Shop Update!

It's been a really, really long time since I did a shop update, and I've got some new things to show you.

A dachshund brooch.

Red daisy and white daisy...I've got a couple more daisies coming in different colors.

An embroidered zinnia brooch.

And 2 pocket journals: BFF peanut butter and jelly and rainbow ice cream. I've got another food-themed journal in the works too. I don't know why, but they just make me laugh.

And I'm also working on photos for my society6 shop, but I'll save that for another post. What have you guys been making?

May Day Swap

Have any May Day swappers received their packages yet? Here's what I made (my swapee has already received it, so I won't be spoiling any surprises).

I made a "daisy chain" garland. I used to love making real daisy chains when I was a kid, and it just felt very "spring" to me to make a garland out of daisies.

I used felt for the daisies and some green ribbon I bought recently from Martha Stewart's craft line.

Here's the card I made to send with it. I used origami paper and made a little bird collage, similar in style to the bird brooches I have in my Etsy shop right now. Then I drew branches so he'd have a little perch. I used the washi tape (also from Martha Stewart) to decorate the package.

I haven't received my package from my swapper yet, but I did get a totally awesome surprise package from Dawn as a "thank you" for co-hosting the swap.

Look at all these goodies! Dawn said that most of the stuff is local to her (Indianapolis), which I love too.

Dawn is going to do a big wrap-up post with photos of everyone's gifts, and I can't wait to see!

Hope everyone has an excellent weekend! xo, Mary

The Best Mess

We've all seen those photos on blogs or pinterest of perfectly organized craft rooms, with rows of color-coordinated ribbon, thread, and washi tape. And I've noticed a lot of my fellow artists and crafters lamenting the fact that their creative spaces don't look like that at all and seeming to somehow feel inadequate because of that. I, however, firmly believe that a messy studio is a working studio; I love to see other people's piles of crafty detritus and works-in-progress lying about!

I do understand that the matter becomes more complicated when you live in a small apartment and your workspace and living space are often the same room, maybe even the only room in your apartment. That was the case for me for a very long time. I got good at sweeping things into storage bins or stacking things in corners...wherever I could. In our last apartment, though, it became painfully obvious that that wasn't working anymore; I had taken over the dining room "nook" as my office/studio, and it never looked tidy. It looked like a disaster. All the time.

In our house, I'm using a second bedroom as the office/studio, and I'm thankful every day to have this space. It means I can be as messy as I want to be and then just close the door at the end of the day (or very late at night as usually happens). And I have projects and supplies all over the place. And I love it.

But sometimes, I still think I really should get organized, be tidy, make a pretty space. Would it make me a better artist? No. Would it make me happier? Maybe?

Recently, I came across these images of famous artists' workspaces that made me smile. I bookmarked the page and kept going back to look at them. I realized that these images are more inspiring to me than those perfectly pretty craft rooms. Think of the wondrous things created in these rooms!

Alexander Calder

Joan Miró

Jackson Pollack

Edward Gorey

All that stuff everywhere makes me want to create!

So maybe I'll get around to installing shelves at some point. Maybe I'll get my drawers more organized. But I think I'm comfortable with the knowledge that I'd rather spend time making art than doing any of that. And that's ok too.

Source: fromyourdesk.com

Happy Spring Things

Recently, I've been in the mood to decorate and spend some money...I blame the change in weather, as weather so frequently dictates my moods. However, despite my sudden burst of inspiration, we don't have a lot of money to spend. The money we have saved up will most likely be spent removing dead trees and cleaning up our yard--who knew that was so freaking expensive?--as well as other not-exciting home-maintenance type projects. Anyway, I've decided not to let my bank account deter me from finding ways to add some cute spring things around the house and make each room pretty, one corner at a time.

I found this cute cloud napkin holder at IKEA. I've never owned a napkin holder in my life; I never really saw the need for one as I guess I don't really use that many napkins. But this little metal napkin holder is so cute and sunny I couldn't pass it up. It's been making me smile every day when I walk into the kitchen. And it was only $1.99!

I was super excited to find that Orla Kiely's collaboration with method soap continues with a new spring line. I bought these at Target with a coupon. I can't remember how much they were but definitely the least expensive Orla Kiely thing you will ever find. Ha.

Here's a close-up so you can see the patterns better. I love those colors! And one of the scents is honeysuckle, which I think I've mentioned before is one of my very favorite smells as it reminds me of all the good things about childhood and lazy days playing outside.

Last, but not least, is some cute washi tape and ribbon from Martha Stewart's craft line. I bought these at A.C. Moore, but you can find her products all over the place. I think these combined were less than $10. I've already used the ribbon on one project, which I'll share soon, and I used the washi tape to decorate some packages.

I'll be hunting for more deals and things to brighten up my home in the coming weeks and hopefully have another decorating post soon.

Hope everyone has a good, restful weekend. xo, Mary

P.S. You can still save 15% off everything in my Etsy shop with coupon code "birdie" till Sunday at midnight (EST)

Clockwise from top left: "Beach Comb 4" by Lola Donoghue; "About a Pearl" by Leigh Viner; and abstract painting by Jenny Gray.

Spring Sale!

