some paper napkin love

from knitsquirrel! thank you Carlene- to be mentioned alongside those lovely things. Wow. I'm flattered!

And Uniform Studio is one of my favorites, too. That Martha, I tell ya...

xoxo

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a problem i'm grateful for

No really- it's a great problem: creative overload!

Not too long ago I was in a creative funk, and hot-cha, the pendulum has swung back my way!

I have childrens books on my mind, dresses for Miss Lovely, handmade projects for people I love, and collages... oh sweet collages. And this fantastic tutorial has me spinning! After I read it I thought "duh, Annie, why haven't you figured this out yet?" And it turns out that it is a whip up submission- maybe I'm biased here, but I think Kathy should win hands down.

Time to go have a glass of wine and read some books my sweet husband picked up for me at the library- all about the world of publishing... so I will leave you with a super duper loosely sketched scene from the story I'm working on.

Good night!
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Absolutely Lovely

I had to find out who the people were that made the napkins from the previous post. The brilliant responsible party is Les Indiennes - their products are gorgeous. If I ever have a shop again...

Here's a peek at 2 other prints I love- the trees! The grande paisley on the couch! I love the vibe. I love cotton. I love the prints. I could live with this stuff forever. Its the perfect blend of handmade and modern....

(Images from lesindiennes.com)

Have a restful Sunday...

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bonjour, etsy!

Big news- I have opened a shop on Etsy! It really is such a relief... they make it soooo easy.

You will likely find things that I have been talking about here appear there- think it will be fun!

Right now there are the ever-popular paper napkins and button rings. More items coming- I will keep you posted of updates.

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new obsessions!

Wow- I knew I loved Selvedge Magazine, but I love them even more now that they have a shop! These 3 products are my favorites. But I love these too. I want the brush just to look at- I wouldn't dare dirty it with dust or crumbs. As if.

images from selvedge.org

neat-o

Too cool -

check out Behind the Curtain at Kate Spade

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lovely stuff

I was in a mean funk yesterday afternoon due to Mlle. Cranklee McStinkbottom. She just... I don't know. It wasn't the teething. She is just being a crank- and going from 0-60 on a dime, with no warning. Not happy in my arms, in her bouncy, in the sling, in the bjorn, playing on the floor, in her crib, reading, eating- I think she's bored with babyhood. Seriously. I don't mean this in a "My child is soooooo advanced!" way, just in a gut feeling way. She wants to sit up, stand, crawl, grab the dog's nose all by herself. She's sick of it.

I've started picking up the camera when she & I are in a funk. It cheers me up to be creative with her, and it cheers me up even more when I see one or two pictures that just go ping! Forget the 435 that I delete... the one or two fill me with pride - that this amazing creature is my daughter, that we have fun together and that she likes me! (evidence= smiles)

Above are two from yesterday. The Lovely Belly is surely lovely, isn't it? And the lineup of pals in her crib cracks me up- all have wacky-assed eyes! The Cookie Monster was her daddy's (recently given a shampoo & blow dry, no kidding, by Grandma), OX was from her Mama, and the chicken just arrived from Gramma Kc.

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feeling like an artist

(image from betzwhite.com)

what a relief- i am finally feeling like an artist again. or whatever i am. i owe a lot of this feeling to sketchyartists- throwing myself into a creative pursuit, hanging it out there, making connections with like-minded people- i have gotten back so much more than i would have imagined. and it is, God willing, only the beginning!

i found this neat-o wisconsinite yesterday via shelterrific. i invited her to join sketchy, but she is much wiser than me, and wrote back, "My first reaction was to right back and say YES! but now I am rethinking things. I am truly swamped. I have to say no to something and at this moment it has to be to this. I have to be realistic."

i am so appreciative of this. Appreciative of her enthusiasm, and appreciative that I got a sneak peek at a lesson I have yet to learn- how to seriously evaluate my commitments.

-wife
-mother
-daughter
-friend
-artist (for lack of a better term)
-Christian
-aspiring web mogul

Now, over the next days of my life, I will be working on what order these come in, and I imagine 6 of the 7 will regularly compete for the top spot. But the 7th will always be 7th.

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