Papaver Vert

Etsy Shop Update! (a small one but a goodie :)

2011-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

As y'all know, most of my work is made to order....which I know can be a bit of a bummer come holiday time and you're doing some late in the game shopping.

But WAIT! I've updated my Etsy shop with items that I have in stock and are ready to ship! Very exciting and something I've never done. So please do stop by and see what goodies I've got standing by :)

I plan to add some more items this Friday evening as well...so stay tuned. Also, if you don't already, follow me on facebook where I tend to be a little more active than this poor little blog!

Hoping everyone's had a chance to enjoy the holiday season so far (the airs getting pretty crisp here in the bay area) with some eggnog, a warm fire and a good movie (Elf anyone?) :)

Just For Fun....

2011-09-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

My dear friend's little girl turned 1 a few weeks ago and I knew I wanted to make her something. Usually at this age, they're more interested in the box the toy came in instead of the toy inside so I tried to channel my inner child and, luckily, my toy was a hit.

Happy Birthday Cutie-Pie!!

One Cab Ride in Rome

2011-08-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

The Pantheon at night.

That sentence sums up my last trip to a tee. Like the one cab ride I took in Rome, my 2 weeks in Italy were exhilarating, thrilling (no seat belt in that taxi) and empowering. While I hung on for dear life as my driver whipped me around the narrow alleyways of that old city, the old Patty would have been praying, "Dear Lord, let me live to eat one more gelato", but the Patty in Rome was giddy, laughing the whole way and raring for more!

I've been back for over a month now and have been working on keeping the same feelings with me in my everyday life....personally and in my work. I figure it doesn't have to go away just because I'm not surrounded by the freedoms of travel, a wonderfully old and crumbling city or yummy pasta. I can be more go-with-the-flow, more accepting of what is and not focusing on what isn't. I can be more independent and not let my brain gremlins get the best of me when encountering new situations and new people. All of these things were already there, but for some reason I needed to go to Italy to figure that out! Not that I'm complaining of course.

What can I figure out on my next trip?

Here are some of my favorite photos I took in Italy:

The tiles in Siena's Duomo.............................................Looking out from under the Pantheon, Rome.

Festivities leading up to Il Palio in Siena.

A favorite moment...sitting high above Il Campo, people watching with a beer and a sandwich.

The backside of Siena's Duomo.

One of the many religious reliefs on the walls of Siena.

Il Campo, Siena, at night.

In the Jewish ghetto in Rome.

A Week of Inspiration, Frustration and Letting Things Go

2011-08-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

I don't have any formal training when it comes to felting. It's been good ol' hard work, experimentation, lots of books and the internet. There are times when I lament not having a past with wool....not having years and years of technique down. But when I think about how I actually feel when i'm felting, that it's never boring and there's always sometime new around the corner I've yet to find, I realize that I don't need this background. BUT i've always wanted a teacher. Someone to inspire me, give me honest feedback and to expand my horizons. And that's where Claudy showed up! I took a felting workshop in Italy with Dutch artist Claudy Jongstra back in June and it was just heavenly.

The olive oil farm where I stayed.

From the location (I stayed on an olive oil farm in the hills of Umbria), the class itself (Claudy was so awesome!) to the FOOD.....it was such an experience. And speaking of food. Ohhhhh, the food! Rita, who owns the place where I stayed and grows/makes her own olive oil, cooked for us every night and man were we spoiled! Handmade ravioli, rabbit one night, quiches and homemade desserts. I could go on, but I can see that you're drooling.

The workshop was held amongst the trees of a peaceful retreat in the Umbrian hills. We were given a huge amount of beautiful wool to work with - from hand dyed wensleydale to a whole fleece from one of Claudy's sheep in the Netherlands called Drenth Heath. I had never worked with a raw fleece before and this alone set the whole tone of the class - to work with the wool, allowing for experimentation and to not pay so much attention to technique. This was definitely a challenge for me! I do like to experiment but I'm one that can stick too much to the rules at times, reading and re-reading all about felting techniques. It was funny because Claudy came by me more than once to say "Let it go now" and "You're done! Stop felting!" Thankfully she was such a kind person so her admonishments came with a grin and a laugh. It was inspiring and frustrating all at the same time. By the end of the week I focused a little more on the wool spinning and weaving (which we learned in the class) and less on the felting and didn't let myself feel too guilty about it.

Overall, the class was more than just a class for me. There were several "firsts". My first time traveling by myself and the first time taking an intensive workshop on felting. It's been well over a month since I've been back and my brain is starting to process everything that I took in. I'm ready to dive in!

In case you don't follow me on Facebook (which you can! Go there now and "like me"!), click here to see more photos of the class.

Coming Up...Fun with Sunset Magazine

2011-05-26T08:12:00.000-07:00

On June 4-5 I will have a booth at the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend! I'll be there with several other Etsy artists including my friend & boothmate Whitney Smith.

It will be on their campus in Menlo Park and even though I've never been to one of their celebrations before, after checking out the video on their site, it looks like a really fun weekend of cooking demonstrations, wine seminars, a street food exhibit including the Korean BBQ on wheels, cupcakes from an airstream, and home and garden ideas including a talk on how to have your own backyard chickens! So cool!

Check it out here. Oh, and I just read that Rick Bayless is going to be there....you know...that chef with the show "Mexico - One Plate at a Time"? I'm hoping to sneak a front row seat.

More Surprises from Slovenia

2011-05-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

I didn't think Slovenia had more surprises for me, but when we left Bled (which by the way, looking back on our photos, had a very "Sound of Music" like feel) and took a bus to the country's capital, lo and behold, we found ourselves in the most charming, compact and just coolest little European city that I had never heard about! Where have I been? Why was Rick Steve's the first person to let me in on the secret and why are people not talking about this place? Ok, this could be due to the fact that it's called Ljubljana and this alone may cause some to panic, but once you know it's pronounced Loob-lee-AHnah (said quickly) then you can just let out a sigh of relief and get to experiencing the loveliness already.

I REALLY loved this place.

Preseren Square. This is the heart of the city that has a triple bridge spanning the river designed by Ljubljana's famous architect Joze Plecnik. He's like Barcelona's Gaudi and he built many a beautiful building, statue or bridge in town.

The city is very bike-friendly so we rented bikes on our second day and made our way around every nook and cranny. Here we're trying to take a picture of ourselves on our wheels but it seems as though we were mistaken for some famous couple as this man and his kid couldn't stop gawking. I don't know....maybe it's the hats, glasses and his n' hers REI rain slickers??

One church had huge metal doors complete with life-sized pope heads. Sticking out. A little creepy but I dug it.

There were two spectacular churches from our whole trip and this was the first. This Serbian Orthodox Church was striking. It was painted inside from head to toe in bright blues and golds with a black and white checkered floor. There were no pews inside as worshippers stand during the service. We stayed for quite a while and noticed people lighting candles as prayers. Unlike a Catholic church that uses little tealights, these were long spindly candles that you propped up in water filled tubs with sand on the bottom. The effect was really beautiful.

Some fun graffiti and some not so light-hearted. The first one says "Pray, bombs are falling".

Preseren Square and the Triple Bridge at night.

This is us waiting, waiting, waiting for a 2 am train to Budapest. At the time we thought it was a great idea, giving us a very long and full day in Ljubljana but after we returned our bikes in the early evening and lots of things closed down in town (including the actual train station) we were left to either wait outside or in the walkways underneath the tracks. Here we are in the bowels of the station where I'm changing my mind.

Slovenia....Go for the Cream Cake!

2011-05-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

This is Part 5 of my trip down memory lane where I've been posting photos of our trip to Eastern Europe 2 years ago. See the rest here!

Today, we're in Bled, Slovenia. I don't think I ever gave much thought to where Slovenia was on a map. Which is a shame because maybe I would've gotten my butt there much sooner. This place was so quaint and lush and just so European.

Below is Lake Bled, a glacial lake in the Julian Alps which you can't see any of (Alps, that is) due to the bad weather. Chris still has not recovered from this to this day - we were going to rent a car and drive through them, but alas.....cloud cover. I personally liked the overall gloom and mistiness.

There is a romantic 15th century church in the middle of the lake where many weddings are held. We hired one of the special boats (called a pletna) that take you to the church. No motor, one guy, two oars. He had some rowing power!

There are 98 steps leading up to the church and it's tradition for the husband to carry his new bride all the way up to prove he is "fit" for marriage. Chris didn't offer to carry me.... but I'm thinking he was waiting to prove his strength on ringing the wishing bell inside. Right? After 12 years of marriage you let some things slide.

We were told that we HAD to enjoy the town's specialty, a cream cake called kremma rezina. It's a layer of cream and a thick layer of vanilla custard sandwiched between sheets of delicate, crispy crust. I'm not a huge fan of these kinds of desserts so thinking I wouldn't really like it, I ordered a huge slab of chocolate cake and thought we'd share. Well, I was wrong. So very very wrong. You can see that we ate both, easily, but we were not happy at all to share that cream cake. It was that good! You can see Chris below lamenting that there's one bite left.

I can't remember, but he better have given me the last bite since he didn't carry me up those stairs!

Sunday Eve Trunk Show

2011-05-10T08:10:00.000-07:00

Some pics of the trunk show from Sunday evening. It was a fun night, with some very talented designers, good music and good drinks. It was a bit of a quiet turnout due to it being Mother's Day, but shows like these are always fun. I met my fashion neighbors, played around with a new way to display my pieces and found out that my felted wrist cuffs and pods look fabulous with my friend Jennifer's designs.

Part 4 - The Journey Continues

2011-05-04T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've been posting some highlights of our trip 2 years ago to Eastern Europe. You can find more here, here and here.

This next stop blew us out of the water. Well, actually, I had a big fear of falling INTO the water while visiting this National Park, partly because the waters were running pretty swift in some areas and partly because, like so much of Europe, no one here had ever heard of a good ol' handrail. You know....to protect you from slipping or going over a very, very large drop.

