Hey MAY! Wow! I’d say I’ve had a pretty stellar start to this year so I’m going with COOL blue this month. Feeling a little bit behind here with all the busyness and travel as of late, but oh well, loving it! I’ll be doing a post soon on my trip to Nashville to the Country Living Fair which was at the end of April in case you missed my social media posts. Be sure to follow along if you aren’t already, links at the bottom of the page. I’m keeping it short here as I try to play catch up with work and general life responsibilities, enjoy the May color of the month! Also garden season is here! Prepped my veggie gardens last night! YAY!
APRIL color of the month!
Yes! April! Spring is now official! The cottage is back open, I haven’t been yet but soon, soon! I can’t wait for some quiet island time, bird watching, and starting the garden there, and the garden here at home for that matter. Plenty to do in the meantime. April is a busy month traditionally with family activity, work, and the commencement of rummage sale season. Spring is a great time to dig deep as we renew and refresh from the winter. With my upcoming birthday, giving me my last year before I hit the next decade, and going into my 10th year in business I’m digging extra deep these days. SO, I give you red this month, an emotionally intense charged color.
NEW product NEW colorway!
Long ago, I created a blue jay block live at a neighborhood fundraiser. I’m bringing it back into my work, and it makes sense as certain ideas are really circling around as I’m reviewing what it means to be going into year 10 of business. The blue jay is such an interesting, beautiful, and amazing bird yet it often gets a bad rap for disrupting the typical backyard community and people unfairly judge it for all that it really offers and what they think it is. The blue jay is simply misunderstood and sometimes therefore ultimately feared or even disliked, but alas, it is an asset to have if you take the time to appreciate and understand. As you really start to research them you’ll find they are highly intelligent, highly adaptable, social, and family oriented. I’m a therefore a fan of the blue jay. As I’m typing this I’m suddenly remembering as a child I would put on my navy corduroy’s and navy zippie hoodie, pull the hood over my head and declare that I was a blue jay! I still wear a navy blue zip hoodie, and maybe I am still feeling like that blue jay from time to time…
And now to the swan. I’m wrapped up in the blue jay in my brain at the moment and I’ve talked briefly before about the swans significance so let’s cut to the chase here. There’s a brand NEW colorway in town and the organic swan tea towel is now available in Navy to go with the existing 16×16 designer fabric swan pillow, and of course back to the blue jay, also NOW available in shop the NEW 16×16 designer fabric pillow!
Color of the Month March 2016!
March! Yes! Getting close to Spring and green and gardens and plants, my fave! I got a nice dose of Spring while I was out in Seattle. I also got a nice dose of seasonal allergies there at the end of my trip which I was mindful to just embrace while I enjoying the daffodils, crocuses, gorgeous blooming camellias, and other amazing flowering plants and bushes that really popped. Plus, I find that having a dose of pollen from a trip pre at home allergy season helps in an immense way, so I should be all set this year! Anyway, ode to all things green with this color of the month. A bit of a dingier green mix, the kind that starts to surface from the grungy muck of post winter.
Back from Break.
I just took an unprecedented 2 weeks off and headed to the great Pacific NW. It was a great and much needed break. I enjoyed lots of old school friend time, exploring more neighborhoods, hitting some great spots I’ve been to before and lots of new places, live music, great food, some vintage digging of course, and just general chill time. I even assisted my friend in her textile studio and in installing custom bedding on a yacht which was pretty fun. I shared a few pics on instagram and the pic below is by far my fave from my trip, but I really tried to unhook from technology and be present which was pretty awesome. I’m feeling calm and relaxed and enjoying a much slower work pace. I’m all ready for Spring and my next adventure!
Color of the Month February 2016
Jumping right into February! Slowly creeping closer to Spring, my favorite. Here’s some perky pink to help guide you through this drab month by adding a little extra bit of color. Wherever you are, I hope you’re getting more sunshine than we are here in MI, blah. I’m feeling a bit under the weather as I write this so…extra blah. Cabin fever is setting in and it’s waivering between 99.1 and 101.6 degrees. I think I’m on the mend, but seriously, I could use some real vitamin D from that thing we call THE SUN.
NEW artgoodies BEE products!
Nearly 20 years ago I made a bee print. It was significant in my early work, perhaps largely due to process. It wasn’t an etching, or engraving, or linocut. I made a wire sculpture and rolled it through the press in metalsmithing, hammered my copper plate flat and voila my bee print was born. I made several prints this way including “sad man” and “funny lady”. I guess I’ve always looked for ways to keep with traditional process but combine it with something else and go outside the lines trying to merge both 2 and 3 dimensional work. This time the bee, a linocut, makes an appearance again in a significant way. I’m still enjoying very process rich work and the poor bee is in a state of demise due to our over processed world. The natural world has and always will be a theme in my work, life, and live close to my heart. This new work reflects with a little more blatant seriousness my feelings on the subject matter.
Valentine’s Buying Guide
January can feel a little bleak so let’s jet forward to the next holiday while I’m working on new designs (stay tuned!) In the meantime, here’s artgoodies Valentine’s buying guide. If you’re looking for a way to give a sweet treat to anyone you care about, artgoodies can help, because everyone deserves a little love. Nab a sweetie pie towel set and SAVE or help someone celebrate a new engagement with a blingy ringy towel, tis the season. Whoever it is, remind someone you care, a friend, a neighbor, a loved one, be nice, that’s all.
Color of the Month January 2016!
Hello New Year! I was working on another project which slightly delayed my color of the month post but here it is in its sunshiney glory. I think warm sunny yellow seems like a bright way to start off the New Year! As usual I have an optimistic list of ideas, dreams, and things to do in 2016.