Home Decor Interview:
Martha McGlothlin Gayle
Don't throw away those scraps just yet, because Martha McGlothlin Gayle probably
has a use for them.
And she'll turn it into something beautiful.
On her
"Confetti
Chronicles"
blog, that's just what Martha does. Credit her upbringing, which fostered
and nurtured an innate ability within Martha to turn nothing into something, and
something into everything. And the results speak for themselves.
A real arts and crafts whiz, Martha has a very interesting set of skills that
make her a fascinating person to interview. A busy mother of four, Martha
and her husband Al are in the middle of building their dream home. And
while that process might be taking awhile, it hasn't stopped Martha from doing
what she does best: creating things.
Please enjoy this very special interview with Martha, and then after reading it,
please visit her lovely blog, the
"Confetti
Chronicles."
Enjoy!
 1.
Hi Martha, thank you for sharing your time with us. You’ve got a very unique
blog that is delightfully different than many of the others.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and the
"Confetti
Chronicles."
Thank you for having me! I'm the working mom of four
delightful little ones, all under the age of three and have been married to a
wonderful guy (Al) for almost 14 years. Ever since I can remember, I have loved
making things.
Early on I spray painted pine cones and sold them to neighbors (through an aptly
named business I started in the 4th grade, The Pine Cone Shop), decoupaged rocks
and made Christmas ornaments out of pipe cleaners. I like to think I've
progressed somewhat since then but I'll let you be the judge of that.
 I
hate throwing anything away. Some would call it a crazy obsession. My most
recent “keeper” was a single leaf out of our old dining room table. We no longer
needed the table and sold it in a consignment shop.
There was one leaf that had a candle wax stain from our first dinner party as a
married couple. I kept the single leaf…not sure what I’ll do with it but one day
the perfect project for it will come to me I’m sure! Until then, it will reside
in our garage…
I love flea markets (I'd love to have a '72 turquoise Ford or Chevy pickup to
haul all my finds!), yard sales (having them and going to them), eBay,
organizing, making my home beautiful, making lists, taking photos (I'm never
without my camera), creating jewelry and playing the piano, among many other
things.
I started the Confetti Chronicles as a way to "chronicle"
for myself the various projects I've done and to share them with friends.
2. You have many different specialties, so let’s
start with your arts and crafts. This type of art brings back memories of art
class in elementary school. Why were you originally drawn to this type of
art, and did you really start your own business in the 4th grade?
 I’ve
always loved creating and was influenced by my 2 grandmothers at an early age. I
have lots of memories of doing projects with both of them, as well as with my
cousins.
As an only child I found that doing crafts was a way to stay entertained.
Naturally I wanted to sell my crafts (even if no one wanted to buy them!) and
with entrepreneurial parents, I had the bug early to start a little business.
When I was in the 4th grade, I collected pine cones from my Granny’s
yard, spray painted and sold them to her neighbors.
Just recently I came across a small hand-drawn “catalog” of my wares that I
carried door to door. My dad printed business cards and opened a checking
account for me under the name The Pine Cone Shop. I didn’t have much in the way
of sales but it helped me learn about bank accounts. Later I sold hair barrettes
(made with little worry dolls—remember those?) and t-shirts painted with puffy
paint at my mom’s clothing store (what a nice mom to let me do that—I hope her
customers weren’t too horrified). Thank goodness I’ve moved on from those
trends in fashion! I feel lucky to have parents who believed in me and allowed
me to nurture my creative spirit.
 3.
How big a part does home decor play in your art? Is your home decorated in the
crafts you create, or do you mostly give them away to friends, family, and
neighbors?
I admit it’s hard to give away
or even sell (sometimes!) the things I make! I’m very sentimental and don’t like
to part with anything.
But I do prefer to make a gift rather than buy one if I have the time; for
example, jewelry, a photo album, something with a personal touch. My home is
sprinkled with things I’ve made over the years…lampshades, pillows, artwork. My
philosophy on decorating is buy what you love and you’ll find a spot for it
eventually. My home makes me happy because of all the stories and memories
behind the pieces I’ve selected and the collections I’ve put together. It’s
taken me years to gather and make fun little things and I’m not finished yet!
4. Please tell us about Martha Jane Jewelry. What is your involvement
and how did you get started in making this style of jewelry?
 My
friend Lora and I taught ourselves how to make jewelry by following techniques
in magazines and practicing, practicing, practicing!
