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

s u n n y

 
Most of the long, summery weekend was spent writing and crafting.  Some of it was spent eating at one of my most favorite restaurants and sipping sangria on my porch with dear friends.  Almost none of it was spent with my kiddos and husband.  Tom took the children on a lakeside adventure, so I could work, work, work towards my deadline

When they arrived home yesterday afternoon, we squished a weekend's worth of lazy backyard frolic into five hours.  It was Tom's birthday, and I had plenty of quiet, alone time to plan for a slow summery backyard celebration.

 new flowers ready to be planted in our planter
 strawberry rhubarb pie
 basil plants in a backyard planter
 chives growing healthy and strong
 Tom's birthday gift: 10 raspberry & 5 blackberry bushes.  We spent almost the whole evening making plans for our new berry patch. 
 The wee baby bunny, who lives under our porch, was nibbling on some sort of tender green.
  Don't you just want to squeeze her cheeks?


xo e

p.s. The milk glass bowl, which is holding the strawberries above, was just listed in my shop this morning.

Happy day to you.

beach glass blue

 I made these glassy blue mouse cards as gifts for my Mouse and Chick's teachers, and I just listed them in the shop as well.

Happy long, holiday weekend to those in the states. May you drink too many lemonades and fall asleep in the grass.

xo e

swoop


This has been a super duper busy week in the studio.  I've been working on a few mini-deadlines, some shop orders, and making craft prototypes for my book.

And, so I wasn't able to write a Treasured post yesterday. Ah well.  More on that next week.

For now, this swooping bird is leftover from some of my week's work.

Cereal box.  My favorite.

xo e

a sweater (and other things)


Today, during an impromptu thrift shop stop,  I found this beautiful sweater.  It is the Anthropologie brand Sleeping On Snow and it is called the "Sketchbook Pullover." I almost keeled over.  It is new with tags and I bought it for $5.99.   Little Mouse was with me, and she didn't really get what the fuss was all about. $5.99? Madness! Actually, the shop was packed with lots of beautiful stuff today.   Given that I live in a college town,  I'm guessing a whole mess of students emptied out their drawers and closets before they left town.  I also found a crazy nice bathing suit top and a bunch of other summer shirts.  It isn't often that I score big for myself on my thrift runs (usually lots for the kids), and it felt really nice.


Last night, I bumped into this bag on etsy.  I have a little birthday money tucked away (from February!) and I think I might spend it on this.  The shop used to sell the same bag in a kelly green color, which I think I would have loved.  I think I'll like this watery blue just as much, though.


And, this is a vintage potato masher, which I just listed in the t r e a s u r e s section of my shop.  I have the same one in my kitchen and I use it every time I make mashed potatoes or banana bread (it mashes partially frozen bananas perfectly). I saw it and figured that someone might want one too.

You may have noticed that I haven't been posting many craft projects lately. I actually have been spending lots and lots of time crafting and creating in the studio, but most of the projects are for magazine and book deadlines, so I can't share just yet. In the meantime, I'm having lots of fun finding treasures and posting about our outdoor adventures.

Alrighty. Despite the warm and humid air, I'm going to go cuddle with my new sweater.

xo e

treasured

Each Wednesday I post about some sort of treasure I found during the past week. It might be thrifted or found on a walk or whispered in my ear or discovered on a dark shelf in the basement. Something. Anything that makes me feel lucky and thankful. It doesn't necessarily have to make its way home with me - it just has to be noticed. The idea is for it to cost very little and feel very big. After all, this isn't about acquiring new things; it is about paying better attention to the world around me.
If you discovered a treasure this week (a new friend, a snow fairy, a fancy dish at the thrift store, a bird's nest) please do share it, as well as any links, in the comments section below.
*****



These Italian canisters with wooden lids came from The Clawfoot Tub, a beautiful design and home wares shop in our downtown.  A good friend of mine gave me a gift certificate a few months ago, and I've been itching to visit.  After taking it all in, these nicely rounded jars with painted wooden lids called to me. 

Really, the true treasure was my slow pre-shop breakfast with lovely Ariana.  We ate eggs and crepes and talked about colors and broken cars and beautiful children. 

xo e


mouse times


 I spent Sunday night and part of Monday carving mice and printing.




big
mousey
eyes

xo e

crab apple

This is one of my most favorite trees.  The weight of the fruit causes it to hang low, making it the perfect hide-a-way for little ones.

There are some downfalls to being this beautiful.  It drops apples in October, and they tend to quickly rot and ferment with the scent filling our whole kitchen.  And,  it does attract every single bee in the neighborhood. It is practically a humming tree for most of the summer.  But, who cares.  It is just so fairy tale pretty.

 These pictures were from before the deluge - when we had some beautiful bright sunny days. 


And, now I must go scramble some eggs for dinner.  It's been one of those days.
xo e

s o u p

 When I have a stuffy cold, I like to eat soup even if the weather is warm and sunny.  It does help a little if the early evening sun shines directly on my soup. 


