your old room...

Globe, by Rachel Hulin

"Lately, I’ve been making quiet still-lifes in the houses and spaces where I grew up. Globe is one of these images. The globe was an item I begged for as a child. I often had whimsical notions of items I'd like to own—one year I was absolutely nuts for an electric toothbrush. The globe is extra special because it's also a lamp. Now it sits in the room I stay in when I visit my parents' house and is always plugged in and glowing when I arrive, right next to my field hockey trophy from high school. I've been thinking about making this image for years and I'm pleased to have it now." - Rachel Hulin

I can relate to this, to the comfort of things and small actions of kindness. i have a whole room of things back in my old room CA, not to mention how good coming home feels. You can buy this beautiful image here at 20x20, which has some very reasonable prices for limited edition art, and visit rachel's website here.

trees and hearts - diy wedding details...

...done! the pieces from the Miniature Rhino & 100 Layer Cake giveaway for the winners Lucy and Emily. i am pleased with the outcome and am again so grateful to 100 Layer Cake and all who entered. now off to enter the etsy/marth stewart contest with these handmade wedding pieces, which will be part of two real life weddings - i'm so proud of that fact. wish me luck!

for mon petit fantome....

my etsy boyfriend....

who showed me an incredible kindness with the gift of this hair piece! its is lovely- feathers, shells and flowers for my messy head. not just this but the paper cut prints below as well. all out of the blue. just because. how amazing are you chad! it made me so happy. many, many kind thanks! see this is why chad is my etsy boyfriend.

I Have Many Secrets The ConjurerII

the titles! find these prints and so much more good stuff at mon petit fantome's shop, flickr, and bloggy blog. but don't even think (including you mathyld) of stealing my boy... i will fight you.

p.s my real life boy insisted that i add that he took the pictures of me above.

originally uploaded by {studiobeerhorst}-bbmarie

just listened to this CraftSanity podcast about the Beerhorsts, a family who live unconventional lives supported by the art they make. urban homesteaders, artists, crafters, and an inspiration on this day as i toil away in my bedroom making little things and imagine a life in a home, with a garden and chickens. they have an etsy shop that helps support their family, and i really enjoyed these....

csa eats...

from last week...

summer bulb onions - the roots and colors...boston lettuce - most beautiful and delicious salad lettuce.harkurei Turnips - remind me of jicama. i'm such a bad vegetarian and don't think i
had ever purchased turnips before, and now i love them.genovese basil - we made pesto!
cherry tomatoes - pretty, but i won't eat these. they make me think of eye balls exploding
in my mouth. i'm wincing writing this just thinking of biting down on one of these.asian eggplant - the color! we have no idea what to make with it. any ideas?

snake skin and buttons...

...came in the mail today thanks to my etsy friend allison of monkeys always look. i like her lots!

how beautiful is this!? the patterns and coloring. it reminds me of honeycombs.
when i turned around to put my camera away i saw the bug watching me in shadow. thank you allison!!! and i can't wait to show off some more incredible goodies i got from my
etsy boyfriend, Chad of Mon Petit Fantome. that's a photo shoot for this weekend....

i'm so thankful for my short little visit to st. mary's, pa. i ache for a little nature living here in nyc. i want some trees and dirt. i fantasize about moving somewhere like here, to wake up with the sun and see deers and bears in your backyard- cause that's how i woke up here. i saw a bear two mornings in a row. ahhh! i also saw rabbits, lots of elk, bats, caught a few toads, and saw a freakin beaver! my aunt loves to go "yard sailing" and i got a bunch of new to me fabrics and linens! there are more images here with little stories...

St. Mary's...

...i'm coming back!

i'll be leaving today to visit family in St. Mary's PA for the weekend. these images are from my last trip in 2007. can you see why i need to go back!? nyc just looks and feels nothing like this, i really miss being outdoors...

a days work...

i love being home!

even if it is crazy hot here in ny- my days are my own. right now i'm so stressed about how behind i am. it makes my chest tighten just thinking of it. so i'm playing a major game of catch up and all under the watchful, ahem lazy, eye of the bug...

i've done it...

...i've quit my day job!

last friday was my last day. these past weeks have been a busy blur, a mix of excitement and intense anxiety. it was so hard to let go of a steady job and health care, but now my days are my own to work on Miniature Rhino full time! i've wanted to do this for so long and feel like there's no better time than now...

my last bit of business at my desk.i made a cake to celebrate, tricking them into eating a vegan cake.the gallery waving goodbye.

a Giveaway and Contest

the oh so kind ladies at 100 Layer Cake and i have teamed up for a little giveaway. we want to join creative forces with you! really. i wanted to enter the Martha Stewart + Etsy handmade wedding details contest with one of my custom heart samplers that would be used in an actual real life wedding. so 100 layer cake is helping me find all you brides to be that would like to use a little embroidered heart in their weddings.

to enter just head on over here, and leave a comment about how you could use this in your wedding. maybe you have a unique names or a good story too. we wanna hear it! and if you know any brides point them on over thrrr!

many thanks to all you who enter and 100 Layer Cake for helping to spread the word!

the dog...

remember the drawing piece i was working on? well, its done and found its way to it's new home, so its time to share a six year old's anatomical drawing of a dog turned into an embroidery! i loved making this so much i thought i'd share the process...

i tried to stay true to her child lines. the layout needed to be modified a bit to fit into the circular hoop...

the original drawing with the finished piece side by side....

all done...i love that tail is spelled backwards!!ready to be framed and backed...midway throughthe first step is the hardest. transferring the drawing....