Shop Update!

As of noon today,  I've added a new group of Story Stones to the shop. 

Happy day after Labor Day, to you all.  May the transition out of the summer schedule feel as easy as possible.

xo e

Shop Update Announcement (and saying goodbye to summer)

Hello!  I've been receiving lots of requests and inquiries about when I plan to sell more Story Stones in my shop, and I'm happy to announce that the time has almost arrived.  On Tuesday (9/4) at noon the shop will be stocked with lots of new Story Stones. There will be new faces, animal friends, and other random bits (like pies and books and envelopes).  I'll post another reminder on Tuesday.

Last night after dinner, we were outside and I was feeling a little bit lip quivery about the end of summer.  I was drying a load of beach towels from last weekend while thinking about our long summer days together, and my heart was achy.  My oldest sensed it, I think, and came bounding up rattling off all of the fall things she is excited about:  "climbing trees when they are red and orange, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and feeling the cold wind on our faces." I smiled through my mopey heart and chimed in with a chipper "wool sweaters." I will follow her lead.  It is tempting to drag our heals when it comes to this end of summer business, but I think I will try to look forward with my heart filled with memories of damp, grassy fields, bike rides in the setting sun, and sandy sandwiches and also with sweet things to come, like baskets of apples, warm fires, and hot bowls of soup.

Have a beautiful, restful, long holiday weekend, my friends.

See you in September.

xoxo emily

friday news

{ studio news }

For those of you who read my blog from a reader, you may not have noticed that I did some organizing and tidying up around these parts.   I've added some nifty new tabs at the top, which includes a page on the workshops I'm offering this fall and a selection of easy to find tutorials.

I've also been organizing (and moving) my home studio space.  I'll share pictures in the coming days, but for now I'll give you a glimpse of some drawers in my new craft cupboard. With its endless little pockets of storage, it is making my craft organizing such a breeze. I got it at the thrift store.  I watched the price get lower and lower, and after almost a month of visiting it, we became the proud owners.  I love it so.

I've also added a few new treasured treats to my Etsy shop.  This rare vintage mixing bowl is one my most recent favorites finds.

{ workshop news }

My workshops are filling up nicely, and I'm busy ordering supplies and planning. As I mentioned on my workshop page awhile back,  I'm offering a $10.00 discount to those who register before September 1st.  And, yikes!, there are only five days left in August.

 { other little bits }

Isn't this the cutest little hair accessory sewing project?  

I am deeply in love with this artist's floral collection (via Katy Elliot).

This little burlap pencil bag makes me smile. (via Crafty Crow)

xox e

Hey, you two.

 
Penguin meet Piggy.
Piggy meet Penguin. 
Now, go play.


(a special order Story Stone set)

xo e

s p r o u t

:: new sprout necklace design with ball chain and clasp.
:: hand painted and printed with one of my hand carved blocks.
:: more in this line coming to the shop at the end of the summer with punchy colors and simple little prints.

xo e

hankies

 vintage crocheted linen hankies in the shop

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

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

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

vintage scarves

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

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

winter trees

This wee tee is the newest addition to my shop. It is kickin' it with a few other friends like the truckin' and the soaring bird shirts.

I'm feeling happy about a quiet, cozy weekend with a visit from two of our closest friends. I think we'll bring a tree home, put up some twinkle lights, and hang ornaments. Oh, and I can't forget the annual gingerbread decorating extravaganza at another dear friend's home where I will get to nibble on spice drops and licorice with a room full of lovelies. Tom made a gingerbread bird house last year and another friend made a two story duplex. This is the big leagues, people.

Happy almost weekend.

xo

deer shirt

Hello dear ones -

Or, should I have said, "Hello deer ones ?" Har, har, har.

But, seriously. This perky deer is one of the designs in my new line of kids shirts, and you can find it here.

Each deer is hand printed onto a square of high quality 100% cotton muslin, and then the square is appliqued with bright green thread. I feel really happy with how the dark gray shirt carries the creamy muslin print, and I am pleased that the grass green thread seems to tie it all together. I had originally considered a more deconstructed, frayed look around the edges, but I ended up feeling like the zig zag stitching looks the best.

xo e

wee birdie shirts

My today consisted of playing with Mouse and sewing shirts for the craft fair season, which, for me, begins next weekend. I'll be selling my wares at The Hartsbrook Fair on *11.20 and at The Crafty Rumpus on 12.4. Hoorah!


In the next week or so, I'll be stocking my shop with some of these new t-shirt designs, and I'll be sure to let you know here when I do.

A little off topic, but does anyone else feel tense when huge groups of geese are flying overhead in the wrong direction? I saw a bunch flying north this morning, and I had an incredible desire to redirect them traffic cop style. Then I relaxed, and enjoyed watching their sleek hourglass shapes gliding through the sky.

Happy weekend.
xox e

* I originally wrote the wrong date. The Hartsbrook Fair is this Saturday (11.20). Thanks, dear Katie.

mouse in the house

Recently, I've had customers ask me to list some Story Stones in my shop. So, there I was, a few hours ago, at my desk, quietly updating my shop when I felt something tug at the tip of my sock. Thinking it was my cat, I kept typing. But then I felt little, unfamiliar feet scurry across the top of my foot and I knew it was a stranger. I jerked my foot away, looked down, and a little mouse zoomed under the heating vent.

