Spellbound

So last week, with Molly's help, we put my new Kahn Man line together (really it's unisex!). I just dropped off a HUGE order today at Spellbound. I'm very excited to be working with Mara and to have my work in her beautiful boutique. The pieces will be featured prominently on the men's side in a rustic, antique case. They carry a wide array of women's and men's clothing, great bags and belts and accessories. While I was there I snagged the Salaam Lucy Dress in a striped grey and white knit, perfect for these chilly days. Very soon they will have an online shop too!

Artist Feature: Althea Designs

Today I'd like to introduce Althea Freeman-Miller. I just love her block prints. Last year I saw her show at Uncommon Grounds. I liked so many of her pieces that I couldn't choose. Through mutual friends, I saw her Facebook page and that she recently opened an Etsy shop. I was happy to be her first customer. So excited to read that she'll be hanging prints at the Skinny Pancake this evening. Her show will be up until the new year. You can even buy them right off the wall and take them with you! They make great holiday gifts. 

How lovely is this Vermont!?

Her studio is swoon worthy. So much color and wood and light.

These motorcycle boots are rad!

 I like the detail yet homespun-ness of this anatomical heart. 

Althea writes on her website: "All I ever want to do is make things. I specialize in linoleum block printing because I am fascinated by the simplicity and personality of carved lines. I love the abundance and repetition relief printing has to offer. I’m inspired by little things that make life better, like rocking chairs, Swiss army knives, and tacos! I love feeling an appreciation for the world around me. My favorite prints have a sense of humor and a well balanced composition. They are often tributes to an under credited beauty: a carrot, a horse shoe crab, or a cheese grater. I use color very playfully. I like bright happy color combinations including bold blues, oranges, and deep greens." 

Her celebration of the ordinary is so appealing. All the pieces look so great together. About her process: "I begin a piece by studying my subject matter. I usually end up with a series of pencil drawings,  trying different angles and prospectives. It helps to imagine myself carving as I draw, finding opportunities to add texture and always keeping negative space in mind. There is always the decision if I will carve the back away or the design into the linoleum. Perfecting my drawing is the most time consuming part of the process. I use Japanese wood carving tools and linoleum mounted blocks. All my designs are printed on quality printmaking paper with soy-oil based inks. A wooded spoon or a 4 inch baren is used to rub the back of the paper while it lies on an inked block. Prints are mounted to up-cycled wood. All pieces are finished with a clear coat to protect the ink. They are sold ready to hang. Seeing my designs displayed on wood backing makes my process feel compete. It’s as if the image has come full circle and returned to a wood block." 

This is the bicycle print that I ordered from her Etsy shop. You get to choose the color of the ink and the color of the painted wood, it's nice to be able to customize what you want and having the print on the wood block does give it so much more substance. Custom orders do take a few weeks though so now is a great time to order for the holidays. I placed mine next to my back door and I enjoy that it's like a sign to remind me that my bicycle is right outside. Oh and look at that, right next to my Skinny Pancake hat -how perfect!

This week in pictures

The most beautiful time of the year in Vermont! Been taking a lot of photos...

View of Mansfield in all it's fall glory from Underhill

This tree in Underhill was fiery red!

Gorgeous yellow trees by the King St Ferry

Sunset view from the Ice House

Kayaking on Lake Champlain

Visiting Kiwi pup at Celie's

Patiently (not so patiently) waiting for a treat

At Celie's - like a painting!

Love the colors - at Celie's

Kithcari lunch with Celie

Pear and Root Chakra Wrap

Finished a BIG order for Ode boutique!

Necklaces for Ode! 

What glorious autumn things have you been up to?

Ahh Vermont!

Not a bad week for food, music and movies. So good to be home in Vermont in the thick of summer. 

Loved picking up our Intervale farm share, so many veggies right now!

And so many flowers!

Concerts on the green at Shelburne Museum are one of the best things to do in the summer. Friday night we enjoyed Nickel Creek.

Great to be at the Artist Market after missing a couple weeks. I was able to finish a bunch of earrings in time for it. So many cute pups, got to meet this lil chi who looked like a baby kangaroo! 

Managed to eek out a new earring design too! My mom was in town and we all hit up some of our favorite spots. Leunig's for dinner, Pennycluse for breakfast...Pizzeria Verita for incredible prosciutto/arugula/cherry/honey pizza and TIRIMISU! 

 We scored a Jumponit deal for the Spirit of Ethan Allen II narrated cruise around the lake. So gorgeous and informative. Did you know Winooski is Abenaki for "this is where the wild onions grow"?  Somehow we circumvented the storm.

I was waiting for the rainbow, it appeared right before we went in to see a movie. We saw Lucy, I loved it. We shopped at Burlington Records, Barge Street Canal, and Vintage Marketplace. We made a great meal and watched The Way - highly recommend this movie.

My mom has one of pretty much everything I've made but she picked out a new pendant.

 Last night Brando and I went to Old Crow At Shelburne Farms cause the party never stops. I wish summer would last forever!  

