Have You Met Spoonflower!

Have you met Spoonflower! I was introduced earlier this year via another amazing Etsy artist's blog, the infamous and pixie like Emily Martin of The Black Apple. Since this little introduction I've fallen head over heels in love with Spoonflower! This wonderful business is an independent designer's dream ! On Spoonflower.com you can design your own fabric! No minimum order requirement, no requirement for bulk yardage. Submit your design and order! I have been dreaming that a service like this would be made available! In my mind they are an integral part of supporting independent designers and the indie handmade movement. I am absolutely thrilled that my "Wolf and Little Red" fabric was selected by the wonderful people of Spoonflower.com as as one of four fabric designs that could be made available for a limited time on the Spoonflower Etsy shop. It is up for vote along with three other wonderful fabric designs! You can vote for your favorite by visiting the Spoonflower Blog here!

Christmas Comforts

Each year we try to get down to the center of town to stroll Christmas Village. My parents used to take me through the park when I was little and I have very fond memories of peeking into all of the little elf houses to see what was going on inside. More and more these houses have been adopted by giant businesses and the decor has moved away from the spirit of the season and more towards advertisement. Santa was even MIA on Christmas Eve. But this gave another opportunity to expand on the tale of St. Nicholas and his goings ons. However towards the end of our stroll a bit of handmade was depicted in one of the homes...A SOCK MONKEY! Anyway here are some pics from the village.

My Handmade Christmas!

Yay! I've had so much fun making goodies and gifts for friends and loved ones over the last couple of days! Here are some chocolate pizzelles I made this morning. Pizzelles are an Italian cookie, but there are also scandanavian versions of this darling cookie as well called Krumkake. I could go broke collecting the different style of irons that make beautiful patterns on the cookie! This is the first time I made a chocolate version! The variety of flavors you can make is countless!




I also made some cashew and vanilla caramels, combining a Martha Stewart recipe with another recipe. I love cashews and I love caramel, so it was all I could do not to gobble up the whole lot of them!




Lastly, I finished up a little puppy pop art for my dear neighbor! She has the cutest little Boston Terrier named Zoe. I've been helping her watch the little one during the day. Marzipan, my little Coton de Tulear puppy, just loves her to death! He's so protective and snugly with her. So I put together some cute little puppy pop art prints for her to enjoy. You should have seen me howling at her to get her to tilt her head just right. So sweet!







Here's wishing you a happy handmade holiday as well!

Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood Keepsake Boxes!

Yay! A shop update today! I just added these two adorable wooden keepsake boxes featuring my Dark Forest Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood illustrations. You can find them here: Fables and Foxes

Illustration Friday! Similar

Cuddles 8 x 10 art print: Although they are different species, they are similar in nature.

More Pillow Talk!

Yay! I zipped over to my mom's house this morning to find that she had completed the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood applique pillows. She said she let out little "horay" when she finished them. Her craftsmanship and attention to detail on these is phenomenal! She came over to my house this afternoon and I gave her a photo tutorial and showed her how the Fables and Foxes shop was looking. She said, "I haven't been this excited about sewing in a long time!" I think we've found a perfect way for us to blend our skills and make something that is truly magical. She's already starting on getting three more pillows together using the same red fabric in the background!

Anyway they are available here!

The Keeper

I just updated my Fables and Foxes shop with this little papercut, The Keeper Art Print. Such wonderful things lurk in the deep and dark forest. Dare to step in and you never know what the outcome might be. Maybe something wonderful, magical, made up of the pure essence of all things you love. Or linger on the outskirts. Peer from the boundaries. Dance around the edges and never know the wonders that await. I've been thinking of the new year. I'm going to into the deep, dark forest. I'll be sure to leave a trail of crumbs if you'd like to follow!

Pillow Talk!

So I got an update on the pillows! They look fantastic and oh so improved from the latest post about them! They take a bit of time to create, but the final outcome is so worth it! I can't wait to put them up in the shop. My mom just showed me them in their near final sates! I left her house giddy as a school girl! Hopefully Tuesday will be the day!

Thanksgiving Etsy Shop Update! Just in time for Black Friday!

I do love a holiday! I'm especially excited to let you all know that I've added three new illustrations to my GumballGrenade etsy shop tonight! Just in time for my Black Friday - Cyber Monday promotion! These art prints, Nestled, Tuckered, and Cuddles are done in a bit of a different style than my usual illustrations, but I just love the way they turned out! I have many more that will be done in this style this coming year!

Also, since today is about being appreciative, I feel it's important to mention a few things I'm thankful for this year:

1. My family!
2. Health
3. Friends
4. Paper, Pencils, Pens
5. My Etsy supporters!
6. The Utah Etsy Team, they are such an energizing group of creative individuals. I'm also grateful for the success of our first ever Handmade Harvest! I was so nervous about launching this event. Despite my nervousness, it turned out to be a success and we were able to raise $400 for Utah's Road Home Shelter in less than 1 month! Yay!
7. Chocolate

Pillow Prototypes!

I completely envy my Mom's sewing skills! She's been an avid sewer since her teen years. For her sewing was her personal retreat. Well this coming year one of my goals is to learn how to sew. However, she and I just recently collaborated on a pillow project! I'm so excited to be offering similar pillows in my Fables and Foxes shop within the next couple weeks. Until then, here's a little peek at our pillow prototypes! The second picture shows the back of the large (16 inch) red riding hood pillow.

