see you in the new year friends!

This lovely wall print calendar is by the amazingly talented and equally as brilliant Julianna Bright of Portland.  Click on over to her shop and check out her many offerings and this beautiful calendar entitled This Will Be Our Year which is a reference to the 60s Brit band The Zombies. I am traveling to Mt Shasta, PDX and all the way up to Sequim, WA and then back over the next few weeks, so I will gather up news and inspirational tales from the Pacific Northwest folks to share with you upon my return. I may pop in here, but for now I’ll be back around January 3rd! I hate to leave because I’m having so much fun here, but I’ll be back soon so check in! I wish all of you reading an inspired new year full of laughter, good friends and stellar health!

Much love —- K

 

love for 1 canoe 2

I was deep in the vortex of Etsy this morning while I should have been packing to go over the mountains and through the woods to the great Pacific NorthWest, and I came across the shop 1 Canoe 2. And I love them; this is what I found while looking at their profile: This shop is the end result of many brillant plans hatched around campfires and in canoes on the spring fed rivers of the Missouri Ozarks. Sounds lovely, right? And so is their work all made with woodcuts or letterpressed on their 100 year old Kelsey. The second image is of their designs made into fabric!

 

instant hutong

I was recently introduced to the project Instant Hutong by artists Marcella Campa and Stefano Avesani, and I am completely floored. The work is so smart and so beautiful, I would love to be able to see it in person. They made a series of carpets based on mapping the old hutongs of Beijing. Each hutong (a city area made up of alleys, courtyards and residences) is represented as its own autonomous neighborhood with the big city. Many of these neighborhoods are being demolished to make way for new roads/modern buildings. Keep that in mind while looking and go here to see more.

 

douglas fir tip tea

Every winter I get really excited about drinking douglas fir tip tea. It smells amazing, so sweet like a forest. And the taste is light and surprising, it really has a lemony taste. A local company Juniper Ridge, harvests the fir in a sustainable way and makes it oh so easy to enjoy. The artwork on their product is beautiful as well.

This year when I head up to the Pacific Northwest I’m going to tip prune some of the firs where my parents live and make my own. I think I’ll dry some as well so I can enjoy it year round because well, summer is a great time for tea in the Bay Area. But the main point is, try some douglas fir tip tea, not many people have and it’s amazing!

 

the handmade pledge

I left the strangely balmy SF Bay area this weekend to go camping in Yosemite, now before you think I’m super rugged, I have to admit that I was staying in a heated tent cabin that was maintained at 85 degrees. But while I was there I encountered that sensation called winter and it reminded me that the holiday season really is nipping at my heels. So commercialism and consumerism are on steroids and we’re all running around at a quicker pace but we can slow down and help out individuals, instead of corporations with wretched work ethics. Remember your local artisans, crafters and independent stores. Remember your own ability to make and create things for folks you love.

Last year the  I took the handmade pledge went around a lot of the blogs but I thought I’d bring it up again just in case you didn’t see it. They have a blog attached to the pledge page that is really up to date with all of the laws that affect small businesses, I’d encourage you to stop by and maybe add the pledge to your own blog!

 

Molly M Designs

My partner started me along a dangerous road by getting me a pair of these earrings for my birthday. They feel amazingly light and they are just so special. Period. So I started looking into the designer and she’s based in SF and uses sustainable materials like bamboo to do her work, even more reason to support her! She has earrings, pendants and art prints in her shop. Check it out here!

 

cactus jungle fieldtrip

I love going to nurseries. I go there for work and sometimes on my day off, I go there again. Just recently I went to a nursery here in Berkeley that I’ve never been to before even though it’s been around for 20 years. I guess the stars finally aligned correctly and me and two other gardeners went there to check it out. They use 100% organic soil mixes, and they also grow all of the plants in Berkeley. Which means no shipping from So Cal or Oregon. Lovely, important. If you ever are visiting Berkeley it’s a must see, and if you’re here this week they are having a 30% off sale on all of their native plants. Check out their website and their blog to get better acquainted.

 

city chicks

Well, I seem to be hooked on Etsy this week. Instead of fighting it I think I’ll just go with it. I think a lot of you chicken lovers will appreciate this one! Click on the photo to go to the shop.

Organic Cotton/Hand dyed by Green Girls Global

 

star shaped press

A beautiful 14 x 22″ print from star shaped press to start off your Monday! Click on the image to go right to their Etsy shop!

 

pigeon toe ceramics

All of  the above pieces are by Pigeon Toe Ceramics which you can check out right here.  They are all hand thrown and are made of porcelain which is notoriously hard to work with. I love how deceptively simple all of these are. Beautiful work! Items are made to order but they also have an Etsy shop for immediate satisfaction which you can check out here. Enjoy!