On our big drive to Zagreb to catch our train to Slovenia, we made a stop at Plitvice National Park. We had read that if we could, we should definitely try to visit and I'm so glad we did. This place made our jaws drop. It was like a Disneyland on steroids, without anything fake or mechanical and no creepy songs. It was like a lush stage set meticulously built for a prehistoric dinosaur movie. I could go on! But you get the point. Check out the pics of this forest with waterfalls, turquoise lakes and miles of plank walks.

It's hard to tell but the water was lapping over the plank walkway and from underneath, making it a little sketchy to walk along. Chris, of course, had no problem with this.

Walking through Supljara Cave. Apparently in the 60's, many German and Italian spaghetti westerns were filmed at the park and in one of the famous ones the treasure was hidden in this cave.

Gorgeous.

Trunk Show Event!

2011-05-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey All! Come on out this Sunday, May 8th, where I'll be selling my wares with other fabulous designers while celebrating the opening of my friend's salon - Bijoux, in downtown San Francisco.

Stop by for drinks, music, hair, fashion and moi :)

5 pm - 8 pm.

Eastern Europe - Part 3

2011-05-02T21:43:00.000-07:00

More photos from our trip 2 years ago. Check out parts 1 & 2.

From Korcula, Croatia, we headed out to Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina....but on the way, we made an important stop. Ever since I was a kid, I've wanted to visit Medjugorje. I know this is because of stories my aunt and uncle told me about when they visited this town in the 80's, back when it was in Yugoslavia. It's also to do with my Catholic upbringing, mainly from my Mexican side, that was filled with stories of apparitions, choir voices appearing out of nowhere, blood-crying statues, people spontaneously speaking in tongues, an unexplainable image imprinted onto fabric combined with possibly, and an unhealthy dose of the Twilight Zone since the age of 5. Needless to say, since a young lass, I've always been intrigued with religious influenced stories of the unexplainable. From an agnostic point of view, mind you.

If you've never heard of the place or are not into crazy vision-seeing, miracle stories, Medjugorje is a popular religious pilgrimage site due to reports of apparitions of the Virgin Mary to 6 locals (who happen to be brothers and sisters.) She's apparently only speaking to 3 of them now, but that doesn't deter 1 million people from visiting each year. Anyway, when I looked on a map and saw that Medjugorje was on the way to Mostar, we made a stop!

Pilgrims walk up these craggy (and frankly, very dangerous) rocks called Apparition Hill. There were lots of people with canes, and I'm assuming, people who were ill. I was concentrating hard not to sprain an ankle.

When we got to the top, there was a young man praying on his knees with a lot of fervor. Having a Catholic background, I felt it appropriate to say a little prayer and then I promptly sat to do some people watching. During our short visit, nothing much happened....ok, I'll admit, it would've been cool to see something go down, but instead we enjoyed walking through some beautiful fields and poking around the town a bit. There were crappy tourist shops every 2 feet selling every rosary known to man, so of course I bought a few for the Catholics that I know. This place was definitely what you would expect of a touristy-pilgrim destination (lots of tour buses, Americans in their white-white sneakers and fanny packs) but hey, I can now cross this place off my bucket list!

Here we are (below) in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. If you look closely you'll see a guy jumping from the bridge (which is an Unesco Site). They're trained and do it for money. I've heard it's quite shallow down there. Eeeps!

Mostar was one of our favorite stops on the trip. A great balance of history, drama, beauty and walkability. It has a very tragic story, but it still remains a really beautiful place. This was the first city I've ever visited to have such a mix of cultures and faiths. I'd never been to a mosque before Mostar (there are so many minarets!), nor had I ever heard the call to prayer ( 5 times a day). It was so moving and gave me goose bumps every time.

You can see remnants of the siege they had in '92'-'93, like all the bullet holes in the pic above. The host of were we stayed told us a little bit about what it was like back then, how you had to travel around at night so you wouldn't get shot (her B&B was right near the front line) and how her and her family had to eventually flee to Germany. She came back to an empty shell, like the rest of the city, but she rebuilt her home and turned it into a lovely B&B.

Eastern Europe - Part 2

2011-04-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

See part 1 here.

From Dubrovnik we rented a car, drove north and hopped a ferry to Korcula, an island off the coast of Croatia (and some say the birth place of Marco Polo!)

I've never seen so many cats in one place like I did in Dubrovnik and Korcula. I loved it, but made sure not to get too close. These were rough n' tumble street cats with eyes missing and notched ears....but I still couldn't get enough of them.

Our sweet host Tomas. This pic was taken right before we found out the ferry we got up really early to take didn't even run that day and we ended up running several miles (with our backpacks on) to catch a ferry on the other side of the island. I don't think I've EVER run that hard!

That Travel Itch Continued...

2011-04-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

2 years ago today we were in Eastern Europe. Looking back on this trip (hands down my favorite so far) makes me antsy to jump on a plane. Since I barely posted the pics from this trip, I'll start adding them in the next few weeks for fun and so I can revel in nostalgia until my next trip!

We started in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

These look like chonies for Papa Bear, Momma Bear and Baby Bear!

Every corner we turned in this little walled city was pure magic.

Getting That Travel Itch

2011-04-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

If you know me well, then you know I have a severe case of the wanderlusts. And when I say severe, I mean exactly that. Severe. Drop everything at a moment's notice to hop on a plane? No need to twist my arm. Sell all my belongings to go around the world for a year? Why hells YAH! Some days are worse than others and lately, I've been scratching.

I leave in less than 2 months bound for Italy to take a felting class with 5 days after to do as I please. This is exciting for many reasons -
1) I'm taking a class with an amazing fiber artist whose work I admire so.
2) I've never traveled by myself.
3) It's in UMBRIA!

I've decided that after the class I'll spend 2 1/2 days in Siena (never been) and then 2 1/2 days in Rome (been there but need some more). I have rooms already booked - In Siena I'm staying at a place run by nun's. I've always had a thing about nuns....could be my Catholic upbringing, but they also happened to be reasonably priced, each room has a view and it's a short walk to Il Campo, the main square. (I have to be honest and tell you that it was an absolute thrill to e-mail them and ask them for a room with a view...just like the movie. This made me oh so happy.) And in Rome, I'm renting a room in a woman's apartment just across the Tiber via this site. I had the best experience last year using AirBnB for our trip to Vancouver and the Pacific Northwest (check out this NY Times article for a primer about them) but decided on the latter this time. I realize that I've never posted any pics from that trip! Another blog post....

The last time I visited Italy was in 1998. I dug through a box and found my terrible photos from this trip (I remember thinking back then that I really knew how to take photos) and for fun, scanned in a few that made me smile:

A Vespa near our pensione.

The heavenly lighting and beautiful statues in St.Peter's Basilica.

Inside the Colosseum.

And outside, where these two guys made a killing stalking naive tourists and getting you to photograph them and then demanding money right afterwards. They seriously were as nice as they look here in the picture. (nice legs though)

If anyone has any must-sees/must-dos while I'm there, let me know! I'm hoping to visit some boutique stores while I'm there too...It would be great to have some Papaver Vert in Italy :)

Trying to Capture the Om

2011-03-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

My "Be" ceramic rock by Rae Dunn that sits on my desk as a daily reminder.

I'm on week 6 of a once-a-week meditation class and it's been, well.....shall we say, challenging? To say the least.

My mind is what I would call a monkey brain. Constant, never quiet, never a moment's peace. Which is why I enrolled in the class. To be ok with some quiet time. To feel ok in the present moment and to maybe have less anxiety overall. There's homework in the class, such as practicing meditation daily (we were given cd's and instruction) for at least 30 minutes, which really looks and sounds so very easy. For me? Not so much. To think about carving out time from my day to do this, when I have so much to do has been hard. How can I possibly do this when I need to work on my new designs? Get through all my business e-mails? Read about everyone's day on FB? See so many things on all those blogs I read? Figure out what to eat for dinner?? Well, now you can see my monkey brain at work and WHY I signed up for the class.

Really brain? You can't find 30 minutes? How about when you went off on a 45 minute tangent looking for cute walking shoes on Zappos or when you spent all that time checking out the new Curve ID Levi's that will totally change Patty's life? (and btw, I really do love those jeans and quite possibly, have made my life and butt cuter). See what I mean????

The best part about this class is that the teacher is so kind that even showing up is an accomplishment of itself. So part of this whole process is not beating yourself up and just doing the best you can. And so far I do some meditation at least ~~3 days a week~~ 2 days a week (an honest update). Not including slowing down and being more mindful when I drive, go for a walk and even brush my teeth. My goal is to get to a point where I will welcome meditation in my life, in my own way and on my own time. No rules or schedules. I know I am already enjoying the benefits so I feel good introducing it daily into my life....with the idea of it becoming a habit.

Hopefully meditation will be my new Facebook :)

Indigo Inspiration

2011-02-18T10:30:00.000-08:00

Lately my lust for all things indigo has been off the charts and I was so thrilled to have discovered these pieces by textile artist Frank Connet. He uses natural dyes and fabrics and the Japanese Shibori process throughout his work. He's also known nationally for his abilities in textile restoration.....which of course intrigues me even more as my day job is restoring antique rugs.

Hand woven wool, Shibori resist, dyed with natural indigo and walnut.

Shibori resist on wool and linen dyed with indigo and walnut. Shaped 3-dimensionally with thread.

I'm most struck by how visually simplistic his pieces are while at the same time knowing how much knowledge, craftsmanship and untold hours went into making each one.

A Long Snow Weekend

2011-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

For our 12th anniversary, the husband and I stayed 4 nights at our friends cabin in Volcano, Ca. You'll see I mentioned this place just a few posts ago. I was so happy to go back and bring Chris this time!

We tried cross country skiing and snowshoeing for the first time. Cross country skiing was a lot harder than I thought....I wasn't able to move as fast as I wanted and it was such a workout for how little I progressed forward. Snowshoeing was just awesome and I really want to do it again. I tried snowboarding again (after 10 years) to try to overcome my fear. Bad bad idea. I left with a badly bruised tailbone and a badly bruised ego to boot!

We also visited Sutter Creek, part of the California Gold Country off of Hwy 49 (we travelled around the gold country on our honeymoon) and then Indian Grinding Rock State Park. You can see all these grinding holes in the bedrock there made by the Miwok Indians. They would grind acorns there to make meal. It was really beautiful and I imagine it's exactly how it looked when the Native Americans were hanging out there.