Dog Outfits

So this Halloween I came dangerously close to putting Marzipan in a costume! Now I stopped myself as I realized, with costume in hand, that this was a threshold I was not yet ready to cross! Anyway this morning I threw on some bear ears and this is most likely as close as I'll ever get to dressing up my dog!

Finally A PMC Tutorial

This is not all that well put together, but it does show you a bit about the firing of PMC fine silver, for those who are curious.

Some fancy pants Moleskine Notebooks!

I love these little cashier notebooks. They have a perfectly smooth surface for printing on. I updated my Fables and Foxes shop with these yesterday and today....I'll be adding some additional fine silver pieces and maybe a small tutorial if my camera cooperates (walks away muttering and growling under her breath).

Harmonious Living

I love waking up to see all the little animals loving each other, bouncing around the house in playful romps. A sweet little scene this morning at the watering hole quickly dissipated as the aggressor, Boris the cat, tried to claim Marzipan's dog dish for his own. If only the harmony in nature wasn't so fleeting.

And now a glimpse at a new piece. As I type this the tip of my index finger sends the signal of "ouch tender skin!" up to my brain due to it wanting to blister from pressing so hard on the knife blade as I cut each leaf out on this piece.) It's worth it though.

"Wanting In Wheat Fields"

And this lovely little tidbit from Wiki! "Anthropomorphism is a well-established device in literature from early times. Aesop's Fables, a collection of short tales written or recorded by the ancient Greek citizen Aesop, make extensive use of anthropomorphism, in which animals and weather illustrate simple moral lessons. One poet who made high art of the literary device was the northern renaissance poet Robert Henryson in his Morall Fabillis, where the blend of human and animal characteristics is especially subtle and ambiguous. The Indian books Panchatantra (The Five principles) and The Jataka tales employ anthropomorphized animals to illustrate various principles of life.

In conjunction with other symbols it's a goldmine for the creative mind. This piece surprises me though, it's like a journal entry for me visible only in symbols and it directly correlates to what's going in the present for me. Revelation. Hmmm. Prints are now available in my FablesAndFoxes.etsy.com shop!

Things I've Read of Bears

Things in books are always so intriguing! This is the latest print being offered in my new Etsy shop, Fables And Foxes, called "Things I've Read Of Bears"! So Far I have two absolute favorites, two that seem a bit more special to me than the rest. Is that wrong to say? I don't think so...I can recount a couple original paintings that have been heartbreaking for me to part with, but I'm left with the comfort of knowing they're now in happy little homes.

Invitation Project

A few pics of an invitation project:

A Love for Being Distressed

I love the charm, romance, and mystery of old looking things. There is a certain mystery that’s carried with well loved things that have been kept and handled over long periods of time. Even more, I love special, little findings, treasures, and secrets to hide away and keep safe in trusted places. Each box has been gently distressed and sealed to give it an old antique feel. They were added to my Fables And Foxes shop yesterday!

You Were My Ship

One of my latest papercuts , "You Were My Ship". A girl, the sea, a ship, and a sense of something lost, leaving, or both. Also... there is going to be a shop update today! I'm just waiting for daylight to snap some photos of the little lovelies! Here's a hint...think treasures.

The Tortise and the Hare

I can't put my scissors and knife down. This is clearly becoming an addiction. Above is a preview of what's to come. Today was definitely a hectic day. I want to curl up like that little bunny and have a rest against a large, gnarled, old tree. Really, the race doesn't matter all that much to me. Some days it's just nice to settle on back into your own spot in the universe and take it a bit slower.

Winter Illustration Series is Finished!

It's been an extremely busy week between volunteering for an international group that supports literacy and setting up Fables And Foxes, (my new Etsy shop). Nevertheless, I still managed to finish out my winter series of illustrations. I plan on adding these little cuties to some hang tags and Christmas cards as well!

Yay! Fables and Foxes is Up and Running!

Finally! I've been wanting to open Fables and Foxes for some time now and it's here finally! These illustrations and items were needing a little shop of their own. I love the feel of the shop although it's drastically different than the illustrations featured in the GumballGreande shop. Hopefully they'll carve out their own little niche within Etsy as I love them dearly. I love that I've found a way to combine my illustrations and paper cuts with jewelry! I was so excited that I couldn't even sleep last night! Here are some of the creations:

Little Red Riding Hood and Halloween!

A Little Red Riding Hood papercut that I did this morning! She's one of the first prints that will soon be available in my soon to be stocked up Etsy shop: FablesAndFoxes. I plan on launching about 6 prints on Sunday! This is the first!

More Winter Scenes

I went ahead and revised my Polar Bear King illustration to match the little foxy illustration below. I'm working on making this a series of three winter illustrations. The final illustration will be a little rabbit. Hopefully it will be complete by tomorrow and then all three will post as a set! Until then enjoy this little "Winter Bear".

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

GROSGRAIN MINI STORE OPENING NOVEMBER 6!!!!! AND BIG PREVIEW GIVEAWAY!!!!

A Friend in Winter

"Friend in Winter" 8 x 10 inch print

"A little red fox sits quietly in the forest,

listening to quaking leaves sing their wintry chorus.

Tracks mark the way to a cozy den.

We’ll see you when the aspen grove blooms again."

I just updated my Etsy shop with this winter themed illustration. It seems to me that things become more crisp and clear in winter. Even one's thoughts. I'm hoping to work this illustration on to some cards and hang tags as well! The little poem needs some work, but you get the idea!