i’ve got circles on my mind this week…

new wet felting pARTy post: jenn’s mobile is online, see it here! kristin’s is up, too!

last saturday night i had a little wet felting pARTy: i supplied a bunch of wool roving in lots of colors, i filled a couple bowls with hot & soapy water, and we rolled the wool into little balls until our fingertips were prune-y and hands were tired.

i also provided drift wood and wood embroidery hoops from which to hang the felted balls, and anna’s mom donated some really great antique wood hangers.

kristin gave a demonstration on how to make wool “beads”, which was a welcome respite from rolling wool into balls.

when our hands were tired of manipulating wool, we strung the balls and beads onto fishing line to create mobiles and wall hangings. we used crimp beads under each ball/bead to keep them in place on the line, and i also provided plastic & ceramic beads and hardware that could be used to provide added texture and balance.

if you’ve ever tried to photograph a mobile in the middle of the day when the air is still and the natural light is perfect, you know that it is difficult! my attempts at photographing everyone’s finished pieces under the light of a 75 watt bulb — late in the evening — were failures. i photographed my piece the next day (it’s the one at the top of this post), and i’ve given up on trying to adjust color/lighting on the photos i did take. instead, as my friends put their work online, i’ll link to them so you can see the great pieces they’ve created. jess posted her mobile on her blog already, which you really need to see!

it was via the last issue of uppercase journal that i learned of nina and her etsy shop. and now i obsess over her work weekly, picking out my favorites. this week, the apple of my eye is the lots of dots pitcher, but it will soon fall out of favor and be replaced by the bunting sugar bowl. someday i’m going to ignore the price of shipping and just go for it…

photo credit: nina invorm etsy shop

hello, welcome to monday! i hope you had a good weekend. my weekend went by too quickly: saturday night i had a pARTy, which i’ll write more about later this week. sunday i walked to the minnesota state fair, mostly so i could eat cheese curds for dinner. i never eat fried foods any more, and figured if i walked there and back (5 miles total), cheese curds would be ok. but i still feel a little icky this morning.

i also finished the design of my new hello cards, and punched a few sets! they’re in my etsy shop.

lastly, i have a table at poppytalk handmade! i put it together friday night and am excited to see it go live today. the marketplace theme is mixed tape, and there are many great artists participating… i think i’ll spend my lunch hour browsing.

how was your weekend?

i’m really excited to announce that i’ll be teaching 2 bookbinding workshops at red bow studio on saturday, october 2! red bow studio is the studio of artist and friend, patricia kaegi weiss, and is located 25 miles east of manhattan in the lovely long island town of sea cliff.  if you’re in the area, come! i’ll be teaching 2 workshops in a relaxed and friendly environment, and i’ll teach you everything you need to know to make more on your own!

the first workshop of the day: stab-binding. we’re going to re-use paper to create a journal and a photo album! we’ll be binding both books using the centuries-old japanese stab binding technique (it is not as violent as it sounds!). you will learn how to cover book boards, in addition to learning this easy, yet elegant binding technique. 10am-12pm, $25 per person + $5 materials fee

in the second workshop, i’ll be teach you how to make a hard-bound journal. you’ll create an over-size book by hand, perfect for writing or visual journaling! you’ll learn how to construct the book block, how to apply paper and book cloth to the cover boards, and how to fit it all together. you will have a variety of bookcloth colors and cover papers to chose from. 2-5pm, $25 per person + $10 materials fee

to enroll, please call (516) 676-4324 or email theredbowstudio at gmail dot com and you will receive you more information about the workshops. each workshop is limited to 10 participants. if you have any questions, leave me a comment. i’d love to see you there!

bonus: patricia interviewed me earlier this week, and if you’re dying to know more about moi, she’s posted the interview here on her blog.

happy weekend!

lemon verbena.

a friend and i took a class at shady acres herb farm years ago, and it was there that i was introduced to lemon verbena. summer is not complete until i have a pot of it on my deck, even though i don’t do a single thing with it, except sniff the leaves.

(i know that makes me sound like a total weirdo.)

i heart paper.

i have too much paper.

this pile is going to become a big batch of coptic journals. think i’ll put the wire at the top of my netflix queue for this project.

a tiny part of me wishes i was going back to school so i could justify buying an embroidered notebook for doodling while zoning out in class… or maybe i’d buy a zippered case to carry my drawing pencils… everything is so pretty in the pi’lo etsy shop.

photo credit: pi’lo etsy shop 

a mushroom began to make an appearance in my backyard last week, and i was obsessed with it all weekend as it transformed from a little white bubble in the grass to a giant ’shroom capable of supporting a caterpillar smoking a hookah. the enormous size… and the randomness of where it grew… i was fascinated.

until i plucked it and tossed it into the compost. (i had some mowing to do.)

yesterday’s local art mart at the walker art center was so much fun! my table was next to martha (uniform natural) — we didn’t realize we were both participating in the event until recently, and it was random that tables were together. i hadn’t seen her in a while, so it was nice to catch up, and she let me model a brass tube necklace. and then i bought another scarf. fall, i am ready for your arrival.

did i sell all my stuff? nope! but i sold more than i thought i would, and i got some great exposure. also, i met really wonderful local artists, and they’ll make an appearance here in the future. the best part? it was so much better than being at my day job!

