Moon Faces & Mountain Magic 🌚

It’s been a busy week here in the Blue Ridge Mountains…

The dye pots have been rolling almost nonstop and the broomcorn hanging around the studio is currently every shade of midnight imaginable…deep purple, coal black, navy blue and rich royal blue 🤩 Honestly, it’s starting to look like the night sky exploded in my broom room and I’m not mad about it 💙✨

At the same time, I’ve been pouring a lot of energy into getting this website up and running!!! I’m ridiculously excited about all the possibilities here…a cozy little corner of the internet that feels more personal, more magical, and a little less swallowed alive by marketplace fees and astronomical shipping charges!! Etsy has been wonderful in many ways, but having a space that truly feels like mine feels really special

And then there’s the clay…

What started as “I’ll just try making one little moon face” has quickly turned into a full-blown creative rabbit hole 😂🌙

I’ve been sculpting new pieces, experimenting with mica powders, translucent clays, flowers, moons and textures…and I already have about a hundred more ideas than I have time for. Which honestly feels like a good problem to have!

And with Mother’s Day arriving this weekend, I’ve also been thinking a lot about old folklore surrounding mothers, homes and handmade things

In Appalachian tradition, handmade brooms were often gifted to new brides and mothers as symbols of protection, fresh beginnings and the tending of a peaceful home. In some mountain traditions, a broom hanging near the doorway was believed to sweep away harmful energy before it ever crossed the threshold 🚪

There’s something really beautiful about that to me…the idea that ordinary handmade objects can quietly carry love, care and intention for generations

And honestly, I think that’s why I hold onto little handmade gifts so tightly too

The photo below is something I treasure deeply…little Mother’s Day gifts my boys made for me years and years ago 💕 I’ve carried them through moves, changing homes and changing seasons…and somehow, they still feel like tiny pieces of their hearts sitting on my shelf💜

And then there’s the upcoming Blue Moon!!!

Despite the name, a Blue Moon usually doesn’t actually appear blue 🌙💙

The phrase refers to a rare extra full moon that occurs within a calendar cycle…which is where the saying “once in a blue moon” comes from!!! Because they’re uncommon, Blue Moons have long carried folklore about heightened intuition, transformation, reflection and rare opportunities

Over the next week I’ll be sharing little glimpses of what’s been brewing in the broom room…new colors, moon faces, textures, experiments and probably a little creative chaos too!!

And I’d love to hear from you…

✨ Are there certain moon themes, symbols or styles you’re drawn to lately?
✨ And if you celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend…what’s one thing you learned from the women who raised you?

I hope everyone has a beautiful weekend ahead…and thank you, truly, for being here while this little dream keeps growing

— Brooke 💜