12.06.2010

a good show and a huge thank you!




the only two pictures i took at ucu this weekend. meant to take more, but i was just too busy!

monday night and i'm giving myself a tiny break to recover from an amazing weekend in seattle. this was my fist time participating in urban craft uprising, and i'm still reeling from how freaking awesome it was. over the past eight years, i haven't done many shows (retail or wholesale) for varying reasons. and when i have tried to take my work out to shows, it's been less than encouraging. ok, fine: every single show i've ever done before this has pretty much totally sucked. there, i said it. i know that as a business person, i'm always supposed to keep my chin up and put a good face forward when asked how things are going. and i'm generally pretty good at doing just that. but here's a true confession for you: bad shows are haaaaaaard to deal with. like, really hard. maybe i'm extra sensitive, but i feel like when i put my work on display, i'm really putting a little bit of my self out there to be judged, and that makes me pretty vulnerable. and no matter how confident or upbeat we designers may appear, some of us are tender creatures. we just want you to like us. and there are few things more disappointing or discouraging than working your ass off to prepare for a show, and then feeling like your work has been poorly received. it can actually be a little soul crushing.

so on the flip side of that, a successful show/sale is nothing less than exhilarating. it is totally, truly radical. and this weekend was an absolute dreamy dream in that regard. all of my hard work and anticipation was so worth it, both financially and emotionally. i had a genuinely wonderful time at urban craft, and it was a true pleasure to meet each and every person who stopped by my little table. i spend a lot of time on my own in my studio, so getting to spend two full days getting to talk to (and sell to!) customers in person was such a valuable experience for me. it is so validating and encouraging to be able to see people excited about what i do. i feel revived, invigorated, and oh so excited for things to come.

and so, my dears, a huge thank you to all of my sweet customers and supporters. every single one of your orders, kind words and comments mean so much to me. you are what makes my job and the life that i have chosen not only possible, but also gratifying, challenging and amazing every day. thank you, thank you, thank you! i can't tell you how much i appreciate it.

xo, t

11.29.2010

maker monday? and a tiny preview...




i know, i know, i've totally fallen off the tracks with maker monday posts. the holiday have overwhelmed me and i'm off my game. i super completely absolutely promise (myself) to get back on it as soon as life has calmed down a bit. it really is something i enjoy doing, and a good exercise/ritual for me. just gonna put it on hold for the rest of the year, unless i get inspired before then.
aaaaanyways! the good news about all this busy is that deadlines are insanely motivating for me, and in the midst of dealing with holiday orders and prepping for a couple of shows i'm doing next month, i seem to have somehow cobbled together the beginnings of a new collection. above is a tiny preview of new earrings. i think i posted the black/brass triangles before, but i super love them and this is a better picture so i had to include them again. i'll have a small selection of this work up at urban craft uprising in seattle next weekend, and again at an event i'm doing here in portland on december 17th. (save the date on that one! it's gonna be good!) i'm pretty happy with where this work is going, and excited to make more. as always, yays, nays, critiques gladly accepted.

11.21.2010

getaway.




dudes. the holiday madness is killing me already. it's late late saturday night, and i've only managed to cross one thing off the to do list this evening. but i'm beat. and calling it a night. luckily, i managed to sneak away to the coast for a fantastical 24 hours in lincoln city with my dear friend dana and a cadre of other fine friends. drinks were had, games were played, and the above is how i spent my morning. came home this evening to hop right back to the grind, but feeling lucky and loved and refreshed from my mini retreat. bed now. back to it tomorrow in between two birthday parties and hopefully getting to pop over to my pal azsa's art show and book release. ah, i may be tired, but busy times are good times!

11.19.2010

CRYSTALS + GOLD = TOTALLY EFFING AWESOME.




super excited about the most recent addition to our ring selection: clear quartz with gold! finally got it together to make up a little batch of these rings and send em in to get gold-ified, and i couldn't be more pleased with the result. we've got a limited number available on the site, just in time to warm up all of your winter outfits. check em out right here.

11.10.2010



in my dreams, i get to cozy up for the winter here. who's with me?
old chum always finds the best pictures.

11.08.2010

i wanna be a quilter: part 3. i am obviously insane.

so with quilt number one under my belt, i decided it was high time to dive right in to the deep end and get to going on a grown up lady quilt for myself. i could have started simple. a random patchwork or something from a nice pattern maybe. but, um, have you met me? (ok, maybe you actually haven't met me, but if you had, you would know that this is decidedly not my style.) aaaaanyways, a few months back, the lovely erin at design for mankind posted this print by bauhaus textile maven anni albers:




and i immediately fell in love. if you aren't familiar with anni albers' work, pop on over here and prepare to be thrilled. absolutely everything she made is magic. anyways! saw print, gasped with adoration, and thought: QUILT!
i mean, could it be more perfect? who knows, maybe that was anni's original intention. maybe there's a quilt of this exact design already floating around out there somewhere... in any case, i figured i'd try my hand at one too. imitation, flattery and all that. so here's my humble take on it:




that's a lot of triangles.
the original wasn't quite large enough to make a queen sized quilt with a grid of three inch squares, so i had to extend the design a a bit, which was actually far more difficult than i had anticipated. i've obviously switched up the colors and am throwing in a few yellow triangles for accents. i've got two blocks done so far, and many, many, more to go. this one is gonna keep me busy for a good long time. i can't wait to see how it shapes up, and i'll share more as it comes along.