and on top of all that, while i was at the art mart, i had my 300th sale in my etsy shop! so i have to say: thank you. thank you all, for your support and encouragement. you’re the best, i am so grateful.

happy weekend!

i was born in minneapolis, and lived there until i was four. i spent my childhood in a small rural town, and i went right back to minneapolis for college and lived there through my early twenties. and then… and then i moved to the quieter twin city… and i’m getting tired of the quiet. i miss minneapolis!

i’m slowly reacquainting myself with my lost love. one of the ways i’ve done so is by seeking out my old favorite haunts with my sx 70 land camera to create a set of polaroid magnets. i started to take the photos in july, got some additional landmark suggestions from my local fans, and previewed a few of the shots on my facebook page. there are some great ones that got nixed, because i wanted each of the magnets to fit together as a whole. i was little sad not including all of them, but overall i’m excited about this set!

minneapolis magnets are in my etsy shop now, and you can see them in person today at the local art mart!

frank gehry’s standing glass fish at the walker art center is one of my favorite sculptures, and has been since i was a teen. a few weeks ago i rode my bike to the walker’s sculpture garden and reaffirmed my love.

my friend jenn has really embraced sewing and is having loads of fun designing and creating fabric goods. this week she announced the grand opening of her etsy shop, paper & clouds. yay! if you know me, you know i love wine, and jenn’s wine bags are right up my alley. jenn’s got a great eye for design and color, and has picked some gorgeous fabrics! (she’s got key fobs, too!)

and to celebrate the grand opening, there’s a give away! stop by the paper & cloud blog for more details.

photo credit: paper & clouds etsy shop 

this thursday is mnartists.org field day at the walker art center, and i’m really excited to be a part of it! i’ll be selling my goods at the local art mart in the cargill lounge from 2-7pm. all goods sold are under $30. come! i’ll be joining these amazing locals:

• aimie dukes
• art leather
• dear deer designs
• fairy tale frosting
• hardland/heartland
• karen kvitek
• medium control goods
• modern radio records
• redshoes26 design
• uniform natural
• vandalia street press

in addition to the art mart, there are a ton of other activities that go into the evening. swing by after work and say hi!… or better yet, leave work early and play!

happy weekend!

my half of the table at my very first craft market, held yesterday! thankfully, the table was in the shade, which makes for crappy photos, but it was definitely the best spot for a 90+ degree day.

i was attempting to sell mobiles, papier-mâché bowls, upcycled journals, bike cards, fish journals, mini accordion fold albums… and like i said yesterday, my expectations were in check: when i’m at craft fairs, i always seek out the bookmaker/paper artist booths, and there are never crowds surrounding the tables. i know that what i make is not a hot seller… what i create is generally not an impulse buy, especially in this economy. people buy my work with a specific purpose in mind.

with that said, i made $15 last night, which was the cost of the table space. and my buyers? the wonderful people i shared my table with + their relatives.

it was kristin who insisted i participate in this event (thank you, k! it was a fabulous evening!), and she suggested we share a table. kristin and her business partner were there to promote their preschool: kristin knitted the sweet little gnomes, and her biz partner ann created wonderful wood toys and puzzles.

it really was a lovely evening. when was the last time you were able to just sit, for 3 hours, outside, and make polite conversation with strangers, while sharing personal space with others that you enjoy? me? never. so this was a great change of pace.

another fun part: buying stuff, despite not making any money. i bought the chicken dishtowel from the woman sitting just a foot away from me (she sold out of her towels quickly — note to self!). and i bought a jar of dill pickle spears from the nice lady next to the towel lady. i also bought a ziplock bag of “ester’s bean soup”, which i will make when we get our first chilly fall weekend. and lastly, i bought a small, wood horse made by ann. then the band started playing 80’s rock covers, making it impossible to chat, so we packed up, said our goodbyes, and called it a day.

would i do it again? definitely. however, i’m not sure i’d sign up for a friday-saturday-sunday event. but a one, two day affair? yes! (i’m doing another next week!)

this afternoon/evening i’m participating in my first craft market! it’s a little affair, held outdoors… my expectations are in check, and if i don’t sell a thing, it’s still going to be a new experience that i’ll always remember. and i’m pretty sure i won’t forget the heat/humidity (it’s going to be over 90 degrees today).

if you’re in south minneapolis this evening, come visit the earth-friendly street market, at minnehaha united methodist church. the market begins at 4, and ends around dusk. there will be food and music, arts and crafts, and sustainable products. i’ll be selling goods that i’ve made from scraps from other projects, and items that didn’t require new materials, like my papier-mâché bowls.

wish me luck!

love house, from my house party.

must… resist…

photo credit: my house party etsy shop 

on saturday i rode my bike to uptown for a hair cut and a quick tour of the uptown art fair. i ate cheese curds at the fair, and bought a ring from rachael adamiak. then i discovered a vintage store on lake street that was full of beautiful eames chairs, but the doors were locked and there was no signage to be found. i will be stalking that locale weekly…

above: that’s me trying to take a picture through the window. happy monday!

…fresh cantaloupe with a splash of orange blossom water and a drop of honey.

happy weekend!