Monkeys Part Deux

Blue Without You

After working at a girls' lifestyle magazine for many years I find myself using puns, typing acronyms like they're going out of style (LOL!) and saying "cute" ALL the time. So when our company recently had layoffs there was no pun or "cute" about the whole situation. Was there an acronym? Of course: WTF?
However, almost 2 weeks have passed and as we're gathering items for gift baskets for the friends we're missing I created a dose of "girl" to hopefully put a smile on their faces. I'm going to write little "We're blue without you" notes on them. And, yes, I totally understand that no amount of M&M's will ever heal the hurt of being laid off. But, if I should be laid off someday, please keep the M&M's coming good and strong. I'm convinced it would help me somehow.

Monkey Line-up

A new batch of monkeys!

Fall Dinner

My relatives were in town last weekend. Lindsay, my future cousin-in-law, is an awesome cook. So, while she cooked dinner for 7 I threw together a centerpiece for the table which was inspired by the gorgeous leaves we picked while hiking at Devil's Lake.
The rocks are from the Porcupine Mountains. The candles are from the beautiful . . . IKEA.

Breath of Fresh Air

Dan and I spent a perfect day at one of our gorgeous state parks.

Project Progress

Just a few pictures showing the projects I've been working on the past week!

Birds for red-haired Shannon:


Monkeys for fun (the guy on the right needs some ears - oops!):


I gathered a bunch of rocks and bark at the Porcupine Mountains. I was inspired to make this little guy. I'm thinking a whole series of these "Creatures of Nature" would be fun! What do you think?

Three

That's how many years I've been lucky enough to call this cute boy all my own.
Happy Anniversary!

Vacation High Part Deux

As a result of being inspired on vacation I was productive this evening!
Take a look at the creative cyclone that swept through my studio:

Vacation High

I'm back from a week up north.
I was inspired by many things during my vacation. 

• My grandma's garden. 

• My mom's friend Cathy's fabulous home in the country.

• My mom. (Even though she'll deny it, her words of wisdom could fill the lake behind her!)

• My dad. Who wouldn't be inspired by a man who puts up his own garage BY HIMSELF in a matter of 2 months. (Um, that's while he's working full time.)

•My aunt Kathy (not pictured). The way she approaches life and all of the obstacles life puts in her path gives me something to reflect upon when I am feeling doubt, sadness or anger. Her actions - and her beautiful smile - are greater than words.

• And most of all by nature.

Heading Home

I'm leaving today for my most favorite place in the whole world.

Sneak Peek

Just a sneak-peek photo of a project I'm working on.
Stay tuned to my blog for the outcome!

I Love the Farmer's Market

The farmer's market is definitely one of my favorite activities in the summer. This year I've been able to go almost every weekend that it's been open. This morning I remembered to bring my camera. Here's what I love about the farmer's market.
I love seeing what's in season.
I love the people-watching.
I love the musicians sprinkled around various spots on the sidewalk.
I love the colors.
I love the abundant choices of pastries.
I love the liberal vibe.
I love it all!

Baby Loves Monkey

My good friend Gina had a baby about a month ago. Little Will needed a monkey friend to hang out with. It looks like Will wasn't quite ready to play yet.

I love birds

Corkboard, Corkboard on the Wall . . .

I found this great mirror at St. Vinny's and thought the frame would be perfect for the corkboard I've been wanting to put up in my studio. I swapped the mirror for cork, added some paint and voila!

My Holm Girl

I love Scandinavian design. Maybe it was my first trip to IKEA, or maybe it was learning in design classes that "less is more." However, my love for stuff doesn't always go hand in hand with the simplicity of Scandinavian design.

When my mom and I went to Scandinavia a few years ago it was like being a kid in a candy store. I've never wanted so many unnecessary but oh-so-awesome things in my life. The only thing that stopped me from buying everything in sight was the fact that I was thousands of miles away from home. Note: next time take a boat!

It was only recently that I became aware of Norwegian designer Catherine Holm's dishware. Her line of mid-century pots, pans, bowls, etc. would be the perfect addition to my kitchen—if only there was room!

Rabbits

The first time I saw a rabbit in our backyard I believe I exclaimed, "CUTE!"
However, times have changed. Those rabbits are not cute when they're eating my beautiful flowers.
I realized I had to do something when I found myself flying out the back door early Saturday morning in my nightgown in a bit of a rage over a little bunny eating a breakfast of freshly grown Columbine.
"NOOO! Get out, get OUT!!!"

Something had to be done.
So I built a fence.

And now a few photos of what I'm protecting.

Fabric Finds

I enjoy perusing the clearance items at clothing stores for great fabric prints that might be useful in any number of projects. When I saw this shirt on clearance in the girls’ section of Old Navy, I knew I had to have it.


Now it is the perfect addition to my craft room window.


I love using clothes to turn into other things because I don’t have to sew as many seams! Call me lazy, or call me genius.

Design Projects

I'm currently working on a variety of little side projects.
Two (or more) of them are for my long-time friend Erin who has recently moved. I blurred the address just in case the paparazzi are reading my blog.
The first is their moving cards:


We added the "woof" next to Sadie the dog's name since people would probably wonder when she had her 4th kid.
I also should give proper credit to my partner in all things, Dan, who helped me on this design.

The next project is the return address labels for their moving card envelopes. The envelope is a blue/turq color. Which one do you like? I'd be happy to design some for you, too! I can do custom orders.


Here are some that I've designed in the past:

This is the best day EVER!

Happy 4th of July!

Craft Challenge #4

Shelley challenged us with the theme of "dolls." 

This was especially fun for me. I adore dolls. I played with Barbies until I was 12 (or was it 13?). In my defense it was more acceptable to play with dolls back in the '80s, however I'm sure I would have been a closet doll-player in this day and age, too. In fact, I just might be!

Hello, dollies!

Shelley created a doll using felted sweaters. The hair is especially clever - embellishments used at Anthropologie for their Christmas bags. Way to recycle, Shelley.

Carrie knitted an super-cute cat. She needle felted the eyes, nose and heart. So adorable!


I used fabric scraps, felt, embroidery floss, and more to create this pint-sized gal.




And so ends our first installment of the Craft Challenges. We're taking a break for the summer so we can work on our own projects. Carrie: finding a house, Shelley: running her husband's law firm and her daughter's life, and myself: too many to list. I'll post my progress!