done cleaning & back to work

hip hip hooray!

my studio is finally back in working order. i am not brave enough to show you the "before" photo, but let's just say you may have mistaken me for a hoarder (as husband lovingly refers to me on occasion). i figured i should show you what my workspace looks like now before it gets all mucked up again. it was so nice to wake up this morning and print some shirts in my clean space....and on that note the b hive is up and running again!!

i will have a list of my winter events for you very very soon. i am really excited to share the list with you, because i am only working at the best events this year.

as a matter of fact i just delivered a special little box of goodness to the sweet girls of crafty wonderland for their super awesome new venture....a pop-up shop downtown for the holiday season. i feel really lucky to be part of this great collection of artists, and the bonus is that you don't need to wait for an event to shop. you can shop at your leisure....see below for details....

Crafty Wonderland Holiday Pop-Up Shop!

Open November 9th - December 30th, 2010

802 SW 10th Ave. in Portland

(at the corner of SW 10th + Yamhill - across from the central library)

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION

+ small wonders art show opening

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13TH FROM NOON-5PM

Selling work from over 80 Portland artists + crafters!

One stop shopping for amazing local handmade goods!

HOURS:

BEFORE THANKSGIVING:

10am-6pm MON. through SAT.

12am-5pm SUN.

AFTER THANKSGIVING:

10am-7pm MON. through SAT.

12am-6pm SUN.

my return

i have been feeling like a big fat loser.

i have seriously ignored my business for months now. i have not printed anything, i have not drawn anything new, i have ignored business opportunities, and i opted for vacation time instead of working more events this holiday season. i guess you could say that i've been in a creative rut. truthfully, i have been enjoying a little more free time with my family. i have been able to see all of my son's soccer games this season. i have been taking my little to art classes and swim lessons during time that i should be using to create new things. i can honestly say that i haven't even opened my studio door since august (except to hide piles of things that i don't want to see in the house....all piled neatly by the door)......not to mention my retail websites being closed for months. i think i have been feeling a little bit scarlett o'hara-ish lately, after all tomorrow is another day.

but tomorrow is finally today!

i am heading outside to clean up my studio, clean off some screens, and make some stuff. i have some new ideas that i really want to get started on, and to be perfectly honest all of a sudden i have some deadlines. i can't wait to share all of the wonderful things that i will be involved in this holiday season. plus, i will be taking my business in a new direction....making some changes, keeping some oldies but goodies, and making some new items all together. i can't wait, but right now i must clean to start things off.

oh, and as of tomorrow i will not feel like a big fat loser anymore!

since, every post should have a photo, i give you this. the last of my family time outdoors before the rain take over p-town. i love these peeps!

bargain hunting 101 - sunday 8/15

super awesome sale!

bargain hunting 101, part 2. this is a super fun twice yearly sale held at the crystal ballroom. there will be many different types of vendors here including crafters of clothing, handbags, jewelry, baby clothes, hats, photography, artwork, and other retailers such as Frock, Moxie, Haggis McBaggis, Gypsy Chic, Queen Bee, etc. check out the vendor list.

i hope to see you there....

sunday, august 15

12-5pm

crystal ballroom

1332 w burnside

p-town

worst blogger, ever?....and a little musical

i have the feeling that i might be the worst blogger ever. i just can't seem to keep up with posting. it's not that i don't have anything interesting to say or show you, but it just seems to take so much time to actually sit down, photoshop a pretty picture to post, write a witty story, or even notify you about fun events. i could blame it on the sunshine, and my desire to be outside during the summer, but the truth is i have never been very good at this. part of my problem is that my thoughts are constantly overlapping. i am a daydreamer by nature, and even as i sit here typing i am thinking about the way that the sand will feel in my toes at the end of the week when i go camping at the beach. maybe i need medication to help me focus....or maybe i just need to pinch myself once in a while to get me out of the clouds.

anyway, as a daydreamer i tend to love romantic old movies & musicals, especially gone with the wind, singing in the rain, the sound of music, holiday inn, mary poppins, wuthering heights, jane eyre, the wizard of oz, and so many more. i recently came across this video....a modern combo of some of my favorite things, singing and dancing just like an old movie.

as noted two sentences ago, i love the sound of music, so when i saw this video it really made me want to post some other clips from the movie. apparently this is a copyright infringement, so i will settle with some of my favorite lyrics & you can sing along on your own :)

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into Springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into Springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad.

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!