I decided to have a sale in my etsy shop because it's spring, and it finally feels like it! I've been on a shopping hiatus for a while, as always happens in late winter, recovering from holiday expenses and not really feeling inspired to buy things when everything will be covered under five layers of sweater. But now that the weather is warming up, I feel like treasure hunting and making new things! Won't you help me clear out some space in my studio? :)

Anyone else suddenly feel like buying new things in spring, or is it just me?

Scenes from Life + Giveaway Winner

Last Sunday, we went for a walk along the canal in DC. The sun was just beginning to set, and the air was warm. A few pink trees popped up here and there among mostly bare branches. Believe it or not, as we drove here, we glimpsed a family of deer eating grass or plants by the side of the road; I'm pretty sure that was my first time ever seeing wild deer...and in the city no less! We also saw really cute ducks (all traveling in pairs), an old railroad bridge, and a lockhouse. Did you know that you can actually stay in some of the old lockhouses along the canal? A couple of them have been renovated to have modern conveniences. Others don't have heat, electricity, or running water, and are pretty much the way they were built.

And now for the winner of the doxie giveaway...

It's Franca! I'll contact you soon to get your address. :)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. xo, Mary

P.S. You can get free shipping in my print shop through tomorrow night at 12 am PST.

Outtakes

I frequently have outtakes that make me laugh when I upload photos from my camera, especially when I'm trying to take photos of myself. Here are several from when I took the photos for my dachshund brooch giveaway. Enjoy. ;)

  A lovely photo of my neck; no dachshund in sight, however.

Oh wait, I almost got his head in the frame.

Nope, not quite.

No idea what's going on here.

Yay, I'm finally in position...but totally out of focus and too dark.

Victory! And by "victory" I mean the dachshund is actually in the frame and in focus...the rest of me is a mess. Haha.

It's the little successes that make everything else ok though. :)

There's still time to enter the giveaway if you'd like. xo, Mary

Flickr Favorites

Click on images to go directly to sources.

Giveaway!

You see that little dachshund brooch? He's really cute, right? Well, he was destined for my Etsy shop a week or so ago when tragedy struck. I had just finished making him and picked him up to walk across the room to get something and proceeded to drop him! No, not on the table or the floor, which wouldn't exactly be a tragedy seeing as he's not real. I did, however, drop him right into my coffee cup. Yep, I have really good aim!

Needless to say, I immediately gave him a bath. And while I don't recommend dunking my felt pieces in coffee and then soaking in soapy water, he seems to be just fine. I took these photos after the accident, and you can see he's still in one piece and pretty cute.

But seeing as he's been through a lot already, I don't feel right about listing him in my Etsy shop. I only list things that are perfect (or as perfect as I can make them). I had planned on just keeping him for myself, but I thought maybe it would be a fun giveaway?

I'm also going to include this little butterfly brooch. No accidents have befallen this pretty lady, but I realized the listing expired some time ago and I forgot to renew it...so might as well give it away too!

I'm also in the midst of a studio clean-out and trying to make room for new stuff, so I'll probably throw in a few more fun things as well.

Just leave a comment if you'd like to win. Open to anyone, worldwide. I'll announce the winner next Saturday.

***Giveaway Closed*** Thanks to everyone who entered! :)

Happy Friday!

Bird Chirping Weather print by Katie Daisy

What is everyone up to this weekend? We are hopefully going to do a bit of work on the house (caulking windows and such) which I'm actually not looking forward to but needs to be done. I also hope to get out and take some photos because we're due for some bird-chirping weather too! I don't know how much energy I'll have as I'm still sick and prone to nodding off while sitting up at my desk these days. But maybe we can take a short walk and see something pretty.

I also have a giveaway in the works which I'll post tomorrow! And I'm thinking I might do a spring sale in my Etsy shop to make way for new things. I'll keep you posted. xo, Mary

Clockwise from top left: "Miss Lemon" by littleghost; "Trees" by chasingthecrayon - Tracey Long; "Walking with Masks" by Julianna Bright; and "Holy Mackerel" by twamies - Alan Brown and Kati Driscoll.

This collection is a little bit surreal, a little bit fairy tale, a little bit "I ate too much Easter candy and now I'm hallucinating"...but in a really good way, am I right? I particularly like the color combinations here of washed-out pastels and saturated reds. I love the expression on the little girl's face and the fact that she's posed like a school photo. And "holy mackerel" is just a really good phrase.

Bits of March

Surprisingly, March was filled with lots of time outdoors...surprisingly because it was much colder than average, and it seemed like winter would never end. I think I was determined to find signs of spring anywhere and also wanted to soak up as much sun and warmth as I could find.

Made some birdies; found a worry doll in my coat pocket when we were out for a walk; fell in love with this coffee/tea set but sadly left it behind as it was too expensive; and me wearing lots of brights and almost matching my phone.

Peter by the water; a cute shop with happy spring colors and lots of pots; really blue skies one day that looked so warm but weren't; and learning about growing things/making plans.

A pretty sunset; took this photo the day after we turned the clocks and was happy/elated/amazed that it was still light out when I was driving home; me wearing stripes and pretty excited that I only needed one sweater that day (I thought spring would be here at last, but no, we still got more snow after this day); and another shot driving home at 7:30 or so a couple days later and it's even lighter out.

Saw these pretty cherry blossoms right before it snowed again; drove way down in the country of VA for a funeral and saw several trains, horses, a feed store, etc.; daffodils on a sunny day; and a zig-zaggy trail in a park.

How was your March?