spread a bit thin

i know i know, this once-every-2-months-blog-post-thing just ain't cutting it. but there is hope; i've finally turned the corner in this pregnancy and i'm emerging from the fog of exhaustion and nausea. i'm determined to get back on track with the blog (at least until our 1st home search finally pans out and i'll be deep in the throes of packing and moving. ugh.)

so meanwhile, i'm involved in a group show at Mercantile Home in Easton PA with 12 other amazing artists that i'm thrilled to be in the same room with! It's entitled "Illuminate" and runs through august.

and from the clock-making side of things, i just received some great new press in the july/august edition of Crochet Today magazine. they were kind enough to feature 2 of my clocks in their "we love it" section. woo hoo look at me!

and in case you don't have super-human vision...

oh baby

jeez it's been a ridiculously long time since my last post, but i've been dealing with a sometimes overwhelming exhaustion, and all-day nausea...yep, preggers again!
so while my body has been busy creating some teensy fingers and toes, i haven't had a lot of juice leftover to create much else. that's not to say i shouldn't be--i have quite a busy agenda.
just today is the opening of the "incredible print show" at artstream studios. i have 6 prints showing among hundreds of other pieces by over 50 artists. i had heard of the print show last year, and was so excited to be invited this time around. the opening reception is on saturday the 2nd from 5-7, but if you can't make it to new hampshire, you can see all the works online here.

3-year-olds and fleeting fame

i'm such the reluctant blogger lately. i was deeply mired in deadlines and a certain 3-year-olds' birthday, (complete with "construction site" cake, and oversized "work site" banner) and then experienced an overwhelming exhaustion where i was doing everything i could to avoid anything that might resemble art or artsy things. i'm coming out of the fog, and just in time for an incredible spring awakening here in portland. (it's frickin' amazing outside!!).
my garden is planted, i'm almost caught up with my shipping after a feature in design*sponge (!!) last week that brought a ridiculous amount of sales, and i'm shipping off my prints for "the incredible print show" at artstream next month. things are feeling almost in control! and i'm deadline-free for the first time since november! now i'm off to fine-tune some new artsy ideas, and see if i can't wrangle up some new shows.

look at me look at me!!

the house beautiful online supplement is up! you can find a link to all the lovely etsy selections from the front page of housebeautiful.com, including a (little too low-contrast for me) photo of my clock. and here is a link to a scaled-down version of my q&a, with a very LARGE photo (that i'm wishing was a smallish photo) of yours truly. i hope i'm not sounding whiny and complainy, cause i'm actually totally stoked!

is this dutch?

the almost-3-year-old is taking a rare nap (much too late in the day i'm afraid) and i'm suddenly scrambling to squeeze as much into the next 30 minutes as possible. blog post, sweep floor, sort laundry, photograph new clocks, start soda bread, update etsy. or maybe just open a beer and read the new rolling stone. it's so hard to prioritize during these rare kid-free moments.

my lovely friend cherise is always on the look out for old crumbling foreign-language books for me, and boy did she pull through this week. she dropped by with this lovely the other day...

i'm trying to make sense of it, which is tough when there is this beauty of a cow...




and then an etching of jesus with sunrays shooting out of his head, followed 10 pages later by a soft-focus image of abraham lincoln. must be some "overview of everything and everyone ever" lesson book?
i love it and so am glad that the binding is a wreck--i won't feel terribly guilty using pages for background noise in an art piece or 5. the cover however is precious and i plan to make a book-box out of it. whether i'll be able to part with that is another issue. speaking of which, i'll post photos soon of the book-box i made recently that i swear i'll list at andfurthermore someday...as soon as i'm finished staring at it lovingly.

i've been published!

some big news arrived in my mailbox today--next month's edition of "house beautiful" magazine with a little feature on "and furthermore"!!

it's a 2-page spread on etsy sellers and their wares, and i was fortunate enough to be included by the assistant editor, amy claire preiser. my caption reads: "retro with a modern flair. who would have thought a doily could look so hip?" cute, no?

it's to be followed up with an online supplement, including interviews with some of the sellers (me too me too!). i'll post the link as soon as there is one.

now i'll be waiting by the phone for a call from the executives at anthropologie. or maybe martha? this girl is just dying to sell out!

buckman

i've been living under the radar the past few weeks, busting out art and prints and clocks for the buckman art show, a restocking of NOUN, and for what may be an increase of clock sales in late march/april (more on that later). 14 new pieces (plus 2 new prints) and 15 new clocks in 3 weeks! (all with that almost-3-year-old boy who is busy mastering the art of zapping every last bit of patience from his parents.) phew!

but it all paid off when i saw some of the new creations (and a bunch of older ones) assembled together in the display i created for the buckman art show! this is the first time i set aside enough time to put together a little display for the show (aside from the black grid they supply) and i'm so happy with the way it turned out. lets hope it attracts some extra attention.

the buckman art show looks like it's going to be a stellar event this year with some amazing art and handmade goodies! it starts tonight, and runs through tomorrow evening. you can find all the details here: www.buckmanelementary.org/artsale. i hope to see some of you there! (i'll be the one chasing after the little shaggy-haired blond boy).

