Sprung

Spring has finally sprung up here.  We have buds on the trees, seedlings up in the garden, and a barefoot baby in the grass.  I'm off to Virginia this weekend for a little pre-wedding celebration with my good friend Heather.  I'm hoping to put up some pics of her and her fiance's gorgeous apartment over the next few days, as well as some pics of the Virginia wine country.  But if I don't get to it in time, have a great weekend!

Busy Busy

I've been busy busy in the studio getting ready for Twist Fair in Northampton, MA on May 6th and 7th.  I am showing both Rebecca Haas Jewelry and Fiddleheads for Fiona which should be fun, and a little hectic.   And it is the 1st time I'll be showing my Fiddleheads work in public (besides Etsy) so there's lots to do.  I've been working on a new display system for it, since displaying paper goods and 2D art is so different from displaying jewelry.  I've just ordered a custom piece from a woodworking friend that I am pretty excited about.  In fact, I am pretty excited about how the whole thing is going to come together.  Here are some of the components I've been playing around with.  It isn't much to look at yet, but I'll be sure to photograph the end result!

And here's a new pen and ink card design that I am going to modify into some super cute, multi color but minimalist gift cards.   

All of this work will be finalized by Twist.  I hope if any of you are in the area you will stop by and say hi!

Easter Fun

I hope you all had a lovely holiday weekend!  Here are some highlights from our long weekend with old friends visiting from Brooklyn.  If you would like any of the recipes we used go here.

Snow

SO not pleased

Etsy Foraging Friday - Easter Edition

Hooray! Welcome to the second edition of Etsy Foraging Friday on Campestral!  (I am heartily congratulating myself on sticking to my new weekly series for two consecutive weeks)  This week I have selected a few of my favorite finds that are (loosely) Easter themed, in honor of the holiday weekend.  Enjoy!

Click to find:

The Leaping Rabbits Mobile by Artisanie Europe here.

Fresh Print 5x7 photograph of fresh eggs by Abby Powell of AbbyTrysAgain here.

These gorgeous jackrabbit necklaces by the lovely Jennifer at OdetteNewYork here. 

This set of 3 enchanting Old World Decoupaged Eggs by CatnipStudioToo here.

Happy Easter or Passover everyone!  Have a lovely weekend!

Penguin Depression

I don't want anyone to take this as a non endorsement of this book, because we all love this book in our family.  It is a really great story of individuality, courage, and creativity.  And perhaps this is the sort of thing you notice after the 50th or 100th time through a particular book.  But every time I read this page it makes me laugh a little and think, isn't this perspective of the future a little dark for a penguin?

New Project

I'm really excited about these new mixed media art tiles I am working on for Twist Fair on May 6th and 7th on Northampton, MA and my Etsy Shop.  I will let you know when they are finished!

Lunch

TH is feeling a little under the weather, and it is a bit damp and chilly up here today, so I made a nice hearty soup for our lunch.  It is an improvised recipe from what we had in the fridge, which was an open can of black beans.  So in the end it was a chipotle black bean and rice soup garnished with monterey jack cheese, chopped tomato and scallion.

Things and Stuff

I stumbled on a great food blog last night called Seasoned to Taste.  I tried an older recipe of hers for stir fried cellophane noodles which was very tasty and quick.  Recently she has posted a couple of interesting recipes using poached eggs which I am hoping to try soon.

First photo: Bacon and Leek Risotto with Wild Mushrooms and Poached Egg.

Second Photo: Breakfast Pizza 

And on a totally unrelated note, I love this seaside themed stamp set from Yellow Owl Workshop via Kickcan and Conkers.  I am also coveting Yellow Owl's book on hand-printing techniques.

Etsy Foraging Friday - Everything is Illuminated

So so far I haven't been exactly good about keeping up weekly blog segments.  But I'm trying a new one, and I am hoping this one will stick, and I'll tell you why.  I recently joined an team of fellow Etsy sellers, called Project Treasury.  For those of you who aren't familiar with Etsy.com, it is an online marketplace where independent crafters and designers, as well as vintage clothing and furniture sellers, can set up shops to sell directly to consumers.  There is a whole community aspect of Etsy as well, which is too complicated for me to explain, or actually even understand, but suffice it to say the end outcome is that I spend a lot of time on Etsy trolling around and window shopping.  I am constantly amazed and impressed by how many intensely creative people there are out there making beautiful, original and whimsical things with their own two hands.  So I thought it would be nice to share some of the highlights of my wanderings.

Today I have a small collection of hanging lamps made from reused or repurposed materials.  One of my favorite things to find on Etsy is a clever new use for an everyday object.

Top: Artichoke Pendant Shade, by Zipper8Lighting

Middle: Mason Jar Chandelier in Easter Pastels, by BootsNGus (who are the same clever people that made the hanging bundt pan planter I posted on Tuesday.

Bottom: Deep Sea Lamp, by Umbu

Happy Friday everyone!

New in the Shop: The Pixie Bracelet!

Hot off the presses and available for purchase.  Click here to skip along to the shop.

Bright Idea

How cute is this idea for a new use for an old bundt pan?  Available here from BootsNGus.

Rainy Day

April Parsnip Miracle

We just dug these beautiful parsnips out of the ground this weekend.  They have been living quite happily for the last 5 months under about 4 feet of snow.  I had heard a rumor that parsnips could "winter over" in the garden, but somehow I never quite believed it.  And they were delicious, and so sweet that they were almost sticky once they were cooked, even though I only roasted them in a little olive oil and salt.  Amazing.  And what a treat to dig something fresh out of the garden at this time of year!  I had forgotten how much more flavor home grown vegetables have than their store-bought counterparts.  I definitely plan to repeat, and increase this beauty of a crop this coming gardening season!

Weekend

We had a lovely quiet weekend at home this weekend.  It's amazing sometimes how much you can get done, and how long the weekend feels if you don't leave the house!  Here are some of the highlights.

We spent a lot of time outside this weekend enjoying watching the warm weather chase away the snow.

I got a chance to spend some time in the studio and made this new bracelet prototype (above) and these new inverse collages (below), both of which I am pretty excited about.

And made this new delicious sandwich with smoked turkey, cucumber, red onion, baby pea shoots and hoisin mayo.  Yum.  I hope you all had enjoyable and refreshing weekends!