pengers and the turtle

I just wanted to share some of the new work that Kinsey has been doing.  I am loving these two new animal prints!  I've always liked penguins a lot and since reading  Lost and Found  by Oliver Jeffers, I've had them on the mind lately.  A penguin softie is hopefully on the way soon from me, but in the meantime here's Kinsey's penguin (or pengers, as we've took to calling him) print.

I really like the simpler designs and bright colors he's been using.  HINT: I'm hoping he'll print out a pair of these for me to hang my craft room.  

You can see more of his work at eager illustration.  

land of happiness

I, like many,  receive the standard Crate and Barrel catalog in the mail.  I enjoy looking through it, but usually only find a handful of really unique and interesting things that I spend extra time looking at.  Then, I started getting the CB2 catalog in the mail.  Nice, but not great great.  Don't get me wrong I really enjoy the items they offer and have bought a few things in the past.  I have a set of blue blown glass dessert/parfait cups that I love and use a lot.  

Then, a month or so ago, I was flipping through the newest catalog and saw a picture of one of their catalogs I didn't get -The Land of Nod.  I had heard of The Land of Nod (or LoN as I'll refer to it in this post), but never really checked it out.  So I headed over to their website and checked it out.  

Basically, it was everything I love in one place.  I, of course signed up for the catalog immediately. 

They have really fun and beautiful things.  While I don't have kids, I still love this catalog.  My style of things I make is very animal/nature oriented with simple shapes and bright colors.  Just check out the colors and patterns of the bedding.  And that giraffe and other animal friends crib quilt below?  So great.  So LoN has been a great source of inspiration.  

I never really gave Yetis a second thought, but I love this bedding and the throw pillows.  The sheets with the mountains and trees (non Yeti) would be really fun for any room.  Of course, LoN is aimed towards children, so the biggest sheet size is a full.  Lucky for me, we have a full bed.  Lucky for my bank account, the closer LoN store is 12 hours away.  (I'm much more likely to buy things like bedding and furniture in person than through the internet.)

  

I mean really, just take a look at these throw pillows they have on their site.  Baby, kid, adult....who wouldn't want this grasshopper guy on their bed or sofa?

Kids or no kids, LoN should definitely be checked out if you want some instant inspiration!

let's spend the hottest day of the year outside all day

Yes, that title is pretty accurate.  Two weekends ago, Kinsey and I did a local craft show in the area - Summerfair in Carlisle.  We never did the show before and weren't sure how it would go.  It was a little bit different than the shows we usually do, but the space was cheap and it was close.  

The weather was the hottest day of the year...103 degrees!  Luckily, we did have a little shade from our tent. 

While we didn't sell out of our art/crafts, this was an excellent time to try out using a canopy tent.  We never really needed one before, but knew we'd eventually need one as we were planning to do more and more shows.  What I didn't realized was how expensive they are!   After much research, I was able to find an amazing deal on Sears.com and purchased ours for under $50! ( And free store pick-up.)  We wanted one that was quick to put up and didn't involve trying to fit together a million poles.  This one is the Ez-Up brand and literally goes up in minute.  So nice!  

This also was the most space we've ever had at a craft show.  We brought all the folding craft tables we could fit in our car (3!) and each had one and a half tables for our work.  This was such a huge change! We're used to trying to squeeze all our stuff on one little 8 foot table!  While I would have liked to bring more props for height, I think this was definitely our best looking set up to date.  

I made map banners to hang around our tent and on some of the tables.  Kinsey made some chalkboards for his display, which turned out really nice.  

The sun is really glaring in this picture, but I really like how Kinsey attached some of his prints on the outer side of the cube shelf.  This really caught attention from people.  

maine times six

It's been really, really hot here lately.  So of course we've been thinking of going someplace a little cooler for a quick trip.  Naturally, I thought of Maine.  (This obviously isn't a surprise if you know me.)  

I was going through some photos on our computer and found some of my favorites from our last trip to Acadia.  This one is from a slightly foggy day which happened to be our anniversary.  

We considered going back to Acadia National Park, but have never gone in the summer months and were a little worried that it would be super crowded.  When we go in the end of September, it's perfect. The days aren't (usually) sweltering and the trails and beaches aren't packed.  On our honeymoon (to Acadia, of course!), we had discussed coming back and had said we would on our 5 year anniversary.  Well, we ended up going on our 4th anniversary instead.  We'll be skipping Acadia this year as I'll be starting a new job in the middle of August.  However, we wanted to fit in a summer trip before I started.

Instead, we're going to our second favorite place(s) - Portsmouth, NH and the Portland area.  This trip will mark our 6th trip to Maine in the last 6 years.  We like Maine the best for its natural beauty, but we are so excited to go back to one of our favorite shops anywhere- Daytrip Society and Daytrip Society Jr. Can't wait.  