Goodbye to Our Friend

2011-02-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

We lost a friend 3 weeks ago today who will be so very missed. He was my husband's best friend from high school and his life was weaved into ours over the years. The two of them traveled to Europe together, ran with the bulls in Spain and were each others best man at our weddings. There were sleep overs, New Year's parties, Vespa scooter rallies (where we all went to Tijuana for one crazy crazy night) and lots of good times to remember. Most of all, I know he'll be remembered as an awesome dad to his three girls who were really the lights of his life.

Christian and I at a scooter rally circa 1998
It blows my mind to think of someone being here one day, having a normal conversation over the dinner table with you, drinking some wine, and then they're gone the next. My brain can't quite grasp this at the moment. Reflecting everyday over his passing has made me really want to let go of all the silly, inconsequential things that I allow to hold me back in my life. None of that really matters in the long run.

Wherever you are Christian, I sense that you are in peace. We love you.

Just one more?

2011-01-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

I received a trial issue to the travel magazine Afar last week which is funny because I was just talking to a friend the other day about what kind of travel magazines are out there. I sent away the offer with a "yes" sticker so I check it out. Anything to feed my travel addiction.

Other magazines I subscribe to:

Selvedge - love love LOVE
Hand/Eye
American Craft
Sunset
Ready Made
Dwell
Fiberarts (didn't renew as it was too hit n' miss for me)

Considering it can stress me out to keep up with my magazines (I like to go through every. single. page) I can't resist just one more. I even gave up National Geographic a while ago which I'm sorely regretting.

Maybe if I swap one out? Ween myself off like I did with my blog addiction? Should I even ask what everyone out there is subscribing to and loving? Argh! (ok...really....tell me)

Weekend at the Cabin

2011-01-12T20:01:00.000-08:00

Back in November a bunch of us had a crafty weekend at my friend (and co-workers') cabin in Volcano up in the Sierra Foothills. My co-worker Ann taught us how to do rug hooking and we all got busy working on something. Oh, and eating

It was heaven.

Well, Hello 2011!

2011-01-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Whew. I'm happy to say the Holidays are over! Yes, I know this is the best selling time for people like me but I think I always forget that it ends up being all work and no holiday playtime! I did take a bit of a break the week before and after Christmas to do my own thing, drink lots of mexican hot chocolate, have a social life and work on things that I've been wanting to for a while - such as hang up some branches in my kitchen. It was all very nice :)

(The kitchen set up for a New Years dinner.)

Looking back on 2010, I can say that this past year was so good to me and my little business. I love how organic it's all been so far.....just taking things as they come and seeing what feels good or not. I'm not one of those people who plans out the next 5 years in advance nor do I have any crazy goals. I just want to create work that makes me happy, pay my bills, go traveling and hope that in between others will love my work too. On that note, this past year has had some crazy highlights for me, like getting my work into the MOMA Shop and several other museum stores (Ok, I'm getting that my work does well in museum shops!), being interviewed by some local magazines and not so local, I've taught 3 felting workshops, my work was published in a cool book, I was on tv (by far the craziest thing ever) and I came out with some new pieces.

As tradition, this is the week where I look back on my year and write out my goals for the upcoming year for all to see. Putting it out in the blogosphere helps me feel more accountable and I think that throwing my intentions out into the universe can't hurt either. Before starting this post, I read back to my New Years post from 2010 to see if I made some progress from my last years goals. I think I did pretty good.....3 out of the 5.

-I found some great help from two gals who do a great job crocheting. And they happen to be the sweetest things too which really is the icing on the cake!

-I've really improved my time management and I find that I can get more into a rhythm easier han I used to. Those blogs still beckon but I tell them to just wait their turn dammit! And learning how to say no in general has been a lifesaver yet still a really hard thing for me to do.

-Working on wholesaling with stores and keeping up the relationship. This is still a tricky one and it's something I'm revamping and adding to my current resolutions.

-My pillows....oy, my pillows. It didn't happen last year but I'm very optimistic for this year. There's a little something in the works with a beautiful store that may be carrying my pillows. And this makes me very happy :)

Goals for 2011:

Join a business group that meets monthly
Change my website to a gallery site that will link to a shopping cart such as Big Cartel
Create a smaller wholesale line
Make smaller, limited edition pieces in my shop
Carry my pillows exclusively through one or two select shops (for now)
Saying no is OK! (to friends, other vendors etc)
Teach more felting workshops
Find an intern?

This is PLENTY to start the year off with!

Hoping that this post finds you and yours happy and healthy. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Renegade Craft Fair!!

2010-12-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

Can you hear me people? I'm yelling out that title for a reason! This weekend, the Renegade Craft Fair is T H E P L A C E T O B E!!

Yes, I've have had my fair share of coffee today (and this week) gearing up for the show, but even if I hadn't, I'd still be as psyched :) It's such a great show, with such talented artists and the friendliest of faces. Here you not only get to shop such a diverse crowd of vendors, but you get to rub elbows with the people making their passions. You get to ask the who, what and why of their designs and of themselves. It's truly personal shopping at it's best.

Here's a few pics of things I've been working on that I'll be selling this weekend:

Glass cozy w16 oz./tumbler - $54/each (one-of-a-kind)

Hand felted merino wool necklace cords and wrist cords with embroidery thread. $42/each

Please note that this year the fair will be held at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco right off the 9th St/Civic Center exit off the Bay Bridge.

See you there!

Bedford Gallery's Bg Craft Fest

2010-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

This Saturday, November 13th in Walnut Creek!

Kick off your holiday shopping with some beautiful handmade designs AND check out this really awesome gallery at the same time. Their current exhibit, "The American Scene", commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Workers Progress Administration (WPA) created by FDR in 1935 in which thousands of artists were employed to create posters, murals and paintings.

Looks very cool. Hope to see you there!

Felting Class! (class is FULL)

2010-09-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'll be teaching an intro class to wet felting at Peace Industry Rugs in San Francisco!

Ever wondered how a bunch of cotton-candy looking wool turned into a solid and beautiful fabric using water, soap and agitation? Then you'll need to sign up to find out :)

~~Space is limited.....e-mail me to join the class - papaververt@gmail.com~~ CLASS IS FULL(yay!)

Check out some pics of my last class - we had so much fun!

UpCycled Coasters...Gotta Love Goodwill

2010-09-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

I'm in the latest issue of Diablo Magazine with 5 other fine East Bay Crafters:

photo by Melissa Kaseman
I had a fun time being interviewed by LeeAnne Jones and I liked her idea of each artist coming up with a tutorial. I've always liked felting wool sweaters for a variety of projects - mainly pillows but some other ideas would be to make quilting squares, scarves that are pieced together, tea cozies, book covers...the possibilities are endless. I went with making some felted wool coasters. The tutorial is online, but I thought I would post it here with all the pics! (*side note here* - The term is acutally "fulling" and not felting, but it's easier to say "felting")

What you'll need:

2 x 100% wool sweaters - each a different color - making sure that they're only 100% wool....no blends such as cotton, acrylic or anything that says superwash.
Washing machine
Dishwashing soap - I use Dawn's Original
Old pair of jeans
2 x pillowcase
Scissors
Paper to draw a round 4" template - mark a line 2 1/2" up
Yarn
Needle
Hot iron

Washing Machine Settings:

Lowest water level
Hottest temperature with cold rinse
Longest agitation cycle

First put your wool sweaters into their own pillowcases and tie a knot so the sweaters won’t come out. Then start the washing machine and throw in your pillow cases, pair of jeans and about 4 small squirts of soap - you don’t need a lot. You’ll want to let your machine go through the longest cycle, stop the machine and start the cycle again. Depending on how long your machine cycles, you’ll want to agitate your sweaters for about 30 minutes or so. You can check the progress of the sweaters in between to see how much they have felted.

Once they have shrunk enough (the blue sweater started at 25”long and shrunk to 15”long) you can let the machine go through the rest of the cycles, so all the soap is rinsed away.

*NOTE* Make sure to scoop out any loose wool in the water that comes off the sweater before you start the rinse cycle. Line dry or tumble dry.

Coaster Instructions:

The felted sweaters can now be cut with scissors without unraveling!

Using your round template, cut out 3 circles from each sweater. Use a hot iron to felt the fabric a little more on each side.

Then, cut the template at the marked line and use the smaller template piece to cut off the tops of each circle. Pair opposite colors together to create a 2-color circle and pin them together.

Thread your yarn onto the needle, make a small knot at one end and start to join the 2 circle halves using a fell stitch:

"Put in needle from the back top corner and pull in from the front. Bring needle down into the second half about 3/8” making a vertical stitch. Pull taut. Starting from the back again, put your needle in ¼” away from your first stitch and repeat the process. Your stitches will be at an angle on the back and vertical on the front."

Tie a knot at the end when you are finished. Press each coaster with the hot iron for a final, polished look.

Stepping Back, Mission Statements, My biz and Me

2010-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about how and why I use my blog. I'm an avid blog reader, mainly reading design blogs but also ones about having your own business, cooking or traveling. I want to enter into a new phase with my blog.....and announcing this can be a good thing to get me going. I'm not sure what that means right now, but for this post it's about looking at the bigger picture, about my work and my passions.

So stepping back for a moment to Business 101 is the ol' mission statement. I cringe at this type of thing because having to really sit down and think about the bigger picture can be hard for me while I'd rather be just doing "it". But I realize the importance of things like this so here's what I've been using:

"Papaver Vert creates beautifully functional vessels by sculpting and shaping yarn into bowls, vases and objet d'art for your home. Focusing on color, form and function, Papaver Vert utilizes the time consuming technique of crocheting and wet felting wool to create tactile pieces with a contemporary twist, making each piece one at a time with the hopes of the item becoming a much loved piece in your dwelling."

Speaking in the 3rd person can be so weird, especially about the business that's me. This then makes me think of branding and I just hate that word even though I realize that that's what it is. Putting branding aside, I foremost think of myself as a designer over the word artist, but at the same time, my goal in creating the work that I do is to really hone my craft and technique to an artisan level.

