a list

last weekend husband and i were driving to a friends house for a cookout (during a rain break), and we had a lovely moment. we were running late as usual, the boys were in the back seat being themselves, and then we noticed that miles was listing the things that he could see out of the window; tree, truck, tree, party place, traffic, tree, etc. it reminded me of something that i heard julia roberts say about her children in an oprah interview....

"That's the thing about being new to the world, you're just so present and impressed with everything... The older you get and the grumpier you get, (it's like), 'We've got to get there. We're going to be late.' You know, they're in the car; 'Look at the tree!' Everything is exciting."

....here we were rushing to our friends home, thinking about the next thing, and miles was blissfully present in his time and space. la di da :) when i heard julia roberts say this, the first thing that i thought of was laying in my neighbors grass as a child just watching the clouds go by and thinking about the roundness of earth, without another care in the world. i think i need a little more childhood simplicity in my life. so, in honor of simple pleasures and being present in my own time and space, i give you a list of simple things that i love....also an attempt to look at the sunny side of life on this miserable gray p-town day.

1. watching a smile spread on my boy's faces
2. feeling the sun on my face
3. being barefoot
4. listening to the wind move through a ponderosa pine
5. ocean waves
6. hiking through the woods
7. the smell of cut grass
8. birds chirping in the morning
9. my bed
10. silence

happy friday!

dear portland

dear portland,
i love you, i really do.
it's just so hard sometimes

when you're rainy and cold

for days on end.

but, when i think of this,

i love you all over again.

b.

alberta art hop - 5/15/10

be there or be square :)

spend some time strolling along alberta street this saturday, & check out some really crafty peeps!

splurge on yourself

splurge artist boutique is one of my favorite stores in p-town. i recently dropped off a gaggle of shirts, and spied a number of items that i really want for myself. here are just a few things you can find at this lovely little shopping spot....b hive designs shirts of course, and....

yedomi jewelry, created by the lovely naomi pictured on the left. You can find her making these delicate beauties most days in the store. you really need to see them in person....my photos do not do them justice (click on the photo to get a closer look).

the reason why i sell my shirts at splurge is because of the husband/wife partnership that is plywerk. i met kim and kjell a couple of years ago doing our thing at a local craft fair. kim is a truly amazing photographer (& super sweet), and kjell is just kjell....very friendly, always networking and building his business. what is plywerk?.....a super cool way to mount a photograph, drawing, or image of any kind. check it out!

ok, so there are a lot of other artists who sell their work at splurge whom i love, but don't have the patience to list here. you just need to go in for yourself to see all of the goodness! in the meantime, check out their website & blog :)

oh, cuteness!....so many goodies to be had.

a french affair

hello....happy may!

i must admit my mind is elsewhere this week. my heart is heavy with sorrow for the loss of a little girl this time last year. this morning was especially difficult as i watched her classmates, and my son, give her a very touching tribute....their tiny hands clutching lighted candles in her honor. it was too difficult to hold back my tears....i wept as though her passing was only yesterday. this is the problem with becoming a parent, there is so much love in our hearts that sometimes we can't help exploding. luckily for me, husband is much more emotionally balanced. he took our sadness, and is turning it into good-ness for our son's school. check out seebluegrasschadrun.blogspot.com. we will never forget you mk!

with that said, nothing cheers my spirit more than watching children play. so come join me this saturday at the portland french school's en plein air - french market. it is always a care-free event with super yummy french crepes, live music, and more!!

....oh, & the weather report is 68˚, mostly sunny!! a perfect day to come out and play.

may 8, 2010
10am - 5pm
6318 SW Corbett Ave
Portland, OR 97239

oh how i heart these

hello everyone!....big "thank you" to everyone who came to visit me at crafty wonderland this last weekend. it truly was a great event, and as usual so much fun to work with all my crafty peeps. i came away with a couple of really great new items that i would love to share with you.

first i did a trade with the lovely rachel austin. this is very much like the painting that i brought home with me....oh, hearts! but now i think i need to add this one to my collection (except on a p-town map!).

next i bought this locket (except mine has an aqua background) from locket 2 you. they are such lovely folks, and i've been lucky to work next to them at two crafty wonderland shows. it's always nice to see a familiar face at such a big event.

and last, but definitely not least was a gift for husband from the lovely seasons of seasons k designs. seasons and her mother cinnamon own one of the best stores in portland called presents of mind. over the past few years they have supported so many local artisans (including myself). seasons has carried my designs in her store for the past two years, and i was so happy to be able to return the love by purchasing one of her great designs.

husband received this "portland" shirt, and i will be purchasing this lovely for myself!

just one more shout out....thank you so much to sara (a.k.a. super shopper from dc) from hello craft for supporting the p-town vendors at crafty wonderland this last weekend. you rock! hello craft is hosting the summit of awesome here in portland on june 16-18....be sure to check it out :)

happy sunny, then rainy, then hail stormy day!....crazy p-town weather lately, eh.

the mother of all craftiness

all i can say is....aw snap!

don't miss out on this super amazing event.

see dets below :)

Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Spring Sale!
May 1st + 2nd
from 11am-5pm both days
at the OREGON CONVENTION CENTER
777 NE MLK Jr. Blvd, Exhibit Hall D
All Ages * Free Admission
* Goodie Bags for the first 200 shoppers EACH DAY! *
* Free Craft Activities and so much more! *

