Holy Moly.

Somehow it became 2015…

I am the worst blogger ever, but I resolve to do better this year!  Starting tomorrow 😉 ….

 

 

 

Summa’ Time! ( It’s the best time )

Tons happening these days in Recoverie land.  Most recently and momentous of all was an exciting mention in a Wall Street Journal article covering a new company I teamed up with earlier this year, 11main.com.  Although they haven’t completely launched their site to the public at this point in time, they seem to already be creating a stir.  I’m excited to see where it takes me.

Back To The Source

It’s been a while, but I’m finally getting back into the world of Illustration.  Painting used to be something I did often and I kind of miss it.  Plus block printing is very different than painting with a brush.  Shapes and patterns can only be so detailed, while the use of color is usually pretty restrictive.  Over the last few years I’ve created a lot of designs that I LOVE that never made the cut for printing because it either doesn’t translate well as a print, or it would be much better received in another medium.

So it’s time to dig out those old designs and get into it!  Here’s a preview of what’s coming to the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco, July 19th and 20th, 2014.

“Casablanca” Watercolor and Prismacolor on Wood Panel

Up close and personal

 

Good Grammar is Sexy

…At least according to Studio Nico.  Another English teacher worthy boutique I came across recently was the VO.CAB.U.LAR.Y Boutique in San Diego.

Cecelia Church runs this adorable shop in SD’s Little Italy.  Vocabulary sells clothing for men and women, and accessories for you and your home.  In addition to having a unique selection of products, they also have a pretty sweet design aesthetic that would have lured me in from the street, had I not already been going there to begin with.  Here’s some things I was (hopefully not visibly) drooling over during my visit.

http://www.vocabularyboutique.com/

414 W Cedar St
(between Columbia St & State St)
San Diego, CA 92101
Neighborhood: Little Italy

Cecelia, owner of Vocabulary

Cards and stationary

Hello, what are you?

Jewelry and accessories

This. This is so wonderful.

Such a great spot.  Definitely recommend stopping by if you’re in the area!  Little Italy has a lot of other cool shops and events that are always poppin off here too.  After we said goodbye to Cecelia we stopped by the farmer’s market for some fresh Uni.  (For my friend, not for me, seriously, did you think I’d put that scary creature in my mouth?!)

Fresh sea urchin!

Oh, Spring.

Spring is here.  YAY.  A lot going on in the studio including some new patterns and new products!  I lazily debuted my Spring collection dubbed “Secret Garden” then put only about a quarter of the product I made up on my Etsy site.  I’ll get there…not enough time in my week *Sigh*

A few pics of my new designs!

Set of 4 Table Napkins in “Sprung”

Table Napkin in “Rosebud”

Linen Infinity Scarf in Mint “Sprung”

Fabric by the Yard!

My latest and greatest venture is the addition of fabric by the yard!  This has been something I have wanted to try since the beginning, but have been too intimidated to attempt.  It seemed so overwhelming, but after setting up and placing the first print, it was actually a lot of fun!  And especially so when it was finished and came out so fantastically.

In other news:

MY DESIGNS ARE IN WEST ELM.

I’d make that all colored and giant, but I don’t know WordPress very well, and I might have to pay for that option…

but just in case you missed that:

MY DESIGNS ARE IN WEST ELM.

Only the Emeryville store, but c’mon, that’s still kind of amazing, no?

You can buy these little friends there

20″ Linen Envelope Pillow Covers in “Summer Moccasin”

Set of 4 Cotton Table Napkins in “Fishbone”

I haven’t seen it in the store myself yet, but a friend walked in there looking for sheets and saw my stuff.  Stoked.

Recoverie + West Elm

Up on deck I’m prepping for San Francisco’s Summer Renegade Fair at Fort Mason, July 27 + 28th!  My first solo 10×10 booth.  Excited to see how it goes.  More to come!

Last but not least, I now offer small scale block printing and design classes through the Dabble.com site!  A nice lady from their main Chicago branch told me to offer a class, so I said “ok”.  Find them here!

http://bit.ly/16pz2rx

http://bit.ly/11p4G0s

IMPRESSED by Nature

As  a member of the SFEtsy Team, I get to meet a lot of neat crafty people that work in very different mediums.  During an artist interview swap, I got the chance to talk with Kyla O’Neill, owner of “IMPRESSED by Nature”.  She creates jewelry from flowers, leaves, and other things found in nature.  Here’s what she had to say about her craft…

How long have you been pressing flowers?  And what inspired you to start?

I remember pressing flowers as a young girl, but was never quite patient enough to wait for them to fully dry!  Last summer, however, I did find a pressed daisy in a book from elementary school.  It was probably the only one that actually fully dried!

