this place is a workshop

A little glimpse into the production going on in my studio lately. Greeting cards, some signage done with a dip pen, and a few modifications of my rocking chair illustration. Despite all of the ways I tried to improve that original line drawing, I still like the first one the best.

The last week or so I've also been refinishing a table that Michael and I found at a flea market at the Elmwood Festival of the Arts. We loved the slate on top, but decided to stain it with a dark ebony finish. I am very very happy with the way it turned out, considering the number of hours I spent sanding that piece!

Before:

After:

wedding season!!

Having recently married Michael in September (coming up on a year, wow!), everyone's wedding excites me.  I unsurprisingly want to help out wherever and whenever I can. I would be more than happy to grab a hole punch and thread ribbon through 300 gift tags, if asked. Thankfully, my friend Kristin had a more thrilling request: painting her wedding card box! Weee. I just finished this week, and will polyurethane it when I'm positive it's dry. The humidity has been slowing down my processes a little.  I am SO ready to see what Maggie has in store for me with her deep teal and coral palette!

I've also been trying to work on the drawing of Lauren from a few posts ago. I hope to have it mostly finished this week.

spring for the home

Just a quick update with some shots of the finished nesting tables. I think that's the last of the furniture for a while. I've been anxious to get back to some real illustration work, especially after catching up on some of my friends' work. Hopefully this nice break of sunny weather provides some inspiration!

april showers bring crafty days

Lately, I have found myself with a lot of time on my hands. So of course, I've been getting into all sorts of trouble. If it weren't for Allison posting with her daily inspirations, you might not have heard from me until May!

These are from a set of stationery I made for my mom's birthday. I hope she uses them!

This is a box that I did some artwork on for Sally. It was a pretty fun little job, since I got to coordinate it with a swatch of fabric: my favorite! I'm working on some small nesting tables for her now, which I'll post later.

this spring, green furniture is in.

This week I finished a couple of pieces for Sally: A faux bois table and a monogrammed children's chair. I am pleased with both of them, and the only challenge for me now is trying to get a clear photo of them!  They were a nice creative break from the editorial/business illustration freelance work I had been doing through the Cincinnati Children's Hospital.  Now I'm really anxious to get back to doing some fresh self-promotional pieces. I'm thinking something large. Canvas. Glazing over fabric. So many choices!  

the newest refinish

A few weeks ago I was excited to find this fantastic little end table at the Salvation Army in Norwood. I loved the legs on it, and saw immediate potential for a cute new piece. I hope to bring it in to Sally at Sassy Boutique sometime this week to see if she will put it in her shop. Yay!  

  

The table top view also showcases my new sketchbook from paper cloud (thanks ali!), my martha stewart recipe box, and a book that I hand bound last week.