Custodians of Beauty

Ptak Reunion circa 1960 Gearing up to attend the Ptak Family Reunion this weekend. It'll be the first time in a long time that all 11 children (my aunts and uncles) will be together. It's going to be a blast! So many "littles" running around and plenty of cousins to catch up with. Not to mention the fabulous potluck meal and "Grandpa Ptak's Memorial Happy Hour" on Saturday evening serving Stanley's Manhattans, Pat's Old Fashioned's, and Mike's Boundary Water Cocktails.  My sister and I volunteered to design the inaugural tee shirt for the special occasion. She designed the graphic while I researched prices, vendors, and managed the shirt orders. It was fabulous to collaborate with her on the design. Seeing her artwork transform from simple sketches to the refined final design was remarkable. Her illustrations are attractive and stylish and her designs are fresh, yet have a hint of old-timeliness.  Story behind the graphic... T...

Pyrography, such a fun word to say.  Pyrography is the art of decorating by burning marks on wood (or other material) using a heated brass-tip tool. The word pyrography comes from the Greek words, "pur" meaning fire and "graphos" meaning writing. So, there you go, Pyrography is writing with fire! Muahahaha! Did you ever burn holes into leaves as a kid? Watching for the smoke as you held the magnifying glass in the sunlight. Yea, well this is the glorified version of that passion.  Once you get started, you can't stop. I had to hold myself back from scouring the kitchen to find more wooden things to burn.  My first project was for my soon-to-be husband. A midst other old fashioned hobbies (like straight razor shaving) h e had developed a love for shoe shining.  I wanted to make him a storage container for all his shoe polishing equipment. The container needed to be large enough to fit his brushes, waxes and polishes.  My mom always has stuff around ...