.

mid summer photos and new work

I wanted to share a few pictures Kinsey has taken recently that I think have a "summer" feel to them.  I love this one of the corn field and blue sky.  I didn't know at the time that Kinsey was taking this picture and thought to myself that I wish he would take a picture like this.  And he did.  The corn was already so tall for being so early in the season.  I believe this was the very beginning of June.  

This is one Kinsey took of an old barn that was torn down near when I grew up.  The barn has been torn down for a while, but they left the stone foundation in place.  It's right at the side of a huge open field.  

Here's a sneak preview of something (sort of)  new I've working.  Last year, I made a few hot air balloon pins and sold them at a few stores and shows, but for whatever reason never made more.  I found a half finished balloon in my desk drawer the other day and decided to give them another try.  Not just a pin this time....something a little different.   Look for them soon!

hello alligator!

I've been playing around with the idea for an alligator plush in my head ever since Kinsey and I went to South Carolina a few months ago.  Kinsey really wanted to see a "real life" alligator in the wild and we were almost finished with our trip and had yet to see one.  We even headed to one of the state parks that I had seen some at during a prior visit or two, but none were to be found.

We were visiting my grandparents and went out to dinner at the Chestnut Hill Restaurant that was right on a small lake and known to be a place to see gators.  (If you go here, get the homemade chips!  Mmmm!)  We had a window table and saw all kinds of turtles swimming right by us.  This was nice enough, but Kinsey wanted to see a gator.   The staff periodically throws bread out in the water to attract the alligators and during our visit one was hiding out right below the restaurant deck's not wanting to come out.  My grandfather being the wonderful and helpful host of the "bed and breakfast" we were staying at and wanting to make his guests happy, made sure that Kinsey would get his wish.  Sure enough, the alligator appeared right in front of where we were eating and hung out for a while.  Mission accomplished!  Kinsey now believes that there are alligators in South Carolina. 

The great thing about this gator (and completely unintentional when I designed it) is that it's legs can support the body so it stands up on its own.   It's wonderful to have sitting around and fun for playing!  I have a few other alligators I made with different fabrics, but this is probably my favorite.  I love the bright green color and how it looks against the yellow back spikes.  These are now available in my shop and will be available at the Summerfair show this Saturday.  

the words and stories

Here are the two "about stories" I wrote to accompany my plushes in Stuffed Magazine's Summer 2012 issue.  

Eben and Ella (Ellie Friends)

(Picture from our trip to Acadia National Park at our cabin in the woods)

Eben and Ella are husband and wife.  They live in a small and secluded valley where no other elephants live for miles around. This is okay with them because they prefer to be by themselves.  Their house is a lovely, cozy, stone structure that is in a small grove of sycamore trees. 

Ella enjoys tending her extensive flower garden behind their home.  She spends her winters studying new plant species and in the spring, she’s always trying new varieties. She loves plants that can grow tall and are very colorful.  Her perfect way to spend a day is with a nice pot of Oolong tea, a good gardening book, and her planting trowel within reach.  She is also an avid quilter and creates her own flower motifs for her pieced designs.

Eben spends his days making furniture from trees in the nearby forest.  This forest is one that was planted by his great grandfather and Eben plants three trees for the one he cuts down.  He has a small mill not too far away from Ella’s flower garden, so they can talk and break for tea together in the afternoons.  Eben has quite a collection of beautifully made furniture and every so often, he opens the mill for a special sale, which brings in animals from all over the valley.

Olive and Ethan (Twin Boys)

(Picture from our trip to Acadia National Park on Sand Beach)

Olive and Ethan are twins that live in a small coastal village on a small island in Maine.  They come from a long line of lobstermen, starting back with their great-great-great-great grandfather. The brothers have a lot of similar interests, like the sea, flying kites, and watching seabirds.  They often spend time together exploring the island, but also like to pursue their own hobbies. 

Olive never goes outside without his lucky orange scarf, even in the summer.  He can usually be found down at the harbor watching boats sail by.  He hopes to one day have a small boat of his own and already has the perfect orange and blue paint picked out for it.  Olive often thinks of sailing around the neighboring islands and looking at all the sea life beneath the surface. His current under the sea fascination are jellyfish and he’s keeping a log of all the different species he finds.  When not dreaming of sailing, Olive can be found playing in the village park or enjoying some honey brioche doughnuts from his favorite bakery. 

Ethan’s favorite color is blue.  He can usually be found, like Olive, down at the harbor.  Ethan usually stays along the quiet side and combs the shore for beach rocks and small pieces of driftwood.  He has quite a collection and hopes to one day display his findings in the small village historical museum run by his grandfather.  Ethan makes sculptures from the broken pieces of rocks he finds and sells them at the old general store. When not at the beach, Ethan can be found at the library, reading about his favorite animal, puffins.

Hope you like them!