Patisserie outdid herself with an amazing selection of complimentary treats for each table. Absolutely DIVINE!

This weekend would not have been possible without its wonderful volunteers! Thank you to all of you who unloaded, set up tables, took money at the door, made food, played music, scrubbed antiques, made me smile, took care of my animals on the farm, fed my family and friends and provided a fun atmosphere for our visiting vendors and our fine customers. You are truly all gems!

Looking forward to our future endeavors . . . after a cup of tea and a bit of a rest!

I grew up between some of the best country auction houses you can imagine. This was not in a little town in New England, but a beautiful, yet economically struggling county nestled in NWPA in Amish country. Old wooden floors (if there are floors at all), grimy junkmen bidding against each other, ladies fighting for pretty china and lamps, and the furniture people with big bucks to spend to fill their antique stores with 19th c. finely crafted furniture. I recently brought one of my dearest friends to my parents’ farm in Beaverdam, Pennsylvania to witness this little piece of antique heaven. She was in awe of the auctions, the shops and the gorgeous countryside.

My mom is an antique dealer in little Waterford, PA. Her shop, All Things Nice, is an amalgamation of cool Fifties kitchenware, “chippy” chairs, folk art, china tea cups, grape carts, and other items which raise the question, “What on Earth was this used for???” (always followed by an excited description of its function by my mother). Her store is a treasure of wonderful vintage and antique items.

About a year ago, I was reading Country Living magazine. I stumbled upon an article of “occasional stores.” In this economy, a lot of small retailers who sell antiques and decorative goods are giving up their store fronts and overhead costs and opting for the occasional sales they hold in their barns or a rented space. It is becoming quite popular and is fun not only for the seller, but also the shopper. My mom and I are great teammates, so I immediately called her and told her that she should close up shop for a weekend and do an “occasional sale” right here in Westford. She could bring up her really cool items and sell them to New Englanders who love a great bargain and great antiques. The Antique Boutique was born!

This Friday and Saturday, my mom and a small collection of other NWPA and local vendors will hold the Antique Boutique at Westford’s Parish Center for the Arts on Westford’s Common (10 Lincoln St.) There will be a wide variety of affordable antiques and vintage goods, fall flowers, my recycled art, a café and live music on both floors of the PCA. The admission is $5 which includes complimentary coffee and tea and a cookie. The hours are Friday, Sept. 10: 9-7 and Saturday, Sept. 11: 9-5. Come for great shopping, a place to relax and chat with friends, to enter for prizes and to meet some fun antique people who have been in the business for decades. And, remember, bring your friends! Shopping is always more fun with pals!

Proceeds from admission support local art events and Sustainable Westford.

We celebrated the end of summer with three outdoor Farm Art Workshops here at beautiful and historic Meadowbrook Farm in Westford, MA. The workshops were: Barn Art – Perspectives on Canvas, Cockadoodle Doodle – Chicken Folk Art and finally, Furry, Fuzzy and Fluffy- Animal Collage Art. Pete Seeger and Aaron Copland joined us for some musical inspiration via the radio, the chickens clucked happily in the coop, the cats watched the creative process through the farmhouse windows, and Wallace enjoyed several “good dog” pats by small hands still covered in paint and glue. The students created a variety of truly unique art from old barnwood, upholstery fabric, nails, feathers, beads, and old jewelry (to name just a few of our materials).

A fall chill is now in the air, the kids are back in school, and it is time to focus on our indoor art activities at the PCA (check out my CLASS OFFERINGS on the left toolbar of the website). I look forward to sharing my home on the farm in the near future. It is a truly inspiring place – made even more inspiring by happy young faces creating great works of art!

Fresh from two successful, creative and educational camps, it is time to jump into the next project – my Farm Art Workshops here at beautiful Meadowbrook Farm! My husband and I are lucky to live on this historic 18th c. farm in Westford. Complete with a big horse stable, goats, stone fences, a big farm porch, enormous garden (perfect spot for my favorite green beans – Providers – pictured above), old chicken coop and a very wonderful neighbor, Marti, it is a piece of old-fashioned farm paradise. I invite your children to share their creative skills in the following workshops:

FARM ART WORKSHOPS AT HISTORIC MEADOWBROOK FARM!

Join Artist and Educator Emily Piper of Rumphius Creativity Unhinged in a series of fun workshops on a 1700s farm in Westford!

