Girlie Show - What I Bought

The Girlie Show was so busy this year -- which is great (definitely no complaints here) -- but it didn't allow me much time to check out the other vendors. I was able to make a very quick purchase from Pamela Michelle, though. I have two tiny prints of hers already, which I received for Christmas last year. But, I just couldn't resist picking up this print:

I also completely fell in love with everything from Lara Collins. I haven't purchased anything from her just yet, though, as I have a funny feeling that I'll be receiving something of hers for Christmas. My sister and brother-in-law came to the show on Friday night, and my sister asked if there was anything I might like for Christmas (this is how I received the Pamela Michelle prints last year, by the way). We journeyed over to Lara's booth, braving the extremely loud music being pumped out of the nearby DJ booth, and I said "anything from here". Her jewelry, housewares and t-shirts -- they're all completely lovely. Oh, the anticipation!

Splendid Finds - Sophie & Lili

I have been looking for a doll for my niece Sophia for quite some time. She was adopted from Ethiopia, and I think it's very important that she has a doll that looks like her. The fact that there are very few dark-skinned dolls out there came as no surprise -- I can remember being very aware of this as a child, walking up and down the aisles at the toy store. I knew that I would have to search a little to find one -- but I didn't anticipate just how difficult this search would be.

A few weeks ago, I was drooling over the online pages of Gifted Magazine, lovingly put together by Ez of Creature Comforts fame. If you haven't looked through this, you really need to. It's beautiful. And it will absolutely get you in the holiday spirit, I promise. And possibly, like it did with me, convince you that you must wrap all of your gifts in white and gold. Gorgeous!

I'm getting off topic. Anyway -- this is how I discovered Sophie & Lili dolls. There are a few pre-sewn dolls to choose from, but the incredibly appealing element was the ability to customize a doll. What? Brown skin? And pom poms? And a range of adorable outfits to choose from? Yes please (and thank you so much!).

Adorable, no?

Image taken from the Sophie & Lili blog.

I can't wait for Sophia's doll to arrive! And, don't worry, I'll most certainly post pictures of it when it does.

Tidings of Comfort and Joy

To continue on with the Christmas theme...I created Christmas cards this year! This is something that I have intended to do for several years, but something always seems to get in the way. I wanted to create something that was clean and modern, but still had some classic Christmas charm.

Besides "Merry & Bright", the text used in the cards are from Christmas carols. I hand cut the text on white paper and then photographed it layered over glittered cardstock. The end result has the slightest sparkle -- a perfect amount of holiday cheer.

Merry and Bright.

Peace on Earth.

Repeat the Sounding Joy.

Comfort and Joy.

They're all available for purchase right here.

Christmas Cheer!

I love Christmas. The ten+ years I spent in retail tried to kill my Christmas spirit but, happily, it did not. Not one bit. I decided that, after many weekends of making things for The Girlie Show, I would spend this last weekend making something just for fun. I don't get to do that very often, so it was nice to spend time on a project just for myself.

For the past few years I have used two small Christmas tress -- without tree skirts. I never can seem to find skirts that are a) under $100 or b) not made of completely disgusting fabric. So, I've been improvising with fabric that I had on hand the last two years. Not this year!

I bought two yards of red felt (which, in hindsight, was way too much) and whipped up two tree skirts, perfectly sized for my little trees.

This was, actually, quite easy. It does require sewing, but all you really need to know is how to make ruffles. There are great tutorials online should you need a refresher. Once I created the ruffles, I simply sewed them onto the un-hemmed circle piece using a zig-zag stitch.

Hooray!

On My Doorstep

Two amazing books found their way to my doorstep this week and, I have to say, I am quite pleased with my purchases. The first is more of a practical purchase Creative, Inc. by Joy Deangdeelert Cho and how-does-she-possibly-find-the time Meg Mateo Ilasco.



I loved Craft, Inc. by Ilasco, so I was very excited to hear about the new collaboration. The sub-title "The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business" pretty much sums it up, as well as explaining why I felt the need to purchase it. I've only made it through the first couple of chapters, but I'm loving it so far.

While I could argue clear advantages to being a self-taught artist, I do wish that I'd had someone to show me the ropes, to give me a logical sequence of events. I don't have that, so hopefully this book will fill in some of the blanks.

The second book "Patterns" by Orla Kiely is, perhaps, not as practical, but necessary all the same. I tried to hold off purchasing this as long as possible -- "Christmas will be here before you know it", I kept reminding myself -- but, I couldn't resist.



I love Orla Kiely. The patterns, the colors -- perfect. I stalked my local Target the weekend that her line was supposed to hit the shelves. I bought mugs and two serving trays, but would have found room in my tiny house for the entire range.

The book is thick and gorgeous. It covers the history of the company, inspiration and lots of images of the specific patterns and how they have been incorporated.

Just lovely, right?

Music Monday - Winter Song

I love Christmas, and I especially love Christmas music. I definitely have a long list of favorite Christmas songs and carols, but there is a new song that made it to the very top of my list two years ago -- "Winter Song" by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles.

It's absolutely gorgeous and I, admittedly, find myself listening to it throughout the entire year.

Here is the video that was created for the song. It has the sweetest animation:

Enjoy!

New Pieces in the Shop

As promised, I have started listing some of my original papercuts in my Etsy shop. These first three pieces are all variations of ampersands - "&". I love typography, so it often finds its way into my work. I loved creating these little ampersand pieces. The interpretation is definitely open to the viewer: "You & Me", the hope for what's to come, or something else entirely.

Ampersand (Pink)

Ampersand (Grey)

Ampersand (Blue)

They're all available for purchase right here.