Almost Fall

And I somehow managed not to post here in about a month. Let’s just say there’s been some stuff going on, and leave it at that. Not bad stuff, just busy stuff.

Like, I created these new mixed media pieces for summer. The pieces include paint and collage, as well as tissue flowers that are hand-sewn to the canvas. They are each 8”x10” in size, and available for sale. If you’d like one, hit me up and I will sell it to you for $50, US shipping included.. (I’ll be adding them to the online shop later this week at $53, plus shipping.)

In addition to celebrating summer, I’ve been adding stock to my shelves at MADE. Artisan Marketplace in Woodbury, New Jersey. Just take a look at this gorgeousness:

And! MADE is going to have an official grand re-opening on Saturday, September 14th. The shop will be open that day starting at 10 a.m., but the real festivities will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will include an art auction, live music, refreshments, and hands-on crafts. You should totally swing by there before that if you are in the area, because the entire place is radiant. And the Painted Bridge Coffee shop, which is attached, has amazing La Colombe coffee.

Wedding-ready

I mean, technically, we aren’t ready, but at least we’ve decided (a) when we are leaving to go to my cousin’s daughter’s wedding, (b) where we are staying, (c) what we are wearing, (d) what the gift is, and (e) when we are coming home again.

And we’ve picked a wedding card. For the first time ever, we are using one of MY cards. I know that might sound strange, since I’ve been turning art into greeting cards for almost two years now, but it really is the first time we are using one for ourselves. This is, in part, because I adore greeting cards and often shop for them everywhere I go (especially if I’m in locations with museums or independent stationers and a good card assortment).

Sonnet 116 by W. Shakespeare

Shall we to the marriage of true minds admit impediments? Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or threatens with the remover to remove. Oh no! It is an ever-fixèd mark that looks on tempests and is not shaken. It is the star to every wandering bark . . .

This will be the card that goes with (okay, contains) our guest. This card is available at Olde Pear Primitives in Cape May, NJ, and at MADE. Artisan Marketplace in Woodbury. It, and all of its friends, are also available in my online shop, which you can access using the button below!

And hey! If you are interested in signing up for my mailing list, where you will get information on new products, what is happening, plus more. Just click on over to my “home” page and fill in the form!

Fireflies and Sparklers

The first lightning bugs I saw this year were just before the Solstice. I love seeing them flash by now, conjuring memories of childhood and chasing (and sometimes catching) them in the yard with my brother and our cousins. They remind me of happy, sweaty nights running around outside, of mosquito bites and popsicles, of box fans in the windows. Those flashes of light remind me, too, of the sparklers that come with the 4th of July--a holiday that is rushing at us, and will arrive in the middle of next week.

"Soaring" An original mixed-media collage on watercolor paper, comes matted and framed. $64

This time of year is a good one to remember how our country became independent, and how it's up to all of us to protect our independence. It's a good time of year for sparklers (if you like them - I . . . like seeing them, but won't handle them), for paying attention to safety rules when it comes to fireworks, and to celebrating with patriotic music and red, white & blue decor. It's a good time for hotdogs and burgers, for clambakes and corn on the cob, for fresh watermelon (hopefully without seeds, though I remember with fondness my grandfather teaching us how to spit them off the porch), and for popsicles. It's a good time for "Stars and Stripes Forever", whether you sing about web-footed friends or not, and for the 1812 Overture (because CANNONS!, though the song was written in 1880 to commemorate the Russians beating back Napoléon back in 1812), and for ooh-ing and ahh-ing with neighbors when your town does its firework display.

And it's a good time to spend a day clearing out your cupboards to get rid of expired food (throw it out!) and stuff you really don't want anymore (donate it to a local food pantry- just because it's warm doesn't mean that everyone has access to food; this is especially true for families who relied on free breakfast and lunch during the school year and now have to figure things out seven days a week instead of just on the weekend, and for seniors who sometimes don't have the same programs available to them during the summer months to help them with food security). Because independence is great, and Independence Day can be awesome, but remembering that we're all inter-dependent is still a good thing, and helping your neighbors (even if you don't know them, really) is a good way to celebrate our interdependence, and to help them feel they're still independent.