New Prints

Happy Monday! I had the most relaxing weekend ever, which involved a lot of lounging, popcorn eating, and A Little Princess watching. I did do one productive thing though: last night I made ricotta cheese using this recipe and it was so easy! I always thought cheese making would be a long and complicated process but it took half an hour, a half gallon of milk and some lemons to make delicious fresh cheese. I think I just found a new obsession.

To start the week, I've added new prints to the shop! They are available in turquoise or indigo right here.

Temporium Vendors Announced!

UPDATE

The Temporium has unfortunately been postponed due to building permit issues, but I will update as soon as the new dates are released!

This month I'm involved with the Mt. Pleasant Temporium, a really interesting project happening just down the street from me. Now you can go to Mt. Pleasant for papusas and crafts! From January 26th to February 26th, 3068 Mt. Pleasant St. NW, the site of the old Mt. Pleasant Deli, will be transformed into a gallery space with artists, live music and other amazing events.

The vendor list just went up on Hello Craft and there's plenty to get excited about! You can check it out right here.

It should be a really fun event, so if you are in the DC area make sure to come check it out! Then head to Don Juan's for some late night papusas with extra cheese.

Home again

We're back from warm and sunny San Francisco to cold and icy DC. It was an amazing trip filled with beach trips, taffy, thrift store shopping, delicious food eating, and lots and lots of karaoke. Taylor and I finally had a chance to sing "I Will Always Love You" again, and we didn't miss a single note. It was epic.

Above is a collection of things from the trip: a card from Virgin America which I loved. Despite having to pay $8 for movies, the colored lights and happy flight attendants seemed to make it worth it. Transfers from the trolley which we rode home one afternoon, a business card from Boccalone where we bought pancetta which Joe made into a delicious dinner, a business card from Beretta where we ate dinner outside! In January! And Humphry Slocombe ice cream where Taylor used to work and I sampled the Honey Thyme ice cream. Yum.

Amazing views at Tennessee Beach, where we hiked to the top of a cliff and I had a brief moment of vertigo. But the view was incredible.

It was so nice to travel for the weekend, and we realized that it was actually faster and cheaper overall than a trip to New York: a five hour direct flight during a not-too-popular travel weekend, and we didn't spend hundreds of dollars on cabs, food and shopping. Overall, it was a perfect trip. See you again soon, San Francisco!

Off to San Francisco

Photo via VintagePlum

This afternoon we are heading to San Francisco to spend a little time not wearing winter coats, and to celebrate my cousin Taylor's birthday! I am beyond excited, we have a long list of amazing activities planned and hopefully I will have plenty of pictures to share next week. I am heading to the airport in two hours, so I am scrambling to get everything done before the long weekend. I hope you all have a great one!

Handmade Valentines

The first new print of 2011 is here! Valentine's Day seems like a long way away right now, but if last year taught me anything, it's that time has a tendency to fly by. I wanted to create a bold design for the card, but something that was a little reminiscent of a handmade doily valentine, and I think I struck a good balance between those two.

They are available right now in the shop!

Here We Go!

2011 is off to a great start! In my head I was thinking that January would be slower because nobody wants to shop after Christmas, but the universe has proven me wrong. There's plenty going on behind the scenes right now: finishing custom pieces, a new print almost finished, new stores and markets coming up, and a new studio! Last night Joe and I stayed up late and rearranged our apartment, so my studio is now in front of the window. I no longer have to stare at a wall all day! I feel better already.

I will put up pictures as soon as I'm done organizing. As part of my goal to stay organized this year, I am sorting through every scrap of paper and tube of paint and making sure I don't have to fight through the chaos to find what I need.

And, a sneak peek of the new print:

Inside the Sketchbook

In order to make one new design a week, I am going to spend a lot more time sketching. When I come up with a new design, I usually spend time looking through books on textiles, painting, and motifs to get ideas, and make a lot of little sketches while I read. Then I put the books away and do something else, and let those images mix around in my head for a bit. Then I'll come back and draw out some of my new ideas. This rarely happens when I'm near my sketchbook, but I'll have a great idea in the middle of the night or while I'm at the grocery store, scribble it down on a scrap of paper and tape it into my sketchbook, so it ends up looking more like a scrapbook.

You might recognize some of these designs from finished products, and hopefully there will be a lot more to show in the next few weeks.

I'm on CityShopGirl today!

Welcome to everyone that found me through CityShopGirl today! I am being featured over there and there is a special coupon code to use in the shop, so take a look!