the boys

Doing some yard work after dinner- putting down some mulch to keep the jungle and poison ivy at bay.

so many worms! 

Handmade Stamp

I pulled out my printmaking supplies today with the idea that I might make a stamp to print on the bags I give to customers at shows. I found this little stamp hiding in my supply box. I made it a few years ago of a moth and a butterfly, it is one of my favorites.  

asparagus

After waiting a few years to let them get established we are finally able to pick a few asparagus from our patch in the garden. They are crunchy, velvety, and  amazingly delicious. Feelin' pretty lucky. 

humpback whale

humpback whale :: kelcey loomer

I am working on a new jewelry project with this illustration. Stay tuned!

process today

Process :: Humpback whale illustration

baby oak branches

a collection of oak clusters that came down in the rain today. 

pip

Pip and I are always the last ones awake in our house. Most of the time she curls up near me and purs and snores until I brush my teeth and start turning off the lights. I lug her upstairs and under the covers with me. She touches her cold nose to my chin, pushes her weight into me, and we snuggle. Just as I am drifting off I always feel her slip out from under the covers and tiptoe out of bed.

the married couple

A portrait of two dolls a friend gave me from her trip to India. They are stuffed with newspaper and were made by a 90 year old man. My friend bought them because the one with the red hat reminded her of me. 

painting outside with kids

I pinned a big piece of paper to our outside fence today and blobbed out some washable paint for the kids. I gave them paint brushes~ silly me. After 30 seconds they started using their hands and I'll admit, it looked like way more fun. With this kind of project it doesn't matter what the end result is, letting them feel the movement of paint and the mixing of colors is such an important lesson for them to learn.

Had to stick them in the shower after this adventure!

today

playing around on photoshop :: my photo of a trillium

Today:

• My dad woke up at five and began the 17 hour drive back to his home in NH. 
• I served buttery grits and over-medium fried eggs for breakfast. It did not go over well with the kids. They refused to eat it.
• The car was filled with giveaway for the goodwill and we couldn't find Lili's penny whistle for school. Things got crazy and by the time I dropped her off at school she was 20 mins late (not a big deal, but still....)
• Seo and I had fun grocery shopping. I let him walk instead of riding in the cart. That made him happy.
• Saw a mom being horribly mean and physical with her toddler daughter in the grocery store. Made me tear up. Seo said "Mom cry? Mom, it okay." *hug*
• Got to see the new baby goats when we picked Lil up from her farm school. So cute! 
• Kids watch a movie while we have a work meeting. 
• News about Boston~ thinking of my friends there. Anxious. Saddened. 
• News of 30 Afghans killed during a wedding by US. Always feel deep sadness and frustration over news like this. 
• Eat tostadas topped with the very first asparagus from our garden (!!!) for dinner. 
• 7:00 kids asleep.

a peek at our spring garden

A couple of days ago we had some intense rain. The next day everything outside burst into action.

We spent today working in the garden and marveling at how fast everything is growing. It was windy and warm and the tiny green leaves speckling the forest look so delicate and pretty. Seo was in heaven with all the bugs and worms he found. He even held a grub in his palm and said "Hello baaaaaaaaaby" and gave it a kiss.

Little cousin love.

There was a moment when my two kids were serenading the baby. Just out of the bath, they were wrapped in towels, and kneeling next to her, singing her a song in unison.

Rock & Shop

I adventured 3.5 hours to Durham NC this past weekend to vend at the Rock & Shop Market. We did well and I met tons of really sweet people~ Durham is totally awesome if you haven't gotten the chance to check it out!

It was our first market of the season, and it felt nice to be around the fresh energy of a show again. It is inspiring to connect with my customers and meet other artists.

In general I am an introvert, and one of the challenges of shows for me is being extroverted. I can be a bit socially awkward at times, especially in big crowds, and at least a few times every show I am cringing on the inside when I hear myself nervously stumbling through a conversation.  I feel confident talking with customers about my favorite part: the art, it's just all the other parts of being a salesperson that get me occasionally tongue-tied. So I was a little nervous going into this show because I have working away in the studio like a hermit the past few months, but I feel like I did well.

I have been working on some new display touches for our booth too. We got a lot of nice compliments on it.

Other great parts about the weekend:

• Time to think and listen to whatever music I wanted to in the 7 hours in a car by myself .
• Getting to stop into a coffee shop without my kiddos in tow. 
• Having a sleepover at my dear friends' house and the delicious meals they fed me. 

And now I am home again, drinking our mountain water and listen to the birds and peepers (!!!) in the evening as they start to fill our woods again...

A good day today

an oldie but goodie.

I was looking through some old photos today and found this gem. 

During those awkward junior high years what was I doing? Well, I was riding in a unicycling team called the Andover One Wheelers. In this photo we had rented tuxedos (only time in my life I ever worn a top hat, bow tie, or cumber-bun ) to videotape our routine and apply for the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. We got in.

I hope someday I am better known for my artwork, but to date my big claim to fame (along with my sister and best friends) is riding a unicycle in the Macy's parade right behind Joey Lawerence.  Circa 1992. 

the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need

beauty in unexpected places :: carrot slice

Most of us arrive at a sense of self and vocation only after a long journey through alien lands. But this journey bears no resemblance to the trouble free "travel packages" sold by the tourism industry. It is more akin to the ancient tradition of pilgrimage-"a transformative journey to a sacred center" full of hardships, darkness, and peril... True vocation joins self and service, as Frederick Buechner asserts when he defines vocation as "the place where your deep gladness meets the world's deep need"

- Parker Palmer

working on photos

I spent the day working on some new product photography. I am happy with the direction they are heading... but goodness,  I feel like product photography might do me in. My newest method of photography involves taping a piece of white tissue paper to a sunshiny window. In the shadow of the tissue paper I set up a little jewelry scene and pull out my camera. Set it to Auto and start clicking away- crossing my fingers at least one of every design works.

I have the smallest hands of almost any adult I have ever met, and yet my fingers feel like sausages trying to adjust the tiny little ear-wires in the right direction. I feel so clumsy! 

I am sure I will continue to improve on my photos in the future, but I am feeling good about them tonight! 

little bee earrings  :: seed & sky

zinnia flower earrings :: seed & sky