Pretty good.

Holy cow, it's been a long time since I was here. I feel like it wasn't that long ago I was saying the same thing.

The sad truth of it is that with all the time that goes into preparing for Second Storie, I have had no time to do anything other than think of what I want to say here. So many thoughts come and gone. The best I can do for now is try to recount my feelings on the show.

In a word: amazing. In my true fashion, I walked in the doors on Saturday to set up my table considerably later than everyone else. I was feeling rushed and under prepared. But when I walked into the the auditorium and saw all of the amazing displays everyone had set up, I was instantly rejuvenated. And once the doors opened, there was hardly a break in the traffic for the next few hours. It was jaw-dropping. All of our work that seemed to go unrecognized was immediately redeemed and we were beaming all day. The day was full of surprises, both big and small. I only wish I hadn't felt so distracted by everything that was going on; then maybe I could have absorbed the best parts a little more. I learn something different each year.

Like my table display - I took mental notes on the best displays I saw at our 2008 show and showed up with a much more polished table. It was a great fit with Karen's display so it was perfect that we shared a table this year. I received many compliments on how nice our display looked, something I haven't heard since our first show.

It felt so cozy. The decorations made all the difference.


my new, simplified display. Thanks for the help, Dad!


Karen's half of the table, including our photo album collaboration.


All I need now is a sign with my name on it and I'll be set.

All in all, I'm feeling pretty good. Next year? Bring it on...

6 years ago today.

It's a little late in the day to be getting around to this, but seeing as I still haven't even printed any of my wedding photos, better late than never.

Happy anniversary, Mike.

Lillyella feature

The amazingly sweet and talented Nicole of Lillyella recently did a feature on me and my shop. It was my first interview of this kind and it was so much fun! In preparation, I put a lot of time in to updating my shop and listing some new items. It was great to have a solid, inescapable reason to do this - it has needed a new look! Thank you so much Nicole!

you can check it out here.

Go read this book. now.

My sister recently encouraged me to read Jonathan Safran Foer's book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Having just finished it I have to recommend it as well. It is really hard to explain just how amazing this book is. It deals with all sorts of wrenching issues like the World Trade Center attack, the bombing of Dresden, family, loss and abandonment. And while it breaks your heart a little on one page, it renews it again on the next. I was often left feeling as though I needed to cry, but at the same time, I was so engaged in the lives of the characters there just didn't seem to be time to cry. I don't know. It's hard to explain. It tugs at you the way Ordinary People does.

It is narrated most of the time by a nine year old boy who in reality is far too smart for his actual age. But because he is both naive and incredibly intelligent, we can experience all the complexities of loss: sadness and fear as well as confusion and a downright inability to accept it. There many pages in the novel devoted to images, photographs and creative typography. The thing that pervades, though is Foer's ability to write with just enough poetry in his words to make you forget that his characters are just slightly outside reality. His writing goes to the heart of them and they feel completely real and tangible. And you fall in love with them.

It is one of my favorite books and I don't think I'll be the same for having read it. I cannot put it any better than Foer does: "...it broke my heart into more pieces than my heart was made of..."

where I was last week this time.....

and where I wish I was today....



Early last week a good friend brought me to one of her special places for a late-morning walk. How she knew it was exactly what I needed, that I had been drowning in all this concrete, and that putting my feet in that water would clear my mind and soul, I can't imagine.
Thanks, S.

Someday soon I will share with you my latest embroidery projects. Things that have me excited and motivated again. It is good, and I can't wait to show you.

a week in pictures

A few photos from our trip to New Hampshire.
They only tell part of the story...



My nieces playing on the water slide; almost every afternoon
was spent like this. A raft, a kayak and a good friend.




At Nubble Light on the coast of Maine.



A quiet moment on a very still morning.



Our hike to the summit of Bald Knob in the Ossipee Mountains.




A fin whale, 23 miles off the coast of Maine. It was
such a calm and beautiful day at sea.



Afternoon sunlight in a beautiful little cottage. It was part of the
original property where we stayed and was built in 1920.




A particularly gorgeous evening that warranted more than one photo.



I loved virtually every minute of it and want to go back.

Home again, home again...

I have spent the last 24-36 hours trying to come to terms with the fact that I am no longer on vacation. It has been a difficult return this time around. I spent a week living with 9 people in a big, luxurious house on a serene residential lake in New Hampshire. Surrounded by trees and only accessible by dirt road, I felt truly removed from my normal life. All that mattered was the temperature outside and the battery life in our camera. Kayaking, swimming, hiking, loons, whales, games and photo slide shows at the end of each day. All of this shared with most of my favorite people on earth.

Coming home to such a boring and quiet house has left me at a loss for how to start each day. I am questioning all that I thought was important and trying to figure out how to keep the idea of vacation in my regular routine. The idea meaning have fun. Doing what I want to do as much as what I have to do.

