out our front door

We almost stepped on this queen bee mating in our front lawn. Can you see how her partner is about a third of her size? In response to us gawking she tried to fly off. She barely hovered an inch above the ground dragging him upside down through the grass.  It was such a crazy sight! 

More queen bee inspiration...

Atticus: He has officially lost that teenage wild side, and has settled into being a lovable protector. 

Summer rainbow that was visible throughout all of Western North Carolina. 

eliseo

Alex built us this shoe shelf last year. I really love having it, however, one of Seo's favorite things to do is pull all the shoes off the shelves. Several times a day.
Usually the day starts and the shoes are lined up all nice and neat. By the time Alex gets home they are shoved every which way. I was about to say he thinks it is so funny... but I am realizing that I don't know if he does think that. He does it systematically, almost as if it is his job to pull out all those shoes. 

prepping for wholesale

Alex had the day off from work yesterday and so I got to have a long awaited work day of my own. Sadly, I didn't get to paint, there is a whole list of other priorities.  On the top of that list is getting prepared to take on wholesale accounts for Seed & Sky. As I step further and further into this role of businessperson I am biting my tongue every step of the way. Everything in my whole being wants to shout out that I don't do business, and I am happy being a shy hermit in my studio... 

However I am finding bits and pieces of myself here and there that likes being a businessperson and thinking in this way. Statistics, strategies, money, profits, advertising, branding, and on and on. There is so much to learn, and that is the best and most scary part. No, I take that back, the scariest part is putting yourself out there and risking failure.

So yesterday I designed this double sided, large postcard to give to potential clients.  It will be stuffed in an envelope with suggested retail prices and our wholesale terms.  If you know of a retail store that you think would be a match for us we would LOVE to hear your suggestions! (kelceyloomer@hotmail.com) Exciting times!

 front

back

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

xxx Kelcey

tuesday drawing

staying cool in the heat

My Hot Weather (okay cold weather too) Smoothie Recipe

1 banana
1 cup of milk
3 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup or powder
12 ice-cubes
cold water to thin if needed

Put all ingredients in the blender. blend.

Makes 2.25 pints / 1 Liter

beach vacation 2011

Vacation came and went in a hot, salty, swirl of family, food, and waves.

* Lili conquered her intense fear of the roaring ocean.
* We built a sand castle.
* The kids lived on cheese, crackers, and juice.
* We drank beer and ate rich food all together.
* We spent time quality time with my grandparents.
* I went for a long beach walk with my aunt.
*Had sister time. Even though we are lucky enough to live near Becca and Dave, it is special to spend a week together.
*Got to know my step-sister Naomi better & Lili loved playing with her.
* I drank coffee and listened to my Dad and Amy do the crossword each morning.

Unfortunately, while we were there both kids got sick, got fevers, broke out in full body rashes, & threw up. Seo all over me, Lili all over the rental house comforter (and that is when the house washing machine called it quits.) We had a more low key vacation because of them not feeling well, but in some ways it was nice. We read a lot which was a treat.

Before we left I had planned on working at least a little while there, but then at the last minute we decided to leave it all behind. It was refreshing to not have the option to work.

Everyone helped tremendously with our kids~ enabling it to feel like a true vacation.
It feels like it went too fast, and I already miss my family...

On the flip side, it feels really nice to be home too.

Artist :: Elly MacKay

Elly MacKay is an artist who lives north of Toronto in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. I stumbled upon her Etsy Site recently and was instantly intrigued by the beauty and depth.  

I felt almost dizzy as my head tried to decipher what was going on until I read a little bit about how her work is created. Her prints are photographs of three dimensional scenes she creates. Here is a description in her own words about her process: 


"Once I have some layers I begin to install them in my 'theater', a sweet little one that my husband made for me. The image above gives a sense of the scale I am working with. The theater is open on all sides, allowing me to light things from any angle. I use parchment for skies and often place coloured tissue behind it, to create distant landscape or clouds. Due to the open sides and bottom, it can be tricky to have everything stay in place. The frame of the theater has holes to string wire to hold everything in place." 

I went through ALL of her prints on Etsy, and I fell in love.
"My work often tells a moment in a story, and often plays with the themes of childhood, and the ephemeral. I look to my own childhood, my experiences as a mother, Victorian curiosities, vintage book illustrations,  and set design. I have recently begun working on a larger scale, creating installations." 
~Elly MacKay

Aren't they amazing?

To learn more about her process

Her Etsy Site

and her blog

family vacation :: day one

Artist books and visual journals

 SongWen Matilda Huang

Elsa Mora

 Danny Mansmith

 Aren't these amazing??? Come check out more on my "Artist books and visual journals" section in pintrest!

snapshots

snapshots from the past couple weeks:

a wedding, a brotherly race, a saying goodbye, grandparents, a whiffle-ball game, kids, dear friends, 
& more family.

me and Seo

Marriot Hotel, Elmhurst IL

July 2011

newest painting

Kelcey Loomer
No Title Yet

Acrylic, pen, ink, pencil, antique lace, paper, PVA glue, paste

16" x 20" x .75"

2011

My grandmother who passed away in January was on my mind a lot when I painted this. The shadow across the top of the painting is not part of it~ that is just the shadow from my frame.


My shop is closed for renovations right now, but when I reopen in the beginning of August this painting (and her print) will be there! 

summer big crafty!

 It has been forever since I posted here...

While I was absent we went to Chicago for Alex's Grandmother's "Celebration of Life party". It was such a sweet mixture of tears, rekindling family ties, bellies hurting from laughing so much, family stories, food (lots of pizza and diner breakfasts!) and suburban adventures. We got home at 2:30 am Saturday morning and woke up a few hours later to bust out our Big Crafty preparations. We crossed everything off our list, had the truck packed and ready to go, and were in bed by 1:30 am the next morning.

A little about The Big Crafty photos:

1.  I changed up my booth this time and didn't make it as deep as I usually do. I left about 1/3 of the 10'x10' area for back-stock and for me and Alex to stand. I don't want my space to feel intimidating, and I think by making this shift customers can more easily browse by and not feel like they have to commit to coming into a cave. Does that make sense? Next time I want to have something at the very edge that is eye catching. I am not sure yet what that will be... Also, do you see that cool booth right next to me??? That's my sister Rebecca and her Etchville booth!!! (Etchville.com) 
2. Testing out our new earring cards I designed. I feel like they still need some bling, but I was happy with the improvement. They are hanging from a light blue baker's twine using mini clothespins. (I have been using these in my packaging for my Etsy shop too)
3. I did sell a painting yesterday, but not this one. I love this painting and I will have a twinge of sadness whenever it does decide to leave me :)
4. Alex and I made a giant leap into 2011 when we bought a droid smartphone this month! The application that enables you to take credit cards was the inspiration for the purchase. Using it at The Big Crafty was SO easy. For $1 they send you the small plug in that you use to swipe the customer's card. Then they charge you 3% for every transaction. 
5. And lastly, This is Rose! Lili named her. I bought her new on Ebay to model our earrings. I like how plain she is. She looks a little like an alien, but I promise you she is way less scary than a lot of the other models. I think she was $38 including shipping. (see here)

I always enjoy The Big Crafty. I met some new artists and craft people, and reconnected with some regulars. It is always something I look forward too... and yet I am always relieved when it is done. Today Alex went back to work, and the kids and I are settling back into our regular life.