To me, becoming a craftsman in the old-school sense of the word is the end-all be-all. When I first saw the Craft In America series on PBS, my brain and heart did a complete flip-flop and it really changed my whole outlook on what i'm doing and who I want to be. I watched those people using ceramics, wood or reeds as their medium and I loved their passion and sense of serenity when they spoke about their craft. Many of them saw themselves in the role of educator. This was a surprising thing to find out about myself - the kick I get out of wanting to talk, educate and amaze people about the medium that I create with. I always love the look on someone's face when I describe the felting technique for the first time and watching their eyes getting bigger and bigger. It's the coolest thing ever - ok actually....It's seriously the BEST! And for those few minutes I revel in all my felted glory!! (sorry, not the most humbling of statements!)

So how do I see my work and my passion? For me it's simple. I love designing. I love creating. I love working with wool, seeing what it does and where it takes me. I love things for the home. The joy I get from my surroundings - ok folks, literal joy - is what I want to share and be a part of for others. It's that simple.

And now back to you guys...how do you see my brand and work? Is there something you love over the other? And for other artists/designers out there, do you see yourself as brand, artist or both?

Interview on The Vitrine

2010-09-04T21:37:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post here to mention that I was interviewed by the lovely Blaire of The Vitrine the other day.

Blaire has an on-line boutique with the most beautiful pieces from artists around the world. I'd like one of each please and my birthday is in July. So this gives everyone plenty of time.

I love that she's doing a q&a with the artist's that she carries. Gives me a little sneak peak into their world.

Blog? What blog?

2010-07-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently I have a blog. My brain has mentioned this to me several times, but as usual I was crocheting, felting or watching endless amounts of instant-play Netflix while doing the crocheting and felting to hear exactly what it was saying. But just now it yelled rather rudely in my face. Geez!

Instead of writing that I will do a better job at keeping at my blog, I will post some pics of some new items that will be at Renegade this weekend!

I'm so excited about the show. I've likened it to going to craft camp before, so imagine that feeling when you were a kid, packing up, getting ready to go on an awesome weekend camp adventure where you get to see all your old friends! It's totally like that - minus the s'mores but there will be beer there. An adult craft camp :)

And one last thing....some cute l'il hanging lanterns I made, playing around with some cream wool that I handfelted. I used glass yogurt jars and made metal wire hangers. They would look equally cute filled with fresh cut flowers on your breakfast table.

(poppy)shop

2010-06-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

I already got a sneak peek yesterday of this awesome pop-up shop when I dropped off some of my pieces. Be sure to stop by to check out a beautifully curated mix of vintage and local handmade talent, new & mid-century furniture, art & home accessories!

Hot off the Press

2010-05-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm over the moon to have some of my work in this new book.

Dot vases.

Red pinpod.

Close up of my green nesting bowls.

Available here.

Coming soon!

2010-05-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

New Duo Wrist Pods coming soon to the shop! Similar to my wrist pods but daintier....even though there are 2 "pods". I've already had some requests for a trio style that I think would be very awesome.

Custom Podlets

2010-05-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

I was sad when we had to part, but I got to play with them before they left....strictly for the photoshoot of course.

Come See Me at the De Young

2010-04-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to check out friday nights at the De Young Museum for a while and now I get the chance to be a part of the evening! The East Bay Express, partnering with the museum and coinciding with the Amish quilt exhibit, is featuring local artists "at work". I'll be setting up a table there with other artisans where we will showcase our work and how we make it.

And the best part? A live big band orchestra, a dancing coach to teach you some moves and the cafe open for dinner and cocktails. From 5 pm - 8:45 p.m....read about it here.

First Local Social Event

2010-04-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

With me! Patty Benson! Felting extraordinaire! Well...not quite, but the gals of Local Social did give me a very lovely intro before the class. If you haven't heard me mention Local Social yet here's the low down on this very cool new venture:

"Local Social is a burgeoning events-based collaborative where we will be hosting intimate events about once a month.
Our focus is on the Bay Area and our mission is to merge elements of design, art and craft through community collaboration."

The next event is called "Plant. Shake. Enjoy." where guests will be learning from a talented cocktail expert how to make specialty drinks using fresh herbs from your garden. You'll also have the chance to pot your own herbs to take home. Oh and did I mention that it will be held at the Margarido House? Yes please! (rsvp by April 23rd)

Back to the felting class now.....Catherine and Gretchen of Local Social laid out the most beautiful and tasty spread based on all things tea: hot and cold mint and jasmine tea, tea infused vodkas, (now THIS is my kind of class) home baked goods, fresh fruits, agave nectar and more.

Each person got to go home with their own hand felted wool trivet/pot holder/ decorative piece.

See more pics here.

New at Rare Device

2010-04-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

Dropped these 2 pinpods off a couple of weeks ago at Rare Device in San Francisco. The colors are heather grey and verdigris.

I have a red one at home just for me that's usually stuffed full with a measuring tape, safety pins and a thimble.

I also gave Lisa some of my podlets. Here's a pic of some podlets before they've had their morning coffee and beauty treatment.

Sharing the Love of Felted Wool

2010-04-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

I got together with some of my lovely co-workers recently to teach them how to wet felt wool.

See more pics here.

In the Works

2010-03-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

Some remnant felted wool merino strip from my pillows a long while ago. I re-wet felted them and plan to use them on some wrist pod/cuffs that I'm working on. In the mean time, I like how they look all together.

Loving....

2010-03-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

This beautiful rope necklace by designer Tanya Aguiniga. It's so delicately dyed and just simplistically gorgeous.

It's one of my "going out" pieces that I wear all the time.

Check out her online store here.

On the Fancy Talkin' Box

2010-03-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ceramic artist Whitney Smith and I were both interviewed last week on View From the Bay, a local show here in San Francisco. (I got to show off my Pod Vase and Circle Vase!) I still can't believe how calm I look in the interview as I was freaked out for WEEKS before the show. Many of my friends and family couldn't believe it either (hmmmm....they know me well :) Whitney on the other hand is always the epitome of cool and even though her blog might state otherwise, she always seems to have her shiznit together. She's been a big source of help for me art wise and especially business wise, always giving me lots of advice and tips. Although she did have a lapse in her status with me just minutes before we went on and I was a nervous nelly. She asked the camera guy "So, how many people watch this show?" "Mmmm....about 30,000". Whitney!! Shut up!!

Oh Marimekko...How I Love Thee

2010-02-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

A sampling of Marimekko that I've been drooling over lately...from Fall/Winter 09 and Spring/Summer 10.

I worked for Crate & Barrel for many years - from floor stocker, to sales to store merchandiser and I had never heard of Marimekko until I started working there. They have an exclusive thing going with Marimekko and we would hang yards and yards of banners of their fabric around the store, changing with the seasons (I don't miss climbing those ladders). I fell instantly in love and couldn't wait for the next shipments of the new fabrics to arrive. Over the years I would *ahem* "borrow" some remnants here and there and made a skirt one time, pillows another. Luckily you can buy older Marimekko fabric by the yard at the Crate & Barrel Outlet on 4th Street in Berkeley. Especially now that I can't "borrow" anymore.

Magic Carpet Ride

2010-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

I saw these awesome over dyed carpets via Apartment Therapy a while ago and just loved them. I work part-time doing antique rug restoration so rugs are always on my radar, and I've never seen rugs quite as crazy-bright as the ones at ABC home!

So with rugs on the brain, it made me think of our trip last year to Eastern Europe. Charlie Bravo and I stopped in a ittybitty town called Blagaj whose claim to fame is a 16th century Dervish Monastery right next to a huge cliff AND where the Buna River starts, out from underneath said cliff. It was pretty breath taking.

We were able to walk down to the river and use a very ancient and beautifully etched metal bowl to scoop up the clear water to drink. At first I was thinking "Um...how many people have used that thing?" and Chris is all "Dammit woman this is one-time adventure!" So I drank and I didn't die.

Before being allowed up into the rickety monastery we had to remove our shoes and cover our heads. It was fun looking pretty ethnic for a while.

All the floors were covered with bright kilims and with the whiteness of the walls, the dark wood moldings and the white doilies everywhere, it was quite serene.

On the way out I had to ask the lone worker there if the kilim runners were for sale as I was so ready to leave there with three of them, but they were used exclusively by the Sufi followers who came here for retreats, praying and whirling. I asked him in disbelief, "You guys really whirl up there?" (it was so small) and indeed they do. The man was so sweet and informative, we ended up buying some incense from him and a head scarf.

Craft Hope for Haiti

2010-01-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

Before I found out about Craft Hope, I wasn't sure where to give in regards to the devastation in Haiti. There are so many ways to donate money but it was overwhelming and I felt stuck. I stumbled upon Craft Hope through facebook and thought it was such a perfect way to mix donating my work while helping out a charity like Doctor's Without Borders. A little about Craft Hope:

Craft Hope is a love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those who need them. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world.

They opened up a Craft Hope Etsy Shop and I donated an Individual Felted Bowl and a set of my Roly Dot Bowls and within a couple of days they were sold, with all the proceeds going to charity! They have made $20,000 since January 15th and it just blows my mind. My sincere gratitude goes out to the ladies of Craft Hope and all the work they are doing behind the scenes. You gals rock.

So please check out the Craft Hope for Haiti shop on Etsy and know that anything you purchase there will have all the proceeds go straight to Doctor's Without Borders.

And the Nominee's Are.....

2010-01-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

The forever faboo blog Poppytalk is launching an online award ceremony celebrating the handmade community called "The Poppies".

First of all, how cool is that? Any chance to show any love and respect to my fellow artists is always great so I've been all over it this past week, voting for every category so far.

And secondly, I'm happy to say that I'm in the "Favorite Handmade Housewares Category". I can be the worst self-promoter, but I'm putting that shyness aside and yelling at you to VOTE FOR ME!!!

And hello? The Poppies? Papaver? My business name means Green Poppy in french & latin. Coincidence??? :)

Welcome 2010

2010-01-15T22:58:00.000-08:00

(New little heart just listed for Valentine's in my Etsy shop....only 6 made!)

Say what???? 2010? Now that just sounds crazy! I always get nostalgic when I have to adapt to a new way of saying the year we're in.....is that just me?

