Welcome! I'm Emily - mother to two lovely people (called Chick and Mouse here), wife, writer, teacher, artist, and freelance children's crafts designer. We live in the beautiful Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts where natural beauty, art, community, music, farmland, and amazing fresh yogurt collide. Small moments and unlikely treasures feel magical to me, and I find myself documenting them here, in this space. Glass jars, ferns, naps, fizzy water, cereal boxes, print making, and pine forests make me especially happy. Lately, I've been finding that I am most interested in earthly, everyday, regular things, and I love capturing their essence in my art.
Threaded throughout my work are simple lines, organic shapes, vibrant colors, and repurposed materials. As I eye my surroundings, I search for beautiful colors and interesting ideas too. I'm drawn to hand printing because I am fascinated with the glorious imperfection in each design, and you'll see lots of it popping up in my shop and posts.
Threaded throughout my work are simple lines, organic shapes, vibrant colors, and repurposed materials. As I eye my surroundings, I search for beautiful colors and interesting ideas too. I'm drawn to hand printing because I am fascinated with the glorious imperfection in each design, and you'll see lots of it popping up in my shop and posts.
I'm also passionate about creating imaginative storytelling crafts for old and young. My background in education fuels my passion for creating designs that tell stories to the children who love them. Embedded in each carefully designed project is the hope that they will inspire imaginative thought, and at the same time, spread around a little bit of joy.
Some of my craft projects for children have been published in Family Fun and Parenting Magazines. And, I'm a local art educator and author of a craft book for families and educators due to be published by Storey Publishing in Spring 2012.
This is a place for me to document my crafting, art teaching, and general family and home projects with a focus on simple, imaginative, colorful creations. Thanks for stopping by, and please leave a comment if you feel at all inclined. I truly love hearing from readers!
xo emily
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I link to your blog? Yes! You are very welcome to link to something you find here. However, please do not reproduce images or content from this site without asking me first.
What kind of camera do you use? I use my trusty rusty Canon Rebel XTi, which is a digital SLR camera.
Where do you teach classes? I teach my creativity Workshops at the Second Chances Consignment Shop's Community Space in South Amherst, MA. Find out more by going to the Workshops tab at the top of my blog. All are welcome!
Are your classes just for kids? Nope. I teach evening classes for adults (teens are welcome too!) I often bring a pot of tea and honey to those classes.
Where do you sell your wares? I sell them in my Etsy shop and at local craft fairs like The Hartsbrook Winter Festival and The Greenfield Center School's Crafty Rumpus.
What is the deal with the book writing situation? Yuppers! I am writing a book and I'm super excited to share more about it in a few months. It is an educational craft book for parents and teachers, and it is due to be published in the spring of 2012 by Storey Publishing. I'll share more soon!
When did you start writing your blog? And why? I decided to start a blog on the first day of 2009. It was a cold, snowy day and I remember sitting by the fire with my family reminiscing about the past year. I was trying to remember all of the crafts I had worked on during the year. It slowly came to me that keeping a blog would be a really nice way to have a visual record of my work. I viewed it as a little adventure.
How do you balance your creative work with being a mama to two children? It feels important to me to feel balanced, and finding exactly what works isn’t always easy. In the past, I’ve had some really wonderful people come to the house to play with my kids while I was in the house working. I really liked this set-up because I got to hear them buzzing around the house while I was busy in my studio. Lately, now that the girls are a bit older, I find pockets of time when they are independently playing to squeeze in some short spurts of work. When I need longer stretches, I find time in the evening or during the day when they are at school.
What are your favorite materials to work with? I love wood, paint, cereal box panels, brown paper bags, stones, carving blocks, ink, fabric, and watercolors, I especially love working with found and repurposed materials. It makes me so happy to find a use for something that was going to be discarded.
Do you have advertisements or sponsors? This is something I have decided not to do at this time. However, I do participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which provides a way for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products and books. I have a book list in my side bar and sometimes link to Amazon for products that I recommend. I will only refer my readers to materials and products which I use, enjoy, and am genuinely happy with.
What are your favorite materials to work with? I love wood, paint, cereal box panels, brown paper bags, stones, carving blocks, ink, fabric, and watercolors, I especially love working with found and repurposed materials. It makes me so happy to find a use for something that was going to be discarded.
Do you have advertisements or sponsors? This is something I have decided not to do at this time. However, I do participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which provides a way for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to products and books. I have a book list in my side bar and sometimes link to Amazon for products that I recommend. I will only refer my readers to materials and products which I use, enjoy, and am genuinely happy with.
