Patchwork Show

I had a great time at the Patchwork Craft show in Santa Ana and in Long Beach. Here are some pictures from my booth of my product. In the display are Moleskine® notebooks that I have letterpressed from my hand cut linoleum blocks. The small notepads in front are made from vintage playing cards.

I also sold small collages and paintings. I sold lots of Birds and Owls. What I didn't sell will be available in my shop in the next week or so.

New Letterpress Cards

I have some new cards in the works. Here is one of them at various stages of printing.
The inspiration for the card is the vintage Franciscan plate. This one is available from DeLois on Etsy.

First I printed the blue, and then the green.

Next comes the type. This is a birthday card so I also have to print the inside message, not to mention the logo on the back. All in all, the card goes through the press 5 times. Each color is a separate printing block. I print on a Kelsey tabletop press, which you can see all inked up on the left.

After everything is printed and the ink is dry, I fold the cards, photograph them, package them, and then list them in my shop. It's a long process!

Craft Shows

I'll be in two craft shows in June-both sponsored by Patchwork Indie Arts & Crafts. You can get more information at www.patchworkshow.com I got this great vendor's apron from Clayroad Collectibles It's made from all sorts of vintage fabrics and lace. I'll be wearing it next weekend (June 6) at the Patchwork show in Santa Ana, California

Felt Purse

My sister gave me this felted purse for my birthday. I love the purple and orange together.

Dancing Cats

I purchased this card a few years ago because it made me smile. It's done by Sugarbeet Press and you can see more of their cards here

Collecting

Here is another children's book with nice illustrations. This one dates from 1964 and is about two brothers who make up a game about color when they are stuck inside on a rainy day.

Collecting

I love children's book illustration and this is one that I found at the flea market. The book is called "Surprise, the story of Molly and Mops" It is about a little girl and the surprise present her dog Mops gives her for her birthday. It was published in 1935 by the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin and the author is Charims, (Charlotte Helen Smith) whom I can't find any information on.

Flea Market Find

I found this nifty stainless steel coffee container at the flea market. I love the little red handle on top. It's missing the glass insert but still comes in handy for storing my binder clips.

Inspired by Lace

So much lovely lace
Top: Vintage Lace Brooch (ThatOldBlueHouse2), Ceramic Lace Vessel (raquelmasri), Pincushion (brendasbag)
Middle: Pincushions (namolio), Lace and Linen Storage Buckets (Ornamelle), Leather Cuff (LemkaB)
Bottom: Rennes Lace Necklace (FoxAndClover), Purse (afra), Lace Sea Stone (Kfirsten)

Shades of Green

I fell in love with this vintage cup and saucer (left) made by the Swedish company Rorstrand. The pattern is aptly named Triangla. It inspired the little drawing of the bird and flowers (right) which is available in my shop. The illustration is done on a paint chip that has 4 different shades of green.

Spring is here

The lupines in my yard are blooming. What a brilliant blue!

Etsy Banner Designs

There are lots of fun shop banners on Etsy that reflect the personality and creativity of the shop owner. Here are some super cute ones (and their product is pretty cute too!) Click on the banners to see some great shops.


Emma also has a non-etsy website where you can see more of her illustrations. You can see it here

David Weidman

I love the graphic art of David Weidman, a designer who worked in the 50's and 60's doing advertising and animation. I purchased two of his silksreened prints at the City College Flea Market in Pasadena, and was then thrilled to find a recently published book of his work. You can see more of his work here.


The following are some pages from the book.

Song Bird Canvas

I've been trying to find time to do some small paintings. This is a collage with handmade papers and vintage music papers. I
can't decide if it's finished yet.

2010 Calendar

This year I decided to hand print my calendar. I started last July cutting linoleum blocks and printing. I printed the actual calendar part on the computer and then printed the images on my press. This is the month of June on the press, and the sheets drying. You can buy it here


Here is April.

And here is the final calendar

Fun Vintage

I purchased some groovy 70's playing cards from RubyFloy on Etsy and she included this fun vintage thank you card with my order.

Art inspiration

I love the size of the little pieces of art because they remind me of my business card collection. These are ACEOs (Art Editions and Originals) which measure 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. They are collectible pieces of art that are the size of a standard trading card with the only rule being the size. My ACEO's were purchased on Etsy (from left to right) Printspace, It's a Whimsical Life and Hey Chica

A trip to the Flea Market

I love going to the flea market and this weekend, I went to the Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena California. There's so much to see and you can easily spend the whole day ( and lots of money!) These were a few of my favorite things.

I love these painted drawers! I wish I had a place for this chest in my studio.

Enamel pots looking for a home.

Too bad I don't look good in hats!

I really like the different colors and patterns in these bakelite bracelets.

Office Space

Here is a little corner of my office. The bird was made by Jennifer Conway and is part of my bird collection.