I think I've been in a small state of denial so far this new year. This past holiday season really kicked my booty big time, just wiping me out and making it very hard for me to get my momentum swinging again. I don't like to say I thrive in chaos but it does seem that I can get quite a lot done! (That and some good strong coffee mixed with Netflix instant play) But that's not a good way to live ones daily life, so with this in mind comes my look back at 2009 and my looking forward to 2010.

I can see that I did NOT accomplish some of my resolutions for 2009 which will now be added to my 2010 goals. Regardless of this, I can still say that 2009 was such an amazing year of growth and happiness for me and my little business. I know I've said before how blessed I feel to be able to do what I'm doing, blessed to have the support that I have and blessed for all the amazing people I have met through this adventure that I am on, and I will say it again! 2009 was the year my website launched, my pod series grew, I participated in more shows/fairs, I was fortunate for some lovely press, I attracted more wholesale orders, found out that Canadians and Australians really dig my work (thanks guys!) and I got to travel around Eastern Europe with my best friend.

Here are my goals for 2010....which I love/hate posting because it's out there for the world to see and also helps make me more accountable:

Find more help! - such a biggie....possibly an intern and looking into local senior centers for crochet help. I'm thinking there are some grandmas out there who can kick my ass at crocheting.
Find a 2 bedroom home or live/work loft - I did find studio space this past year, but discovered that I love working at home way to much. So goodbye studio and hello craigslist.
Better time management - I'm addicted to blogs. That's all I can say about that.
Continue my wholesale relationship with stores - I'm learning how to go about making re-orders with stores who have already made an initial order. This is tricky to me.
PILLOWS! - Oh for the love of god, my pillows! I plan to start small this year, maybe not pillows but little wall hangings, short runners etc. This ties into finding a bigger place.

And of course, always coming up with new designs! I still work a part time job so my time is more limited than I would like, but this is ok with me in times like these :)

A Happy Belated New Years to all of you reading! Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Come and Get Your Craft On

2009-12-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

I've been crocheting, felting, trimming, steaming and labeling like a mad woman, getting ready for the Renegade Craft Fair this weekend at Fort Mason, San Francisco.

Won't you come on by booth #112 and say Howdy? At least to check out the amazing artists.....or maybe to bring me some soothing cream for my sore hands? Either way, come on down!

Fun Times at the Pop-Up-Shop

2009-12-07T16:56:00.000-08:00

Oh my stars, I am so pooped after this weekend. My pal Kelly and I met up Friday night (she pulled an all-nighter and I went home to sleep for 3.5 hours...sorry Kelly!) to work on the shop and Saturday morning at 11, we opened up the Holiday Pop-Up-Shop! It was busy, busy with lots of her past Relish at Home customers coming back to shop some good deals and I got to meet the nicest people who came out to see & shop my designs.

The store will be opened this Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Dec 11-14, 11 am - 5 pm. Check out Kelly's site for more details.

*note* the site doesn't mention that the shop is open this Friday but it is!

TGIF = SALE!

2009-12-03T23:54:00.001-08:00

Morning all!

Just a reminder that today I am having a one day sale at my Etsy shop or website!

10% off orders over $75 and 15% off orders over $100.

now for the small print....

discount is taken before shipping&tax. discount will be refunded after purchase. say this really fast like the car commercials.

Come Say Hi! Oh...and a sale this Friday

2009-12-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

First things first.....
Sale this Friday, December 4th
Get 10% off orders over $75 and 15% off orders over $100 in my Etsy shop or website. All discounts are before taxes&shipping and will be refunded to you after purchase.

I can't believe it's December 1st, but I'm pretty sure I say this EVERY year. I absolutely love the holidays and I've always had such a romanticized view of this time of year. You know....hot chocolate in front of a roaring fireplace, singing Christmas carols, going to see all the lights and decorations in the city (especially London when I was a kid living over there) and watching all the classic movies that go along with the holidays. If I don't see "It's a Wonderful Life" at least once during the season, then it was NOT a proper holiday season. My husband likes to quote all the famous lines in his best Jimmy Stewart accent months in advance to get me riled up and annoyed....and if I hear "Zuzu's Petals!" one more time, he'll be very surprised where he will find that lump of coal.

I digress....I wanted to let everyone know where they can come find me in person for some holiday shopping this month!

December 5-6 and 12-13 - Berkeley, CA

My friend and I are doing a 2-weekend Holiday Pop-Up-Shop at ActivSpace in Berkeley. Kelly Sperbeck was the owner of Relish At Home for several years at this location, and she will be opening her doors again to sell beautiful jewelry, home accessories, stationary etc. I will be there too!

December 19-20 - Renegade Craft Fair - SF, CA

Don't miss the Renegade Craft Fair people...seriously... the fair is so much fun with the most stellar line up of artists . Period.

Something New

2009-11-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to sell my nesting bowl sets in a simple round box that fit perfectly and that could be used over and over by the buyer. I'm happy to have these in time for the holidays!

Each box comes with a coordinating stitch of yarn on the outside that matches the nesting bowls you've purchased.

Available for the small nesting bowl set only.

Shop Update!

2009-11-21T19:23:00.000-08:00

I just added some new items to the shop! Some new, some one-of-a-kind, sale items and large nesting bowls that are in stock and ready to ship!

Holiday shopping is on!

A Little Belated

2009-11-19T09:00:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to be on Design*Sponge in late October!

Jill and Alethea of Studio Choo did a wonderful job of taking my felted vases & bowls and creating such beautiful arrangements.

Loving

2009-11-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Just a few of my special purchases from the faboo trunk show last Sunday which now sit on my desk.

"Be" rock by Rae Dunn

Recycled sweater rocks by Loulen (with lavender inside...smells so good!)

Early Morning

2009-10-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

A Lovely Visit

2009-10-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

The gals from Studio Choo paid me a visit last week!
Special guest included Noodles who we fashioned a mini felted beret for and the last pic is a little sneak preview of a new vase I've been working on.

Thanks Jill, Alethea, Lia and Noodles for stopping by!

Gifts from Japan

2009-09-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

I forsee the making of a felted mini-world for those miniature people....the twigs will be their forest.

Just Arrived and some New Works

2009-08-28T17:24:00.000-07:00

To me there's nothing that makes me happier than opening up a box and scooping out skeins of undyed, natural creamy yarn.

Some new work I've been fiddling around with. Scraps of hand felted merino wool and weaving samplers.

New In the Shop

2009-07-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to announce the newest members of the Pod family!

My new little podlets are now up in my Etsy shop and I just love them. They're modeled after sea urchins, come in 3 sizes and are similar in shape to my pinpods. I've been clustering some of them around my house, trying them in different scenarios and they really just add a touch of zen to anywhere I put them. Line them up in flowing trail, stacked like rocks at the beach or jumbled upon themselves....just lovely.

Each podlet can sit on either of it's ends, with one side featuring a contrasting color dot. They are stuffed plump with eco wool and fun to squish. I debuted them at the Renegade Fair and my boothmates and I loved watching people beeline to them, pick them up and instantly squish them. We started to notice more and more men doing this.....hmmm.......not sure what to think but I love knowing that they're "guy" friendly!

Anyways, have a peek and stay awhile. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Fun at the Fair

2009-07-25T15:52:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came by the booth last weekend at the Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco. It was so much fun and so exhausting! I can't wait until next year.

A pic of our booth:
Some Papaver Vert:

My boothmates, Maria & Jennifer:

A Whole Lotta Cool Craft

2009-07-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Renegade Craft Fair is this weekend, July 18-19, 11 a.m - 7 p.m at Fort Mason Pavilion, SF!

I am so excited to be selling at this fair, in it's second year here in SF. Renegade is a whole new breed of craft fair, offering a fresh approach to the making and selling of handmade goods and crafts. There will be over 200 artists selling their wares and I know that this would be a definite shopping destination for me even if I didn't have a booth there....but I do, so this means the shopping is ON.

Be sure to stop by my booth - #95, down the center aisle on the right - and say hi, squish some pinpods and chit chat with me and 2 other lovely gals I'll be setting up shop with - Jennifer of Bonjour Teaspoon and Maria of This is Calliope. I will be selling my full line of felted designs - roly dot bowls, nesting bowl sets, plant cozies, wrist pods and some new little decorative "podlets" that will make you very happy while they sit next to you on your desk.

See you there!

Keeping It Real

2009-06-03T17:46:00.000-07:00

Awwwww yaaahhhhI missed this while I was traveling. Thanks Real Simple!

Back and Feeling Groovy

2009-05-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how travel can really give you a fresh perspective AND make you eat some humble pie all at the same time. My co-worker asked me if I felt "changed" at all and I had to think for a minute before I seriously said, "You know, I kinda do".

We just arrived home last week after a fun-filled, adventure-packed 3 weeks in Eastern Europe. Charlie Bravo and I are quick to correct anyone who has asked us how our vacation was because vacation it was not. It was a full time job but not in the horrible 9-5 sense. We packed our days full of seeing the sights, arranging travel connections, cafe breaks, timing it just right to catch a historic view at sunset and asking our hosts about local customs in their respective countries.

There were rental cars, buses, ferries, overnight trains, more stairs than I've ever climbed and times when I thought my calves would fall right off. Faux-pas were made (trying to pay with Polish money in the Czech Republic) and we had to learn to deal with a much more laid back attitude to ferry schedules and getting proper directions and just go with the flow (example - waiting for a ferry connection that never arrived, being told the other ferry was "not too far away" and then running 3 miles with our heavy backpacks to another part of the island. phew!)

It was so refreshing to visit somewhere so completely foreign to us as we had never been to that part of Europe before. We really felt far away from home in regards to language (no french or spanish!) and history than our past travels have taken us. It was the first time traveling to places that had, historically, the most horrific things happen. We saw these events here in the States on t.v but I remember not really grasping what was going on. One example would be visiting the beautiful city of Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina. They've rebuilt most of their city since the war in '93 but it's so amazing to still see bomb blasts and bullet holes everywhere, a reminder of what happened not long ago.