Some of the early pieces we made were pretty horrendous! I had an old rhinestone
pin that fell apart and I decided to wire it onto a necklace. That’s when I
began to look at vintage earrings and brooches in a new light and started
incorporating them into my jewelry. A love of yard sales, flea markets and eBay
certainly helps!
Everything on my website,
www.marthajane.com is handmade by me. By the way, Martha Jane was my
Granny’s name and my daughter’s name is Jane, so my website is a combination of
all three of us. I sell to friends, family and a few stores and I’m also
branching out into an Etsy store:
www.marthajane.etsy.com. Jewelry making has slowed right now because my
kids would eat all the beads! In our new home I’ll have a studio where I can
leave everything out and be more productive (I hope!).
 5.
Please tell us more about your new home. Is it something you are having built
yourself, or is it from a new housing development? Have you already planned out
the decor for this new home, and how anxious are you to move in?
Our new home is in a rural
mountainous setting in a friendly neighborhood that is great for kids. We’re
building from scratch and hoping to be in by this fall but I’ve stopped asking
“when.” I figure I might as well not be disappointed if we don’t make the due
date! I don’t think our builder has quite pinned down our style yet. He’s used
to building everything new and shiny and I keep telling him I want the floors,
beams—everything, distressed. We’ll have lots of vintage pieces and lots of fun
elements for the kids: an old water fountain, large chalkboard, and little
desks, all from an old school.
Mostly I can’t wait for a backyard for our kids and a big closet for me (two
things we don’t have right now). I hope to start blogging about our decor soon.
6. You’ve got a nice collection of quilts, including
some beautiful purses. How did you get interested in quilting, and do you
expect to start doing more of it soon?
I’ve just always loved the feel of a vintage quilt, the
stitching and the fact that each square is done separately, not like now where
they piece together pre-mades. I’m constantly searching for vintage quilts and
definitely plan more projects. But I like to just have them around my home too,
to drape over a bed or use to warm up while watching TV or reading. On my
daughter’s bed right now is the softest pink vintage butterfly quilt and in my
family room there’s a strawberry quilt that I had when I was a baby. One of my
favorites is a giant peacock quilt a special friend gave me years ago. They all
get better year after year.
 7.
You are one of the first bloggers I’ve seen who has incorporated computers into
your decorating projects, which I think is fantastic.
In addition to the cool logos you’ve designed, what are some other ways people
at home can use computers for decor? For example, putting pictures of family on
mugs or other household items, etc.
The biggest way I use my computer for home decor is
printing photos for frames. I print them on heavy cardstock (it’s much cheaper
than photo paper and the quality is just as good) and switch them out at home
and in my office often. Another great use is to find a cute pattern, clip art
or monogram font that you like, print it out in large-scale on 8.5 x 11 paper
and then laminate it to make a placemat. Or it could be framed for inexpensive
art. And of course, in addition to home decor, there really is no end to other
computer uses such as printing your own invitations, placecards and other fun
items!
 8.
People always told Nancy Malay that she should teach art, and after several
years she decided to finally go for it. You are someone who is always told to
teach art as well, mainly to young children. Once you are settled into your new
home, is this something you’d like to try?
If not at schools, then you could always offer classes yourself for families on
the weekends or after school?
I’ve never actually tried teaching. I’m not sure I have
the patience for that. I once taught a scrapbooking class where my husband
worked and that was my first and last foray into that arena. I think I’m more
interested in doing the projects myself! Everything I’ve done has been
self-taught so the thought of teaching others is sort of a stretch in my mind.
I am excited about doing craft projects with my kids and teaching them what I
know.
 9.
Martha, you have a very interesting background and have succeeded in creating
your own style. Thanks so much for the interview, and for this last question,
please tell us how long you see yourself doing this type of art?
For instance, when your kids are all grown up in 20 years, do you still see
yourself doing arts and crafts, or is there another area of art that you’d like
to explore in the future?
I’ll never stop doing arts & crafts. For one thing, I have too many craft
supplies lying around that need to be used! It’s great fun and a challenge to
see what can be made out of random objects. From my to-do list, when (or if) I
ever find the time, here are some lessons I’d like to take: oil or watercolor
painting, soldering and welding to name a few. And I’d love to learn to use a
circular saw!
Martha's passion shines through each and every answer, and you can't help but be
drawn to her positive energy.
We want to thank Martha for giving us a terrific interview. Please take
some time now and visit
"Confetti
Chronicles."
And if you get inspired, sign up for your local arts and crafts class and give
it a whirl!
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