safe travels...

as i pack for my trip home tomorrow, new york to california, i thought of the children's book amos & boris, by william steig, about a whale and mouse who become friends. i am inspired by the inventiveness and imaginative stories and imagery of children's books and this one is exceptional, because the writing is also captivating. here is a little bit that accompanies the image above...

One night, in a phosphorescent sea, he marveled at the sight of some whales spouting luminous water; and later, lying on the deck of his boat gazing at the immense, starry sky, the tiny mouse Amos, a little speck of a living thing in the vast living universe, felt thoroughly akin to it all. Overwhelmed by the beauty and mystery of everything, he rolled over and over and right off the deck of his boat and into the sea.

i was thinking of this image as imagined me in a plane high above...

here's wishing you safe travels to all your destinations....

damn right its a lot of work!

the ny times article, That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work, about full time etsyians gave me some real perspective. (i'm not the only one) i've been doing this full time for about 5 months and for a many of my friends they see it as living the dream. working from home is amazing- there's comfort, ease, and flexibility in my daily routine that wasn't there before, but there is significantly more stress in maintaining this little business. it's my worst fear to wake up and it's gone.... i could relate to this story, and thought it was interesting for other makers and lovers of handmade to read. check it out here...

shop sale....

i still have a few things available in my shop and i'd love to share them with you! two reasons- i'd love to send some holiday mail your way while there is still a bit of time and secondly, i'll be traveling to India in january so my shop will be closed for most of the month. i'd like to make room for some new things to come! I'm so excited about India and will share more soon...

so in the mean time i'll be offering FREE SHIPPING on all items in my shop from the 16 th to, well i don't know when, i'll see how it goes, but at least for the 16th!! i'll refund payment via PayPal after purchase, just let me know you'd like free shipping...

hope you can visit my shop here....

eskimo...

it's cold out there... i'm a west coast girl and will never get used to the cold. never thought id live on the east coast and now i've been here for almost 5 years. so this me, totally overdressed, for a little walk outside. i'm no eskimo....

via sonofthesouth

tree ring print...

via tomorrow started

my jaw dropped when i saw this. seriously, amazing print and i would never have thought it was a direct impression from the tree itself, because those undulating lines look unreal. nature is a mystery...

an army...

...of little letters to be sent. please excuse the white papers on top. it's my "system" of noting what belongs to whom. i love making these, i love seeing the nice things people say to each other, i like imagining the person receiving it, and it just makes me all mushy and smiley....

Opa!

need a sweet holiday gift? how about some homemade baklava?my friend nicola is an awesome chief and has just opened up a shop on etsy, kiki's baklava, selling her homemade baklava, or as my mom calls it bak lava, so cute right? this is her family's tried and tested (many times by me, i'm lucky enough to say) recipe and its seriously delicious.

i'm so proud of her and wanted to wish her a gook luck with her new shop. maybe you need a little something sweet and i bet you have people who'd looove to receive some baklava love in the mail! here's some i received via the mail a while back. drool....

good luck nicola!!

you made my day today....

originally uploaded by seven spoons • tara
tara of seven spoons and julia rothman in cahoots with Design Sponge truly made my day today! thank you! tara used a little badge i made her on this wreath she made. pink and green never looked so good. tara's blog has some drool worthy photography and great ideas for kitchen witchery.

aaaand to there was a little miniature rhino love on Design Sponge's 2009 blogger's wishlist. 21 bloggers were asked what they'd like to give and receive and my little bee piece was chosen by julia rothman, of the insanely great blog book by its cover, as something she'd like. it actually just sold the other day! i'm feeling the love....

lets catch up...

hi! i've been gone for a bit and just wanted to say "HELLO!"

so, yesterday i braved the ny cold (and the first snow of the year!) to conquer my holiday shopping at two craft fairs, the Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale and the New New's Holiday Cavalcade. eyes on the prize, i came prepared with a list of who i was shopping for. it paid off because i got almost all my holiday shopping done in one day. i feel great about supporting handmade and my local craft community!!

i have to say that the new new etsy team, which i'm proud to be a member of, brought it. i was really proud of them- everyone's table looked great and beyond looks they had quality wares!

here are a few of my favorites from both fairs:jtopolski- i couldn't resist a bee necklace for me.

amble through bramble- oh my, i got my moms something so good here! it was one of those things that took me by surprise and i knew that it was the perfect gift to give.wren handmade- glad to have discovered her works and lovely blog.

virgina kraljevic- had the cutest packaging and sweet little pins.

and lemmmakeit had these great tear drop necklaces. when i saw this pirate boat complete with tiny bird pirate on her blog i had to share. apparently she makes crafts martha stewart and this was featured on the show. (are you seeing this miss crowland?!)

there were so many great makers, so i'm sorry if i missed you.

the end. whew!