post-birthday stupor

i had an awesome 34th birthday yesterday (along with a not-so-awesome migraine) filled with yummy food, a respite from the little man, grown-up conversations, too many gifts, just enough absinthe, and not a single moment spent making anything. it was lovely (all except that darn migraine!).

and this morning i awoke to news of my paper n stitch shop on the front page as the "shop of the day". you can check out the blog here, with the link to my shop. (and while you are there, you can help me out by adding me as a favorite by clicking on the heart. the shop with the most "hearts" can win some hard cash and a discount on next month's shop fee!).

thanks!

i heart truffles

i'm in serious "stockpile" mode--trying to put together enough pieces for the buckman art show in march, as well as the onslaught i'm expecting at andfurthermore in march and april (but i'm holding out on that big news for a few more weeks--stay tuned!). i've made a few new "man with camera" collage/prints like this one i'm digging...

and a bunch of new clocks that i'm slowly listing in the other shop. i'm getting a bit antsy to create something shiny and new, but i'm finding that the economy is dictating where i spend my time and energy--that being, things that sell for less than $50. fortunately i'm all about adaptation.

i had a nice respite from my dank basement studio today, and made truffles with the little man for the big daddy. these lovelies (grand marnier truffles with cocoa powder and almond truffles with chopped nuts) were surprisingly easy. i think i spent more time making the heart-shaped box.

i'm hoping he'll share. yum.

eta 5

ooh i almost forgot...today is the opening of the enormous tiny art show at nahcotta gallery! it's sure to be a great show and only wish i could meet some of the other artists--a few of my favorites are there. if you don't have plans to be in new hampshire this weekend, you should at least check out the online gallery. (my own little section is here. woo hoo!)

jeesh did i need a vacation!

so i now know that vacationing with a clingy 2-year-old with a tummy virus is not my vision of relaxation. but we had a great time with all the family in sunny and warm southern california, and i managed to avoid my etsy sites and my email for an entire week, which made up for the "difficult-child" moments. (all the lavishing of gifts and sushi didn't hurt either!)

and what did i come home to but a big ol' blog mention on dooce! yikes. now i'm off to go bust out some more clocks to replenish my dwindling stock.

so i participated in art house's "scavenger project" (a joint project with design for mankind) a few months back, and tonight is the opening of the exhibit (if you happen to be in atlanta, georgia). and then the exhibit will be moving to the museum of design in atlanta from february 3rd - march 20th! i won't be making it to either exhibit, but i am eagerly awaiting my edition of the book that has been released in conjuction with the exhibit. i'll post scans from the book as soon as it arrives.

help!

the little man is being particularly oh-so-almost-3, and has taken it upon himself to stop napping to boot (which until now has been my only reliable daily work time). the hubby is crazy busy with his own projects/bands/booking/teaching. and i have a ridiculous number of deadlines looming.
and so i am:
a. losing my mind
b. finishing up this piece that i'm really excited about...

go figure.

oh, and: help help!!

happy obama day!!

mom and boy piece

oooh! i just found a newish blog mention here. i think this is my first time on decor8. yay!

drying doilies

it's a bright and blustery day in portland, so i took advantage of the lack of dampness to get some doilies spray painted for the upcoming andfurthermore shop update. i hung them on our little japanese maple tree to dry and thought they looked so cute "growing" there. (and you can see the little man hard at work on his "construction site").

i'm feeling lousy today and wishing i had one of those jobs where i could call in sick and bury myself in my comforter with my book. alas, back to work i go...

i have too many deadlines to be blogging right now but...

ok so i surely won't be doing these daily posts for the entirety of this blog, but for now i guess i'm just a bit giddy about this whole rambling-on-to-an-invisible-audience thing.

i just wanted to share these lovely remnants from my hexagon shapes (that i can't seem to get enough of these days). they turn up in pieces like this one. i free-hand cut the shapes from paper i have painted, and what remains has become my favorite "inspiration wall" item. if i can bring myself to part with them, i'll try to incorporate them into a piece someday.(you can even catch a glimpse of a matador up on the right from a brand-spankin' new piece.)

ooh, and then there is this...

i've found myself drawing again, just plain ol' pencil and paper. and my participation in nahcotta gallery's february edition of its "enormous tiny art show" has given me the excuse to indulge myself in my favorite kind of drawing--the miniscule, eye-straining sort.

here is the beginning of a piece i drew today (that i plan on embellishing with one sort of geometrical shape or another)...

she stands just over 1 1/2" tall and she must be just the sweetest thing.

they've got legs!

ok so this has nothing to do with my own projects, but i couldn't resist. my two-year-old has started drawing appendages! his little guys have evolved from happy faces with one ridiculously long hair, to guys with a third eye (actually a nose), usually a beard (like his aapapa), and now arms and legs. i feel like a milestone has been reached!

look at me i'm blogging!!

it was only a matter of time before i finally got down to it and started this blogging business. and of course i have to start it right in the middle of everything, because i really needed just one more thing on my plate.
i'm hoping this can be the place where i consolidate all my goings on and my projects and my ideas about my goings on and my projects. i'm just not quite clear about whether this is for you folks out there who might be interested, or for my own sanity. of course a calender might do the trick too. gotta get one of those.
ok, so here goes...