One of the best things about traveling is the people watching. I LOVED people watching, checking out their style and daily pace wherever we went, so different from my own. It would be so crazy to be visiting the oldest and dinkiest of towns and seeing that even the kids there wear skinny jeans! And speaking about pants, a big trend I saw everywhere were "harem" pants, like mc hammer pants but not as ugly. Not sure I would even consider those for my closet but I did see some young gals definitely pulling off the look.

*sigh* I could go on but I'll stop. It's back to reality and getting back to my routine of work BUT not without my new perspective:

Slow down a little, look around more, BREATHE and enjoy the moment.

That was one thing that I really did on this trip. I was really in the moment and I didn't think much of anything else. I don't want to forget this now that I'm back. But I have to admit I'm already thinking of where I'm going on my next trip....

Wrist Pods

2009-04-08T16:45:00.000-07:00

I've ventured onto an out-of-the-way side road with this newer design:

I gotta say, I really love my Wrist Pods....(i know, i know, cue the dreamy background music)....but I really do!

I've worn each color out and about town and they look great dressed up or dressed down.

A lovely combination of airy and bold, light with structure:
and a beautiful embroidered detail on each that I'm crazy about:

Available in my shop in 4 different colors.

Out and About in Oakland

2009-04-07T18:45:00.000-07:00

(make sure to click on the photos to see them bigger)

Alleyway in Chinatown
Chinatown Fish Market

The guy saw my camera and made me take a picture. When I said no he yelled really loud.....never argue with a large knife wielding fish guy.

The Cathedral of Christ the Light

Wow. This place just blew me away. (second pic is of a building nearby, not the cathedral). The new cathedral just opened recently and was awe struck when we walked inside. It's like a big honeycomb, made up of Douglas fir and by far the most amazing part was the 90-foot high Omega window made of aluminum panels. It is actually perforated with 94,000 holes (94,000 HOLES people!) and an image of Christ shines through. According to their website, the image was borrowed from a sculpture in Chartres Cathedral in France.

It was very beautiful, modern and peaceful inside.

Discount for Poppytalk Readers!

2009-04-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Pop on over to The Handmade Artist blog on Poppytalk for a special discount on Papaver Vert goods until April 10th!

NY Times

2009-03-05T09:00:00.000-08:00

My pinpods and dot vase were in the NY Times today!

There is an exhibit called "Fashioning Felt" opening tomorrow at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and oh how I wish I could go check it out.

Trunk Show Tomorrow Night!

Also, if you're in San Francisco tomorrow evening, stop by Rare Device where I will be having a trunk show from 7 -9 p.m. And yes, this means free wine....I won't hold it against you if you stop by for that.

Plant Cozy Sale!

2009-02-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

My 3" plant cozies are being discontinued (they now come in 4") and they've been marked down with free shipping!

I've listed the colors that are left and ready to ship in my Etsy Shop.

Now $26 (was $36) including shipping. (Price is for one plant cozy)

Just Arrived

2009-02-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

I picked up these beautiful books by Mina Perhonen a couple of weeks ago. There's a book on Textiles, Embroidery and Print.I can't stop looking at them!
You can order them through here.

Woh!

2009-01-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

I was so stoked last year when the very cool Velocity Art & Design purchased some of my felted wares for their showroom in Seattle, WA. And then I was even more elated when they added me to their online store...right next to those I admire....Angela Adams, Heath Ceramics. *swoon*
When I thought things couldn't get any better, John Tusher, founder of Velocity Art & Design, mentioned Papaver Vert in Seattle Homes and Lifestyles in their Style Future Forecast feature. Ok, I gotta say...being mentioned in the same paragraph as Heath Ceramics almost did my head in. There are no words to describe.....'nough said.

And lastly (I promise this is it for the shameless tooting of ones own horn) Ali, who has been nothing but lovely to work with over at Velocity, asked me some questions for the Velocity blog "Simpatico" and I was featured in a 2-part interview last week!

You can find the first part here and the second part here.

I Heart Succulents

2009-01-15T00:50:00.000-08:00

This past year I have fallen head over heels in love with succulents. I know, I know....where the heck have I been? This love has passed onto Charlie Bravo too and last month, I came home one day to this:
Our very own succulent garden on our balcony! Some were cuttings from a friend, some were bought and the large terra cotta bowl in the upper right was left on our street one day. What a score. You could bathe a small child in there, it's that big.

Using the succulents in my plant cozies have been a match made in heaven. I'm not sure what it is....maybe that they both look so touchable. You always want to squeeze succulents (ok, well at least I do. Some look like pillows!) and I guess my felted goodies are squeezable too. Voila! A match!
With succulents in mind, I had been meaning to visit a fabulous nursery in the Bayview area of San Francisco, so we finally made a trip out there last week. Before going though, I read up on what Flora Grubb was all about and I think Dwell magazine summed it up quite nicely (read it here), calling her place "the hippest plant merchant in the Bay Area" and "the greenest and most charming garden store and nursery in SF". Lordy, lordy they were NOT kidding. Flora's place was the most beautiful, artistically designed gardening oasis that I've ever been to! It has an urban, art studio vibe to it, very open and lofty in the great boutique area, complete with yummy coffee by Ritual Coffee and a very helpful staff. We stayed quite a while, making sure to cover every inch of it.....soaking up the succulents (oh the choices!) and browsing the books. I purchased the funniest looking things there, something called a lithop which also go by "Living Stones" since they have this funky prehistoric rock formation thing going on. They remind me of the bottom of an animals foot or elephant toes....just bizarre but I love them!

Right before we left, we discovered something that totally took us by surprise:
An huge framed planter of succulents on a wall! This thing was really big, at least 6 feet wide. So stunning. You can see me holding the lithops in the middle. Funny, huh?

Ok, one last succulent shout-out.
A while back, Donna of Re-Surface sent me pic of her plant cozy complete with a fuzzy succulent. I'm smitten :)

The Site is Live!

2009-01-13T21:47:00.000-08:00

So please stop by!

www.papaververt.com

Site designed by the wonderful Nancy Palmer of Small Tree Studio and my beautiful logo by the talented Jillian Clark!

Looking To 2009

2009-01-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

After spending a lovely evening at home with friends to ring in the New Year, complete with homemade limoncello and rum cake, Charlie Bravo and I went for a long and beautiful hike today.
photo - Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
(that's me in the middle, always trying to get Charlie Bravo to catch me in my dorkiness mid-air...doesn't always work)
It was the perfect way to welcome 2009. I'm tired and sore, but I'm feeling really great, renewed and just excited about the year ahead. 2008 was such a big year for me and my little business and I feel so very blessed. So much support came from friends and family (thank you guys :) but also from people I have never met in person, just over the internet - bloggers who featured my work, other small business owners with advice, lovely customers, people who just left inspiring and thoughtful comments. You all ROCK!

Last year, at this time, I wrote down goals for the year ahead. Looking back on them, I think I did pretty good. The website is the main thing that didn't happen, but it'll be up the next few weeks and I can't wait! Here are few for this year:

Hire an assistant part time
Find a bigger work space
Collaborate with other artists on combined designs
Get my pillows going! (I'm giving myself until the end of the year for this one)
Collaborate with shops creating some exclusive pieces
Make some smaller, limited edition designs

Happy New Year to anyone who comes to visit me here. I hope it is filled with a lot of love, happiness, good friends, good food and a year where you start to make your dreams a reality.
Well, goodbye 2008 and hellllloooooo 2009! So nice to meet you.

Order Deadline Extended!

2008-12-15T18:40:00.000-08:00

I have extended the deadline for purchasing to this Friday, Dec 18th in my Etsy Shop!
This applies only to the United States...sorry guys.....

Most items are in stock. Just check the listings to make sure!

Papaver Vert Holiday!

2008-12-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

Here's where you can find me in the Bay Area for some Papaver Vert holiday shopping!

Thursday, December 11th - San Francisco
Appel and Frank Productions
The Regency Center - 5 -9 pm
(put in code DESIGNERSF to get in for free)

December 19th - Berkeley
Relish at Home
Papaver Vert Trunk Show - 5-8 pm

December 20th - San Francisco in the Mission
Holiday Shopping Event w/Local Artisans
724 Valencia St@18th - 1-8 pm

Finally Back...and so not blogging.....

2008-11-23T20:58:00.001-08:00

I've decided that I am officially a terrible blogger. I have all the best intentions and then when I start thinking about what to write, it becomes bigger than it should be and then nothing happens, nothing is put down. This is typical me...the panic, the unnecessary worry, oy vey! And then I think about all the bloggers out there, all the ones that I love to read and then I start to compare and you know how wrong that is. Ok, I'm shuttin' my trap and moving on....

Charlie Bravo and I had a lovely time away! You can sometimes forget that getting away doesn't have to mean leaving the country (as much as that pains me to say it cause I'm always itching to jump on a plane to Italy ANY DAY), so our plan for a California road trip turned out to be awesome! In a nutshell, we did a tour of all the California missions starting in San Diego up to Fremont - that's 18 missions people! 18! We didn't get to 3 missions above us but we now feel that we just have to since we did the rest. Talk about obsessive but we had a plan and damned if we didn't stick to it.

In between the missions here's a quick synapses of what we did:
(p.s. click on photos to get a closer look)
Spent some time in L.A, hung out at Olvera Street for Dia de los Muertos and saw some trance-like dancing by Aztec dancers while eating churros.

Took some great night shots in downtown Los Angeles and Chinatownn.

Ate at Phillipes a bunch and had a celebrity sighting on W.3rd street that was totally weird and surreal with paparazzi jumping out of cars....I think it was Mishca Barton.

Observed a modern boutique hotel/youth hostel that "displays" its guest for all the world to see, living 24 hours a day in two motel rooms created in street-level storefront windows in downtown L.A.
Stopped on the PCH 1 to check out the surfers in Malibu and watch the sunset.

Drove along country roads stopping to jump out of the car and into some farm fields to see what kind of produce was growing (everything looks green and hard to tell)

Visited Hearst Castle and decided that I would like to vacation there.

Hung out at San Luis Obispos farmers market in the evening and ate steak sandwiches.

Picked up pretty little rocks that looked like gems on Moonstone Beach in Cambria.