Photos are coming soon. You can get a preview here.

vacation

You'd think i was already on vacation by how often I post here. Hopefully my week on the lake will provide enough time and thought for me to devote some of it to this space.

The Last Iceberg

I found these photos by Camille Seaman today while reading miniature rhino's blog. It led me to Camille's site where I found myself transfixed. They are from a series entitled "The Last Iceberg". It has solidified my desire to go to the arctic and see these monoliths with my own eyes. How often are we able to step outside of our daily lives and feel as though we're on a different planet?

My heart actually aches, these are so beautiful. I simply cannot get over that blue...

photos by Camille Seaman

It's that time again!

you can apply here.

oooooooh...

i found these little crayon sculptures by diem chau on lola and fell in love a little.

then, at her site, i found these intriguing porcelain pieces. there's a story here that is begging to be told. and the miniature table and chairs, are carved out of toothpicks. toothpicks! and the photos are amazing...

a little inspiration

strolling around my favorite blogs this morning, i came across this sweet little napkin by allison manch featured on aesthetic outburst.

it reminded me that i love the beach boys and are now listening to their undeniably perfect harmonies. it's really what i needed to lift my mood this morning. thanks abbey! you always showcase the most fantastic artists and provide constant inspiration. it has also reminded that i need to get back to my true love: embroidery. it's been a while since i spent any time on my art.

another favorite source of inspiration is my friend rachael's new blog: a photo and a link. keeping life simple, it is exactly what it says: a photo of an artist's work, their name and a link to their site. it's a back-log of beauty and it's perfect.

i have been consumed

by the past. lately (mostly because of facebook) i have been lost in days of yore.  old friends, old photos,  old memories. it might be a little unhealthy but i am ok with it for now. i think i needed something to get me through the last days of winter when the cold just can't seem to let go. soon my garden will consume me and i look forward to it. 

since switching my shop over to mostly new flower designs the traffic has really slowed down. i could be bummed about this (and i was for a little while) but ultimately it's nice to have my free time back. it has afforded me the time to complete a project that's been on my list for a very long time. i made this tote for my grandmother who admired one i made for myself. the button is one of a set she has cherished for years. she gave me the set and i thought i would share one of them with her. i love the way this bag turned out. maybe it is time to make a new one for myself...

work. sleep. work....

i've been away for a while. most of my "free" time lately has been spent on new work. and photographing new work. and listing new work. 

so. much. work. 

my evenings have been spent scouring the internet for a vacation home to stay at this summer. while the end result of this will be more than worth the effort, it feels so much like homework. endless streams of houses, high prices and low availability have left me feeling like a zombie at the end of each night. the only thing that has made this even remotely bearable is my sister-in-law. my friend, really. she sits on the other end of the phone, many miles away looking at the same pictures and making me feel as though we are in the same room. laughing and laughing. making all this work seem a little more fun.

so i suppose there are worse ways to spend an evening.

here is a look at some of my newer pieces...

i am so happy with how they have turned out. truth be told, though, i've been fretting big-time about whether or not they will sell. i have loved my little silk blooms, but i can no longer make them. i will pop some in my shop here and there, but my true direction is these newer ones. made from found and re-purposed fabric and buttons from my huge collection of vintage buttons. in every way, they feel like the direction i need to be headed. the question remains, though: will anyone come along?

a little light came to me on friday when i found this incredibly sweet post about my shop at bronette. thanks so much for giving me a little boost when i needed it most! a lot of encouragement has been coming from here lately as well. thanks, k.

lazy monday morning

at least one of us likes shipping days. oh, the glorious brown paper...

well, i'm off to the post office.

new flower

just listed in my shop now. this is exciting because it is the first in a line of flowers that are really made from salvaged materials. as much as i love silk ones, they simply need to be made with all new materials and don't reflect the nature of my shop's name. these have been kicking around my mind in one way or another for a while and it is so great to see them take shape. 

folks have really taken a shine to my silk flowers.

let's hope they like these babies, too. 

happy weekend,

j

handmade awesomeness

almost everything i received for christmas and my birthday came from the second storie indie market, and they have helped brighten up an otherwise cold and somewhat dreary winter. thought i would share my favorites...

earrings by foundling

glass etched vase by lizz switzer
tshirt by gina sherwood

velvet scarf by kyla keglar

print by jim delucia

earrings (purchased for myself!) by polestar

feelin' good

i have been away too long....
again.

someday soon i plan to sit down and write about gratitude and what this new presidency will mean to me.

for now though, the exciting news is that i finally got my etsy shop up and running! it has been doing fairly well in that month and a half. i am both pleased and busy!

kirsten of tollipop was sweet enough to feature my tangerine flower pin on her blog today.
thanks kirsten!

2009 is off to a great start.