Journal

Creator Series: Michael Michaud

About a year ago, Chelsey and I were strolling speedily through the many stories of the Las Vegas Gift Mart. We have a love/hate relationship with trade shows, and it shows in our methods. We only ever give ourselves a day and so we cruise stopping only to say hello to friends, we breeze through showrooms waiting for something to catch our eye. Never before have we been stopped in our tracks with as much force as the day we stumbled upon Michael Michaud’s orange blossom earrings. First one beautiful piece and then another, and another. It felt like a mystic transportation out of a windowless building and into a breezy orchard on a lazy afternoon. We both fell hard.

April 07, 2022 — Brad Roberts

The Story Of Purim

Jam filled pastries, absurd costumes, masks and loud, rowdy noise makers. These are just a few traditions that make up one of the most enthusiastic Jewish holidays of the spring. Purim is a story told of a young Jewish woman named Esther who goes against the empire and the palace protocol for the life of her people. She gave up her regular life to take the responsibility as a queen, while hiding her religion and ethnicity.

March 11, 2022 — Heirloom Staff

Snowdrop Stories & Folklore

My love for this little snow droplet has grown exponentially, but I am not the first to find it a flower filled with hope and love. Its origin legends are varied and stunning. The snowdrop praises have been immortalized by countless poets. I would like to share a few of these with you and hope it sparks your own journey to love this tenacious little flower.

February 11, 2022 — Chelsey Newbould

Hanukkah: A Story of Heroes and a Celebration of Freedom

In modern times, Jewish families, like my own, celebrate Hanukkah by eating homemade meals cooked in oil. Two of the significant Hannukah dishes include Latkes, which are potato pancakes, usually topped with applesauce or sourcream. Soufganiot (pronounced Soof-GAH-NEE-yote) is a fried doughnut stuffed with jelly and topped with powdered sugar. The reason for the tradition of eating food cooked in oil is to remember the miracle of the oil lasting for eight days at the temple and to celebrate victory over our enemies.

November 22, 2021 — Heirloom Staff

Fill Your Shoes and Stockings: Traditions of Saint Nicholas

Years ago, I had a friend from Germany who taught me about the tradition of St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. On the eve of December 5th, all the children in Germany put a shoe outside for St. Nicholas to fill with goodies and toys, much like the tradition of the stocking on Christmas Eve. It is a chance to see if all of the children are behaving as they ought to in preparation for Christmas to come, and the proverbial naughty and nice list is made.

November 19, 2021 — Chelsey Newbould

An Introduction to Hanukkah

Each winter, Jews around the world celebrate the eight-day festival of Hanukkah, which means “dedication” in Hebrew. The holiday is especially welcome in the northern hemisphere, where it aligns with some of the darkest and shortest days of the year. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrates freedom of worship, liberation from oppression, and the bravery of previous generations to seek light in the face of darkness.

November 08, 2021 — Heirloom Staff

Thanksgiving: A Gateway of Gratitude

This year, we want to be more intentional about turning Thanksgiving into the grateful gateway of the holiday season. We want to appreciate Thanksgiving more as it helps set the framework for the season. There are so many people who deserve our gratitude and even more ways to show it. Here are a few ways we want to practice having an "attitude of gratitude" as we enter the holiday season: giving help, giving gifts, and prayers of gratitude. None of these ideas are revolutionary, but we hope they are the small reminder that you might need to frame the season ahead with gratefulness in your heart.

October 29, 2021 — Chelsey Newbould

Our Favorite Holiday Traditions

We love traditions. We love how they start and how they change slightly over time. We love the times when we improvise a tradition because circumstances change while still keeping it alive. We also love when a tradition is adhered to, avoiding the smallest variation, even though we as people change. Traditions live in time limbo, belonging to the realm of memories but also to the world of the future. Each one waits for the moment when it will live again, reincarnated in a new form each year. We asked our Heirloom Art Co. team to write about their favorite holiday traditions. We hope that in reading these traditions you might find an eagerness for the feelings of the season or a new tradition to add into your holiday repertoire.

October 18, 2021 — Heirloom Staff

All Hallows, Saints, & Souls

Hallowtide, is a period of three days that honors the death of the abundant harvest season and honors the dead. Pumpkins, squash and root vegetables are the final living things to be cleared out of the garden, before the ground freezes. In honoring the dying nature, it must have seemed a rather appropriate time to honor death and the dead in many other respects. So for three days there are a series of days for feasting and honoring our kindred dead: All Hallows' Eve or Halloween (October 31), All Saints (November 1), and All Souls (November 2).

October 13, 2021 — Chelsey Newbould

The Art of the Graveyard

This may sound morbid, but one of my favorite things to do in my travels, is to visit graveyards. There is something beautiful about the aged stone and the memories that feel nearly tangible in the still air of the grounds. Oddly enough, some of my most vivid life experiences have happened among the dead. I hope you will indulge me in a little bit of storytelling, but also this experience of sharing living moments with the dead, and where the realm between life and death feels near.

September 24, 2021 — Chelsey Newbould

Michaelmas

As a true lover of British literature, I remember coming across the word Michaelmas at a young age, but not really understanding it. In Pride & Prejudice, Bingley is to "take possession before Michaelmas" at Netherfield. In Wuthering Heights it is used as reference for the passing of time during Cathy's periods of deep sadness. Colonel Brandon and Marianne Dashwood are to be married at Michaelmas after their long journey in Sense & Sensibility. It always seemed to be some mysterious bygone holiday where all the characters picked blackberries and michaelmas daisies, ate roast goose, and perhaps held a harvest ball. So what is Michaelmas and why should we celebrate it?

September 03, 2021 — Chelsey Newbould

Blickenstaff's Traditions: A Precursor to Heirloom Art Co.

Have you ever poured your creative energy into something big and bold and then been told to wait? Perhaps you, like me, have come to realize that this is actually the story of life. We learn to read and then pick up a book too lofty. We learn to drive and then realize that we don’t have any money or permission for a road trip. We come to learn that our most soul-stretching and heartfelt endeavors often take time, lots of time, and they are always worth it.

So it is with Blickenstaff’s Traditions. In the spirit of transparency and guessing you are interested in our beginnings; I hope to breathe new life into a project I am now realizing truly laid the groundwork for what would become Heirloom Art Co.

August 27, 2021 — Heirloom Staff

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