Played air hockey at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk arcade (I so won).

And back to the missions...Even though there's a lot of similarity amongst the missions, I can honestly say that I didn't get tired of seeing them one after another. There were some that were less interesting than others, some with barely any structure left and others so well preserved. Some had cities that had grown up around them while others looked just like it did when the Native Americans were there with vast, sweeping views that took my breath away. Now, if you are from California and know even a little about the missions' histories, you'll know the injustices done to the Native Americans so I'm not even gonna go there...not to dismiss it but it's just such a sad state of affairs. Instead, here's a collage of some of the beautiful aspects that the Indians brought to the Missions.

Paper n Stitch

2008-10-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is what I love most about the web and its artist community.....fabulous people like Brittni of Paper n Stitch blog who create an online and curated site for designers to exhibit their work! The list of artists will change monthly and I am so lucky to be part of it's inaugural debut!
Ok, so it may sound like I'm being biased but really, this site is such a great way to get a varied look at several designers but not be overwhelmed by soooo much....which we all know happens with Etsy. God knows I love me my Etsy but it has definitely become a space for everyone AND their dog. It's hard to just see the cream of the crop without spending hours sifting through. Having it be curated makes it all the more special and much more concise. I'll for sure be checking back for holiday gifts in the next month or so.

So check out the wonderful artists at Paper n Stitch and thank your lucky stars for having someone take the work out of countless hours of wasted time on the internet...Awww yahhh.

Something Small in Sunset!

2008-10-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

One of my mini bud vases is in the October issue of Sunset Magazine (page 18)!
Check it out (love the l'il succulent):
Ok, like a dork (quoted from my husband) I highlighted it so you can see it better....
These felted wool bud vases come with a glass insert and are great not just for flora but as storage for pencils, q-tips, you name it.
These are a special only through the awesome shop Relish at Home in Berkeley at $20 each (normally $36). Get 'em while they're hot!

New In the Shop

2008-09-16T19:29:00.000-07:00

Finally!! Something new in my Etsy shop!
I introduce my new Pinpods! These little guys were a big favorite at the show last month and they are really the cutest, most squishable little objet d'art with a purpose. Great for crafters to hold pins, a measuring tape, some thimbles or safety pins. My favorite part.....turn the pod over to show a brightly colored dot!

These will be in my Etsy shop tomorrow morning.
And just a side note as per my pieces, they are made to order so please allow a full week between purchase and ship date.

Like Craft Camp

2008-08-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have just finally recovered from the SF Craft Council Show a couple of weekends ago and today it was for-reals back to work, work, work!
I had the best time at the show and it being my first ever, it couldn't have been any better. The other artists in the AltCraft section were just the most perfect neighbors to have and at the end of the long weekend when we were all packing up, I seriously felt like it was the last sad sad day of summer camp and I had to say goodbye to all my new friends until next summer! It was like Craft Camp and I had the best bunkmates :)
Here are some pics of my booth set up, which I had a lot of fun setting up:
My new dot vases which I absolutely love......they should be in my Etsy shop soon....
And my new Pin Pods! These were a big hit at the show, selling out of all that I brought with me. These will also be in my Etsy shop soon!

Papaver Vert in Black and White

2008-07-26T12:55:00.001-07:00

My co-worker surprised me a couple of weeks ago one morning by handing me a newspaper while I sipped my tea, saying "Did you see this?"
Uh..NO!!!! I swear some tea dribbled down my face. There were my bowls photographed in the San Francisco Chronicle! All thanks to Zoel over at his really great shop Perch in Glen Park, SF, who mentioned me in his write up - thanks Zoel! Anyways, here it is:
Or click here to read the article.

My Virtual Market Table at Poppytalk!

2008-07-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

The lovely people over at Poppytalk (a really great design blog and then some) have come up with a really cool concept they've been doing since late last year. They have a monthly curated online street market that changes themes, showcasing emerging talent around the world and giving you the chance to buy some great handmade finds. What's so great about it is that they've done the scouting for you so you just have to peruse the "tables" to discover some really amazing things.

And I get to be a part of this month's theme!! - "Home Sweet Home"-Housewares Market.
So please click on the Poppytalk link to the right to check it out.

Exciting News

2008-07-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

I am so SO excited to have been chosen to be a part of the American Craft Council show this year in San Francisco! I will be in a new juried section called "AltCraft" with ten other designers. As excited as I am, I am just as nervous if not more so since this will be my first real show. This means product.....I gotta have product.....lots of it to sell. I am so happy to have someone new helping me crochet up a storm - thanks Maho! - so I'll hopefully have enough for 3 days of retail.

Being accepted to this show has been a real eye opener in regards to taking my business to the next level. It's not that I never wanted to, it's just that it sometimes takes something to shake me in my shoes to get that lightbulb lit over my head! I'm looking into possible overseas help, like fair trade co-ops that can keep my work handmade while benefiting the workers at the same time. It's been hard though, wanting to keep my products mine and made by my own hand, and I am realizing that it could get more and more difficult to keep up if I don't explore my options. I really want to keep my product something special, made my hand and not something that is cranked out of a machine so hopefully people will really get that and appreciate it too. I go back and forth between "must make more!" to the idea of "slow design". I need to find that happy balance and I figure if I'm ok with the process, then others will be too. My daily mantra needs to be "Chiillllllll..."

Here's a look at some new items in my shop:

How Time Flies.....

2008-06-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that a year ago today was the last day of my "corporate" job and that just 2 days later I set out on a new path. It's amazing to me how fast time flies as we get older. Don't you remember summer lasting an infinity when we were kids? Sometimes I can't believe that another week has passed and I wonder "what just happened?" But even despite this year whizzing by, I have to say that it's been one of the best years I've had in a long time. That feeling of finally realizing who and what I want to be, what I like and don't like in regards to my life and just this "ah-hah" feeling knowing that I am on a path that I think is really right.....something that I don't think I've ever felt before.

It's hard for me to think too far ahead at the moment. I think that I'm reveling so much in just being that it's really difficult for me to lay out my plans like I probably should. For once in my life, I want to take things a little slower. Let things develop naturally and not have the feeling of such stress, always gasping for air with my chest tight like I always used to. God, it feels good!

I'll sign off with a pic of some poppies I took a few years ago.....a fun photo session I had with a garden of poppies that really led me to my business name "Papaver Vert".

To some it's a mouthful. To me it's just perfect.

The Sweet Life

2008-06-07T10:53:00.001-07:00

When my friend Kelly asked me several weeks ago if I'd like to go cherry picking I couldn't believe it! It's been a goal of mine this year to finally visit some local farms to pick my own gosh darn fruit. So a group of us got together a couple of weekends ago and drove out to Seko Ranch in Brentwood to partake in cherry picking season!

Kelly's friend Kasuen informed me that you can eat while you pick so we started as soon as we got out of the car. It was pure heaven.

There's Kelly way up on a ladder finding the best ones.

I don't think I have EVER eaten so many cherries in my life and I wonder how many made it into the bucket as compared to my insides. We picked 6 pounds and I have to admit that I was completely cherried out by the end. We ended up making a cherry crumble that night (courtesy of a recipe from Kelly's family) that was so unbelievably good and simple to make, I'm so bummed I didn't get a picture.

We were too early in the season for peaches but a farm nearby had some beautiful picks on display. We walked around the peach trees for a while but no luck. This just means that *sigh* I'm going to have to go back!

Come to the Island

2008-05-21T22:57:00.000-07:00

If you know me, and you get me talking about where I currently live, then you'll know that I can go on a bit......and then some.

I live on what is technically an island.
Yes!
An island!
Smack dab here in Northern California in what is called the San Francisco bay area.
Ahhhhh Alameda......how I love thee.

Well, after the studio sale at Whitney Smith's this weekend I decided to take a real, whole day off. So Charlie Bravo and I headed out to one of the many splendors of our Isle of Love......a vodka distillery! (complete with palm trees)Located on the now defunct naval base on Alameda Point, (which also holds the monthly antique fair. And if you haven't gone yet, then you need to have a serious sit-down talk with yourself) in a huge hangar is St.George Spirits which is home to Hangar 1 Vodka. Some real serious stuff in the vodka world, handmade and using real fruit. For $10 I got to try all their offerings plus keep my cute little trumpet glass. And yes, I felt reallllll good and happy afterwards. They are also home to the first place in the U.S to make and carry Absinthe which was banned up until 2007. Crazy! It was a little out of my league but I gave it a go like I knew what I was doing. The best part about St.George Spirits is that they have a great tasting room up front so you not only have a cool view into the distillery on one side, but a great view of the San Francisco skyline on the other. I'm definitely going to come back with some friends. Maybe with a picnic since they have seating outside!Afterwards, we took a long walk exploring the naval base. I just love that kind of landscape - part ghost-town, part old-industrial with some cool historic buildings and barracks. We felt like little ants in between the huge hangars.We found some vintage mobile homes sitting together in their final resting place.

We tried to peek into some of the hangars and warehouses hoping to see something but it was all very spooky and airy.

I would love a place one day with these kind of metal and glass sliding doors.

Some bicycle wheels artfully displayed on a fence.

I *heart* Alameda :)

Spring Open Studio

2008-05-10T10:53:00.001-07:00

I will be selling my designs at Whitney Smith's studio in Oakland, CA next Saturday, May 17th for her annual Spring Open Studio.At least come by to get some Whitney Smith pottery and some jewelry by Leah Rivers!
Hope to see you there!

Run...Don't Walk!!

2008-05-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

If you're in San Francisco and would like to get your hands on some of my felted goodies.....look no further than Rare Device: and Rose and Radish:

An amazing combination of two really great stores WITH lovely store owners AND a perfect 'lil something for Mom this weekend.

Making My Day

2008-05-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

How can one go wrong with Italy and colorful legos?

By Berlin artist Jan Vormann (found on Yatzer - Design to Share) using Legos!

"The sleepy little village of Bocchignano, where life revolves in fixed traditional patterns, by some seen as a dying relict of the past times, is now introduced into our present, the short-breathed and plastic-designed twentieth century."