Irvington Artisan Spring Market - April 25, 2010

i am so happy to announce that the irvington artisan spring market is just around the corner! mark your calendars, because this might be your last chance to attend the market....ever (according to becka, the organizer, this is the last event but i am hoping it isn't so). i will be setting up my goodies this sunday, april 25th, with a number of other wonderful artisans. you can check out the list and some of their profiles at www.irvingtonartisanmarket.blogspot.com. be sure to check it out. the sun will be shining, and i have some new designs to share with you....yay!

click on the poster to see the details!

back again

hello there!

i am slowly starting to return to my little "b hive". it has been a nice break since the winter holidays, but now it's time to start printing again. i have been working on a new website, something simpler & easier to maintain. i'm really excited about how it looks. so, to kick off my return to work and the start of spring i am offering 20% off of my remaining winter items. there's not much in the store, but it's enough to open my little shop & introduce my new website. just visit www.bhivedesigns.com, and use the discount code SPRING2010 to receive 20% off of your purchase during the month of march. stay tuned for some new designs that will be introduced in april!!

in honor of spring i give you this lovely photograph that i took a couple of days ago in my front yard. beautiful cherry blossoms blooming in winter....a little global warming maybe?

merry christmas!!

here's an early merry christmas to you!!

i'm headed to santa fe in a couple of days. a much

needed break to relax and visit family. husband and i haven't been to santa fe for christmas since 2005....4 years, yikes! it is truly one of the most spectacular places to be during the holidays. the buildings are lined with lighted farolitos, often times there is snow, and the air is always cool and crisp with a hint of burning cedar. so wonderful! the best part about christmas in santa fe is strolling along canyon road on christmas eve. many of the art galleries are open, serving hot cider and cookies. carolers gather in the street around bonfires, and there are farolitos (luminarias) to light your way down the street. it is incredibly festive. i feel so lucky that my parents moved from one paradise to another. with any luck i will also get to see my oldest sister and her family.....it's been 3 years since i've seen my sister, and that was only briefly for a family emergency. needless to say this is a much needed visit, and i cannot wait to be surrounded by the love and comfort of my own people....and the amazing breakfast at Tia Sofias in downtown santa fe (seriously, cannot wait!).

before i am able to relax in the comfort of my parent's home, i have just one more little bit of b hive business to attend to. if you know of any last minute shoppers, be sure to send them my way. i'll be here on sunday, 12/20/09 from 3:00pm - 9:00pm. this is a 21+ event....even better!

Heart of Craft Holiday Fair

3:00pm - 9:00pm

The Woods

6637 Milwaukie Ave

Portland, OR 97202

**all b hive designs items are on sale. kids items are 50% off, skirts are 50% off, women's shirts are $10 off through 12/31/09. check out the shop or come see me on sunday**

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

since i was the 4th child in my family, my parents were not very good at documenting my life. this is one of about 3 christmas photos from my entire childhood. i have no idea how old i was in this photo, 6 maybe......santa looks like he might be a little hungover :)......BTW i wish my hair was still that tame, minus the bangs.

a perfect day

when i was

a little girl

i would pray

for rain on christmas

the sun was

always shining

where i played

everything perfect

all the time

it seemed

only fair to have

a cold day

here and there

a day to cozy up

with family,

good food, gifts,

and a fire

now that i am

old(er)

i wish for those

perfect days

days of eternal

sunshine and

perfection

oh, please

just one more

perfect day

crafty, crafty, crafty - 12/13/09 @ 11AM

this is it people.

the mega sale of the year.....crafty wonderland's super colossal holiday sale!
i am not kidding when i tell you that this sale will be awesome. i am so excited....bouncing over here :)

last year i had the privelege of selling my goodies at this sale. if any of you were in p-town last year at this time you might remember that there was a very serious snow storm (serious for us anyway). that snow storm began on the morning of the super colossal sale. i remember waking up early in the morning to get my things together, and when i walked out to my studio there was no snow on the ground. by the time i stepped out of the studio to pack up my car it looked like a blizzard. me and my crafty friends bared the elements to get to the convention center that morning not knowing what to expect. some things that i saw on my way there....semi-trucks jacknifed on the highway, cars abandoned on the street, and no sign of life on the sidewalks. as you can imagine all of this made me very nervous. i mean who would want to leave their house on a day like that to buy handmade goods? regardless of the weather the spirit of the sale was not dampened, in fact as i was setting up there were reports of a line forming outside the convention center hall. a line? are you kidding me? i honestly couldn't believe that any one would be crazy enough to drive to the sale at all, not to mention early enough to wait in a line. but when i checked for myself, lo and behold there was indeed a line of anxious shoppers. to my surprise it was a very good day after all. the snow kept falling, the shoppers kept coming, and i went home happy.

needless to say, i have been checking the weather updates religiously this week. even though the snow did not stop the show last year, it made for a very fightful car ride & bone chilling preparation in the studio. temperatures have been in the 20's this week, my fingers are freezing, the ink is harder to pull through the screen, but i am hopeful that it will not snow. so far the weather reports are calling for light rain on sunday. we can deal with that, right? i mean it wouldn't be a propper portland winter without rain. so keep your fingers crossed for me......no snow until december 14th!

can't wait to see you at crafty!!!!!!!!!!!!

OREGON CONVENTION CENTER

HALL D

p.s. crafty wonderland has decided to take a break after this holiday sale. they will no longer be holding their monthly events at the doug fir. while this is very sad for those of us who love this sale, it will make the events that they do hold that much more special. so be sure to come out this sunday to support your favorite local artists. you might not see them again for a while!