The end of the year

Wishing you all love and peace this week. 

rollin along

This morning Alex and Seo dropped Lil off at school and went and picked out a tree together in the fog. I stayed back and worked on filling some orders that need to go out. When we all met back up again we decorated the new tree and the house. It was fun to have some family time after these last couple of whirlwind weeks with all our traveling and shows. 

In my last post Kim had commented asking me where to find my designs or squirrel online. The best bet if you see some item or design that you like is to come right to me. My email is seedandsky@gmail.com and please don't hesitate asking me any questions. I can't guarantee that I will be able to create what you are looking for, but it always worth asking! 

Hope wherever you are you are feeling content. xxx

new illustration :: squirrel

Thanks all for you your sympathy about my cat. She is greatly missed... 

new business card

 After a long time of having the same business cards I made up some new ones today. Here is the front:

and here is the back:

Pretty excited about them! 

missing

I am sleepy and wanting to go to bed, but I find myself unable to get up and make the moves towards my nighttime routine because Pip, (our cat) has been missing for 30 hours. Coupled with the fact that 7 out of the 10 neighborhood cats have disappeared this year (we think coyotes?) and Pip always checks her food bowl every hour or two leaves me feeling like she is gone for good. 

Every night after Alex goes to bed Pip comes downstairs and waits for me to go to bed. She follows me upstairs and then after I climb into bed she huffs in after me and I pull her up to snuggle with me. She always tries to lick my cheek with her scratchy tongue and bad breath.She purs a loud purr with a slightly asthmatic wheezing to it, and she doesn't like the covers covering her.   

So I don't want to go to bed tonight. I don't want to admit my Pip is gone. 

bluebird art

bluebird art

An illustration of an Eastern Bluebird that I finished up this morning. The Bluebird is a symbol of happiness. Something cheerful to keep with us as the days grow shorter... (at least in this part of the world!)

This bluebird feels perfect for today because it is chilly and rainy in the mountains of North Carolina. Most of the songbirds are flying south, and the frost two nights ago killed the last of our flowers and basil. I feel as though I am noticing this shift of seasons more acutely than some years, and it feels bittersweet to say goodbye to all the abundance and color. 

deer illustration

deer illustration

A new illustration I finished last week. I think I was subconsciously calling in the peaceful spirit of the deer as I was frantically trying to squeeze in all the mini projects I wanted/needed to complete before my weekend at the Southeastern Wise Women Herbal Retreat. And now that the weekend has come and gone I can look back on this little fawn and see this was exactly what I needed at the time. 

The conference was amazing (as always). Women travel from far distances to get to it, and I feel extra lucky it is basically in my own backyard. Each year this weekend re-calibrates my eyes and heart to be less critical of myself and others and to take better care of my body and spirit. My friend Nikki came to help me in the booth and we had a really wonderful time meeting new friends, drinking tea, and working our butts off selling my tiny art. 

Good times.

 *sigh* 

where i am at

Hello! 

Sooo, you may have noticed that I have been a spotty blogger of late and for that I am sorry. 

Life and work have been full and I have been having a hard time keeping up with all of it, and my trusty old blog is getting the short end of the stick. I love this blog because it takes a lot of thought and care~ and yet for that very reason I have been finding myself using my instagram and my business facebook page more often than not.  

Because they are fast. They are a blip, a snapshot. They don't take as much thought or care.

And that is where I am at these days I guess for better or worse. I am not giving up on the space I have spent the last five years carving out, I am just admitting to you, to myself, that if you want to see more of me you might want to visit me on instagram >>> @kelceyloomer

or at my facebook page >>> Seed & Sky Facebook

Much love, 

Kelcey

Look! It's Martin Anderson of WNCW (WNC's awesome radio station) with his thumb on my artwork that is gracing the cover of Jon Reid's album. Visit HERE to listen to some of Jon's sweet music! That was a fun surprise to see on Facebook tonight :)

soggy show

We vended at Art in Autumn in Weaverville NC today in the pouring, poring rain. The forecast looked bleak when Alex left the house at 5am and it didn't improve. That didn't stop people from coming out though! I am amazed at how great of a show it ended up being all things considered. 

When I was putting the kids to bed the weather broke and this beautiful rainbow filled the sky. We paused bedtime to watch it. for all the rain we have had this year we haven't seen very many rainbows, so we felt pretty lucky. 

succulents necklace

 new succulents cluster necklace in the shop!

indie craft parade wrap up

Our weekend in Greenville SC vending at the Indie Craft Parade was amazing. First-off, I truly love Greenville. We stayed in a hotel right across the street from our show and Alex and I switched on and off who was with the kids. Downtown has lots of sculptures and fountains and was easy to walk around with the kids. Seo had a cold and was not on his best behavior (three has been more challenging than two???) but overall the family survived and had a sweet time.
Here we are, on a morning walk, looking for the 9 small bronze mice hidden on the main street:

 our crafty neighbor roundabout

 Some new large teardrop earrings I made for the show:

 Keeping the kids busy behind the booth with a movie on our ipad. Alex is busy making more necklaces because we kept selling out of our pre-made ones. :)

 another crafty neighbor Auspicious Miss:

I wish I had taken a lot more photos. I am feeling really, really, grateful and happy about all of the wonderful people in Greenville who came out and showed us SO much love! 

right now

We won't start our official first day of home-school until next week. I am feeling nervous and excited. I am piecing together different curriculums for her in addition to the two days she will be at her farm school. I don't know how many years we will home-school, we plan on taking it year by year. Right now it feels just right though. When asked what she would like to learn this year she answered in this order:
#1. Learn to fish
#2. Learn to read

Meanwhile, we are taking turns hanging with these two goofballs while the other parent is working, working, working, getting ready for the three big shows we are doing over the next three weeks. (Indie Craft Parade in Greenville SC, Big Love in Asheville, & Art in Autumn in Weaverville NC).