10.29.2010

oh. god.


i don't really need to pay the mortgage this month, do i? i'm sure the bank won't mind if i just get this instead.
and with that, i wish you a lovely weekend!

10.25.2010

maker monday: lina peterson






i've been thinking more and more about incorporating textiles into my work.
lina peterson does does it beautifully.

10.22.2010

mildly obsessed with fall...










some days, you just have to play hooky and head to the pumpkin patch. tuesday afternoon was amazingly gorgeous, and the perfect opportunity to take my inaugural trip to the pumpkin patch out on sauvie island. there was a hay ride and everything! found the perfect pumpkin for carving, plus a couple wee ones for baking. also managed to pick up a few squash, an entire bucket of flowers (for $6! dana had a coupon!), and some local honey. i seem to be having a problem with amassing local, seasonal produce these days. i can't get enough of it! suppose there are worse things i could be into... which brings me to last night's dinner: this butternut squash + caramelized onion galette with a simple salad of spinach, arugula and herbs and balsamic vinaigrette. divine. i heart fall foods.

10.08.2010

hello weekend





on a little mini vacation weekend in the bay.
today: hanging out with the cutest baby in the world, who is down for a morning nap at the moment. todays activities include trying to sit up, eating some squash, and maybe even going for a walk in a bit. we are getting wild over here! she has already put her seal of approval on the new quilt by spitting up all over it. and if puking on something isn't high praise, i don't know what is.
tomorrow, my amazing friend elijah's second annual birthday pig roast. can't. wait.
above: melting rainbows by taisuke koyama, from the best time of day.

10.06.2010

vintage color wheel


love this.
via imprint.

scarf shop!



i'm having a serious scarf problem lately, and martha mcquade's recently opened scarf shop isn't going to help any with curbing my desires for dreamy swaths of fabric to wrap up in. i love the light, gauzy look of these. perfect for the bright and sunny fall days we've been having over here.
i'll take one in every color please!

10.05.2010

urban goats!







happened across these little dudes yesterday on my way to lunch. went back by today to take a few pictures and feed them a little clover through the fence. they're mowing the empty lot a few blocks down from my studio for the next couple of days apparently. looks like there are about 2 dozen or so on the job. i love them. so much cuter than some guy on a riding lawnmower.

i wanna be a quilter: part 2




after many a long night of cutting, sewing, pressing, squaring, and more than a few um, 'stern talks' with my sewing machine, quilt number one is all done and ready to head to oakland! i decided that before i jump in to the big huge dreamy dream quilt for me, i should do a practice run on a baby quilt for my favorite tiny friend (who also happens to be my namesake!). i did a zig-zag pattern with half square triangles, and machine quilted it to follow the lines of the overall pattern of the quilt. i hadn't really planned on making something this girlllllllly, but i think that all in all, it came out quite well for a first quilt, and is super appropriately baby-ish.

and with that, i am officially hooked. i think this is the part where i start clearing out my closets to make room for piles and piles of fabric, and dream of the day that i can fit a long arm quilter in my garage. next up, the big quilt: queen sized triangle madness based on a print by bauhaus textile maven, annie albers. should keep me busy for a good few months through the winter. i'll try and post updates as that one comes along.

10.03.2010

hood river: or, how i spent the day in a crazy beautiful orchard harvesting tons (literally!) of organic pears













pear harvesting was so much fun!!! even better than i expected it would be. gorgeous day, good people, and an all around excellent project. i really can't say enough good things about the portland fruit tree project, and if you're in portland i highly recommend you check them out. the basic premise is this: PFTP works with people in and around portland who have fruit trees that they either aren't going to harvest, or just have too much fruit to use themselves. groups of volunteers get together and harvest the fruit, which is then split between the volunteers and local food banks. simple, smart, and beneficial for everyone involved. lest you think that this is just some small time operation, last year, PFTP harvested a total of 15,000 pounds of fruit that would have otherwise gone to waste.
yesterday's harvest was really extra special, as PFTP was granted access to an entire d'anjou pear orchard in hood river. (harvest parties are usually just in people's back yards here in town.) there were around 40 volunteers, and we picked a total of about 4,000 pounds of pears from 50 trees. not too bad for about 4 hours of work.
we all got to bring home as much fruit as we wanted, and i can't wait to get to preserving, baking, and sharing. i feel super lucky to have been able to experience such an awesome day. extra thanks to my pal michelle for nudging me to come along with her. (and driving. and the drinking of post-harvest cocktails...)
now, what should we make with all these pears???