And, guess which two stones I was listing at that exact moment? Yuppers. The little mouse n' cheese set. Our little mouse in the house wanted to vote for the stones she loves best.

And, where was Sophia the cat you ask? Asleep. Like she always is. Except she isn't asleep in the above picture because I woke her up to tell her that there is a mouse in the house. She's now curled up in a tight cat ball again.

Story Stone update in the shop here. This time around, I'm offering them in tiny sets packaged in tiny muslin sacks.

Happy weekend.

xo e

p.s. Tom just brought the teeny tiny mouse to her new home in the conservation land at the end of the road.

regular old things

I've been thinking about stories
and painting
and simplicity
and color.

I left the Squam Workshops inspired to challenge my artistic self and to be less inhibited, which has led to much thinking and writing and a few diagrams. All of these thoughts and notes keep taking me back to the same thing that led me to make my first Story Stone.

I am hopelessly inspired by the mundane.

The other evening, as I was painting, I remembered my most favorite, treasured art project from grade school. I hadn't thought about if for years. We were asked to use pen and colored pencils to represent something outside of our home. I drew a picture of a garbage can under our big maple tree, and I remember being so happy with how the pen allowed me to capture all of the can's quirky details. The dents, the lines, and the wobbly top were my favorite things to notice and my favorite parts to draw.

I also love imperfection.

So, I'm embarking on a new project. I'm challenging myself to draw and paint a regular old thing every week. I'm not going to clog up this space with my weekly creations, but I'll definitely share some as they begin to stack up.

A big hello to all of my new best friends that are lurking in my pantry or crammed in my drawer or dotting my windowsill.


Painting regular old stuff feels like a really loud whisper. Does that make any sense to anyone else but me?

This spool and button original is for sale in my etsy shop.

xo e

hook board :: sprouts

So, yeah, this is when I start pining away for spring. With the lack of deep snow in our area, I think I should probably still be dreaming about snow drifts, but just knowing that we are so close to March, and that the end of March marks the beginning of spring, makes me itchy for sprouts and warm days and green stuff.

Hence, this little sprout hook board with tender little greenery perfect for hanging keys, candles, dried flowers, and whatever else needs hanging. I've taken to going to the dump on Saturdays where I search high and low for old barn board and such. This hook board is made out of one of the pieces of scrap board found on one of my dump adventures.

I listed it in the shop a few days ago. Oh, and my mom told me that at her house on Long Island two of her purple crocuses popped up through the snow. I'm just saying ......

xo e

heart magnets

Material list:
wooden circles 1" or 1 1/2" wide
heart stamp
acrylic paint
magnets
hot glue gun


What to do:

Simple. Lightly coat the heart stamp with acrylic paint and stamp the wooden circles. Once dry, glue the magnets on the back with the hot glue gun.

I carved my own heart stamp, but it would be just as nice with a store bought stamp.

If you've never carved stamps before, and feel inspired to try, this would be a great first carving project. You'll need a linoleum cutter and some sort of carving material. Heck, the heart shape is so simple and small, you could even use some sort of rubber eraser that is laying around the house. Using a pencil, draw the heart shape on a piece of paper. When you are happy with your shape, turn it face down onto the carving material and scrape/rub it with your fingernail. This will transfer your image onto the carving material. Use your linoleum cutter to carve away the negative space, and your wee heart will be complete.

I have sets of four magnets in a little stamped muslin bag listed in my shop for Valentine's Day.

picture cards

This wee sack of picture cards is one of Miss Mouse's presents for the holidays. They are perfect for collecting, telling stories, trading amongst family members, and I'm even thinking of framing a few for Mouse's room. The set has five handmade picture cards that fit snug in a little muslin drawstring bag. The cards are intentionally all slightly different in shape and size, which lends to each one's unique quality. There will be a bunch just like this set for sale in my shop on Monday the 14th, and I'll be sure to let you know here as soon as I update.

The cards are a straight-up remake project since they are made out of repurposed cardboard (cereal, cookie, tissue) boxes. I used other found materials and my hand carved stamps to create the designs. The little balls of yarn are my newest printed creations.
I made this specific set of picture cards while thinking of everyday things and creatures that Miss Mouse loves. She is a bit nervous of the dark, which is why I included a light in this set, and she is the coziest little mouse in her wool sweaters, which is why I chose the balls of yarn. I plan on making a set for Chick too.
I've been working on sets with other themes too, which means there are lots of teeny, tiny bits of paper all over my studio.

Some little bright spots in my week:
* I love Ellen's gingerbread ornament garland, and think it might be the perfect winter weekend holiday project. I never love the way gingerbread people taste, which makes me crazy about the idea of keeping them as something to look at, rather than devour.
* And, Catherine's Eggnog Cheesecake Squares sound like tasty winter sweet treats, don't they? After reading her post, I was left craving those and Frank Sinatra. I also felt like I had a little more to think about. Do you read her blog? It is the most perfect blend of funny, thoughtful, sincere, helpful, and lovely. I would be a devoted reader even if she wasn't my friend.
* I just adore my friend Ariana's set of snowbound photos. Her take on color and design makes me oh so happy.

friday! friday!

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.