Roopville Homecoming Festival

Train rides at the Roopville Homecoming Festival
Photo by Ricky Stilley/Times-Georgian

The Roopville Homecoming Festival is a fun little festival right here in my own sweet town…this year it is on September 17th and will go from 8am to 9pm. There will be kids’ activities, church bbq, a parade and of course arts and crafts vendors….oh and a car show! Mama, Suzanne and I have teamed up as the Crow’s Nest Collective to vend there this year (my first show!). I’ve been an arts and crafts festival fanatic for years and now I get to show my own work…can you tell I’m excited?!

photo by Laura Heilman

My mom, Annette Hartman makes lovely jewelry and handcrafted cards…

My sister just opened an Etsy store, Woodland Shimmer…her mossy creations are magical…

and my photography and twiggy frames are here at Wildwood Craftings.

You can check out an old post of mine about the festival and some more photos here.

A little more info about Roopville from here…

The City of Roopville, was incorporated in 1885, growing from the original settlement started by Martin Roop, his wife, Elizabeth, and their 10 children.
Roop migrated to Georgia from South Carolina and settled in the area in 1855. The Roop family became prosperous farmers and businessmen and contributed to the development of the entire area.
Located on a high ridge in southern Carroll County nine miles southwest of Carrollton, Roopville is a small, close-knit community with a population of about 250.
The Roopville Historical Society founded a museum located off U.S. 27 just past the post office to help preserve the city’s rich history. The historical society also sponsors the annual Roopville Homecoming Festival in September. This will be its 70th year and it will include many arts and crafts from local artist.
The municipal address for Roopville, Georgia is:

• Roopville
• P.O. Box 165,
  Roopville, Georgia 30170
  (770) 854-7977

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Grateful

For once I can see my path before me…a simple thing but profound…my photography and my frame craft is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. To find something that is spiritually and artfully meaningful to me and then to run with it. Dream, Make, Do…go to festivals…camp out with the family. Work, work, work…I can see what to do now and how to make this happen. What a feeling…wasn’t sure if I’d ever find it.

Ever since that fateful night down at the Goddess Tree when we exchanged gifts, her and I, this path has been waiting for me and now I have found it. I am grateful.

Wildwood Craftings Original Photography and Twiggy Frames

My passion, Wildwood Craftings is on Etsy…original photography and twiggy frames!

Important things to know…all of my photos are originals and I use archival photo paper with a lustre coating that will last a lifetime. My Twiggy Frames are very sturdy. I use harvested wood, cotton fabric, matte board backing, glue and hemp twine for a durable and well built structure. Also, each photo is bordered by black photo corners. I make sure that every angle of my frames are pretty and finished out (front, back, sides, etc).

I have found great joy in making my Twiggy Frames. Every step of this process has brought adventure, harmony and expression into my life. I go for walks and harvest the branches and twigs, always with gratitude for the gift the trees are giving me. Sitting out under the blue umbrella in the yard, I cut the branches down to shape. They cure for about a month then are ready to be crafted into a frame. My photographs are original and printed on archival quality paper. The subjects vary…but my favorites are birds, old barns, the river out my way and of course the woods. Putting these frames together is like having a conversation with the trees and the image on the photo paper…I am quiet when I pick out the twigs and place them together so that I can hear what they have to say…how they want to lay together to make a window in a Fey world.

Some of my fave frames and photos…

Sun’s Ladder for the Summer Solstice

We slept through Midsummer’s Eve…I think I slept almost thirteen hours…woke up on the day of the Solstice rested but really out of it. When my sister told me happy solstice…I didn’t have a clue. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten it! We always leave out gifts for the Fae and they leave a little something for Riona to find in the morning. No matter though…how is one day different than any other when it comes to holidays right? So, we all made a Sun Loving Rainbow Harmony Ladder and we left out some milk and honey and trinkets for the Fae.
Riona and I picked out rainbow colored pony beads, jewelry bits, mostly gold beads but a few silver too of course, pasta wheels and little bells from a broken anklet. I cut three long pieces of hemp and tied them to a stick to tie to braid. That night we all sat together and as I braided it, we slid the beads down the strings. Once it was done, we put the feathers in. Riona picked where she wanted it to go and when I see it I think of the warmth of the sun and its radiating harmony.

Inspiration and instructions came from Joelle’s Sacred Grove. Joelle’s instructions:
“Make a Witch’s Ladder (another fun family project) using three colored yarns (red, black, and white for the Triple Goddess) braided together to be three feet long. Add nine feathers all the same color for a specific charm (such as green for money) or various colors for a more diverse charm, tie ends and hang up. Colors are red for vitality, blue for peace and protection, yellow for alertness and cheer, green for prosperity, brown for stability, black for wisdom, black and white for balance, patterned for clairvoyance, and iridescent for insight.”

Tufted Titmouse on a Thundercloud Plum

Tufted Titmouse on a Thundercloud Plum

This is an original 4″x6″ photograph by me that is framed by twigs and branches gathered mostly from the tree in the photo.
The photo is printed on archival quality (will last over 100 years) Kodak Super Endura paper with a protective lustre coating.
This is a handmade frame that is sturdy and solid, pieced together with cotton calico, board backing and hemp twine…the photo is 5″x7″ but the twiggy frame is larger than that. Check it out here at Etsy.

Witch Burr in the Creek

Witch Burr in the Creek
This is an original 5″x7″ photograph of mine, hand framed with twigs and branches gathered from trees out in our woods.
The photo is printed on archival quality (will last over 100 years) Kodak Super Endura paper with a protective lustre coating.
This is a handmade frame that is sturdy and solid, pieced together with cotton calico, board backing and hemp twine…the photo is 5″x7″ but the twiggy frame is quite a bit larger than that.

Sunlight through Green

Sunlight through Trees, Georgia
This is an original 5″x7″ photograph by me that is framed by twigs gathered from trees out in our woods.
The photo is printed on archival quality (will last over 100 years) Kodak Super Endura paper with a protective lustre coating.
This is a handmade frame that is sturdy and solid, pieced together with cotton calico, board backing and hemp twine…the photo is 5″x7″ but the twiggy frame is larger than that. Check it out on Etsy.

Winter Trees

Winter Trees, Georgia
This is an original 5″x7″ photograph by me that is framed by twigs gathered from trees out in our woods.
The photo is printed on archival quality (will last over 100 years) Kodak Super Endura paper with a protective lustre coating.
This is a handmade frame that is sturdy and solid, pieced together with cotton calico, board backing and hemp twine…the photo is 5″x7″ but the twiggy frame is quite a bit larger than that. Go here to check it out on Etsy.

Red Cardinal

There are two smaller type frames (4×6) in the shop of red cardinals in the winter time. The frames were made from twigs gathered from the oak in the photo. The frame above is here. And the one below is here.

Sycamore at McIntosh Reserve

Sycamore Tree at McIntosh Reserve, Whitesburg GA
This is an original 5″x7″ photograph by me that is framed by twigs gathered from trees out in our woods.
The photo is printed on archival quality (will last over 100 years) Kodak Super Endura paper with a protective lustre coating.
This is a handmade frame that is sturdy and solid, pieced together with cotton calico, board backing and hemp twine…the photo is 5″x7″ but the twiggy frame is quite a bit larger than that.
If you are interesting in purchasing this piece, check out my Etsy listing.