I am a Seattle-based 
On the eve of the eve: this photo collage is an ode to St. Patrick’s day. . . and because my mother told me to!
a pinch of irish green
March 15th, 2010Spring Color Week: Purple
March 12th, 2010This week, I have been participating in Poppytalk’s ‘Spring Color Week’ where you blog photos of inspiring spring images by color theme each day. Monday was pink, Tuesday was green, wednesday was yellow, and today is my personal favorite – purple.
1. purple doors and a hoop, 2. purple house, 3. Purple Troubadour Tote, 4. purple flower pins in progress, 5. violets, 6. Tulip Festival, 7. crab-o-rama, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled, 10. Untitled, 11. Rosemary & Lush Lavender Lullaby trio, 12. Untitled, 13. purple crocus
You can make your own photo collage using this gadget. Color week’s last day is tomorrow – robin’s egg blue. Come join the fun!
flowering quince in bloom (and on sale!)
March 3rd, 2010
Chaenomeles speciosa, (Japanese quince) and Soiree Messenger bag in "Quince Blossom"
We have been blessed by a beautiful early spring here in Seattle, and I wanted to share a bit of it with you! I spotted this flowering Japanese quince in my neighbor’s yard and thought it would be the perfect time to introduce ”Quince Blossom” a limited-edition vintage fabric adorning my Green Soiree Messenger. To celebrate the early coming of spring (or to encourage spring to come to those of you still covered in snow) I am offering 15% off my Green and Brown Soiree bags until March 15.
needle felting with Moxie
February 26th, 2010
Moxie is a Seattle-based self-taught fiber artist who creates clever sculptures with wool: in her own words, she “likes to make wool do impossible things.” I recently took a private class at her studio to learn needle-felting.
Her organized and quirky workspace was accessorized with metal lunch boxes, doll heads and numerous felting tools that looked a bit dangerous. Moxie enthusiastically demonstrated how repeatedly punching through a bundle of wool roving with a barbed needle, will cause the fiber attach to itself. After a few minutes of ’stabbing’ it turns from a fluffy blob to a very firm-to-the touch 3D object. It was like magic. No water, no heat, just lots of patience.
While we worked on our projects, I asked her to share a few of her favorite sites: Craftzine , Make and Meaning, and Kung Fu Grippe. She also gave me a list of her favorite musicians to listen to while crafting: Jonathan Coulton, Richard Cheese, The Who, The Tigerlilies, and the Mills Brothers.
Most excitingly, Moxie has an instructional needle-felting book coming out soon! In the meantime you can find her marvelous sculptures in gallery exhibitions, local workshops, and of course Etsy.
vintage shopping on Capitol Hill
February 22nd, 2010
The weather in Seattle this weekend was a stark contrast to last weekend’s rainy blusteriness. It has been sunny, mild and glorious for a few days now. My husband was taking a poetry class on Capitol Hill, and I agreed to take the trek with him. You see, Capitol Hill is my absolute favorite place to shop for vintage clothing in Seattle. But it takes patience and dedication to find just the right vintage clothes to add to your wardrobe – and it’s a rare occasion that I have a few free hours to shop for ME! So I took full advantage, stopping first at the always fantastic and helpful Pretty Parlor and continued walking up the hill. By the end of the afternoon, my diligence paid off. I purchased three vintage dresses, a pair of black wedge boots, and a fun pair of rather lady-like navy blue gloves for under $100. Added bonus – I gained bit of a pink glow to my sun-starved Seattle skin.
a little sneak preview
February 18th, 2010
playing ‘tourist’ in our hometown Seattle
February 16th, 2010
This weekend, my parents came to town to check out our new digs, and hang out in the ‘big city’. It was a drizzly Saturday in Seattle, but they willingly braved the elements to visit a few of our favorite Seattle attractions. Our first stop was Pike Place Market, where Mom pounced on a fantastic cloche hat, while I found myself unable to resist a bouquet of dried flowers and a vintage silk scarf. After snacking on a couple Monster cookies, we spent over 2 hours shopping the amazing treasures at Pike Place Antiques. Our final stop was a sunset walk thru the Olympic Sculpture Park, which boasts one of the best views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound.
I am a featured artist in Poppytalk’s International Handmade Market!
February 15th, 2010
This month I am flattered to have my bags included in Poppytalk’s International Arts & Crafts Market! Every month, Poppytalk curates a collection of art & craft designers and features them in a virtual marketplace on their site. In the spirit of the Olympics, they are celebrating the best of handmade from around the world Feb 15 – March 12, 2010. Artists this month are visiting from Argentina, Austria, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Thailand, UK, and the US! (including me!!)
a modern day valentine
February 8th, 2010This weekend, we took off on a quick getaway to visit my Grandmother in Aberdeen. We called to check in with her once we were on the road, and she confessed that she had accidentally double-booked her evening. She had already made plans to go square-dancing with her new ‘friend’, but we were invited to come along and check it out too. So after dinner, they both got decked out in their Valentine’s finest and hit the dance floor at the Eagles lodge with a dozen other couples.
silver hobnail heart
February 4th, 2010
I had the pleasure of meeting Shannon Miranda at Best of the Northwest and fell in love with her industrial yet organic style of jewelry. I couldn’t resist her lovely neckace: ‘Hobnail Heart‘ and thought this pre-Valentine’s weekend would be a great time to share it with you. Shannon is a Vancouver, WA- based artist and her jewelry can be purchased on her Etsy page.
