When cute kids come to visit

I have to say that I know one of the cutest little girls in the world...and she just happens to be my niece Zoey.  Take a look at this awesome kid...

A little Zoey cat....

She does all of her own poses.  I am not sure what this one was, but it made me smile because she was so serious about it. :)

 She really loves Scout.  However, I do think that she is a little disappointed that Scout can't read a book or play catch.  She gave Scout a book and asked her to read it.  Scout can barely walk and bark at the same time, so reading is a little over her head. 

 And here she is showing off her muscles...while wearing goggles.  Isn't she awesome?

And these little guys are her little brothers, Isaiah and Eli.  These two beautiful little boys joined our family in June. 

Go ahead...say it...ahhh...they're so cute!

:)

Hemingway in the shop

Here is the newest design in the shop...Ernest Hemingway. 

This one was a fun one to carve!  Look at the beard!  I listened to one of my favorite groups, Mumford and Sons, while I carved out this stamp.  Turns out, this was the perfect music to carve Hemingway.  It took a little time to get it right, but I think that this little stamp will make some folks happy.  :)

Asleep on the tile

I am fairly certain that all that our dogs do during the day while we are away at work is sleep.  As point of evidence of this hypothesis, during the day on weekends our dogs are about the laziest creatures you could imagine.  You can usually find at least one of them asleep in their kennel.  Today, Scout found a nice sunny spot on the tile in the dining room to take a quick nap. 

She stirred a bit after hearing the camera's shutters, but it took her about 0.5 nanosecond to get right back into her nap. 

Hidden beauty

My husband brought me these gorgeous coral beans still in their pods that he found while working in the woods last week.  Those brown pods are quite deceptive...you would never think that such a gorgeous shade of red could be hidden within something so plain!  I couldn't resist taking some photos of these gorgeous natural finds...

 

I also just had to add these to the photo for my newest design in the Etsy shop, Henry David Thoreau...

Subtle Acts in the Indie Fixx Autumn + Holiday Galleria!

I am super excited to announce that you will be able to find some of my items in the Indie Fixx Autumn + Holiday Galleria starting September 15!  If you have not had the chance to visit this awesome site, go now!

Be not simply good, be good for something.

Even after 200 years, Thoreau still stirs thoughts and imaginations in all who read his writings.  You can hardly go a sentence without stopping to think about what he has said and apply his words to your own life.  Not only was Thoreau a writer, he was a naturalist, an abolitionist, a surveyor, and a philosopher to list just a few of his many passions.  His words also greatly influenced the Transcendentalist movement in the 1830s and 1840s.

This hand carved stamp is my homage to one of America's finest thinkers.

Card Set 

 Moleskine Cahier Journal

Thoreau

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion."    -Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Meet Molly

Meet Molly.  She has recently joined the family as my husband's parents' puppy.  She is so full of energy and is just the cutest little thing!  She loves running in between legs and can hardly sit still.  Watch as she ducks under me...that tricky little thing!  They are working at getting her trained to control her excitement, but for now she is all puppy dog energy! 

(The audio quality is not so great, but the video is cute nonetheless.)

New hand carved stamp

We love Steinbeck.  We love him so much that we once arranged a vacation in California around being able to see Cannery Row in Monterey and visit his hometown of Salinas.  East of Eden is by far my most favorite, cherished book, and Grapes of Wrath is a close second.  If you have not read either of these (or if they were forced upon you in school before you could appreciate them like I was), then you are in for a treat!  And while you read through any one of Steinbeck's many great novels or non-fiction, grab up one of these nifty little journals featuring a hand carved stamped portrait of the man himself.  :)

Oh, these dogs...

I would venture to bet that most dogs are like mine...they don't know any tricks, they make messes and don't clean up after themselves, and they rarely give themselves a proper bath.  Yet, they always want a treat as if they have done all of those things.  And we relent, give them the treat.  Why?  Because they are just too dang funny for words!  My two dogs, Punky and Scout, are constantly play fighting with each other, making more noise than their little sizes should be able to make, and are always, always, always tracking in dirt, mud, grass, leaves, bugs, sticks, etc., etc., etc...  But they have one quality that outshines all of these terrible habits - they always make us smile. 

