I've moved! New blog address.
My new website + blog is emilyneuburger.com. Please visit me there!
If you have this site bookmarked in a blog reader, you'll want to switch to emilyneuburger.com.
Thanks, and see you in my new space!
xo emily
h o o t
Each week Mouse and I go to Hootenanny class. It is led by Nerissa and Katryna Nields, and it is a truly sunny, happy morning ritual. Check out her smile in the picture - she wears it for the entire class until it is lullaby time, and then she sobs because she is so sad that class is ending.
I've been a Nields fan for years. Their songs were in countless of my college radio show set lists, "Hush Before the Heartbreak" and "Best Black Dress" were both on one of my most important mix tapes, and we played "Easy People" at our wedding. And, now, Mousie and I listen to their glorious, familiar harmonies each week. She lights up when I tell her it is music class day and does that bumpy toddler dance where she squats and pumps her bum in the air a few times. It kills me. It is, by far, one of the brightest spots in her week; we both leave feeling replenished and filled to the brim with nourishing good old fashioned folk music.
If you are local with a little person, you might really, really love it. Just like I do.
We are home from Thanksgiving with full bellies and happy to have spent time with loved ones. My parents gave us a GPS car navigator gadget as an early holiday present, so we had fun listening as our Australian guide directed us around New York traffic. Hah! Take that, Cross Island Parkway!
Mousie turned two years old yesterday. How can it be? Her rubbery, red, cheeky smile and her sweet little mouse kisses make my heart skip a beat. I can't even stand it. And, as it is with two, tonight at dinner she was smiling, shifting her eyes, and insisting on placing both feet on the table.
xo e
s h o p * u p d a t e
I put some printed felt wall ornaments in my shop this evening.
And, I've made my sweet (kind of like pie) squash casserole. It has squash, eggs, and sugar with a brown sugar and toasted almond buttery crisp top. So sweet, and somehow okay served on the dinner plate.
This lovely, supportive blog community is one of the things that makes me so happy. Thank you for reading, commenting, and stopping by. And, a belly-full, reclined-on-the-couch- with-loved-ones Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate.
xo e
and, p.s., I put a nifty new Google search bar in the sidebar of my blog for easy search-ability.
And, I've made my sweet (kind of like pie) squash casserole. It has squash, eggs, and sugar with a brown sugar and toasted almond buttery crisp top. So sweet, and somehow okay served on the dinner plate.
This lovely, supportive blog community is one of the things that makes me so happy. Thank you for reading, commenting, and stopping by. And, a belly-full, reclined-on-the-couch- with-loved-ones Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate.
xo e
and, p.s., I put a nifty new Google search bar in the sidebar of my blog for easy search-ability.
Labels:
the shop
printed felt wall hangings
I'd like to introduce you to my new deer friend. She popped into my mind when a customer asked if I had a shirt with a deer on it. Thank you, mystery shopper, for the inspiration. I also made a new bird, mushroom, and acorn.
You know how I said that hanging with lovely people was my most favorite part about selling at this weekend's craft fair? It really was! My second most favorite part was the time I got to spend thinking about design. I came home with lots of new inspiration and ideas for color, shape, and materials. I love carving stamps of simple, meaningful images, and I'm always thinking of new, inspiring applications for them.
These are some examples of my new wall hanging design (pinned onto my new red display board). The hanging is made out of wool felt, a cotton linen blend, fabric ink, and the ties are little scraps of thrifted, repurposed material. At first, I used various threads and floss for the ties, abut eventually I decided to tap into my large stash of thrifted pillow cases and sheets, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I made these thinking they would be nice wall hangings or door knob hangers. But, hey, now that I think about it, they might even make nice holiday decorations.
Oh, and a bathroom renovation update: We painted the walls, and, at first, it seemed like the color looked like old dirty wall, but after it dried, it ended up being bright and cheery. It is a pale but bright (hello, oxymoron) yellow-green. We painted the bathroom sink cabinet a slightly darker shade of the same color, and we are hanging a really nifty floral shower curtain. I had planned on linking to the curtain, but apparently Urban Outfitters isn't selling it anymore. I'll take pictures when the room is finished. We are so close to having an upstairs sink again. *sigh*
xoxo e
Hoorah!
Today's craft fair was glorious. I got to sip coffee while chatting with dear friends, old friends, community friends, and neighbors. Many of our conversations were cut short, but even with all of the choppiness, I actually got caught up with people. And, I ended up learning more about those I didn't know so well. This was my most favorite part; the connections.
And, hey, check out this nifty little necklace stand that Tom made for me. I have been holding onto this small piece of tomato red linen forever, so I was happy to finally give it a home. He stole the hinge for the back from a sweet little wooden container I gave him as a birthday gift years ago. I don't hold it against him, though - he totally worked it out. It is no wonder our Chick manages to make something out of anything. We like to do that around here.
Some prints
And, oh!, the talent and creativity that surrounded me. Lovely.
So sleepy. Off to bed.
xo e
i'll be there
I'll be at the Hartsbrook Winter Festival on Saturday, from 9-4, selling
these
and these
and these
Hey locals, stop by and say "hello" if you end up going.
Happy weekend!
xo e
these
and these
and these
Hey locals, stop by and say "hello" if you end up going.
Happy weekend!
xo e
Labels:
art,
community,
crafts,
story stones
work around
Last night, I had finished sewing a little tree onto a soft jersey t-shirt when I noticed that there was a big hole in the arm pit. It wasn't repairable since the hole was in the fabric rather than in the seam. It was the end of a long wonderful day, my feet hurt, and it made me frustrated to see my little design attached to a shirt with nowhere to go. It's funny because I think if it had been earlier in the day, I would have been perfectly fine with leaving it for later, but there was something unsettling about going to bed just after discovering a mistake. So, before stopping for the night, I turned my problem t-shirt into a little wall hanging for Mouse's room.