The rain has slowed down here, and we are enjoying some last hints of summer.

Earlier while I worked the kids and Alex went on a long adventure walk. (Didn't you know you need sunglasses for an adventure walk?)

new design :: firefly

 Two new designs for a cluster necklace dedicated to fireflies. Sort of a last good-bye to summer I suppose...

Late night drawing

Sun

Proof there was morning sunlight on my counter this morning! (It has been the rainiest summer...)

5 things from today

*dinner: pasta with butter and fresh basil, roasted green beans (from our garden) with garlic, and pork sausage that was given to us from friends who raised the pig themselves. 

* spent some time working on a new design based on fireflies. 

* the other day Lili asked if she could hang a piece of her art on the unfinished wall behind the wood stove and we said of course. Over the last two days she started using it as her personal gallery. Maybe tomorrow i can snap a photo of it...

*while I worked Alex wrestled and rough-housed with the kids for what seemed like hours. 

* our new zucchini plants we planted came up.

Summer nights

Last night we ate bruschetta with garlic rubbed on the sourdough bread. Tonight leftover turkey meatballs, cheese quesidillas, and fresh green beans from the garden.  We ate later than normal and set the kids ( plus one friend) out to eat in the front yard on a picnic blanket while Alex and ate on the couch and sipped boxed wine. We talked about work and the kids ( as always.)

After dinner Lil skipped off with her friend to have a sleepover next door, a giant penguin stuffed animal in her arms. Alex did the dishes. Seo restlessly fell asleep to the sound of our large fan + sound machine. 

The days still feel long and drawn out.

Nest

Last week little birds chirped from this nest that was tucked in a big loop of extension cord in our tool shed. When we came in to find the nest abandoned we took it down and examined it. Made of moss and twigs mainly, the interior was lined with Atticus fur (our dog who passed away in December.) 

It was a bittersweet find. 

I am left with the lingering question: were they were taken by the chicken-killing raccoon who has been sneaking into our chicken coop, or did this dog fur lined shelter serve it's purpose and see them to flight.

seed & sky Sale!!!

Last time I had a sale I forgot to mention it here until the last minute, so I wanted to share this for all my Seed & Sky fans out there that are not on facebook! xxx Kelcey

A Seed & Sky BOGO SALE! Follow these easy steps: 

#1. Go to our Etsy shop ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/seedandsky ) and pick out any piece of jewelry you have had your eye on. 

#2. When you are checking out simply write in the message to seller box which free piece of jewelry you would like. Simple! 

Our biggest Sale of the year ~ so head on over!!!

summertime skinned knee

10 years

Next to a beloved lake and in front of our family and friends, Alex and I vowed to journey together. That was ten years ago.
Since that day we have dug garden beds and chain-sawed down trees to make room. We lived in a school bus for two years while we built our home. We loved, and then lost,our two cats and our dog Atticus. We co-raised a herd of goats for a few years. Planting a permanent bed of asparagus and fruit trees. We started a business together. We birthed two babies that are no longer babies... We got some wrinkles, gray hairs, some stretch marks, learned some patience... We are still growing deeper, bending...

hello

Sometimes the wide gap of time neglected stretches out like a stream swelling and it feels like greater and greater gestures must be made to make up for the distance between shores.

In truth, the best thing to do might be to cup your hands to your mouth and call out "hello out there!"

Something simple.

Rainy days

Started out the rainy day movie like this (by choice.)

Finished off the movie like this:

"working" at The Big Crafty.

booth display improvements

Our booth display discussion last week culminated on July 4th as our family wandered around target looking for paper doilies or something else that would fit the idea I had in my head for displaying our designs. It was 8:30 at night, pouring rain, and we were biding time to see if the firework display would actually happen because the kids reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally wanted to see fireworks. Target is not the place to buy paper doilies if you were curious, but I found these melamine plates that with a bit of altering fit my vision perfectly. We flipped them around, drilled two holes at the top, and spray-painted them with white spray paint (the kind formulated for plastic.)

When they were dry I mounted my round prints in the center circle and pinned the plate up, and lastly I draped a necklace featuring the same design from the pins. I was really happy with the results. Here is how it looked at The Big Crafty this past weekend:

The Big Crafty was super fun as always. Thank you to everyone who came out to support us! 

p.s~ The Asheville fireworks show went on despite the downpour. Watching fireworks in the rain was certainly a first. The kids didn't mind a bit. To quote Lili "Best Day EVER!!!"

Forever rain...

I am sitting here drinking my morning coffee in a patch of sunshine. Every couple of minutes a cloud darkens the couch and I am reminded again just how soggy and gray this past week has been for western North Carolina. My friend has a rain barometer and she recorded over 10 inches of rain this past week! Our driveway is a ruty mess, and our raised bed filled with bean plants has looked like a swimming pool more often than not. 

But now a huge swatch of rain that was forecasted to bring even more rain and flooding seems to be narrowly missing us as it moves north. It looks like the Big Crafty show tomorrow might not be a wash-out after all! 

Hope you are having a nice weekend!

Doodles

Some doodles I drew tonight while Alex and I talked about booth display improvements. It seems to be a never ending discussion!