Postcard From Switzerland

Top photo of the Matterhorn by Tom Hutten

Home away from home

I'm Jennifer from Odette, filling in for Rebecca while she is away from home. Speaking of home, I had the good fortune of visiting Rebecca, Tom, and Emmett in October and photographed a few corners of their Vermont home.

I love their kitchen first and foremost, the view and the natural light streaming in through the windows is just stunning. I also love all the handmade touches around the house, like the beautiful bird mobile I watched Rebecca make for Emmett's nursery in our ceramics class a while back. Got to love a crafty lady.

Knowing how much Rebecca likes Etsy, I picked a few things from there that are inspired by their beautiful home:

Clockwise from top left: Hand-knit Vermont Wool Mittens, Barnwood Shelves, Red Mini Ball Pitcher, Bird Mobile, Poodles in Paris (from Becca's shop), Vintage Books.

Thanks for having me Becca, hope you're having a great trip. Happy travels!

While Rebecca's away...

Hello sweet campestrals! 

           Melissa here, from Melissa loves, popping in for the lovely Rebecca while she is away.  I am honored to be here, in this calm & lovely spot. Knowing Rebecca only a short while, I have certain assumptions stuck in my head. That she is a lot like these photos below....soft & warm, beautiful & down to earth, and aside from being an amazing jewelry designer....an amazing new mom. So, I thought I would gather some things together that remind me of Rebecca, her home(which I have never visited) & some things I would give as gifts....just cause. :) 

collage 1:
flowers here 
room here 


collage 2: 
photograph here 
artwork here 


collage 3: 
clock here 
awesome "rainy day fun" here 


Sweet Rebecca? Thank you so much for having  me & entrusting a little bit of your lovely space to me while you are away. Safe travels & all the best! 


xo
Melis

Campestral goes to Switzerland!

So tomorrow we are headed to Zermatt Switzerland, for a week to help send off our good friends Holly and Zach into the Land of Matrimony!  My super generous and amazing Mom has come back east to watch Mr. E. Bean for us while we are gone, so TH and I are actually taking a trip away together, just the two of us, for the first time since Emmett was born!

I am hoping to put up some on the go travel photos from our trip, but since I am not sure how much time I will have for blogging I have enlisted the help of the lovely misses Jennifer from Odette New York and Melissa from Melissa Loves to do some guest posting while I am away.  Be sure to check in and see what they come up with!  Thanks so much in advance ladies for looking after Campestral while I am away!  You are the best!

(Photo: Problemkind/Flickr Creative Commons via elliott.org)

Saying Thanks

I love my customers.  Without them I'd be buried in jewelry, collages and secret compartment books!  But when you primarily do business over email and phone sometimes it is hard to show that appreciation.  I had kind of an ah ha moment about this recently, so I started including one of a kind hand made thank you notes in with every package I send out, whether it is to a wholesale customer or a direct retail sale.  

Here are some of the cards that went out in the last couple of days:

They are not elaborate, and I try to make them quickly, because of course, time is limited.  And I try to use as many recycled items as possible, like the book page above from one of my hollowed out vintage books so as not to add unnecessarily to the landfills.  But I hope it sends the message to the customers that they are appreciated!  And for those of you reading this post: Thanks so much for your business!  You are the best! 

Today In the Studio

Finishing up and shipping out an order (including the above pieces) for Finestra Gallery in Ohio!

Ann Wood Handmade Birds

Lower photo by Katherine Slingluff

These little guys were our cake toppers at our wedding two and a half years ago.  Now they live on our bookshelf in our living room, and every time I look at them they make me smile.  I was lucky enough to get Ann, who is very busy, to find a little time to make us a pair of birds in our wedding colors, which were blue and white, for which I am still grateful!  I noticed there are actually a few little guys currently available on her website, which is rare since she is usually sold out.  Each little creature gets his or her own name, which she never reuses, and they come in a beautiful box with a little name tag.  To snap one up for yourself go here!  Also be sure to check out her owls and her boats.  Like the birds they are primarily one of a kind, and they are amazing!