I carefully cut a rectangle around the design and hemmed the top and bottom. This morning, Mouse and I went for a walk in the woods and found two slender twigs to place into the top and bottom of the hanging, and I used embroidery thread as the hanger.
I love the soft and sweet way it hangs. Not only was a defunct t-shirt turned into something new, but I am now inspired to create more of these little fabric wall hangings.
xo e
we found fall, again!
I'm thinking about music and light and darkness and what the last weeks of fall will bring. Our home life feels a little more condensed and saturated these days as I craft and bake, and while we sit by the fire, reading and playing.
Saturday was rainy and cold, so we ate oatmeal, cleaned the house, and rested. We had some original plans that were canceled, so instead our dear, dear friends (the kind that are just like family) came for dinner on Saturday evening and stayed all the way until tonight's dinner.
This morning, Chick and Mouse were thrilled to wake to their charming, excited cousins eating yogurt and planning the day. After breakfast #2, which involved bagels coated with cream cheese, we went for a walk and noticed more signs of fall.
There were:
giant yellow leaves
and worms
and other cool stuff
and, Mr. Juicy Cheeks who was molded into my arms for as many minutes as possible. I already miss his smell and his peaceful chocolate-y eyes. Gah! I love him. And, I love my nieces who are the most magnificent artists and explorers and friends.
I'm hoping for a week where we can squeeze in a trip to the park, a walk in the woods, some library time, and lots of craft fair preparation for me.
xo e
bag of wood
Last week, while running into our local lumber yard/hardware store to pick up some paint swatches, I noticed big (huge even) $4.00 plastic netted bags of scrap lumber greeting me on my way in. I asked the guy behind the counter if the wood is loaded up with chemicals and he assured me that I could gnaw on it or burn it and be perfectly fine. The wood is all oddly shaped and rough, and I couldn't be more excited. Really. I'd take the bag of wood over ice cream sundaes every night for a week or five sunny days in a row, but definitely not over escaping the flu and maybe not over the pair of boots I have my eye on either.
I sanded them, but left many of the imperfections because those are what makes the surface interesting. Then, I merrily busted open my bag of milk paint and coated a bunch of them in a moody, foggy shade of slate gray. The color makes me think of dusk at the ocean. I have all sorts of ideas for them. The first one I made was the bird (no foggy gray here),
then the branch.
I've been a bit consumed with creating simple groups of images using fabric, felt, paint, found paper, and my handcrafted stamps. This evening I used the letter p. Plant, pins, present.
I made the safety pin stamp last night, and I'm quite happy with it. There are some spots where the milk paint is a bit uneven, so I plan on making another one just like it today. More letters and more board art to come.
There are picture hangers on the back, and a few of them will be in my shop next week.
xo e
I sanded them, but left many of the imperfections because those are what makes the surface interesting. Then, I merrily busted open my bag of milk paint and coated a bunch of them in a moody, foggy shade of slate gray. The color makes me think of dusk at the ocean. I have all sorts of ideas for them. The first one I made was the bird (no foggy gray here),
then the branch.
I've been a bit consumed with creating simple groups of images using fabric, felt, paint, found paper, and my handcrafted stamps. This evening I used the letter p. Plant, pins, present.
I made the safety pin stamp last night, and I'm quite happy with it. There are some spots where the milk paint is a bit uneven, so I plan on making another one just like it today. More letters and more board art to come.
There are picture hangers on the back, and a few of them will be in my shop next week.
xo e
f a n c y
Fancy Pencil Jar :: Remake
Use to store pencils, rulers, paint brushes, kitchen utensils, and maybe even dried flowers or seed pods.
Made with a glass jar, some paper, and glue. Cut circles and designs, glue them on an appropriately sized strip of nice quality white paper, place in jar, and use a few dots of glue from a hot glue gun to secure in two or three places.
Definitely don't use a "craft repositioning stick" to glue your circles and designs onto the strip of paper. It isn't glue and it doesn't work to actually adhere paper. I imagine it is useful for other things, but it somehow appeared in my glue stick collection, and when I used it, without knowing what it was, it reminded me of blowing out trick candles on my birthday cake. "Uh oh! Try again!" It looks just like a glue stick, but it really, really isn't. Good to know that sort of thing is out there, right?
You don't need a lot of hot glue to affix the paper strip to the jar. Just place one or two dots under the seam (where the ends overlap) and press.
Wouldn't it make a nice gift with a stack of new pencils?
xo e
Use to store pencils, rulers, paint brushes, kitchen utensils, and maybe even dried flowers or seed pods.
Made with a glass jar, some paper, and glue. Cut circles and designs, glue them on an appropriately sized strip of nice quality white paper, place in jar, and use a few dots of glue from a hot glue gun to secure in two or three places.
Definitely don't use a "craft repositioning stick" to glue your circles and designs onto the strip of paper. It isn't glue and it doesn't work to actually adhere paper. I imagine it is useful for other things, but it somehow appeared in my glue stick collection, and when I used it, without knowing what it was, it reminded me of blowing out trick candles on my birthday cake. "Uh oh! Try again!" It looks just like a glue stick, but it really, really isn't. Good to know that sort of thing is out there, right?
You don't need a lot of hot glue to affix the paper strip to the jar. Just place one or two dots under the seam (where the ends overlap) and press.
Wouldn't it make a nice gift with a stack of new pencils?
xo e
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