So here is my latest item in the Etsy shop...a begging dog journal!  You need one of these, right?  :)

All that time & The way sound leaves the room - Sarah Jaffe

I just saw these videos and had never heard these songs from Sarah Jaffe until now.  What a beauty they are!  I can't wait for her new album that comes out September 27!



Sarah Jaffe : All That Time from Kirtland Records on Vimeo.



Sarah Jaffe : The Way Sound Leaves A Room from Kirtland Records on Vimeo.

New journal photos in the Etsy shop!

As we are transitioning away from summer and into autumn (YAY!), I am trying to update shop with photos that match that transition.  So, far I have only accomplished this with two of my journals, but I think that it worked out well.  Take a look...

Butterflies!!

Another new design has hit my shop...BUTTERFLIES!  I hand carved this new little stamp yesterday and was so excited to get this into my shop!  I love it!  Take a look...

Single Butterfly Card

Wraparound Butterfly Card

Butterfly Journal


And here is the carved stamp.

Cowtown Indie Bazaar

It's official!  I am going to be selling my goods at the Cowtown Indie Bazaar on October 15 in Fort Worth!  I am extremely excited to have my first show be this show...it looks like so much fun!  I can't wait! 

New in the Etsy Shop - Wilderness Card Set

This little set of cards is the first item in my shop to use my newly developed band!  I am not sure if everyone gets as excited about packaging as I do, but I couldn't wait to post these pictures with the new band!  Jeff and I worked on getting this design out over the weekend, and I think that it is just as cute as can be.  Take a look...

The osprey stamp

Since I really like my latest design, I thought I would share a photo of the osprey stamp and the tools I used to carve it.  :)

These are the same tools I use for each of my stamps.  I also use a box cutter to do major cuts away from the rubber block so that when I carve a design, I am not working with a huge piece of rubber.  

New to the shop - the osprey!!

I am really excited about this latest design. I always love to watch the design break free from the rubber block, a slight bit of anxiety running through me as I hope I don's slip and completely ruin what I have worked so hard on. Thankfully, I didn't slip with this osprey and I think that it turned out really well. :)

Etsy Front Page

The shop made it again today!

Take a leap!

Wanna see a sample of my stamps?  Here is one of my favorites - the swan diver.  I like the idea behind it...just letting it all go and trusting in your own abilities.  While I am not much of a swimmer (read: I can doggie paddle with all the rest of the kids), I love this image of leaping with full control into the water.

What a great week!

I don't want to jinx all of my good fortune of late, but I have to say that I am really excited about the recent attention my shop has received.  It all began with being included in the Etsy Finds email a couple of weeks ago...wow!  That sent quite a few folks over to my shop and resulted in a few sales.   Thank you Etsy!

And then the following Monday I was asked if I would like to send in one of my journals to a magazine (not naming names yet just in case...again, don't want to jinx it!) for a feature in November!  Umm...you bet!  So I sent off my journal and the information requested and am keeping my fingers crossed!

And then I received my first bulk order from the world's best bookstore (I should know...I was fortunate to work at the Edmonds Bookshop for a couple of years).  Thank you Mary Kay!

And then I was invited to join two extremely wonderful teams on Etsy that are full of very talented people.  Thank to the team, my work has been on the front page twice this week!   I have also had two of my treasuries on the front page of Etsy this week.

I feel a warm, golden light shining on me and could not be happier.  No matter what happens with the magazine, I am so excited about the path my shop is on!  I could not be happier with the folks of Etsy and am truly grateful to have an outlet for my creative side. 

I am also thankful for all of the positive feedback I have received from my fellow Etsy vendors...it is nice to be a part of such a positive community!

And I could not ask for a more supportive, wonderful husband who never complains about my after-work hours spent doing my work for Etsy.  In fact, he has always provided constant encouragement for all of my creative endeavours. I married him for many reasons, and this is one of them.  Thank you sweetie! :)

Yay for a great week!  And now for the weekend!