THE WORKSHOPS:
August 19: Barn Art: Perspective on Canvas
August 26: Cockadoodle Doodle: Chicken Folk Art
August 30: Fuzzy, Furry and Fluffy: 3-D Animal Collage Art (a.m. workshop only)
September 2: Fuzzy, Furry and Fluffy: 3-D Animal Collage Art for Homeschoolers

• Two workshop times to choose from each day:
a.m. session 9-12 and p.m. session 2-5
• Each workshop is $25. Materials included. As always, there is a 10% discount for siblings and friends.
• Sign-up for all three workshops and receive a $10 coupon good toward future classes, workshops or Rumphius parties.
• Please bring your own snack. Water and herbal iced tea will be provided.
• Each workshop is 3 hours in length and includes 30-45 minutes for games and their snack.
• Each workshop is limited to 8 students.
• Workshops are for ages 6-12.
• To sign-up, simply e-mail Emily at rumphius@creativityunhinged.com or call 978.995.7002 to hold your place and bring your class registration form and fee to the workshop.

I just had to talk about these lovely ladies going to tea all dressed for a grand occasion! Lovely job, Ursula, Louisa and Rebecca! These junkbox ladies are truly exceptional! They were created at the final showcase for our Winter Junkbox Puppetry class held at the historic Parkerville Schoolhouse in Westford.

The snowflakes started falling heavily during our winter afternoon Rumphius Art Studio at the PCA on February 16. We kept warm and inspired with cups of warm cider, classical music and a room filled with art supplies from stretched canvases to broken vintage rhinestone jewelry. The glue guns were fired up and paint palettes were filled with a variety of colors. It was truly a wonderful way to spend a winter afternoon. I knew that the students would create some beautiful work, but we had a room full of masterpieces! And, every artist created something very individual to themselves. In the photo, Allison is creating a beautiful mixed media piece with old paper, a canvas, paint and old jewelry. Wonderful job, everyone! You keep me inspired!

What a lovely way to celebrate my first official gallery opening – a glorious tea party on a chilly February afternoon at Westford’s beautiful Parish Center for the Arts located on the Common. We had a great turnout. We are certainly glad that everyone brought their appetites because the goodies were delectable and plentiful! I cannot thank Gail Flannery enough for organizing, baking and sharing her gift for tea parties. She brought dozens of teacups and tablecloths for the event as well as beautiful serving dishes. And, Bill Harman played our favorite tunes so well on the big grand piano (and he looked very dapper to boot!). Finally, thank you to my husband for loading big doors, attaching wires and brewing pot after pot after pot of tea! It was such a fun afternoon. Thank you to all who braved the chilly air and helped to make “In Style with Creativity Unhinged” such a success!

I have gallery hours every Sunday afternoon in February from noon-2pm with tea and a few goodies, so please stop by to check out the art and to have a chat. For more photos, please go to my flickr icon on the left toolbar and check out “In Style with Creativity Unhinged”.

In Style with Creativity Unhinged
A Bevy of Finely Dressed Ladies Painted on Vintage Doors

Saturday, February 6, 1-4pm in Westford, Massachusetts:
Join artist, performer and educator Emily Piper for the opening of “In Style with Creativity Unhinged” – ladies in vintage costume painted on salvaged doors. Come and celebrate at Westford’s Parish Center for the Arts with Emily and her ladies in their gallery opening. There will be tea, confections and live old-fashioned music with the artist on vocals and Bill Harman on piano. Emily takes old doors of all sizes and creates in acrylic a host of finely dressed ladies on the salvaged wood. The ladies are painted in a life-size scale in the style of fashion prints of yesteryear. On display will also be photographs of Emily’s custom work painted for clients’ homes from Prince Edward Island, Canada to Lakeshore Drive, Chicago.

Emily Piper is owner of Rumphius Creativity Unhinged, a business which ties together her interests in the environment, educating children in the arts and producing shows with an historic twist. She has her own studio, the Rumphius Recycled Art Studio and Workshop located in Westford. For more information, visit her website at www.creativityunhinged.com.

Gallery hours are Sundays in February from noon – 2pm and by appointment. The exhibit runs from February 6 – February 28. The Parish Center for the Arts (PCA) is located at 10 Lincoln Street, Westford Center. Call us at 978-692-6333; e-mail us at PCA@Westford.com; visit our website at www.Westford.com/PCA. The PCA is handicap accessible.

On the evenings of December 18^th and 19^th, we created a new tradition in Westford at the Parish Center for the Arts with An Old-fashioned Noel.  We celebrated our historical roots through seasonal music all dating pre-1900.  We enlisted the help of a fine young cellist, pianist, two guitarists, four musical families, young children and even a harmonica player for our evening of song.  And, thank you to the Westford Farmers’ Market for setting up a special, old-fashioned general store with local gift items from bakers, honey farms and more.  These were two very special evenings showcasing a wonderful selection of talent from our area.  Thank you to all who participated, our audience and Westford’s Local Cultural Council for supporting our event.