 Through all the fun I did manage to get work done too and dropped off a batch to Trinket today. 

Shout Out to Amanda Young

Making jewelry and sitting a lot to make jewelry can take a toll on the body. I started seeing Shanti Mama Amanda Young a year ago. She is an AMAZING massage therapist and Doula. I've had a few massages in my life but never saw someone regularly until Amanda. Her studio, in the Chase Mill, is so inviting and peaceful filled with lovely scents and soothing music.

I prefer deep tissue massage. It loosens muscle tissues, releases toxins from muscles and gets blood and oxygen circulating properly. After a session I feel so much lighter, looser and relaxed.

Amanda is so warm and so comforting, she has a way of being both professional but relaxed and open. She's very easy to talk to and will customize the session to your needs. She's super skilled in the rhythms of the body and deeply cares about the art of massage and bringing health and well being to her clients. I know so many locals who see Amanda regularly and she has just been nominated for a Seven Daysie Award! Vote for Amanda! She so deserves this recognition!

She has this to say about her practice: "Shanti Mama Wellness has grown out of a love of tradition, of peace, of healing and of acceptance. There are many things that we cannot change but we can affect how we treat our spirit and our bodies. Shanti, a Sanskrit word meaning peace and tranquility, reflects my intention that this work brings peace into the lives of those who receive it and encourages my clients, whether it is in the birthing room or in the massage studio, to breathe, be present, and be at peace."

Sneak Peak...Wholesale Catalog

Suddenly realized I had to make my wholesale catalog right away and I've gathered up some wonderful local friends and customers to help a sister out. Can't believe how well the photo shoots have gone. I've been meeting these lovely ladies at coffee shops, eateries, their shops, their studios, their restaurants. They've met up with me on their way to the gym, on their way back from yoga, in the middle of painting, sewing, construction, in between sales at their shops. It's been crazy and amazing how quickly and seamlessly thing have been coming together. 

Here's a sneak peak of one of the pages. I just love the authenticity of all of it...real women, real friends who really wear my work in real places and aside from taking the time to do the photo we get to actually enjoy lunch, or tea, or a quick visit. It's such a nice way to see people during what can be a very cold/dark and isolating time of year. Most of the ladies, if not wearing their own pieces are wearing pieces very similar to what they already own of mine. I'm loving my new camera too, feeling very professional. Each day after shooting I work on the layout of the pages, add the close up jewelry photos and text. Can't wait to share it...for now here's what I think I'm going to use for the cover...what do you think?

Vermonting

Realizing I hadn't been outside of Burlington for almost a month I was really looking forward to a day trip that Nicole and I have been planning for a while now. Yesterday we did a little tour of VT, down route 7. It was super sunny and a balmy 25º, a good day to be out and about. We were kinda scoping out potential places to sell our wares but mostly just happy to be out enjoying the countryside, yummy food and cute shops.

Our first stop was Common Deer in Shelburne. They opened at the end of last year. This place had a great rustic feel. Lots of lovely wooden antiques mixed with home decor and gifts. I'm very tempted to go back for a beautiful old wood blanket box.

Then we ventured on to Bristol. This was my first time to this cute little village. It reminded me of an old Western town.

Birds and deer.

The pulsing heart of Bristol seems to be the vibrant Emeralrose Gifts. Totally my kind of shop, full of exotic treasures, tribal jewelry and global gifts. The owner, Jen, is such a delight and we got to hear about her exciting travel plans. She started carrying some of my work last November and I'm hoping to get more over there in the spring.

Fun to see my Chakra wraps as soon as we walked in. We also stopped by the Bristol Bakery, what a sweet little place.

Next stop was Middlebury. Hadn't been there for years and years. The waterfalls made some beautiful ice patterns.

Love how the ice resembles the dilapidated building. We had  lunch at the Two Brother's Tavern and walked around the town. We checked out a really cute shop called Clementine, full of baby items, kitchen goods and cards.

Nicole's been doing a lot of birding out in Addison so we made our way over there to see if we could spot a Snowy Owl. After looking through the fields and trees we finally found this one perched far away on an owl house (made for a different kind of owl but she didn't seem to care). I was so excited to get some great shots with my new camera, amazing how far away we were but I was able to zoom in and see this beautiful creature.

We timed it well because we were also able to get some great sunset photos and I love me some sunset photos.

We headed to Vergennes to warm up with some hot cocoa and treats at Vergennes Laundry and then visited Rebecca at Heartfire Henna. What a fun day! It all worked out so well and I still can't believe I got to see the magical Snowy Owl. Feeling inspired by all of the beauty.

My Work at The Stowe Craft Gallery

Really excited to have my work at the Stowe Craft Gallery. This is the start of a transition for me. I'm pulling my work into two lines. A higher end line consisting mostly of silver and a wholesale line - mostly copper and brass - (more on that in another blog post soon). It's nice to see my pieces on display here and I've been told many pieces have sold already. So if you're in the area check out this wonderful gallery - recognized locally and nationally for fun shopping, great service, and unique products.