Peruvian Lily Earrings

During my adult life, I began pressing two years ago.  I was inspired by a bouquet of Peruvian lilies that my family sent me for my graduation from grad school.  As the flowers began to wilt, the petals started to fall onto the floor and I was so impressed by the details in one of them that I held it up to my ear and thought, “If only I could wear these!”  That was my first experiment with flower jewelry and the beginning of IMPRESSED by nature.

What is your favorite part about creating your art?

My favorite moment is when I get to see what the petals look like when I open up the press.  I love experimenting with new flowers, so it is always a surprise to see what they look like in their preserved state.  Some flowers hold their color almost exactly and others fade to a darker or lighter color or even disappear altogether!  It is always an inspiring transformation.

Pressing Hydrangeas

Do you usually source your flowers from within the bay area?  Have you ever considered working with plant life from other areas, and different climates?

At this point, my flowers and leaves are harvested locally.  Most of them, I harvest myself by hand from my own garden and nearby areas.  A small amount are harvested from local flower farms.  I would love to expand my selection at some point, though, the Bay Area is home to quite an abundance of floral species year round!

What is new for the Spring season?

I just pressed some brilliant red anemones and some delicate white ranunculus, both of which are currently in the height of their blooming season.  It is quite hard to find a flower that holds such a true red color as the anemone and I am psyched to have more white ranunculus to stock up for bridal jewelry.

Red Anemones

What is your favorite flower and why?

Oh well, my favorite flower of all time is the lilac, for it’s beauty and the memories that it’s fragrance evokes for me.  My favorite flower to work with would have to be hellebore.  I collected a bunch of them last spring as an experiment and ended up selling out!  They are a lesser known plant and their petals almost have the sturdiness of leaves, but with incredible detail and unusual color patterns–they almost look antique.

Do you have any other creative hobbies that don’t relate to your business?

I love making things.  I got into canning a few years ago and love canning the flavors of the season to save for the off-seasons and give as gifts to friends.  Right now, I have a stock of ginger-peach butter, fig jam, and other delectables from last summer.  I also love to garden–veggies and flowers–and have been lucky enough to have great outdoor spaces for gardening in all of my homes since I moved to the Bay Area.

Anything else you’d like to add?

My goal in creating pressed flower and leaf jewelry is to bring attention to the natural world in a wearable form.  I aim to create an intersection between nature and fashion, which is not often present in the fashion world.  I am humbled by the beauty that only nature can create and feel fortunate to have the opportunity to work with such a force each day!

White Ranunculus

You can find out more about Kyla and her jewelry by visiting her website at http://www.beIMPRESSEDbynature.com

Party Time

I celebrated my birthday a few weekends ago with an ice cream party at my flat in San Francisco.  I think if I had to have a real job it would have to be party planning.

So many fun details!

Great friends, and a 5 quarts of Bi-Rite.  Fantastic day!

31^

Spring

I know what you’re thinking.  This chick is cray cray, it’s still the dead of Winter up in here.

True, but what I’m learning in the biz community is that you need to think a season ahead to keep up with the rest of the retail world.

So it turned out that a few weeks ago, I was invited to have dinner with a lovely couple in Berkeley.  Seeing that I rarely leave the city, it was a nice change of pace.  A mini vacation get-away, if you will.

      

Aaah, nature.  I remember you..

Anyways, dinner turned into sleepover, which turned into brunch, which led me to wandering the streets of Berkeley mid Saturday.

        

Pretty amazing.  I had a nice little adventure, collected some inspiration, and am now plotting for Spring.

Can’t wait to go back.

2013..

Last year was absolutely insane.  I did waaay too many shows and kind of lost track of my focus for a while.  I did however have a BLAST with my favorite crafty vendors at all the shows and learned a lot as usual.

2013 is a fresh new year.  Things are already looking promising as I get my studio cleaned up and ready for my open house, coming up in just a week!  (better get on it!)  Recoverie.com is in the works, and should be up in a few weeks!  Also talking with some potential SF wholesalers which could be a great opportunity.  Not much to complain about, although I could use some more sleep per usual : )

Slooooowwww Dowwwwn Everything!!!

I’m back from months and months of chaos!  Turns out I DID get into Renegade fair, and I spent 2 full weeks before hand making as many new things as possible.  Definitely a learning experience.  That was about a week ago, and already I’m starting new designs for the Fall which I’m crazy excited about!  Also preparing for the first Indie Mart here in SF, coming up August 19th.  Brand new neat things for that show too!  So much happening, but loving every minute 🙂