Growing up, I was taught to write a thank you for any gift I received or after a special occasion. It was an important lesson I learned and one I still practice to this day. I even remember old English textbook assignments that taught you how to properly address an envelope and format a letter. With the death of cursive and the digitization of communication these days, I hope children are still learning the timeless art of writing a thank you note.
To encourage and help younger letter writers, I recently launched a new line of thank you note cards for kids. Each style features a hand illustrated design along the bottom as well as lines to help writers. They are great to have on hand or send with kids to summer camp. You can find all four styles in the shop here.
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I can count on two hands the number of friends and acquaintances who have had twins over the past few years, so I figured it was due time to make a twins baby card.
Big, bold, and colorful, it's the perfect card for the parents expecting two babies! Find it in the shop here.
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One trend you'll quickly pick up on with my latest collection of stationery is rainbow colors. Glass artist Dale Chihuly once said, "I've never met a color I didn't like," and I couldn't agree more. Oh how I love using color.
The "Black Garden" design was painted with gouache on black chipboard before being scanned. I love how the colors really pop off of the black background. It's available as both a note card and an art print.
My "Happy Birthday Rainbow Garden" card quickly became a bestseller when I released it a few months ago, so I worked to expand this design idea to both a patterned note card and an art print. Again, these designs were hand-painted with gouache.
Finally, here's a look at some new and old rainbow favorites. All cards can be found in the shop!
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It's hard to believe that it's already mid-April and time to start thinking about upcoming spring holidays and occasions!
Mother's Day comes early this year - Sunday, May 8. Just a few short weeks away!
With springtime comes weddings and graduation events and I've got you covered with cards for those events as well.
Finally, Father's Day is Sunday, June 19. You can find all of the cards in the shop here.
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I realized I hadn't shared a blog post about my brand new hand embroidered photo stationery! This product marries two of my favorite things: the handwritten note and hand embroidery.
High resolution, close-up photos of my hand embroidery work is printed on 110 lb. matte (not shiny) stock. These folded notes are sold in boxes of eight with white envelopes.
So far, I've released three different styles, but hope to introduce more designs down the road. Shop them here.
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The April issue of House Beautiful that features my embroidery is on newsstands now! I hope you've had a chance to check it out. I wanted to share more details about the piece I was commissioned to create!
I worked with the lovely editors on the design idea and the color palette. The piece itself is a bit larger than the actual magazine photograph - about 8" x 9.5". This is a larger scale than I usually stitch, so I adjusted my flower sizes accordingly. While a typical flower of mine might be an inch (like you see in this piece), the flowers I stitched for the magazine were about 3 inches tall.
I loved this color palette. It reminds me a lot of the Desert Southwest - pinks, dusty roses, peaches, rusts, copper, and greenish browns. I also stitched "Some New Threads," though a font was ultimately used in the magazine spread. I worked on a cream colored linen twill that held the stitches really well.
The entire piece took an estimated 30+ hours to stitch. I lost count after about hour 30! I stitched the piece over a four day period. This was an amazing project to work on and I am so grateful to the editors of House Beautiful for entrusting me to create something beautiful for their pages!
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March was a whirlwind of releasing new work, celebrating great press, and designing my next paper goods collection. Here's what I'm loving lately...
Watch: This mesmerizing video showing how Spode Blue Italian china is made (first discovered on Design*Sponge).
Listen (Music): Andrew Bird's new album, Are You Serious, is on constant repeat. I haven't really listened to anything else in the past 72 hours.
Listen (Podcast): I've been learning more about the history of Old Hollywood via the podcast You Must Remember This. The multi-part series about Charles Manson is both incredibly disturbing and quite riveting.
Read: An interesting read on "The Copycat Economy" in fashion and what impact knockoffs have on the marketplace and the original designers. I think a lot of the claims and ideas put forth in the article apply to the creative/art industry as well. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing a cheap knockoff of someone else's work.
Follow: I'm entranced by the detailed and delicate work of papercut artist Georgia Low.
Shop: I just bought my first pair of Allbirds merino wool shoes. I love the premise behind the shoes and the thoughtful design. Can't wait for my new sneakers to arrive on my doorstep!
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I have some very exciting news to share, perhaps some of the most exciting news in my company's 4.5 year history...my embroidery work is featured in the April issue of House Beautiful magazine!
The editors behind the magazine contacted me a few months ago and commissioned me to embroider a special piece to open "The Best" section of the magazine. I jumped at the chance and loved working with the wonderful section editors.
I loved working with this color palette so much that I used it into many of the newest pieces of embroidery that I released last week. Shop them here.
The issue hits newsstands today. I hope you'll pick up a copy!
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I'm in the midst of designing some new paper goods for release later this spring and thought I'd share some of inspiration behind these new designs.
Black and White: If you've seen my line, you know I LOVE color, but I've also been experimenting with black and white and how to make a big impact with a limited color palette. I love the boldness of this KAUFMANFRANCO printed skirt.
The Desert: Living in Southwest Colorado, I am just a short drive from desert climates. I love the colors of the desert and the mix of deep rust oranges with light pinks, cactus greens, and sandy nude hues.
Image via Ojo Caliente
Navajo Rugs: I've been down a rabbit hole on Pinterest looking at antique Navajo rugs. The patterns and colors are so inspiring.
Image via Rahmanan Tumblr
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2016 is flying by! March is here and with it comes more sunlight and warmer temps. I'm so looking forward to springtime.
Watch: An amazing video about a man who makes snow murals using snowshoes (via swissmiss).
Listen (Music): NPR's Tiny Desk concerts are so wonderful - musicians performing in a stripped down setting. This new concert from Wilco is an instant fave.
Listen (Podcast): I've gotten back into Slate's Political Gabfest lately. With election season upon us, I love the deep discussions the hosts dive into and hearing their takes on this process.
Read: A short article with astounding photos taken by astronaut Scott Kelly during his year-long assignment to the International Space Station (he returned to Earth this week). Check out his Instagram feed for even more amazing photos.
Follow: I've blogged before about my love of Valentino. Well, their Instagram account is just as fabulous. A must-follow if you love fashion, patterns, and embroidery.
Shop: I stumbled upon Tortoise General Store when I was in Los Angeles last month. It is my dream store! The shop stocks homeware goods, ceramics, office supplies, and all other types of goodies imported from Japan.
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I've been looking at the latest fashion trends and it appears that the 70's are back in a big way. Case in point: embroidered denim is everywhere! I haven't experimented with embroidering on denim in my own work, but these picks below have me inspired to try my hand at it.
Kimbchi Blue Embroidered Denim Jacket
Yumiko Higuchi is an extremely talented Japanese embroidery artist who creates beauitful hand-stitched motifs and floral patterns with a style all her own. What most distinguishes Yumiko’s work is the way she combines wool thread and cotton embroidery floss in her pieces. The wool adds a more three-dimensional quality to her work.
I was delighted when Zakka Workshop, a U.S. based publisher of craft books, kindly asked me if I would be interested in reviewing Yumiko’s newest book. Simply Stitched is chock full of wonderful projects in Yumiko’s signature style.
The projects seem completely suitable for a beginner to advanced beginner. I liked that the sewing projects aren’t too ambitious (perfect for a novice sewing machine user like myself).
The photographs in the book are fabulous - you’ll see a large image of the full motif or pattern design and then a photograph of the completed project. The book also provides a great overview of the types of materials you will need.
Many beginners often ask me on Instagram where they should start with embroidering. Simply Stitched would be a great starting point for any embroiderer! The instructions are very clear and easy to understand.
Want a copy of Simply Stitched? Enter the giveaway I am hosting on Instagram!
