Month: June 2015

At Hopewell, we incorporate art projects and group activities into the everyday life for our residents. It is important to the healing process to have an outlet for our residents to express themselves, learn and thrive as a community. Our newest art projects are lighthouses and fairy gardens.

Fairy gardens were first made in the United States around 1890. These fantastic homes for fairies started as bonsai dish gardens. It is thought they gained popularity after bonsai gardens were displayed at the Chicago World’s Fair and were featured in an article by the New York Times. Since the introduction of these small gardens, there have been countless imitations. The gardens change and grow with every Hopewell architect who builds a new home for the fairies.

Fairy Gardens

Our fairy gardens are a collection of flowers grown by our residents, original pieces of art and repurposed items. All our fairy gardens are made in planters or containers originally used for a different purpose. We want to ensure useful items are repurposed and given new life. Thanks to the popularity of Pinterest, blogs and other online resources, repurposing and upcycling old items have become easy to do. We are very excited to recycle and repurpose items that still have a lot of life to share.

All the art projects we do at Hopewell are inclusive and are developed in groups to enhance creativity. Our residents come to the farm with a variety of different skills and experiences. We want to make sure they have the opportunity to express themselves and use their abilities to make the world a more beautiful place. We also encourage our residents to communicate and work together as groups to brainstorm and increase the sense of community. When our residents come together as groups, they share their talents and ideas, collaborate to solve problems, connect and accept each other. All of these skills are important for individual growth and improved mental health.

Lighthouses

Lighthouses have been used for thousands of years around the world to serve as beacons for sailors, leading them safely into harbor. One of the oldest American lighthouses, the New London Harbor Lighthouse in Connecticut, has provided safe passage for over 200 years. We experience how our residents can be a beacon for each other to learn, grow and progress during their time with us. Peer support groups and inclusion help our residents heal every day.

Our art projects are not only beautiful and healing, they help support future programs for our residents. Lighthouses and fairy gardens are now for sale in our Farm & Craft Market. The funds the market raises help us keep art as a part of our healing culture. The lighthouses come in different sizes and are either battery- or solar-powered for indoor or outdoor use. The prices vary based on size. The fairy garden prices vary based on the items incorporated into the design. The Hopewell Farm & Craft Market is open Wednesday through Friday from 12:00PM to 4:00PM and is open Saturdays from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. It is located just two miles south of the circle in Mesopotamia at 9459 State Route 534. Stop by to support healing, art and creativity.

At Hopewell, we encourage our residents to express themselves through a variety of artistic outlets. One of these takes place in our creative art center making concrete leaves. Concrete leaves are beautiful ways to preserve nature while helping residents increase their patience, creative thinking and attention to detail.

Artistic expression helps our residents to understand their emotions through the creative process. While it increases self-awareness, it also increases awareness of others. This helps improve coping skills, cognitive function, self esteem and personal development. Self-expression through different projects has helped our residents grow as individuals.

If you would like to create concrete leaves at home, the instructions appear below. If you aren’t feeling artistic, concrete leaves, along with many other arts and crafts made by our residents, are available for sale in our Farm and Craft Market.

Our Market offers a wide variety of unique gifts and crafts that are made by our residents. You will find cutting boards, custom-made signs, bird houses horseshoe crafts, maple syrup produce and eggs when available and our hand-crafted concrete leaves. The Market is located at 9459 State Route 534, just two miles south of Mesopotamia Commons. The Farm and Craft Market is open from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

What you will need:

A large leaf, preferably with a detailed vein pattern

Plastic bin or large bucket

Medium or small bucket

Sand

Plastic wrap

Quick dry cement

Water

Rubber gloves

Wire brush or sandpaper

Acrylic paint and brushes

To make your concrete leaf:

Step 1:

Fill your bin with enough sand to make a mound at least as wide as your leaf. If the sand is falling and not making a good mound, add a little water to get it to stick. The shape of the sand is the shape that the leaf will take, so make it is as flat or rounded as you want. You can also get the edges of the leaf to curl by pushing down the edges of the sand pile.

Step2:

Cover the sand with plastic wrap. This will prevent the sand from sticking to the leaf and keep the concrete out of the sand.

Step 3:

Place your leaf on the plastic wrap. Make sure the side of the leaf you want to have the imprint of is facing up.

Step 4:

Wearing your gloves, use a small bucket to mix the concrete. Follow the directions on the concrete package for the proper water ratio. You will want your mixture to be about as thick as mud. Make enough concrete to cover the entire leaf with two inches of concrete.

Step 5:

While still wearing your gloves, cover your leaf with the concrete mixture. It is best to apply it by the handful, but make sure you pack it all together and tap it frequently so it gets into all the veins and details of the leaf. Don’t push too hard to shift the sand. You want to evenly cover your leaf with about two inches of concrete.

Step 6:

Leave your leaf sitting outside, in the sun if possible, for at least a full day. If you are unable to leave your leaf in the sun, let it dry outside or in an open garage for at least two days.

Step 7:

Once the concrete is completely dry and cured, remove the leaf and concrete from the plastic wrap and sand. Very carefully peel the leaf off the concrete. If your leaf is not peeling off cleanly, you can leave it in the sun for a couple of hours so the leaf dries out and will flake off.

Step 8:

Once the leaf is removed from the concrete, use the sand paper or a wire brush to smooth out the sharp edges. Allow the leaf cure for at least a week before you set it out for display or paint it.

Step 9:

Time to get creative, pull out your paints and make your leaf beautiful and colorful! We suggest acrylic paint, but we know many people have great success with different kinds of paints. If you are going to display your leaf outside, we also suggest sealing it with concrete sealer.

Resources:

http://www.marthastewart.com/