This is a simple chicken base vegetable barley soup with carrots, barley, parsley, celery (and celery greens), onions, and green beans floating around in it.  Oh, and a big sprinkle of cumin too.   

May the irritating spring cold stay away from you and yours.

Also, I've added some new Story Stones into the shop: a prince and a spring birdy.




xo e

printing

I've been busy carving more blocks and printing with lots of new colors.
Joining colors together is truly one of my favorite things.  Since I treated myself to a set of new inks over the weekend, I've been like a kid in a candy shop.  I can't stay away.
When my workshops get rolling in the Fall, I plan to teach an adult workshop on block carving and printing with color.  I am so excited. I've been thrilled to hear that there is already interest from local peeps.  Send an email (address in the sidebar) or leave a comment if you are local and interested in being on my workshops mailing list. I'd love to keep you in the loop.

xo e

treasured: scarf 03

Each Wednesday I post about some sort of treasure I found during the past week. It might be thrifted or found on a walk or whispered in my ear or discovered on a dark shelf in the basement. Something. Anything that makes me feel lucky and thankful. It doesn't necessarily have to make its way home with me - it just has to be noticed. The idea is for it to cost very little and feel very big. After all, this isn't about acquiring new things; it is about paying better attention to the world around me.

If you discovered a treasure this week (a new friend, a snow fairy, a fancy dish at the thrift store, a bird's nest) please do share it, as well as any links, in the comments section below.

*****
 Today's beauty is a bright, spring gold and green original Vera Neumann.  As I was pressing it, with slow and steady iron sweeps, I gradually fell more and more in love. (I really did press it! I think it just likes to be creased.) There is something about the punchy pattern combined with its silky softness that makes me feel at ease.  Nanny totally busted this one out in the springtime.
It was made in Japan with hand rolled edging.
A real gem.
 

xo e


h o u s e s


 I once had a dream about a little neighborhood of houses just like this.   The houses were on a river, though, and I was stuck on the opposite side.  This was like 14 years ago, but I was keeping a dream journal at the time, so it is forever preserved on paper (at least a 6:00 AM rough sketch of it is). I'm sure I analyzed the heck out of it back then, but for now I'm going to leave all the separation and worry issues behind and concentrate on the shapes and colors.

I love repetition, routine, and imperfection, which is why I love rows of crooked things, I think.


 I spent my Monday resting because of a cold, so I decided that I would spend time making these houses and a pot of soup.  Playing with color and a bowl of warm soup: two quiet things that make me happy.


I plan on making houses with the kids and, afterwards, I'll give them pens so they can add details to their buildings and houses.    I'll keep you posted.

xo e

m o t h e r

MotherWoman teamed up with The Nields and Sarah Prall Photography to create this beautiful tribute to mothers everywhere.  

I listened to it yesterday many times.  Sometimes, I just closed my eyes and listened to the wise lyrics and Nerissa and Katryna's sweet-sounding voices. And, other times, I payed attention to the messages and beautiful mothers and children.  It made my heart ache a little bit, but mostly I was filled with gratitude for my strong, beautiful mother who still stuffs bags of greens in my vegetable drawer.

I love the part about how the imperfections in our families and homes are the places and moments where "the light shines through."

Happy Mother's Day (one day late).  

 

xo e

vintage scarves




Perfect for hair, necks, and shoulders.  Listed in the treasures section of my shop.

xo e

treasured

Each Wednesday I post about some sort of treasure I found during the past week. It might be thrifted or found on a walk or whispered in my ear or discovered on a dark shelf in the basement. Something. Anything that makes me feel lucky and thankful. It doesn't necessarily have to make its way home with me - it just has to be noticed. The idea is for it to cost very little and feel very big. After all, this isn't about acquiring new things; it is about paying better attention to the world around me.


If you discovered a treasure this week (a new friend, a snow fairy, a fancy dish at the thrift store, a bird's nest) please do share it, as well as any links, in the comments section below.
*****
I'm taking a tiny little break from my grandmother's scarves to show you this tin of buttons that was given to me by my friend, Karen, this past week.  We met at our usual pub (half-way between our towns) for dinner and a nice long catch-up session. One of Karen's superpowers is that she is the best treasure giver ever: she also gave me a huge bag of smooth river rocks, an old quilt top, and some tins.

This button tin and the buttons inside were from the collection of a dear friend of Karen's mother.   I've been feeling inspired just by the looking at the gold and sky blue and worn away spots on the tin. 
 

Thank you, Karen, for knowing that these would make me happy.
xo e

new treasures in my shop

 

Lately, I've been finding lots of colorful, sturdy, useful treasures during my trips to the local thrift shops and garage sales, and so I decided to make a little Treasures section in my shop.  I like seeing them all scrubbed and shiny in a little curated collection.

Just this past weekend, I stumbled upon an endless collection of the most beautiful vintage scarves - just like my Nanny Ruth's - perfect for wearing in your hair.  I collected a bunch, and I'm going to list those later in the week.   They are truly, truly lovely.  I can't wait to show you.

Happy Monday.

xo e