Sneak Peak of Alameda Living

2008-04-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much Leah for featuring my little apartment on her great blog!
It makes it look twice as big than it really is :)

Here's some pics from the tour :

Friends: New and Old

2008-04-07T19:31:00.000-07:00

Starting this "new" life of mine last year has had it's shares of ups and downs so far, but definitely the ups are meeting the neatest people around. Especially those who are not only talented, but ones that are living off their art.....something that I hope to do too.

Last week, I had the pleasure of hanging out with the lovely and talented artist, Whitney Smith. Now, I've been a fan of hers for quite some time so to be able to visit her studio AND get a look at her stunning ceramics up close and personal was really cool. Before I met her, and we had talked on the phone, she had already answered a ton of questions that just spilled out of my brain and she was awesome enough to just keep answering more when we met. It's nice getting some advice and feedback from someone who is a definitely a "seasoned" artist and even better when they are happy to just share about anything. So thanks Whitney! There's more questions to come! HA! No..I'm serious....

On another friend note, my great gal pal Jennifer Jennings had an opening the other night at M.A.C in San Francisco for her clothing line - Serial Cultura. Jen is the only girl I know that seems to fit an absurd amount of work into a normal day....as if she was given 12 more hours than the rest of us normal folk. But what she does with those hours is design and create the most gorgeous and color-filled garments you've ever seen. All of her pieces are silk screened (by her) with prints from photographs that she has taken herself of urban landscapes and objects (think wire fence, bicycle chain). Check out her site.

I'm so proud of you Jen - you ROCK!Jennifer (wearing one of her creations, with another behind her) and her hubby Gabriel.

Some new goodies...

2008-03-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Couple of new felted items added to the shop!

And a couple of sneak peeks of a few more in the next couple of days...

I'm really happy to say that the yarn I use to make my wool felted bowls and vases is made in a family run old-school American mill with wool from U.S raised sheep! It's seems that this kind of thing is so rare these days, what with everything coming from China. It's really kinda of sad....

I've Been Tagged!

2008-03-25T17:11:00.000-07:00

Hey! My first tag! Thanks to the lovely Christine at Chocolate and Steel for tagging me.
I have to admit, my first thought wasn't "What kind of things will I reveal about myself?" but "Do I know 6 other bloggers????". Uhh....I guess I'll figure that part out at the end.

Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

So here are 6 things:
1. I love getting my hair cut and changing up my style. If I start to feel down in the dumps for a while, it's most likely tied to the fact that I haven't had my hair cut in a while.

2. I am very scared of any thing with an exoskeleton, like beetles and crabs, so much so that my palms are starting to sweat just typing about it. When I lived in England and was going to school there, I came upon a stag beetle while we were all outside doing p.e and I've never been the same since. Just google stag beetle and you'll see what I mean!

3. I like mixing up my food on my plate so that in one mouthful I'm not just eating one thing. This might also be due to my love of food and wanting to always inhale it.

hmmm....this is harder than I thought

4. I love, love, LOVE pastries. Mainly the flaky buttery kind like croissants, chocolate croissants and fruit turnovers. And while we're on sweets, I like English scones with jam and clotted cream. But it's gotta be the real deal.

5. I get really bad reactions to mosquito bites and I am like a beacon to those pesky things. It could be the dead of winter, no bugs in site, in a room crowded with people, and I'll leave with 5 mosquito bites. I'm not kidding!

6. I am a notorious channel changer/maximizer which drives my poor husband crazy. But what if I'm missing something??

Here are the people I'm tagging:
Hemlines and Heels
Wear it Like You Mean It
Small Stump
More Ways to Waste Time
Whitney Smith
Lifeflix

This Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

2008-03-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

It’s been way too long since I’ve written here and I always tell myself to try to write at least twice a week and then that overwhelmed feeling takes over. The one where there’s lots to do and I know I should just take it in stride and work my way through, but instead a paralyzing fear takes over and very little gets done. Talk about self sabotage, although it makes me feel better to know that I’m not alone after speaking with other people with small businesses. So in thinking of a post today and my new “Just Do It” attitude (no Nike endorsements here), I was looking through some old photos and started to laugh out loud with this one from a trip several years ago to Calaveras Big Trees State Park:And I’m still laughing because this is EXACTLY how I’ve been feeling lately.
(You want me to climb what? Uh….you mean this tree right here? Well…um….you’re kidding me right?)
That huge, daunting tree looms above me daily. There are days I look up it and think that it’s all so very possible and that I’m a fully capable and intelligent being. Then there are the days that are more frequent than not, where it’s all too much and I can’t even bear to look up at the tippy-top branches. I do stop myself often though, to point out to myself how beautiful that tree is and how fun it would be to climb.

I think a lot of this has to do with some big decisions I’ve made lately that have made my business more of a reality to me (hmmmm…..taxes anybody?) For starters, I just opened up my first wholesale account with a yarn company and even though it was a very scary (and expensive) thing to do, it was also so much fun, having a rep visit my house with bags of lovely yarn, looking at a myriad of color cards, touching and feeling all the wool skeins and getting a sneak peak at new products. Of course right after, my big tree feelings came back. Where am I going to put all this yarn I ordered? Can I possibly get through all this yarn? Do I even have enough hands helping me to GET through all this yarn? I envision skeins all over my apartment, yarn hanging down like pasta and criss- crossing back and forth like a huge spiderweb.

Does anyone else have their own tree to conquer?

Smells Like Pepper

2008-02-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

It's quite a gloomy day here in the Bay Area today (my favorite kind of day) but I have these beautiful freesia's in some glass bottles here that almost look better amidst a dark grey sky.
And by the way, I had no idea freesia's smell like pepper! Crazy! Each time my husband and I walk into the kitchen, one of us says "Did you spill some pepper"?Or that they grow like mini trumpets off of one stem. They make me happy just looking at them.

I like to keep glass jars and bottles around for times like these - they make great impromptu vases. The tall one is a Trader Joe's fizzy lemonade bottle and the smaller one is a Mexican Jarritos bottle.

Hope it's sunnier where you are! (or not.....if you're like me :)

New Felted Goodness

2008-02-16T16:07:00.000-08:00

I just posted some new felted goodies to my Etsy shop!

There's some more on the way.....wool can take reaaaallllll long to dry.

More to Come...

2008-02-06T18:01:00.001-08:00

I just added 2 new pillows to my shop today:
I'm loving the combination of the teal, black, cream and orange together. I was inspired by this pic from Orla Kiely's home (those are my wool swatches):
I love what that woman does with color. Her graphics and garments are so sweet and simple, but it's the colors she chooses to put together that have such an effect on me. This is really how all of my pillows and their designs have come about so far. Somewhere, a color combination has caught my eye - just walking down the street and seeing the tip of a brightly painted house next to the sky, 2 people in line for coffee....they're coats next to each other, old warehouses next to each other with graffiti. The color will literally make my stomach flip flop and I'll keep the colors in my head until I get home and then see if I have that color wool. Most likely I do because it seems that I always fall for the same colors! Mustards, greys, turquoise, different shades of oranges and fucshias/pinks, teals and greens....

Here's a little sneak of some new items that I will be adding to my shop next week...
Well, ok the bud vase isn't new (there are 2 in the shop) but I really love these guys and think they would be a great Valentine's Day gift with a couple of pink tulips! When they're not being used as a vase, they're great for holding knitting needles and such. Add some rice or river rocks to the bottom to bump up pencils, pens or your makeup brushes in the bathroom (this will also help to dull that clinking sound everytime you put something in there)

I'm Seeing Stars

2008-02-02T11:31:00.000-08:00

Wow! Check me out on Bloesem:

Thanks Irene!
(not sure how to capture a screen shot of the whole page with banner and text......will add to list of what to learn :)

It's All In The Crease

2008-01-30T17:29:00.000-08:00

Holy moly, was I in for a surprise yesterday. I didn't tear through my current Ready Made magazine like I usually do when it arrives in the mail. When I finally did pick it up, I opened to this:

Yes, I know it's kinda hard to tell - but there are my bowls!! My felted bowls! I had to crush open the spine a little to see the other 2 but heck - there they are! Did I tell you? It's my bowls!

At first I was wishing they weren't in the crease so much, but then my brother-in-law asked me "or is it in the centerfold Patty?" Hmmmmmm....I like his point- thanks Rich! So my felted lovelies are now centerfold pin-ups. My life is complete.

On that note - I wanted to say thanks to all those who have left such nice and positive comments on my Etsy shop and to the lovely bloggers out there who have been so kind to write about and feature my designs, like More Ways to Waste Time (2 AWESOME posts about my felted goods - thanks Leah), MStetson and Craft Gossip. And of course to Ready Made for including my felted bowls in the mix with the big kids.

All of this support really means a lot to me!

Relish These Pillows!

2008-01-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

Some hand felted, 100% merino wool pillows I have at Relish At Home at the moment:

(this dijon/teal one has been sold already)

I am also soooooooo excited to have some pillows and felted bowls at Rare Device. Thanks Lisa and Rena!

Check out the bowls here.

I am updating some felted bowls to my Etsy shop too....
here's a sneak peak:

Looking Up In 2008

2008-01-07T17:48:00.000-08:00

Photo: Alameda, New Years Day
Taking a cue from decor8, and completely agreeing about the fact that writing something in such a public place like a blog makes one more likely to commit to doing it, here are my big goals for 2008!

*Hunker down and create daily, even if this means being out of the loop/society for a while*
I tend to do business first, design second and I feel that this is a big no-no for me and I want to break the cycle.

*Get my website up*
And I'm talking in the next couple of months

*Find a balance with my work schedule and my down time*
So that I'm not killing myself!

*Work smarter in regards to what I am capable of and the quality of work I can create*
If it means creating less but having a beautiful product, so be it.

*Stop the Comparing!*
Ugh, this can get ugly - stick with creating from within even when I see what's out there and start to feel like small fries....I truly believe others will love what I make when I love what I make.

*Stop and breathe every now and then*
Soak in the fact that this is what I've always wanted to do, so do a quick check - am I happy? am I still loving all this? yay! Then keep going!

On that note, I did do a check today and I am still loving it so this is good start to 2008!

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-24T15:05:00.001-08:00

A very Happy Holidays to you and yours!