seven spring samplers #4: garden of paper delights

{ each photo links to its shop }

got craft?

if you're in vancouver this weekend, make note: got craft?, a modern twist on the conventional craft fair dedicated to showcasing the best handmade items vancouver has to offer with over 40 local artists is happening this sunday, may 4th, 2008 at the royal canadian legion @ 2205 commercial drive (at e. 6th avenue) vancouver, bc. click here for more information. (images shown - clockwise: sunlit letterpress, the mustache press, olive, it's your life, and track and field).

a new blog in town

canada's hgtv has just started up a blog named, style sheet. a home decor blog offering up inspirational ideas, new finds, along with behind-the-scenes glimpses of hgtv's most popular programs. i'm already liking their splurge vs. steal category (see above photo) on two versions of summer desert plates. click here to bookmark!

phm studio spaces: miss natalie

Artist Name: Miss Natalie, a.k.a. Natalie Davis
Shop Name and Url: Miss Natalie, www.missnatalie.etsy.com
Website: www.missnatalie.com
Blog: www.missnatalie.com/blog
City: Oakland, CA


Where in your home/apartment/city is your studio located?
I have a second bedroom in our house that I use as a studio, and sometimes I sprawl into the living/dining room for quilting. I'm eternally grateful that we have walk-in closets, as I'm able to hide/store my many books and tubs of fabric.

What equipment/tools do you use?
Sketchbook, sewing machine, embroidery hoop, stencils, gocco kit, computer, scanner, printer, exacto knives, digital camera, pens, pencils, needles, paper cutter



Do you have an inspiration board, and can you tell us what is inspiring you now?
My inspiration board is somewhat of an explosion. I pin up fabric swatches, photos, vintage type specimen sheets, tear sheets from Vogue, prints from friends, and vintage packaging labels.


How do you create best (e.g. do you listen to music while you create and if so what?)
I listen to audio books or radio stories to help me focus. My new favorite show is Radio Lab NYC (radiolab.org), but This American Life is my standby.



List (3) of your favorite artists:
Walker Mettling
Monica Canilao
Something's Hiding in Here

If yours isn't, what would be your perfect studio?
My perfect studio would be a small warehouse space with large windows. There'd be a screen printing room with a flat file and wash out sink to keep things tidy. The rest of the studio would be totally open, with space to permanently set up my quilting table, a wall of clear plastic tubs for fabric storage, floor-to-ceiling bookcases with a ladder to swing on, flat files to sort all my paper, a wall of cork tiles for my inspiration board, and a giant rod of ribbon spools. Basically I want to run around the space throwing fabric and ribbon and books a'la "Funny Face".

Thanks Natalie!

adorable baby things in the market

i've loved having all the baby things in the market this month and wanted to highlight a few of them here. so many adorable blankets, onesies, toys, hats... click here to see more.

(above: clockwise from top left)
french animal magnets, by simple
night vision tee, hayley gardiner
sunlight and ferns baby quilt, girl number twenty
sunlight and ferns baby quilt (another view), girl number twenty
rollerskate onesie, rabbit kinney
ornate deer onesie, pepperhem
peg bunny no. 8, one red robin



(above: clockwise from left)
cowboy burp cloth trio, sheppard girls
giraffe parachutes, miss natalie
lili dream catcher, nest pretty things
little bunny frou frou, mosey handmade
organic baby onesie, love monkey

beam me up

i fell in love with this image of a quilt today at a blog by quilt designer, valori wells. the quilt pattern, olive rose is available on her site as a free download (pdf format). how i'd like to be beamed up to this chair right about now.

loved this

from poketo's recent "glasgow artist series" launched a few weeks back at the glasgow international arts festival.

vintage finds of the week

gosia of blue bell bazaar sent in her weekly finds today from her flea market hunting over the weekend. some of them are available at her etsy shop already. click here to see more!

tinarie21 (aka sweet b papers): boutonnieres plus

{ red seersucker pillow }

{ vintage pink and cream boutonniere }

lovely and original style: sweet, unusual combinations of flowers, ribbons, charms, and buttons make up delightful boutonnieres for the gentlemen, and there are a selection of feminine and frilly garters and ring-bearer pillows as well as some other treats for you. contact sweet b to request your custom items -- colors, flowers, etc. -- so very ladylike, so *not* stuffy.




more at tinarie21.etsy.com

a match made in sweden

when i think of sweden, i think of the ultimate place to live if you love design. maybe i'm a little biased having a nordic heritage, but the latest product to come out of that country could very well be one of my favorites. camilla engman and karin eriksson present mr. black and mme. ochre an exhibition at manos in stockholm and available online at manos shop. karin's delicate porcelain work combined with camilla's (to die for) illustrations create the most unique ceramic set i've seen in a while.

a very nice package for a very nice lady

branch floral design and a small stump have teamed up to put together this very special mother's day package. a hand-silkscreened pansy puff (with a light lemon grass scent) along with this beautiful mix of seasonal flowers arranged in a genuine birch bark tube. all the goodies sit on a tray in a bed of fresh wheat grass. they will be hand delivered on saturday may 10th in the san francisco area. (there's a limited amount of sets so order early). click here for more information.

seconds at fourth + a good sister

i recently read about this most amazing ceramic sale going on in san francisco this upcoming weekend at fourth & clay in berkeley. potters, diana fayt, rae dunn, whitney smith and josie jurczenia along with two textile artists, susannah schnick and nancy la rose (sorry no site - but she makes beautiful bags) will be selling their seconds (and firsts) in conjunction with a "live mural production" by mel & friends who will be presenting a live graffiti production on the outside wall of the building of fourth & clay (during the two days of the sale). the dates of the sale are saturday and sunday (may 3 & 4).




also recently the sister of diana fayt (one of the potters) lost her home due to a house fire along with most of her possessions. she and her family are safe, albeit homeless at the moment. so diana has decided to give all the money she makes from selling off her seconds at the fourth & clay sale to help her sister get back on her feet. she is also selling her yellow vase collection via her etsy store in order to raise more money for her. these are her newest pieces and are also one of my favorites.

chez sucre chez

for the past few months, kimberly of chez-sucre-chez has been on a cross stitch kick and having trouble dropping the habit. each time she tries to get out of it and back to other crafts, she finds some other theme or inspiration to explore. her latest series is inspired by traditional motifs found on samplers done by pennsylvania dutch women from the 1700's and early 1900's.

she's gearing up for the renegade craft fair in brooklyn this summer and has a bunch of pieces in her etsy shop right now. she plans on going forward with these motifs and incorporating them, via block or screen prints onto bags and domestic goods (kitchen towls, aprons or whatever she ends of making).

if you get a chance, check out her work and blog.

seven spring samplers #3: april showers

{each photo links to its shop}

p.s. it's my sister's birthday! hooray!